What to Cook First from Pinch of Nom Express
It’s HERE! Pinch of Nom: Express was published just over a week ago, and we’re still on cloud nine (especially since we’ve been reading all your lovely, kind reviews). It means the world to us that you’re happy with the recipes inside the book, and we can’t stop scrolling through the photos of what you’ve made so far!
When it comes to cooking healthy meals, we know it’s a lack of time that often gets in the way. That’s exactly why Express is all about fast-track flavours, so you can enjoy all the food you love, in even less time.
Not got your copy of Pinch of Nom: Express yet? Don’t worry – you can order yours here!
The 100 all-new recipes inside are split into Quick Cook and Quick Prep chapters, to make it easy to see at a glance which dishes fit into your busy day. With all that choice, it can be tricky to know what to cook first!
If you’re not sure where to start, you’re in the right place. We’ve made a list of a few Express recipes you might like to start with, including ideas for every meal of the day.
When you’ve cooked up a storm at Express storm, pleeeeease share the photos of your dishes on our PON Gallery, Facebook group or over on Instagram. As long as you tag us (@pinchofnom), we’ll see them all! You might even get to take some PON SWAG home…
I want to start with an Express breakfast
First things first, when you need to be out the door bright and early, having Express at your fingertips makes it possible to have a tasty, home-cooked breakfast that fits into your slimming plan.
On the table in just half an hour, these Savoury Breakfast Pancakes from the Quick Cook section are a speedy start to the day, and they work out at less than 400 calories per serving!
Each perfect pancake is flavoured with cheese and chives, ready to be loaded up with a topping of fresh tomatoes, avocado, crispy bacon and chorizo. Flick to page 28 to get started!
When you’re in a time pinch it can be more tempting than ever to nip into the coffee shop and grab a baked treat for breakfast. You’ll save money and calories if you bake a batch of our Banana and Blueberry Muffins to take as an on-the-go bite throughout the week.
Ten minutes of prep and just 25 minutes of baking time will make you 12 fluffy, chocolate chip sprinkled muffins that you can keep in an airtight container (or stash in the freezer) until you need brekkie in a hurry.
It’s well worth getting up 10 minutes earlier to treat yourself to this Poached Egg with Crispy Parma Ham for breakfast. As well as being convenient when you’re up against the clock, it never disappoints on flavour.
We’ve topped a crunchy slice of toast with cream cheese, crispy-salty Parma ham and a perfectly poached egg. With all that protein, you’ll feel full and satisfied right through to lunchtime.
I want to start with an Express lunch
On a busy day there isn’t always time to cook lunch from scratch. If you’d rather avoid the expense (and high calorie count) of a supermarket meal deal, grab Express from the shelf and pick a recipe that’ll be ready in a flash.
We’d start with these Quick Cook Pizza Pockets, which can be rustled up in only 25 minutes. They turn a humble sandwich thin into a dreamy, cheesy bake, with any of your favourite pizza toppings melted into the middle.
Our recipe is pepperoni pizza-inspired, but you can get creative! Just don’t forget to work out any additional calories if you’re counting.
You can never go wrong with soup for lunch, especially on a chilly grey day. Our Roasted Root Vegetable Soup can be found in the Quick Prep section of Express, on pages 152-153.
Roasting the veggies before blending them with stock helps to ramp up the flavours, with plenty of garlic and herby thyme in the mix to make it extra-fragrant.
This was one of the first recipes that Charlie from our Facebook group gave a try, and it looks warming and delicious!
If you prefer soup with more of a bite to it, this Spicy Pasta Soup is hearty and filling. It’s quick to prep, and it needs to simmer for around 45 minutes. The good news is that, if you don’t have an hour to cook it from scratch at lunchtime, you can prepare a batch in advance.
The freezer-friendly soup will keep really well until you need a meal that you can heat up in minutes (and we think it tastes even better once the flavours have had time to mingle).
At just 274 calories per serving, it’s easy to fit into your meal plan every week.
I want to start with an Express dinner
We know that lots of you like to crack open your new book for the first time and jump in at the deep end by making one of the dinner recipes first. With Express, everything is so simple to cook it’s hard to pick where to begin!
Since it’s cold and rainy outside, we’d recommend trying out our Smoky Chicken and Bean Stew from the Quick Prep section. It’s the kind of wholesome comfort food that gathers the whole family round the table – and you’ll find a choice of 3 cooking methods in the book, so it’s ready when you are.
