5x quick weekday meals #3

When you come home from work hungry, you often don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should eat less deliciously. All these dishes are ready in under half an hour and can be served proudly to guests or your family.

Salmon poke bowl
While the salmon marinates, you can cook the rice and prepare any other toppings. Shelled edamame beans are always a good choice, as are avocado, seaweed salad (store-bought, of course) or pickled vegetables.

Lamb meatballs
Looking for a change from your standard weekday meatballs? These are made with minced lamb and are flavorful and—equally important—ready just as quickly. Served with a wonderfully creamy purée of beans and chickpeas.

Cacio e pepe
It doesn’t get much simpler than cacio e pepe. Making the sauce does require some skill, but with a sauce consisting of just two ingredients, you can focus extra on your technique.

Egg with tomato
Scrambled eggs with tomato may not sound very exciting, but I ordered this dish with almost every meal when I was in China. The Shaoxing cooking wine (available at the Asian grocery store) gives the dish its distinctively Chinese flavor. Add spring onion for freshness and serve with a steaming bowl of rice.

Polenta
With quick-cooking polenta, this dish with sautéed mushrooms, spinach and an egg is ready in no time. Naturally, stir plenty of butter through the polenta to make it deliciously creamy.