In shortAsk yourself three questions in order: how much time you have, what is already at home, and what you fancy. With eggs, pasta or rice in the cupboard, there is almost always a dinner possible in under 30 minutes.
The problem is almost never a lack of recipes. There are too many, and at 7 pm nobody wants to choose. The fix is to narrow the choice, not widen it.
Three questions, in order
1. How much time do you really have?
Be honest: with 20 minutes, do not look at dishes that simmer. Set the time before you look at ideas.
2. What is already at home?
Open the fridge and the cupboard before you open an app. One ingredient to finish (three eggs, leftover rice, some leeks) is enough to decide the dish.
3. What do you fancy right now?
Hot or cold, light or filling. If you have no idea, scroll through dishes and stop at the first one that makes you hungry. That is how Yum or Pass works in the MoodDish app: dishes come up one by one and you keep the ones that tempt you.
The three staples that always save dinner
If one of these is at home, you have a dinner.
| Staple | Catalogue dish | Time | Estimated price per serving |
|---|
| Eggs | Cream and chive baked eggs | 28 min | €0.89 |
| Eggs | Mushroom and chive omelette | 20 min | €1.56 |
| Pasta | Garlic, chilli and olive oil spaghetti | 25 min | €1.23 |
| Pasta | Ham and pea elbow macaroni | 23 min | €1.68 |
| Rice | Egg and vegetable fried rice | 30 min | €1.24 |
| Potatoes | Leek and potato soup with toast | 42 min | €1.32 |
Prices are estimates on 13 November 2026, in euros, from prices recorded at French retailers. They vary with your shop.
So you are not stuck again next week
- Always keep the three staples in the cupboard: eggs, pasta, rice.
- Write down three dishes you like to repeat. On evenings with no idea, you choose among those three, not among a thousand.
- On Sunday, decide for two evenings only. Planning the whole week puts people off; two evenings are enough to break the block.
For a ready-made list: What’s for dinner tonight? 15 dinners ready in 30 minutes.
Three of these dishes, in detail
The garlic spaghetti, the baked eggs and the leek and potato soup are detailed below.
meal ideastonightquick dinnerdinner inspiration
Recipes from MoodDish
Ingredients 6
- 360 g Dried spaghetti
- 65 ml Olive oil
- 20 g Garlic
- 10 g Fresh red chilli
- 20 g Fresh parsley
- 5 g Salt
Steps 4
- Prepare
Thinly slice garlic and chilli; remove chilli seeds for a milder flavour. Chop parsley, keeping stems and leaves separate.
- Cook pasta
Bring a large pan of water to a boil with salt. Cook spaghetti for 2 minutes less than the packet time. Reserve 300 ml cooking water before draining.
- Infuse oil
Meanwhile, gently heat oil in a wide pan. Add garlic, chilli and parsley stems and cook for 3–4 minutes without browning garlic. Remove stems.
- Emulsify
Add spaghetti and 150 ml reserved cooking water. Toss vigorously over medium heat for 2 minutes to make a glossy sauce, gradually adding remaining water as needed. Fold in parsley leaves and serve immediately.
Ingredients 6
- 8 piece Egg
- 200 ml Cream
- 15 g Unsalted butter
- 10 g Fresh chives
- 2 g Salt
- 1 g Black pepper
Steps 4
- Prepare the ramekins
Preheat the oven to 170°C and boil a kettle of water. Butter four ramekins large enough for two eggs each. Finely chop the chives.
- Fill
Divide the cream between the ramekins. Crack two eggs into each, keeping the yolks intact. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
- Bake in a water bath
Place the ramekins in a deep baking dish. Pour hot water around them to halfway up their sides. Bake for 15–18 minutes until the whites are set and the yolks still soft.
- Finish
Lift the ramekins from the water bath using oven gloves. Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately, as they continue cooking in the hot ceramic.
Ingredients 9
- 450 g White part of leek
- 500 g Potatoes
- 100 g Onion
- 200 ml Semi-skimmed milk
- 900 ml Water
- 20 ml Olive oil
- 240 g Wheat country bread
- 4 g Salt
- 1 g Black pepper
Steps 5
- Wash and chop the vegetables
Split the leeks and wash thoroughly between the layers. Slice them. Peel the onion and potatoes and cut into small pieces.
- Soften the leeks
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Soften the onion and leeks over medium heat for 5 minutes without browning.
5 min - Cook the soup
Add the potatoes, water, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes until the potatoes crush easily.
20 min - Blend and reheat
Remove from the heat. Add the milk and blend with a hand blender, keeping the head submerged. Reheat gently for 2 minutes without boiling hard.
2 min - Toast the bread
Toast the bread and divide between the servings. Serve alongside the hot soup.
