Easy Recipes for Beginners!

Easy Recipes for Beginners! The Beginners' Guide to Making Unmissable Meals ChaptersCooking Lessons: Easy StartersEasy Recipes for Main CoursesDesserts for BeginnersVocabulary“Everything you see I owe to spaghetti.” - Sophia LorenOver the years, people have started spending less and less time cooking.  With busier lives (between work, family, and leisure), we spend less time cooking and more time focusing on other things.However, you don’t need to spend 3 hours in the kitchen making a complicated dish in order to eat well and enjoy your meals.People generally think that simple meals can’t be tasty. If you're sick of jacket potatoes, cheesy beans on toast, instant noodles, or prepackaged sandwiches, here are a few examples of quick and easy dinner recipes that beginners can make. GiovanniCooking Teacher 4.83 (12) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors HalimaCooking Teacher £12/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors HakimCooking Teacher 5.00 (5) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors VincenzoCooking Teacher £30/h1st lesson free!Disc over all our tutors GinellaCooking Teacher £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ArronCooking Teacher 5.00 (2) £9/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JoshuaCooking Teacher 5.00 (5) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors FlickCooking Teacher 5.00 (1) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsCooking Lessons: Easy StartersStarters often seem complicated but they needn’t be.  There are quick and easy recipes that can impress your guests. They don’t require a lot of ingredients or time.It might be time to eat less pizza and start cooking your own food. (Source: joshuemd)Are you ready to impress the in-laws this weekend or do you just need something you can quickly make on a weeknight after work for the whole family?Basil and Lemon Sardine TartinesPreparation time: 15 minutes.Cooking time: 5 minutes.Budget per person: £1.50Ingredients:4 large slices of farmhouse bread16 sardines in oil1 lemon1 teaspoon of dried basil or a few leaves of fresh basil1 shallot 100g of butterSaltRecipe for serving four people:Remove the skin and bones from the sardines.Work the butter into a paste in a salad bowl.Add the sardines, lemon juice, crushed shallot, salt, and basil.Toast the bread for a few minutes in the oven.Spread and you’re ready to go!Surimi TabouléPreparation time: 15 minutes.Cooking time: 5 minutes.  2 hours standing time.Budget per person: £2Ingredients:180g of bulgur8 rolls of surimi1 tomato1/4 cucumber1/4 red pepper10 mint leaves1 lemonOlive oilSaltRecipe for serving four people:Cook the bulgur in 750ml of salted boiling water for 5 minutes.Take off the heat and let it swell in the water for 5 minutes.DrainDice the tomato, cucumber, and pepperMix with the warm bulgur.Add 50ml of olive oil, juice from the lemon, crushed mint leaves, salt, and minced surimi.Leave to stand for 2 hours.For a vegetarian alternative, you can replace the surimi with feta or tofu. Of course, if you prefer mushroom, carrot, spinach, or other veggies, you co uld always add them instead.Discover what foodies always keep on hand...Tomato Noodle SoupPreparation time: 15 minutes.Cooking time: 25 minutes.Budget per person: £1Ingredients:3 tomatoes50g of tomato concentrate100g of vermicelli1 onion1 garlic clove1 cube of chicken stockOlive oilRecipe for serving four people:In a pot, brown the onion, garlic, and crushed tomatoes in 50ml of olive oil.Add the tomato concentrate, 800ml of water, the stock cube (you can replace this with vegetable stock if vegetarian)Bring to the boilSimmer for 25 minutesAdd the vermicelliCook for 3 minutes before taking off the heatThis filling and hearty meal can be can be served as a starter or as a main dish on a cold winter's day. In fact, most soups are pretty quick and easy to make.Easy Recipes for Main CoursesFor original pasta dishes, stuffed vegetables, and quick meals, follow this guide. You don’t need to spend several hours preparing them nor do you need a chef’s qualification. These recipes are af fordable, easy, and quick.They also make a change from mac and cheese, a burger from McDonald's, or meatballs out of a tin.Cooking blogs are great for ideas on what to make. (Source: RitaE)Ready to go?Shirred Eggs with HamPreparation time: 10 minutes.Cooking time: 10 minutes.Budget per person: £1.50Ingredients:4 large eggs4 soup spoons of thick creme fraicheA slice of ham1 small tomato1 demi baguetteOlive oilSalt and pepperRecipe for serving four people:Baste 4 ramekins with olive oil.Cut the ham into strips.Spread the crushed tomato, ham, and creme fraiche into the bottom of the ramekin.Break an egg into each ramekin.Season with salt and pepper.Bake for 10 minutes at 180 °C in a water bath (bain-marie).Serve with bread cut into soldiers.What cooking tools should you have in your kitchen?Salmon TagliatellePreparation time: 10 minutes.Cooking time: 10 minutes.Budget per person: £1.50Ingredients:400g of fresh tagliatelle2 skinned salmon steaks100ml of cooking creamCooking white wine Olive oilSalt and pepperRecipe for serving four people:Cut the salmon and sauté it in a pan with olive oil for 5 minutes.Add 50ml of white wine and reduce.Add the cream and reduce.Season with salt and pepper.Cook the pasta with the salmon sauce.Quiche Lorraine/Vegetable QuichePreparation time: 10 minutes.Cooking time: 35 minutes.Budget per person: £2Ingredients:Pie dough3 eggs400g of heavy cream200g of lardon strips125g of grated cheeseNutmeg, salt, pepperRecipe for serving four people:Place the dough in a cake tin and pierce it with a fork.Cook the lardons in a pan without adding anything to themWhip the eggs, cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a salad