During the summer, when you don’t have time to do anything other than grab a tub of hummus and chuck some pitta in the toaster, it doesn’t matter that your dinner is unfulfilling. The sun nourishes your soul; carrot sticks are a happy bonus. However, when autumn and its cooler, darker evenings start to roll in, it's understandable to want something comforting – not to mention piping hot – that can be on the table in 15 minutes flat.
A lot of winter warmer recipes (see: stews) can take forever, and while using the slow cooker is fine at weekends, on midweek evenings after a long day at work, the last thing you want is to have to wait hours for food.
Click through to see a few of the simple, autumnal 15-minute dinners I’ve been making lately.
Creamy Bacon & Mushroom Gnocchi
Serves 2
Ingredients
400g potato gnocchi
4 slices smoky streaky bacon, chopped
150g button mushrooms, quartered
4 large spring onions, thinly sliced
120ml single cream
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
1. Cook the gnocchi in a pan of boiling water until they float to the top. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, place the bacon pieces in a large, cold frying pan and set it over a medium high heat.
3. Once the bacon has started to brown and give out a lot of fat, add the mushrooms and the spring onions. Cook until the mushrooms are tender and slightly browned.
4. Stir the cream and a generous amount of seasoning into the bacon mushroom mixture, then stir in the gnocchi until it is well coated in the cream sauce. Serve immediately.
15-Minute Veggie Chilli
Serves 2
Ingredients
Generous splash vegetable oil
1/2 white onion, roughly chopped
1 small yellow pepper, roughly chopped
400g tin red kidney beans in chilli sauce
227g small tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp cajun spice mix
1/2 tsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
Soured cream, to serve
Fresh coriander, to serve
Instructions
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a high heat and add the onion and pepper. Cook until they’re slightly charred, soft and smelling smoky (I always put the extractor fan on for this).
2. Add the red kidney beans in their chilli sauce, the chopped tomatoes, spices and cocoa powder and continue to cook over a high heat, stirring regularly for about 10 minutes until the chilli has thickened.
3. Serve with soured cream and fresh coriander. Avocado, feta, grated cheese and fresh lime also go fantastically as toppings.
Kale & Chorizo Lentil Bowl
Serves 2
Ingredients
Generous splash rapeseed oil
Small white onion, thinly sliced
140g chorizo, chopped
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
160g chopped curly kale
250g pouch puy lentils
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the onion until it is starting to soften, and add the chorizo and the garlic. Cook until the oil has started to come out of the chorizo pieces and they have started to crisp up around the edges.
2. Add the kale to the pan (you may need to do this in batches) until it has all softened and turned bright green.
3. Stir in the lentils with a generous splash of water. Cook until the lentils are plump and heated through, and season generously with salt and pepper before serving.
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