5 Simple & Easy Mexican Inspired Dinners For Weeknights
Working out what to eat every evening in the week can be a real chore. Not only does it need to be delicious, but it also needs to be quick to make and good value. The good news is that the Mexican-inspired recipes you’ll find below tick all these boxes. So read on to find out what they are.
This spicy little recipe has only 5 ingredients: chorizo, chillies in adobo sauce, onions, corn tortillas and cilantro. It only takes around 20 minutes from chopping board to plate too, so it is truly ideal for a busy weeknight when you might not have enough energy left to cook a more complex or leisurely meal. You might want to add some sour cream and lettuce though if you like things a little milder, or why not cut down on the amount of adobo sauce you use?
Make sure you select the right number of portions on the recipe page for this one. Otherwise, you could only make enough for a single person when you need to feed the whole family!
To round the meal out, and add some much-needed vegetables, why not add a corn salad? It’s just canned sweetcorn, drained, and mixed with chopped red peppers. Then add the juice of half a lime for a tangy and refreshing dish that will cut through the richness of the chorizo perfectly.
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OK, so this one is definitely Mexican-inspired rather than truly authentic, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t delicious and easy to make. Of course, you can make your own pizza base if you like but to save time it’s best to buy a pre-made one. You can get all sorts from the grocery store now including sourdough bases, which some people believe to be a bit more healthy than the ones made from traditional white flour.
The fun of this dish is that you can add just about anything to the top according to your taste. I recommend you start with the base ingredients in the recipe, including the onions, peppers, cilantro, and black beans. But you could also add some fajita chicken, or even some taco meat, which would be equally delicious.
I couldn’t possibly write this post without mentioning the classic that is chilli con carne, or meat chilli as it’s also known. Delicious, hearty and filling everyone has their recipe to follow and their tweaks and secrets on how to make it special.
One of the best things about chilli con carne is that it’s a one-pot meal. That is you cook everything in the same pot so it saves on washing up once the meal is done, once again making those busy weeknights that little bit easier.
You can even do your chilli in a slow cooker, dump in the ingredients in the morning, and you’ll be greeted with a flavorful and nutritious dish by dinner time with minimal effort.
You can serve this dish with rice, although many people prefer the sweet, buttery, spicey taste of jalapeno cornbread as an accompaniment. Although before you start searching for the best place to get jalapeno cornbread near me online, remember that often a packet mix will perform just as well. Cornbread packet mixes are super quick and easy to make up too, so they perfectly fit our simple and easy aim.
Fajitas are another Mexican-inspired classic that is not only delicious but couldn’t be faster or easier to make. Usually made up of a soft flour tortilla wrapped around strips of cooked chicken, beef, or fish seasoned with fajita spice and mixed with onions and peppers.
Garnish with guacamole, sour cream and shredded cheese to taste and you’ll have a delicious dish that takes barely any time at all. Oh, and no one will judge you if you buy pre-made Mexican dips, so go ahead and save even more time.
Robust, satisfying and filling enchiladas are my last Mexican-inspired selection for a busy weeknight. Again using some of the classic Mexican ingredients we have already seen in the recipes above, this recipe calls for corn tortillas, onions, garlic cilantro and cheese.
This recipe is truly delicious and well worth the effort, and it’s simple but including oven time it does take around 50 minutes, so maybe it’s more of a Friday night meal rather than a midweek one.