Whether you cook it in the oven, slow cooker or Instant Pot, the rich, smoky flavours will fill your kitchen with the most amazing smells (so you can imagine how good it tastes).
A nice change from shepherd’s pie or cottage pie, our Express Apple and Mustard Swineherd’s Pie is made with pork mince. A touch of apple and mustard in the creamy potato topping works a treat, bringing out the best flavours from the filling.
This one’s nice and quick to prep, and then you can leave it to bubble away in the oven while you finish off any little jobs before dinner. Just look how well Sophie’s version turned out! She was one of the first people in our Facebook group to give it a go…and it got a big thumbs up!
When takeaway pizza feels like the easiest option, open Express to page 68. Not only does our Pizza Pork recipe bring all the flavours you’re craving, it’s served in just 25 minutes (no delivery driver can beat that!).
The melty, cheesy topping is easy to switch up from week to week, so you can guarantee you’ll never get bored of serving this for an easy meal. A simple side salad or some Garlic Green Beans go great on the side.
I want to start with an Express Fakeaway
You didn’t think we’d forget to throw a few EPIC fakeaways into this new book did you?! Taking inspiration from restaurant and takeaway classics, we’ve given a few dishes a Pinch of Nom makeover, lowering the calories and speeding up the cooking time.
Put in an order for Beef with Chilli and Garlic and it’ll arrive on your plate in just 20 minutes (really!). It’s a super-easy stir-fry with flavour that’ll knock your socks off. The ingredients list is nice and simple, and you can dish it up with rice or noodles, depending on what you fancy.
Rather than spend a fortune in a popular chicken restaurant, why not rustle up these Peri-Peri Pulled Chicken Wraps the next time you fancy those fiery flavours? We’ve made our shredded chicken medium-spicy, before rolling it into a tortilla wrap with fresh lettuce, cucumber and homemade spicy mayo.
It’s perfect for a light lunch, or pair it with our Nando’s Spicy Rice recipe to turn it into a really filling dinner. Either way, how delicious does Julie’s look? Thanks for sharing your photo on our Facebook group Julie!
Pasta for dinner can feel like a real luxury, but our quick-to-cook Garlic, Chilli and Parsley Spaghetti is far lower in calories than anything you’ll find in an Italian-style restaurant. It’s one for the garlic lovers, with a good punch of garlicky flavour and as much chilli as you dare to add.
Give it a sprinkle of Parmesan right before serving, then twirl it round your fork and enjoy!
I want to start with an Express sweet treat
Whether you’ve saved room for dessert or just need something to satisfy your sweet tooth, you can whip up a pudding in a flash with Express on your shelves. Even if you don’t think you’re much of a baker, you’ll find these yummy Mocha Lava Mug Cakes nice and easy to make.
Coffee and chocolate are two flavours that bring the best out of each other, and we’ve combined them into these perfectly portioned 239-calorie delights. You can leave them to bake in the oven, or pop them in the microwave when you need a chocolate fix as soon as possible!
You’ll thank yourself later if the first thing you make from your Pinch of Nom: Express cookbook is our Salted Caramel Froyo. After a quick 15 minutes of prep, it’s ready to stash in the freezer until you need something sweet to round off a meal.
The creamy yoghurt is swirled with crushed sugar-free hard butter candies, to make sure you get a moreish crunch in every single spoonful. Best of all, our slimming-friendly ingredients mean you can scoop up a portion for just 146 calories.
A new cookbook is always a good excuse to celebrate, and this Chocolate and Ginger Tart is worthy of a spot on your next dinner party menu. It might look (and taste) fancy, but, as you might have guessed, it’s super-easy to rustle up.
Found in the quick prep section, it’ll take you about 20 minutes to assemble your ingredients, then you’ll bake the tart for 20 minutes, until it’s set like a custard. This is one to make in advance – it’ll need a few hours to chill in the fridge before serving.
Are you ready to cook fast, delicious food?
Once you’ve made your very first recipe from Pinch of Nom: Express, we’d love it if you shared a photo in our Facebook group (just don’t forget to tag us!). We never get bored of seeing your posts and there’ll be almost 1 million other lovely members waiting to support you on your slimming journey.
If you want to see what everyone else is cooking first from Express, you can also take a scroll through our glorious Gallery. You’ll need to sign up to a free website account to upload and share your photos (it’s super easy, we’ve got a step-by-step guide you can follow here!).
And, if you liked this article, you’ll love exploring our blog. Browse for recipe ideas, kitchen equipment recommendations, money-saving tips and LOADS more.