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Truth be told, I often find that chopping ingredients is the most tedious part of preparing any meal. It always takes longer than I expect, especially if the knives I’m using aren’t up to snuff. And when I’m exhausted and hungry, the last thing I want to do is spend 15 minutes cutting up vegetables—possibly longer if I’m working with something sturdy like squash or time-consuming like brussels sprouts—and then even more time washing the cutting board and knife.
To get me through those kinds of days, I’ve assembled an arsenal of recipes that require no chopping at all. These 15 dishes rely on ingredients that are already prepped and ready to go, like frozen corn, canned beans, and leafy greens that you can tear apart if you don’t feel like getting a knife out. Dishes like soy and ginger steamed fish, white bean quesadillas, and lamb with herbs will prove that you don’t need to have knife skills to make an excellent meal.
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https://www.acouplecooks.com1 Coconut Lentil Curry From A Couple Cooks
Leafy greens are pretty delicate, so you can easily tear them apart rather than chopping them. The pieces may not be as even, but that won’t matter when you’re cooking them down into something like this curry. Get the recipe here.
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Andrew Purcell; Carrie Purcell2 Salsa Verde Quinoa Chicken Thighs From SELF
All you have to do to make this quick chicken dinner is toss your ingredients in a pan—forget about chopping, there’s hardly any prep to this one at all. Get the recipe here.
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https://www.ibreatheimhungry.com3 10-Minute Chili From I Breathe I’m Hungry
With only five ingredients—ground beef, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, and salsa—you’re only 10 minutes away from this delicious dinner. Get the recipe here.
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https://www.budgetbytes.com4 Creamy White Bean and Spinach Quesadilla From Budget Bytes
This recipe calls for fresh spinach, but you’ll get more bang for your buck if you use the frozen variety. Just be sure to defrost it and squeeze the liquid out before you put it in the quesadilla, otherwise it might get mushy. Get the recipe here.
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Andrew Purcell; Carrie Purcell5 Skillet Tomatoes With White Beans and Eggs From SELF
This super simple dinner would make an equally great breakfast or lunch. Get the recipe here.
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https://www.bonappetit.com6 Seared Lamb With Marinated Halloumi and Herbs From Bon Appétit
Ground lamb, halloumi, and herbs are all ingredients that are soft enough to break apart without the help of a knife. Get the recipe here.
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Andrew Purcell; Carrie Purcell7 Corn, Black Bean, and Feta Lettuce Cups From SELF
Used canned black beans, frozen corn, and fresh feta to quickly throw together these lettuce wraps. And if you don’t feel like chopping avocado for the garnish, simply mash or slice it with a fork. Get the recipe here.
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https://www.bonappetit.com8 Soy and Ginger Steamed Fish From Bon Appétit
While shopping for this recipe, choose small mushrooms that can be cooked whole so you don’t have to chop them. Or, as the recipe suggests, just tear your ‘shrooms into pieces. Easy peasy. Get the recipe here.
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Andrew Purcell; Carrie Purcell9 Quinoa With Parmesan, Corn, and Spinach From SELF
This recipe calls for fresh corn, but frozen corn will make a great, effortless substitute. Get the recipe here.
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https://www.foodiecrush.com10 Creamy Bowtie Pasta With Salmon and Asparagus From Foodie Crush
Instead of chopping the asparagus, you can simply bend…and snap. Wait to shred the salmon until after you’ve cooked it. By then, it will be so tender it should fall right apart. Get the recipe here.
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https://www.budgetbytes.com/11 Spiced Chickpea Tostadas From Budget Bytes
If you don’t mind doing a little chopping, feel free to add a few sliced radishes as garnish. If not, this dish will taste great anyway. Get the recipe here.
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https://cookieandkate.com/12 Savory Steel-Cut Oatmeal From Cookie and Kate
Savory oatmeal is the perfect vessel for ingredients that don’t need to be chopped, like the fried eggs and lightly dressed arugula in this recipe. Get the recipe here.
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http://dishingupthedirt.com/13 Bourbon and Honey Roasted Carrots With Cayenne and Feta From Dishing up the Dirt
As long as you make sure to give your carrots a good scrub, you don’t even need to peel them for this recipe. Plus, keeping the green tops on makes this sweet, spicy, and savory dish look even more impressive. Get the recipe here.
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https://naturallyella.com14 Sweet Corn Farro Risotto From Naturally Ella
Unlike most risotto recipes, which have to be babysat constantly throughout the cooking process, this is one you can set and forget in the oven. Get the recipe here.
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https://www.liveeatlearn.com/15 Bulgur Salad With Feta and Pomegranate From Live Eat Learn
If you’d rather not seed a pomegranate for this dish (even though there’s a super easy, mess-free way to do it, which you can read all about here) you can totally opt for preseeded options to save yourself the work. Get the recipe here.