Recipes for 'cooking from scratch' please

[LittleMissLego]

I wish i was an amazing cook, but I've just realised that actually i only have a very small limited number of recipes i can cook from scratch (bolognese/chilli/a few curries). For things like lasagna or steak pies i tend to buy them ready made in the supermarket and just bung them in the oven to heat up.

I have an instant pot pressure cooker/slow cooker, an oven and a microwave.

So if you have a foolproof 'cook from scratch' amazing recipe please could you share it with me?

This is really nice OP - very easy, quick (apart from roasting the broccoli) and freezes well too!
www.howsweeteats.com/2020/02/peanut-noodles-roasted-broccoli/

@something2say tried that recipe recently and it was lovely.

@FelicityFlops nope, that's not the point of scratch cooking.

I make the exact same thing! It's one of my Dd and my favourites. We tend to have it with baby potatoes crushed with the skin on.

I might make this tomorrow!

I’ve cooked lots of these recipes from here (videos on YouTube too)

www.kitchensanctuary.com/category/asian/page/4/

People in the USA use ricotta rather than make a white sauce for lasagna, still tasty but less hassle.
So just pasta sheets, ricotta and your ragu sauce.

Mushroom ragù - perfect for if you want to cut down on meat/have a cheaper meal than spag vol.

For two:
Finely chop or grate 250g chestnut or white mushrooms. Do the same to 3 garlic cloves.
Heat some oil in a pan (if it can go in the oven later even better for washing up) and fry off the mushrooms and garlic. Add a knob of butter.
Cook down for a few minutes. Add 2tbsp of tomato puree, 2tsp of dried herbs, 2tbsp of balsamic vinegar and stir well.
Add half a tin of chopped tomatoes and 650ml of water with a vegetable stock cube dissolved in it. Bring to the boil.
Put in the oven (transfer if you need to) at 200°c for half an hour. After this time, stir well and then add 190g spaghetti. It's easiest of you break it in half, but depends on your casserole dish!). Make sure it is submerged. Cook for another 20-25 minutes. Spaghetti should now be cooked and the mushroom ragù rich and thick.
Delicious!

Pesto, breadcrumbs and parmesan mixed together.

Sprinkle over cod pieces. Bake in a hot oven till fish flakes and top is crispy.

Really good.

Can also be used on chicken, mushrooms, pork chops etc.

I don’t do lasagne from scratch any more: too much faff.

My recommendation is a traybake. Get a big baking tray and drizzle a bit of oil in the bottom.

Add any protein you like: chicken pieces, pork pieces, salmon fillets etc.

Then add chopped veg: potatoes, onions, peppers, courgettes, aubergine, cherry toms, sweet potatoes, fennel, anything you have in. Chunks of fancy bread are good too but add them towards the end so they don’t get incinerated.

Add something for flavour: garlic, lemon juice, herbs or spices, crumbled feta, chunks of mozzarella, olives, chopped anchovies, splosh of wine or balsamic vinegar, chopped chorizo.

Stick in the oven at around 200 degrees for approx 30 minutes. Give it a stir a couple of times. Serve with salad.

It’s a concept that lends itself to experimentation.

This from the Quick Roasting Tin is to die for. Minimum effort and really lovely flavours. Just tip all the ingredients into one tray, squish the tomatoes about half-way through cooking and ready in 20 mins. Also good if you want to make something fancy for guests thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/one-pot-kerala-prawn-curry/

Sounds amazing! I can't get my head around the roasting tray though. Do you mean you cook it in a huge tin like one for a chicken? Or something smaller?

Could a glass or ceramic dish (around 30x20cm) work as well?

@SmugOldBag I think you could really use any dish for the oven really - have never tried it in a roasting tray, I generally use one of those large enamel pie dishes for that recipe and it works a treat!

Chilli con carne
Fish pie
Beef stroganoff

Sorry, you already said chilli. I don't know anyone who makes their own puff pastry for pies, even in bakeries! But there's lots you can do with the ready rolled puff pastry if you want to make pies.

