Favourite mid week meal you cook from scratch.

[JoeBloggs]

Im very keen to reduce my processed food consumption and generally live a more natural life (not vegan) if I can. Sadly I was brought up on chicken nuggets and chips so my cooking skills and tastes are some what basic.

What everyone’s go to mid week meal (as much from scratch as it can be)? I’d really love to get more into cooking.

 

[Notworthy]

Mushroom and spinach orzo

 

[xxAprilxx]

I love to cook from scratch but like my mid-week recipes to be as quick and fuss free as possible. The Tesco Real Food website has some great ideas and you can filter them depending on what you're into.

We're making the below tonight which I highly recommend... if you don't like crab, you can substitute for salmon or even chicken. It's a lovely, light dinner for this hot weather.

Crab, Lemon and Chilli Tagliatelle | Pasta Recipes | Tesco Real Food

You can be sitting down to a bowlful of steaming hot seafood pasta in just 12 minutes. Find more easy seafood recipes & pasta recipes at Tesco Real Food.

realfood.tesco.com

Ohh and we usually use fresh pasta for this, which is just amazing, but dried pasta is just as good.

 

[Notworthy]

Most of my meals are cooked from scratch in under 30 mins, all the supermarkets have recipes on their website. I'm not a great cook but usually I follow the recipe and then adapt after the 1st go. Joe Wicks has a couple of good ones and also Google sheetpam gnocchi for more ideas. Cooking from scratch isn't nearly as hard as people think. Red, yellow and orange peppers with chicken, chorizo and spinach is easy. Add to penne and chuck in the spinach in the last few mins

 

[madgirlcity]

I won’t lie and say that all of my meals are cooked from scratch because they are certainly not lol. But I try to have fresh meals a few times a week that I make and I’m also a long time vegetarian.

The other day I had some boiled potatoes, roast sweet potato, green beans, sweet corn and carrots with some mint sauce on the side. If you like meat, I suggest having some kind of steak or roast meat with it.

 

[Sally1993]

Bbq meat and some sort of carb side, with salad or corn on the cob.

Marinate the meat the day before. We have either new potatoes, savoury rice or chips, and coleslaw, salad, etc. It’s lovely, fresh and simple at this time of year.

 

[Elizaaaaa]

Not a recipe, but something that really helps me to cook from scratch is frozen diced onion, sliced mushrooms and varying types of frozen veg! Reduces prep time (and effort) and they can be added to varying meals, from omelettes to pasta sauce. I live alone so it reduces waste and works out cheaper too.

Will be avidly following this for recipe ideas though - thanks for starting!

 

[Marylou]

Omelette or frittata are quick and easy to make. I have a recipe for a frittata if you're interested. Pasta with homemade sauce (passata, herbs and cream cheese) or pesto.

As mentioned by another poster, frozen vegetables will be your best friend so try to always have a selection in the freezer. I throw them into a dish, season and put in the oven, covered with foil, for 45 minutes at a high temperature. Jacket potatoes are quite substantial and you can vary the filling. Rice will go with practically everything and is lovely spiced up and served with prawns.

Stir frys, spaghetti bolognese and taco are other options. Having frozen fish to hand will also make life easier.

Do you cook just for yourself?

 

[Bobby Chariot]

Stir fry is so easy, 10 mins max with whatever you fancy in the wok, add light soy sauce.
An easy fav is a lined (with greaseproof paper) roasting tin, beat 6 or 8 eggs & pour in, then add sliced peppers, onion, ham, veg, grated cheese & stick in the oven for 20 mins or so, large baked frittata great with salad or cous cous etc.

 

[bunnyboo]

Chicken (I'm veggie, I use quorn) in orange sauce with some rice with some broccoli is my new favourite!

I am shambolic in the kitchen, and I lived off oven dinners for the past 7 years but I've been doing my best to try new things and cooking from scratch. Here is the orange sauce recipe I follow. I put any of the leftover orange sauce (the recipe makes enough for 2 - 3 servings) in a mason jar to put in the fridge.. it's nice to put on a salad or even have with some noodles the day after.

 

[JoeBloggs]

Do you cook just for yourself?

Thank you all, these are a great starting point!! It’s lovely to see things can be adventurous but quick.

No it’s me and my husband. He hates frozen veg and jacket potatoes (I love both) and I don’t eat fish either, I’m trying! We have very different tastes and cooking styles so it’s a bit of a battle I’m trying to get things I can whip up to suit us both that doesn’t take hours or a million ingredients.

