Well, if I'm actually being lazy I'll eat some ramen or order out or something. But thats not cooking.
My go to lazy meal is a bit of effort, but its nice because you can then be lazy and eat the leftovers for a whole week after, or freeze them for another lazy day. It also only takes about 30 minutes of actual work. For when I'm cooking but don't really feel like cooking something new or complex... pasta w/ meat sauce.
2lb ground meat. (usually beef or turkey, or add some sausage, or meatloaf mix. whatever floats your boat - i find beef browns the best and has the best texture)
1-2 onions
1-2 red bell pepper (optional)
mushrooms (also optional)
1 can of tomato paste
3-5 cans (14.5oz) of tomatoes. Depends on the amount of other ingredients you use. Glen Muir fire roasted diced tomatoes are super tasty. Cento plum tomatoes are great too. Good tomaters are important they're most of your flavor
Spices. I typically use no salt - your other ingredients have enough, then black pepper, oregano, red pepper flakes, a bit of chili powder, basil if youve got it.
Cook all this shit in the same pot. Developed flavors for days.
Step 1: Brown your beef. and i mean BROWN. Heat oil in a dutch oven or other pot, drop the beef in, dont fucking touch that shit for longer than you think. Let some stick to the bottom. Then break it up and finish cooking. I remove the beef and drain the juices but if youre feeling extra lazy you can just do it all in the same pot step by step.
Step 2: Add some olive oil to your still greasy pot with a few lil meat bits in it and beef bits stuck to the bottom (called "fond"). If youre doing mushrooms add them first and try to brown them some too. Theyre hard to overcook - go ham. Then onions and peppers. Cook until the onions are translucent, mostly soft.
Step 3: If you've got some red wine and youre into that sort of thing you can deglaze here. Pour like half a glass, heat up fairly high and scrape the yummy bits off the bottom. Not a deal breaker if you dont have it. Then add the tomato paste, oregano, chili pepper flakes, black pepper and let it simmer some. As Babish says, let everything get to know eachother for 5 minutes or so.
Step 3: Add the meat back in. Stir. Add your cans of tomatoes. Stir together and simmer on low heat for however long you feel. I usually go for about an hour. Not too high, you can burn the bottom of your sauce and ruin the whole pot - speaking from experience. 2-3/10 on an electric burner.
Step 4: Butter. About a tablespoon (or more, do your thing Paula Deen) when youre about done cooking. Let it melt and stir it in. Major key.
Step 5: Put on pasta, add your cheeses of choice and shovel into your face hole.
This makes a fuck ton of sauce if you use 2lb and mushrooms too. It freezes really well, it keeps well in the fridge. Be slightly less lazy one day, be extra lazy for a week following. Works great.