That prawn curry sounds delicious 😋

This beef stew. I add mushrooms and a bit of marmite to it. It's pretty quick to prep, just make sure to stir it every so often so it doesn't stick to the bottom. Sometimes I do thin cut potatoes on top to make it into a hotpot

https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/beef-and-ale-stew/

One of my quick teas is cheesy haddock bake : cherry tomatoes ( and peas if you want) in an oven dish , swish in olive oil and season the place skinned and boneless haddock fillets on top, cover with grated cheese and cook for 20 minutes . Serve with salad / crusty bread .

I do a lovely homemade tomato sauce, which is excellent as a base for so many different things. I generally use it for meatballs in pasta/sausage pasta bake, but it could be used for pretty much anything - and can easily be adapted to your own taste.

Saute a couple of onions in olive oil.
Add chopped garlic (I use 3 or 4 cloves), keep stirring for 5 minutes or so.
Add a pinch of chilli flakes, and a decent grind of black pepper.
Tip in a tin of plum tomatoes.
Gently bring to the boil, and use your wooden spoon/spatula to break down the tomatoes.
Add a tablespoon of tomato puree, and a teaspoon of dried mixed herbs.

Let it bubble away, stirring from time to time. If it gets a bit thick, add a splash of water.
Keep it bubbling for an hour or so, stirring occasionally.
Add some fresh chopped basil (optional) and a little salt if you think it needs it.

Whizz up in a blender/food processor.

Make it in batch quantity and freeze portions.
Can also be used as a marinade for baked white fish, or as a tomato sauce for homemade pizza.

I do a lot of 'roasting tray' recipes because it's easy and I'm lazy and my roasting tray (Scoville non stick, very cheap if you get it on offer in Asda/Argos but feels good quality and really easy to clean) is about that size, perhaps a little more and it's about the right size. It's also about the right size for a chicken so I'm not sure how big a tin you're thinking of, or how big your chicken is.

But anyway, the dish you suggest would also work, but it might take a bit longer because the dish sucks up a load of the heat and doesn't conduct as well as a metal one. The food might also be a bit more crowded because that's slightly smaller. Just experiment with what works for you.

I do sausages, bacon lardons and baked beans in a bbq sauce in the slow cooker... I make the bbq sauce from the bbc good food recipe. I serve with potato wedges and veg!

Nadia's shawarma is the bomb. I bulk make the spice mix & keep in a large jar. I leave out the cornflower.

We all love it and leftovers are the best.

thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/nadiya-hussains-chicken-shawarma/

Following for new ideas.

I know you said cook from scratch and I do sometimes make tomato sauce but it's probably best done in a big batch as it does need to simmer a while which could be costly on fuel.
I combine my scratch recipes with the odd jar of sauce to speed things up. Last night we had sausage pasta bake. Fridge veg you need to use like peppers and mushrooms and onion, garlic. Fried off then chuck a jar of tom sauce in and a veg stock cube. Pour over pasta and chop some cooked sos over the top. You can use standard or veg sos.
Bit of grated cheese and 10 mins in the oven.
Most of my recipes start like that with the veg base then a sauce and some protein.
You could change the sauce and change the Carb for rice or noodles and get various dishes. Like sweet and sour chicken or a curry.
Sometimes I will do a full on scratch like at weekend if I want a special curry but for midweek family food I do a combo.

Fajitas - not even a recipe just chicken thighs, red onion and peppers plus spices
Cheese sauce
Chicken and chorizo rice never use breasts in a dish only thighs but I usually make this with left over roast chicken
Chicken pasta I made this last using left over roast chicken abd add a couple of rashers of bacon.
Chilli For our family we only use half the quantity of mince and one onion - more than enough .

well there is a start. Tonight I’m doing fish (salmon with Lemon sliced and herbs in foil) with potato wedges (wedge potatoes toss with a little oil, salt and garlic powder) green salad and Turkish cabbage. (Cabbage with salt and lemon basically)

One of my favourites, red onions are a must though ,one cut into 4 wedges, so delicious. Sausages work will too.

Some of these suggestions are great, so I’m here shamelessly placemarking.