For a long time this used to be my ‘desert island cookbook’. Jamie Oliver’s 15-Minute Meals is the cookbook I’ve cooked ánd repeated from the most. My husband bought it back in 2015 when we just started dating. He wanted to cook dinner for me for the first time. He made the Crispy Parma Pork on page 88, and the rest… is history 😉
The reasons why this is such a brilliant cookbook – especially at that time in my life – are plenty:
- almost everything I tried is truly delicious and very flavourful, as always with Jamie
- except for some breakfast dishes, it’s all main courses, which is ideal for weeknight inspiration
- the ingredients and flavor combinations worked very well on our kids – from each section there were at least a few dishes they liked (this was before the youngest turned semi-vegetarian)
- the cooking methods are indeed easy
And once you’ve tried and aced the easier chicken or pasta dishes, you gain confidence to venture out to the slightly more exotic fish or lamb dishes in this book. To find out that those are also easy and delicious! So, in short: while it’s a classic by now, this book will still help you many nights.
The build-up of the book
The book has 8 main sections: chicken, beef, pork, lamb, fish, pasta, soups & sandwiches and vegetables. All contain main dishes and include a side dish – often vegetables or salad. It closes with a small breakfast chapter.
Lots of recipes draw inspiration from all corners of the world. From Greece to India, from Mexico to Turkey. But all are using ingredients available at most supermarkets.
Top 5 recipes we made most often
- Incredibly delicious chicken salad – the perfect summer salad
- Turkish flats, shred salad, feta & herbs – less meat and lots of family friendly veggies
- Broccoli pasta with pine nuts – kid’s favorite – they won’t even taste the anchovies
- Sausage gnocchi, warm kale & bean salad – winter comfort food, with red wine 😉
- Mexican BLT, chillies, guacamole & salad – crispy bread, juicy beef ánd guacamole
Looking for something dinner party worthy?
This is definitely not a dinner party cookbook, as there are no appetizers, starters, or desserts in it. But lots of recipes are perfect as a main course for a casual dinner with friends.
If you want to show off a bit more, I recommend the Steak medallions, mushroom sauce & spring greens, the Griddled tuna with kinda Niçoise salad or the Fettuccine, smoked trout, asparagus & peas.
Some tips
Now, about those 15 minutes. Trying to make these dishes in 15 minutes is very stressful and results in an exploded kitchen! We don’t all have 4 arms like Jamie apparently does… Plan for half an hour and you’re fine. Multitasking and unrealistic deadlines are nót what we need after a hard day’s work.
Jamie uses a lot of ingredients in every recipe, I sometimes skip half of the garnishing options, make the side salad a bit more simple, or I substitute ingredients the kids don’t like.
How does it compare to other books by Jamie Oliver?
Well, this man is extremely productive so there’s lots of books to compare it to. But I think it’s one of his best. To me, it feels a bit more varied than his earlier work (like the Naked Chef series, which were more Italian influenced). And it’s a bit more sophisticated than his later work (like 5 Ingredients and 7 Ways). And I think it’s more accessible than his two Super Foods cookbooks.
How does it compare to other fast, weeknight cooking books?
Like lots of other weeknight cookbooks, this ons has plenty of familiar dishes like pastas, soups, wraps, salads and meat-dishes. It does stand out however, in its international orientation.
Also a big plus: the meals really are complete. Some weeknight cookbooks feature vegetable dishes, oven dishes, or soups as a main course, that are simply not enough for my hungry family. The recipes in 15 Minutes already include the side dishes.
In short
- Buy it: if you are looking for weeknight inspiration and like food from different parts of the world
- Don’t buy it: if you are a vegetarian, or if you’re looking for something to impress with at a dinner party
Other sources of information
- Eat Your Books for a content overview (only titles and ingredients, no complete recipes)
- Jamie Olivers website has more than 30 recipes from the book
- This book was accompanied by a tv-series (paid content)
And would I still take this cookbook to that deserted island? I have to admit: our eating has become much more plant based in recent years. And Jamie’s 15-Minute Meals is still a bit heavy on the meat side. However if we do eat meat: it’s still often from this book!
