You're home. What have you got?

No stories. No pretension. Just recipes that respect your time, your energy, and the state of your fridge.

Real talk: "Prep time: 10 min" means 10 min if you're already a chef. We give you the real number. Honest promise: Every recipe tested by actual tired people, not food stylists. No judgement: Tinned tomatoes are a perfectly valid life choice. Fridge raid approved: Half the recipes here were invented because someone had nothing in the house. Energy levels: We rate recipes by how knackered you can be, not how skilled. Dish count matters: A one-pot meal is a gift to future you. Real talk: "Prep time: 10 min" means 10 min if you're already a chef. We give you the real number. Honest promise: Every recipe tested by actual tired people, not food stylists. No judgement: Tinned tomatoes are a perfectly valid life choice. Fridge raid approved: Half the recipes here were invented because someone had nothing in the house. Energy levels: We rate recipes by how knackered you can be, not how skilled. Dish count matters: A one-pot meal is a gift to future you.

Tonight's options

6 recipes · Sorted by energy (lowest first)

A simple bowl of pasta with olive oil and garlic

Recipe 01

Emergency Pasta

Three ingredients. One pot. Zero energy needed. This is the recipe you make when the answer to "what's for dinner?" is a long sigh.

⏱ 12 min 🍳 One pot 💰 $4 😴 Minimal effort

1 dish

Active: 10m · Total: 12m

Roast chicken pieces on a sheet pan with vegetables

Recipe 02

Sheet Pan Chicken

Five minutes of actual work, then 30 minutes of doing absolutely nothing while the oven does its thing. Set a timer, sit down.

⏱ 35 min total 🍳 One pan 😴 Set & forget 🔥 5 min active

1 dish

Active: 5m · Total: 35m

Recipe 03

Fried Rice Rescue

Last night's rice. Whatever veg is looking sad. An egg if you've got one. Soy sauce. This isn't cooking — it's crisis management that tastes good.

⏱ 15 min 🧊 Fridge raid 💰 $5 🥕 Use what's dying

2 dishes

Active: 10m · Total: 15m

Recipe 04

One Tin Soup

Tinned tomatoes. Tinned beans. Spices you already have. Twenty minutes. This is the soup equivalent of a warm hug from someone who doesn't ask questions.

⏱ 20 min 🍳 One pot 💰 $6 😴 Low energy

1 dish

Active: 5m · Total: 20m

Recipe 05

Lazy Sunday Bolognese

Fifteen minutes of chopping, then two hours of ignoring it completely. Makes enough for tonight plus two frozen portions for future tired-you.

⏱ 2h 15m total 🍳 One pot 📦 Batch cook 🔥 15 min active

2 dishes

Active: 15m · Total: 2h 15m

Recipe 06

Kid-Proof Fish Fingers

Homemade but genuinely faster than you think. Crispy outside, flaky inside, and the kids won't know you didn't buy them frozen. Parenting win.

⏱ 27 min 👶 Kid-approved 💰 $10 ⚡ Some effort

3 dishes

Active: 15m · Total: 27m

Honest reviews

Real people. Real times. No sponsored opinions.

Emergency Pasta

"Made this after a 12-hour shift. Couldn't even find the garlic press so I just smashed it with a mug. Still tasted great. Ate it standing up. No regrets."

Sarah K. · Melbourne ⏱ Actual: 14 min (close enough)

Sheet Pan Chicken

"The 5 minutes active time is legit. I put it in, watched half an episode of something, dinner was done. My partner thought I'd been cooking for hours."

James T. · Brisbane ⏱ Actual: 38 min (oven ran hot)

Fried Rice Rescue

"Used three-day-old rice and a capsicum that had seen better days. The kids ate every bite. This recipe has saved us from Uber Eats at least six times."

Priya M. · Sydney ⏱ Actual: 18 min (kids kept interrupting)

Lazy Sunday Bolognese

"This took me 35 minutes of prep, not 15. I'm slow with an onion. But the two hours of ignoring it were absolutely accurate. Made a triple batch."

Tom R. · Adelaide ⏱ Actual: 2h 35m (worth every minute)

How a recipe looks

Ingredients first. Story last (if you care).

⏱ 12 min 🍳 One pot 💰 $4 😴 Energy: 1/5 🍽️ 1 dish to wash

Emergency Pasta

Three ingredients you definitely have. One pot you're about to use. Dinner in the time it takes to doom-scroll through half your feed.

Active: 10 min

Passive: 2 min

Real total: 12 min

What you'll actually need

400g Spaghetti (or whatever pasta's in the cupboard)
4 cloves Garlic (or 2 tsp from the jar, no judgement)
3 tbsp Olive oil (any oil works in a pinch)
Pinch Chilli flakes (optional — skip if the kids are eating)
To taste Salt & pepper

Upgrade if you've got it: Parmesan, lemon zest, fresh parsley, a knob of butter. None of these are required.

Method

Boil a pot of salted water. Cook the pasta according to the packet. Save a mug of pasta water before draining. This is the only pot you'll use. Promise.
While the pasta cooks, slice the garlic thinly. Don't bother being precise — you're tired, and chunky garlic is fine.
In the same pot (drained), heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and chilli flakes. Cook for about 60 seconds — until it smells incredible but before it burns. Burnt garlic is bitter garlic. Watch it.
Toss the pasta back in. Add a splash of that pasta water. Stir everything together until it's glossy and coated.
Season with salt and pepper. Eat. That's it. You're done.

This is essentially aglio e olio — a Roman dish that exists because someone hundreds of years ago also came home knackered and had nothing in the house except garlic and olive oil. It's survived centuries because it works. It's the recipe equivalent of a reliable friend: not flashy, always there, never lets you down. I make it at least once a fortnight when the meal plan has fallen apart and the takeaway budget is spent.

What's actually in your kitchen?

Tap what you've got. We'll figure out what you can make.

47 recipes

All tested by actual tired humans

18 min

Average real cook time

1.8 dishes

Average washing up

$8 avg

Average cost per serve