We all know that batch cooking/ meal prep/ call it what you will is A Very Good Thing.
It's economical, time-saving, usually healthier than Pret and generally makes us feel like we’ve got our lives fully together.
But it doesn’t half get boring eating the same thing all week, does it? By Thursday lunchtime, that once delicious bowl of chilli is about as appetising as the last sandwich left in a train station Tesco on a Saturday night.
Well, fear not, you can continue to batch cook your socks off because taking your meal from boring to very exciting indeed is totally doable, just by purchasing a few super simple ingredients from the supermarket. Read on for a few easy ways to rejig your batch cook staples so it doesn’t feel like Groundhog Day for the rest of your life.
If you made... chilli
Whether you make this classic Tex-Mex dish with standard beef, amp up the protein with a turkey mince alternative or stick to a three-bean veggie version, a vat of homemade chilli is a delicious thing to dine on… for the first few days. But now it’s Thursday and those kidney beans just aren’t hitting the spot. Time to spice things up.
Method One: Tacos. Get yourself a pack of mini tortilla wraps and a dip of your choice (sour cream, crème fraîche, salsa, guacamole) and make some DIY tacos. Also good with a little gem lettuce to make lettuce boats if you’re off the carbs.
Method Two: Dark chocolate. Pick up a bar of the 70% or above stuff and melt a square or two on top of your existing chilli in the microwave or on the hob. The bitterness of the chocolate brings out new notes in the chilli flavour which you may not have clocked. Nigella and Heston do it, so who are we to argue?
Method Three: Fruit. Now bear with us: sharp, tropical fruits often make the tastiest salsas, so scattering a handful of chopped mango or pineapple across a very spicy chilli actually brings a lovely contrast and acidity to the dish. Try it with a squeeze of lime.
If you made... sweet potato curry
Sweet potatoes are high in vitamins and fibre and – more importantly – make very tasty curries. Whether you’ve gone for Indian style, Sri Lankan or Thai, it still gets a bit same old, same old by day three. Give it a bit of variation for the end of the week by trying out these healthy spins that work across the curry board.
Method One: Cashews. A snack pack of cashews will add crunch and interest to what can be a rather soft-textured dish. If you’re at home, toast them very quickly first for extra nuttiness, otherwise just sprinkle on top or stir them into the curry for a dose of vitamin E and selenium (hello, nice hair and nails). If you’re not into nuts, chickpeas are a lower fat (higher carb) alternative.
Method Two: Peanut butter. Nut butter is still having a moment, so capitalise on it and pick up one of those 9g mini sachets of the good stuff and stir it into your sweet potatoes to make a satay style curry. This works with Thai curries especially well, but Indian style is also great.
Method Three: Make it soupy. A carton of coconut milk (the dairy replacement kind, not the tins) can be used to make that curry into a luscious soup; just add 250ml or so to your planned portion and heat for a bit of a change up. If you have an extra vegetable to stir in, too, this is great (try spinach, small cauliflower florets or roasted peppers).
If you made... tuna pasta
The student mealtime hangover staple we’ve never been able to shift, tuna pasta ticks all the boxes for being a cheap, healthy and reliably nice lunch or dinner… but the week before payday feels long and especially cruel when you’re on your ninth portion. Time for some purse-friendly ways to trick yourself into eating it yet again.
Method One: Puttanesca. Likelihood is, your tuna pasta is some kind of onion, garlic and tomato-based affair, amirite? If so, you’re halfway to an actual Italian dish. Add in some capers and black olives (the cheap kind are best for this) and you have yourself some 'slutty spaghetti'.
Method Two: Salad. Remember, tuna pasta is also a legitimate salad. To further convince yourself of the fact you’re not just eating cold leftovers, see if the budget stretches to a small tin of sweetcorn, some leaves and maybe even an avocado or an egg. Voilà, a new dish.
Method Three: Make it a Bake. Okay, we’re clutching at straws here, but if you haven’t baked that tuna pasta yet, why not? Popping it in an ovenproof dish and sprinkling it with cheese and breadcrumbs until golden transforms that healthy pasta into something far more comforting and happy-making. If you want to add some béchamel, we won’t stop you.
If you made... roasted veg
Blame Deliciously Ella for encouraging us to roast trays and trays of delicious, nutritious veg. Health kick or no health kick, a bowl of roasted veg – however colourful and varied – really is just that, and even she pairs hers with some jazzy brown rice or something. So let’s see what we can add in to make it more filling and avoid that desperate afternoon chocolate run.
Method One: Feta. One of those little one-person portions of Apetina feta gives a satisfying lactic tang to a plateful of aubergine, broccoli, peppers and the like. And it’s a much-needed source of protein because with zero carb or protein how else are you going to make it through the afternoon?
Method Two: Couscous. A sachet of instant couscous will provide some simple carbs to give you a more balanced meal. Choose one of the 'Mediterranean herb' or 'Moroccan' varieties for added flavour.
Method Three: Chickpeas. They can be used to transform that same-textured bowl of veg into something with interest – or if you’ve access to a blender, pop them in with the veg (and about half the chickpea liquid) and pulse away until you’ve got yourself a superfood hummus. Just add Ryvita.
If you made... daal
Daal is the perfect meal in our book, and we’ll happily eat it three times a day. The beauty of it is that it really does lend itself to so many different variations on a theme – whichever type of legume you’ve used. Here’s a few to mull over:
Method One: Coconut yoghurt. A dollop of this over a tarka daal is the perfect cool and creamy contrast to a well spiced bowl. CoYo and the like are vegan, if that’s what you’re after, too.
Method Two: Almost any veg. Dry fry whatever veg you’ve got in the fridge along with some garlic and maybe mustard seeds if you have them, and it’s a ready-made topping for your lovely daal. We like mushrooms, kale, green beans, courgette or broccoli – don’t add oil. Alternatively, cooked veg like squash, spinach or roast tomatoes can be stirred in.
Method Three: Fruits and nuts. A handful of pomegranate seeds, toasted coconut chips or any toasted nut or seed makes a colourfully contrasting topping to the same old daal, especially when combined with fresh coriander and more chilli. Get creative.
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