Easy microwave meals are becoming more popular all the time. Many people either don’t have the time to cook or just plain don’t have the patience to wait for a stew to be cooked and then finished, sauteed, and cooked some more. This is why microwaves have been invented. They allow you to heat food up quickly and easily. You simply place your food into the center of the device, set the timer to a few minutes, and when the timer goes off, you have your meal.
One of the most common dishes to come in a microwave is the casserole dish. If you don’t have one of these devices, you’re going to be missing out on some great meals. The first thing that you should do is go to your local dollar store and pick up a casserole dish with a lid. You’ll need one to two cups of vegetable dishes, depending on what size your casserole dish is. These dishes are usually made from aluminum, but you can buy ones made from glass, too. Obviously glass is going to make your food look nicer, but remember that it will retain more of the heat from the microwave, so it’s probably a good idea to go with glass for easy microwave meals.
The next dish, we’re going to discuss for easy microwave meals is a hot dog carton. I’m not sure why some people think these are a bad choice for meals, but I do. I’ve never had the opportunity to try one of these, but from reading other reviews, they can be a horrible meal to cook. They lack the depth of flavor that the other choices have, which means you can end up getting a boring dish, which you shouldn’t do if you’re trying to make easy microwave meals.
Instead, focus on easy microwave meals that focus on a main dish. You should always start with chicken breasts if you’re looking to build a meal around this type of meat. Chicken breast is tender enough that it makes an excellent main dish when cooked properly. You can find chicken breast at just about any store.
For this dish, you’ll want to start with four cups of chicken broth. You can buy it in a can or bottle, or if you’re really feeling adventurous, just go to your local grocery store and get a bottle. Bring the broth to a boil in your microwave oven. Use the sauce you’re going to put in your pot to enhance the flavor of your main dish. A simple two tablespoons brown sugar and a touch of salt is all you need.
Now, for easy microwave meals that pack a punch, you’re going to want to add a can of low-fat ranch salad dressing to your main dish recipes. For chicken breast, I recommend going with a can of whole milk, which has plenty of protein. For vegetable content, I recommend russet potatoes, low-fat cheese, and mayonnaise. For an extra dose of flavor, toss in a few jalapenos or pepper. These items add just the right amount of heat to make your dishes extra zesty.
To make easy microwave meals that are bursting with flavor, you’ll want to add a can of tomato sauce to your next dish recipes. You can pick up a can of crushed tomatoes, cut off the rind, and add them to your main dish recipes. For chicken breast, I like to use a can of whole milk along with a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste. A good way to tell if the tomato paste has thickened is by adding a few drops of water to the sauce. Another way to tell is by taking a bite of it. If it has a heavy cream flavor, it’s not thickened enough.
For other easy microwave safe casserole dishes, you can always use a crock pot or pressure cooker instead of the oven. These devices cook all the ingredients at the same time and are usually less expensive than a stovetop model. Some crock pots and pressure cookers have a special option for vegetable recipes. My sister uses a pressure cooker with a roast section and the vegetables come out soft and fluffy. Not too thickened, yet not soupy, these Crock Pot and Pressure Cooker vegetable recipes work great in my opinion.