With cooler weather moving in, I thought it was time to share two of my very favorite recipes with you. The best part is you can make BOTH recipes in less than 10 minutes total AND for less than $20. Who isn’t looking for inexpensive, quick dinner ideas?
Grocery List: (for both meals)
(makes 4-6 servings depending on size of roast)
- Medium Sized Roast – Pick your favorite (I’ve used both pork and beef)
- 5-6 Potatoes
- 1-2 White Onions
- Small Bag Baby Carrots
- 1 Can Corn
- 1 Can Green Beans
- 1 Can Peas
- 1 Can Tomato Sauce (I’ve also used crushed/diced tomatoes if you prefer)
- Loaf of french bread
Night One: Crock Pot Roast and Veggies
Place the following in a crockpot:
- Roast
- Onions (cut into quarters)
- Potatoes (cut into reasonable sized pieces)
- Carrots
Add about a cup of liquid – water, wine, beer, broth – pick your favorite. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on top and set the crockpot on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
Prep time = 5 minutes.
It’s really that simple. On particularly lazy days I’ve even stuck the roast in completely frozen. Comes out great. 🙂
If you want to get fancy, you can serve it with a salad and/or bread.
After dinner, place all leftovers in the fridge so they are ready for night two.
Night Two: Vegetable Soup
Rough chop the leftovers – I usually turn the whole runny mess onto a large cutting board and run a knife through everything like this:
Throw those in a large pot and add the following:
- 1 can corn
- 1 can green beans
- 1 can peas
- 1 can tomato sauce
Fill with water or broth until it’s soup consistency. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Serve with crusty french bread and butter.
Prep time = 5 minutes.
If you are a fresh or frozen veggie person that’s fine, just add more liquid to make up for the juices in the can. You can also use just about any kind of tomato – stewed, diced, pureed – just adjust the liquid accordingly.
The best part is this soup freezes awesome, which is great if you are a small family like we are. There is usually enough for us to have soup for dinner, lunch the next day AND freeze enough for another meal down the road.
What’s your easy food recipe?