 

[Begborrowsteal]

Carbonara is super quick and easy. Meatballs are always an easy go to for us as well, or enchiladas. I love cooking and like making curries.

 

[dotty.doodlexx]

I use Gousto which is a meal delivery service, which makes me cook from scratch most evenings. Some of the meals are great and can be prepped in 10 minutes and others take longer. I’d really suggest looking into Gousto if you wanted to discover more meals that are cooked from scratch! I definitely preferred Gousto over Hello Fresh

 

[Notworthy]

https://www.thekitchn.com/creamy-mushroom-spinach-orzo-22948878 sometimes I add chicken. My version is 300g orzo, a shallot instead of the garlic, 300ml milk, 300ml of veg stock, 1 pack of mushies, 30g parmesan and a couple of handfuls of Spinach, thats enough for a 6'3 man and 68kg female occasionally there are leftovers and its fine to reheat in the microwave next day

 

[WilmaHun]

Pasta bake! So quick and easy. You don't have to use a jar either, it's easy enough to make your own sauce.

Spaghetti bolognaise.

Stir fry

Stuffed peppers with cous cous

 

[Notworthy]

This is a good site too https://www.epicurious.com/search/?special-consideration=quick-and-easy&meal=dinner. American so you might have to convert measurements

My black bin waste for 2 adults 2 weeks. Sad I know but I'm chuffed

 

[mcfeez]

Baked risotto with tomatoes and cheese. Delicious!

 

[Saddlesoap]

Pasta bake.
Tin of chopped tomatoes, add dried oregano and basil. Chop up veg, I usually use peppers, courgette and cauliflower. Sometimes I grate carrot in as well. Oil in a pan, chopped onions (I keep in freezer for ease), add the veg, simmer, add the tomatoes. Can either cook the pasta separately then add together, or bung in a dish and stick in the oven. So easy.

Fajitas
Admittedly I use Old El Paso mix. Otherwise cauliflower, sweet potato, courgette, peppers, red cabbage (anything really), in frying pan, tin of drained black beans, fry for a little with oil and then sprinkle on the packet mix.

Tomato & Roasted Mediterranean Vegetable Risotto (Vegan)

Tomato & Roasted Mediterranean Vegetable Risotto (Vegan)

wallflowerkitchen.com

Potato hash with tomatoes, pepper and kale recipe

This easy one-pan vegetarian traybake supper has crispy potatoes and kale, juicy tomatoes and peppers, and set eggs with perfectly runny yolks.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[jaymie]

We usually do pan fry sea bass with rice or potato.

 

[Be More Pacific]

I'm disabled and also trying to lose weight so have a whole army of (fairly) healthy cook from scratch meals that range from quick and easy to more time consuming (slow cooker days and weekends) Good mixture of meat and veggie. I batch cook tend and freeze a lot so I have even easier days when I am busier. I meal plans to within an inch of my life so I don't get bored and cut down on waste. I adapt a lot to try and make things healthier if possible.

Here's a list of a lot of my favourites. If anyone wants any of the recipes, I'm happy to provide them. My staples are the Olive magazine website, BBC Food website, Nigella, a sprinkling of Jamie Oliver and I'm just getting into Amy Shepherd.

Lemon risotto
Bacon & pea risotto
Halloumi tray bake
Mediterranean chicken tray bake
Slow cooker bolognese
Slow cooker chilli
Tortilla veggie pizzas & mixed leaves
Wahaca tortilla kits - I use halloumi in these and make homemade guacamole & pink pickled onions to go with them (I normally cook the chilli or pull a bag out of the freezer in the same week so I can finish up the onions & guac)
Mexican eggs
Jerk chicken, rice & bean salad
Bacon & egg fried rice
Chicken, chickpea & spinach curry
Fishcake, new potatoes & peas
Peri peri halloumi burgers, sweet potato fries & corn
Chicken & bacon wraps
Crustless quiche & new potatoes
Sweet & sour chicken
Chicken tikka burritos
Cajun chicken wraps with zingy slaw
Chipotle chicken & avocado flatbreads
Chicken katsu curry
Halloumi katsu curry
Beef pho - so simple but amazing!
Shepherd's Pie
Irish stew
Chicken & black bean stew
Stuffed peppers
Tuna, pesto & mozerella toasted flatbreads