bowl.Place the lardons onto the doughSprinkle the grated cheese.Bake for 25 minutes at 200 °C.For a vegetarian option, you can replace the lardons with vegetables like courgette, peppers, broccoli, carrots, etc.Discover our beginner's cooking guide!Impress your friends with your cooking. (Source: rawpixel)Stuffed Goat’s Cheese To matoesPreparation time: 10 minutes.Cooking time: 20 minutes.Budget per person: £1.50Ingredients:8 tomatoes350g of fresh goat’s cheese50g of walnut kernels200g of wheat semolina30g of breadcrumbs1 tablespoon of honeyOlive oilSaltRecipe for serving four people:Cut the tops off the tomatoes and scoop out the insidesMix the goat’s cheese, honey, the insides of the tomatoes, a tablespoon of olive oil, nuts, breadcrumbs, and salt in a salad bowl.Insert into the tomatoesPlace the tops back on the tomatoes and add tablespoon of olive oilCook for 20 minutes at 180 °CServe with semolina prepared in advance.If you don’t like goat’s cheese, you can always replace it with ricotta or cream cheese with herbs.Buckwheat Pancakes with HamPreparation time: 15 minutes.Cooking time: 15 minutes.Budget per person: £1.50Ingredients:4 buckwheat pancakes4 slices of ham4 eggsLettuce80g of grated cheese4 tablespoons of thick creme fraicheOlive oilVinaigretteSaltRecipe for serving four people:Fry the 4 eggs with a bit of olive oil and salt.Put to one sideReheat the buckwheat pancakes with a bit of oilPlace a slice of ham into the middle with the crème fraîche, egg, and grated cheeseFold the pancake into a squareRepeat for the over pancakesServe with lettuce and vinaigretteFor a vegetarian option, you can always replace the ham with mushrooms or sliced avocado.Sautéd Pineapple PorkPreparation time: 15 minutes.Cooking time: 10 minutes.Budget per person: £1.50Ingredients:400g of pork tenderloin1 jar of sliced pineapple200g of rice1/2 a red pepper1 shallot1 tablespoon of cornstarchOlive oilSaltRecipe for serving four people:Dice the pork and sauté it in oil in a frying pan or skilletPut to one sideIn the hot pan, sauté the crushed shallot and diced pepper.Dilute the cornstarch in 3 tablespoons of pineapple juice and salt.Add this pineapple sauce to diced pineapple.Cook for 2 minutes.Serve with rice.If you're a big fan of pork, you could replace the pork tenderloin with tender pork chops, too.Desserts for BeginnersDesserts are far from a hassle!There are easy recipes. Feel like a homemade chocolate cake but you’re on your own or can't be bothered with baking?Mugcake it is!Forget complicated crumble, clafouti, rice pudding, or crème patissière. Let’s make things simple.You should only really get strawberries when they're in season. (Source: Engin_Akyurt)Chocolate MugcakePreparation time: 5 minutes.Cooking time: 3 minutes.Budget per person: £1Ingredients:1 egg20g of flour20g of sugar30g of butter40g of dark chocolateRecipe for one person:Place the butter and chocolate into a mug and microwave for 30 seconds.Smoothly mix and then add flour and sugar.Mix again.Add the egg and mix it in.Put in the microwave for 1 minute.I bet you didn't think that a cake could be baked in less than ten minutes, but there you have it! There definitely won't be any leftovers.Orange Blossom French ToastPreparation time: 10 minutes.Cooking time: 5 minutes.Budget per person: £2.50Ingredients:1 stale baguette (usually leftover from another meal)Orange blossom3 eggs140g of unsweetened condensed milk2 sachets of vanilla sugar2 tablespoons of powdered sugarRapeseed oilRecipe for serving four people:Whip the eggs with the condensed milk, vanilla sugar, and sugar.Add a tablespoon of orange blossom and mix it all together.Cut the bread into slices.Quickly plunge the bread into the mix and take it straight back out and put it onto a plate.Heat the oilBrown the bread on both sidesServe warmThe orange blossom adds a refreshing zesty and tangy addition to a traditional recipe and while we've put it down as a dessert, it's also great for brunch on the weekend.Speculaas and Strawberry DessertPreparation time: 10 minutes.Budget per person: £1.80Ingredients:300g of strawberries8 speculaas2 pots of vanilla puddingWhipped creamRecipe for serving four people:Wash the strawberries, keep four to one side and place the rest into a blender.Place the mix into ramekins and cover with half a pot of vanilla pudding.Sprinkle speculaas crumbs on top.Serve with whipped cream, a bit more speculaas on top, and half a strawberry.As you can see, you can get most of these on the table in 30 minutes or less and for those that take longer, it's just because you have to cook them for a little longer.If you're out of dinner ideas, don't forget there are books and websites with plenty of easy dinners you can make. Some websites even organise their recipes by ingredient so you can see what you have in your cupboards and make it.Whether you're looking for hearty casserole recipes, how to make a satisfying stir-fry, making some chilli con carne in a slow cooker, there are a number of great websites as well as books to get you started.Or you can search for a  cooking course  London and learn how to make more elaborate dishes.If you're willing to spend more time, there are also plenty of great resources on how to make a roasted chicken dinner. If you've got chicken in th e fridge or freezer, there are easy chicken recipes for your weeknight dinners or suppers, too!VocabularyIf a few terms were Greek to you, here’s a couple definitions. We've got a few definitions in our other articles on cooking, so make sure to read them, too!Kneaded ButterThis is butter at room temperature that has been worked with a spatula until it has a creamy consistency.DiluteThis means adding a substance to a liquid to weaken it. It’s similar to dissolving.Now discover the best cooking quotes to keep you inspired...