Tag: Batch cooking

Courgette Pasta Bake 3 Ways

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I was asked for a recipe that could be batch-cooked and frozen down for a baby as part of weaning using a courgette. So here is my Courgette Pasta Bake which can be used 3 different ways: either cook and eat straight away, as meal prep either in the fridge for a few days or the freezer for a few months, or as mini individual pasta muffins which are great for weaning and can be frozen down as individual portions.

I’ve used semi-skimmed milk and a 30% less fat cheddar-style cheese to help keep the saturated fats down, but if you are making food for babies aged 2 and under use full-fat varieties.

I’ve also used a higher-fibre white pasta for extra fibre to help me reach my 30g recommendation for the day.

Makes 6 adult portions

Ingredients

  • 50g butter
  • 60g plain flour
  • 1l milk
  • 1.5tsp English mustard
  • 300g cheddar cheese, grated
  • 4 courgettes (550g total), grated
  • 450g pasta of choice – I used an added fibre variety
  • 2-3 large tomatoes (optional), sliced

Method

  • Set the oven to 180°C fan/ 200°C convection.
  • Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute before adding the milk a little at a time, stirring constantly till thick. Add the mustard and half the cheddar cheese and season with pepper to taste.
  • Meanwhile, cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the packet instructions.
  • Off the heat add the courgette to the sauce and mix in, and once the pasta is cooked, drain, and add to the courgette sauce and mix.
  • Option 1: Pour everything into an ovenproof dish, top with the tomato slices and remaining cheese and cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes till the top is golden brown and bubbling.
  • Option 2: Pour into an ovenproof dish, allow to cool and top with cheese when you are ready to cook. This can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
  • Option 3: Divide the mixture into muffin cases, top with the remaining cheese and bake 15-20 minutes till the top is golden brown and bubbling. You can freeze these as individual portions for a baby – make sure they are piping hot in the middle when reheating in either the oven, air fryer or microwave.

Per serving: 478kcal/ 22g fat/ 13g saturated fat/ 42g carbohydrates/ 4.7g fibre/ 26g protein

Easy Beef & Tomato Sauce

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Kids back to school? Looking for an easy recipe? Here’s my easy Beef & Tomato Sauce which will make enough to feed a family of four twice over. Plus it’s super easy to adapt into a second meal, or alternatively freeze any leftover sauce for an night off cooking at a later date.

Perfect of young children too – for those aged under 7 months you may need to blend the sauce as the mince could be tough for those without teeth, and then serve it with large pasta as finger food.

If you don’t eat beef you can always substitute for turkey mince, or if you’re vegetarian use Quorn mince, or if you are vegan try using 125g red lentils and 125g green lentils with an addition 200-300ml water.

Serves 8 adults

Easy Beef & Tomato Pasta Sauce

Ingredients

  • 2 large onions 
  • 3 sticks of celery 
  • 4 cloves of garlic 
  • 1.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
  • 150g mushrooms 
  • 500g minced beef 
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree 
  • 800g tinned tomatoes – option to use peeled tomatoes or passata if serving to young babies 

Method 

  • Blend the onions, celery and garlic together in a food processor. 
  • Add the blended vegetables to a large saucepan and cook with the oil for 5 minutes. 
  • Chop or blend the mushrooms and add to the pan. Cook together till dry. 
  • Push the mixture to the edge of the pan and add the minced beef in the centre so it sears. Flip to sear the second side before mixing into the vegetables.
  • Add the tomato puree and tinned tomatoes. Mix well.
  • Simmer for 30 minutes till cooked through. 

Delicious served with cooked pasta and peas. Option to serve with cheese on the top. 

Leftovers? Why not try turning this sauce into one of the following for a bit of diversity:

  • Spaghetti Bolognese: add mixed herbs, a grated carrot and a grated courgette. Serve with spaghetti and parmesan over the top.
  • Chilli Con Carne: add smoked paprika, oregano, chilli, mixed peppers and a tin of kidney beans. Serve with a roasted sweet potato or steamed rice.
  • Cottage Pie: add carrots and peas. Top with mash in an oven proof dish and bake.

Per portion of sauce: 172kcal/ 7.0g fat/ 1.8g saturated fat/ 7.0g carbohydrates/ 2.3g fibre/ 18.8g protein

Reduced Mince Bolognese

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With so many people being more conscious about what they eat and how it affects the climate, but unsure as to how they can reduce their food carbon dioxide emissions, this is the recipe for you. It’s my halfway house to enjoying a little meat, but making it go further with the help of one of my favourite store cupboard staples, lentils.

This is a recipe I developed years ago, when at University and trying to make my student budget go a little further without having to compromise on nutrition, but more importantly taste. Lentils are a fantastic way of adding some extra bulk to a meal, whilst being nutritious on their own. This is perfect for trying to reduce your meat intake in dishes such as spaghetti bolognese where meat is usually the main ingredient of the sauce. Per 100g, turkey mince contains around 23g protein, and lentils are not far shy of that figure at 19.3g protein. And if we were to use mince alone, we will be having 5g less fibre per portion of sauce.

I also use turkey mince in my bolognese, rather than beef. This developed a while ago where I switched a lot of mince based recipes towards turkey mince. It’s an extremely useful source of protein, and comparing gram to gram against other meat minces such as beef, there is a lower carbon dioxide emission (estimated mean 6.0 vs 28.7 kg CO2-eq/kg), which is again beneficial to the environment.

This Bolognese sauce is also the perfect batch cooking recipe. It makes 8 servings of sauce which can easily be frozen down in portion sizes for an easy meal at a later date. Alternatively, make a bechamel sauce and layer up with lasagne sheets, or use some chillis and kidney beans to make a chilli con carne and you’ve got yourself some easy alternative meals to enjoy.

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 large onions, finely diced
  • 3 sticks of celery, finely diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 150g mushrooms, finely diced
  • 300g minced turkey thigh
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1/2 tbsp mixed Italian herbs
  • 4 fresh bay leaves
  • 2 carrot sticks, finely diced
  • 600ml chicken/vegetable stock (or 1 stock cube made up to 600ml)
  • 250ml red wine
  • 1 can of chopped tomatoes
  • 250g red lentils
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 large courgette, grated

Method

  • Gently fry the onions and celery in the oil till soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.
  • Add the mushrooms and cook till soft and their liquids have evaporated.
  • Push the vegetables to the side of the pan and fry the turkey mince in the centre till golden brown and mix with the vegetables.
  • Add the tomato puree, herbs, carrots, stock, red wine, canned tomatoes, lentil and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over a low heat stirring occasionally for 45 minutes.
  • 5 minutes before serving, add the grated courgette.
  • Serve with fresh egg pasta, parmesan and fresh basil.

Per serving of Bolognese sauce: 213kcal/ 3.6g fat/ 0.8g saturated fat/ 18.7g carbohydrates/ 7.5g fibre/ 17.5g protein