one casserole dish type meals...

[newmumsuchfun]

I want to cut down on take aways and cook food for myselfand my partner. Im a new mum so i want things i can cook when i am free for an hour in the day that can then be warmed for the evening. I have a rectangular casserole dish and so far my ideas are

Lasagne
Spinach & ricotta canneloni (apologies if spelled wrong)
Chilli
Fajita chicken
Tuna pasta bake

Can you inspire me with anything else?

I make casseroles and then freeze them (in the dish or in Tupperware). Defrost and heat through in oven before serving. We like

~cottage/shepherds pie (the mash comes out fine after freezing)
~beef&ale casserole (or beef in red wine)
~stroganoff (pork, beef or mushroom)
~chicken and chorizo bake
~fish pie (freeze with mash on top, or freeze the fish part and pop a piece of puff pastry on top to cook)
~sausage and bean casserole
~chickpea curry (chana dhal)
~lambs liver casseroled with onions and bacon
~pork and cider casserole
~Irish stew
~beef shin with macaroni

Easy Coq au Vin.

The hairy dieter's korma is easy to prepare in the day, or even the day before and then cooks quickly at the end

This Chinese-style braised beef is lovely for cooking then heating later. Takes a while to cook but you don't need to do anything to it, and I often can't be bothered browning the meat.

looks that sounds yum. Will give that a try when the weather cools

suchfun in typical MN fashion this isn't what you asked for but thought I'd recommend it anyway. Its carbonara, tasty and takes about 10-15 mins from start to finish so no need to prepare in the day, although you could make a head start by chopping the onion and bacon but throughly delicious and Lo will probably like it too when they start solids

I bought this book a while ago. Can't tell you what its like because I lent it to my dad and he's kept it as he loves it so much! It has some negative reviews though so might be one to look for in your library

Can recommend Aggies family cookbook too but don't pay that much for it, I got mine for about £3.99 from The Works

copy and paste from another thread, hence the past tense.

So I had in

pork loin chops and wanted something that wasn't frying / grilling them.

I got a big pyrex dish, put the kettle on and put the following in the dish

1 onion sliced
1 pepper sliced (it was yellow but I don't think it matters)
A bit of cabbage sliced (don't think this added much)
a veg stock cube
2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard
2 teaspoons of apple sauce
a dollop of sweet chilli dipping sauce

I poured over the hot water, so there was about 2in in with the veg.

put foil on top (lost the lid) and put it in the oven for 15 mins, then took the foil off to get some colour into the pork and cooked for another 15 mins.

thanks for all your suggestions :-)

Enchiladas are our favourite

turkey mince fried with diced onion and peppers then mixed with red pesto. Roll up in flour tortillas, top with cheese or a tomato sauce and bake until golden ontop. Freezes well too.

Meatballs are another winner. Lots of variations, we normally do Annabel Karmel ones with grated apples in.

newmum just come across this recipe. If you've got enough freezer space you could make the full amount and freeze half, that way you'll get a night off cooking another time. If not, just half the quantities

Chicken tagine here

Can be frozen and the apricots are great to boost your iron and help your digestive system, v important when you're a new mum!

Again not what you asked for but we had this for tea tonight. It takes about 5 mins to cook and is yummy. I'd bought frozen prawns that were on offer and defrosted them during the day. I'm sure DH can manage to look after Lo in the time it takes to cook and its just as tasty as a takeaway

This is seriously good!

JJJ thank you you have given me some inspiration for dinner tonight!

I'm doing the prawns with rice and sautéed courgette (and peas for fussy eaters lol)

Update on the prawns: they were totally delicious (and very easy)

Beef and ale stew

Buy shin of beef (important) and allow several hours for cooking
Cut up beef into bits and roll in flour
Fry onion in oil, add floured beef bits and fry for a while
Transfer to casserole dish/pan and pour over a bottle of Bishops Finger/Spitfire Ale/Guinness/any other ale
Add some carrots and other root veg as you like now and/or later
Add some flat leaf parsly and thyme/salt/pepper
Leave on the lowest heat for four or five hours on the hob or in the oven.
In the winter, make dumplings with SR flour and egg and add to the stew half an hour before serving.

Lurkity lurk
Anything freezable also much appreicated

The Hairy Bikers sausage casserole is an hit in our house. Also you can slow cook a shoulder of pork, then cut into chunks and casserole with BBQ sauce and make pulled pork wraps/sandwiches.

Jamie Oliver's ministry of food beef stew (recipe on google)

I also do a ratatouille type thing. Basically I fry onion and chorizo, add peppers, garlic, courgette (whatever you want really) and tinned tomatoes and either fry chicken at beginning or add left over roast chicken. Nice with rice.

oh oh i forgot the mushrooms!
get those value type ones and add the whole box

Belly pork noodle soup - simmer belly pork in water with star anise, spring onion, ginger, soy and rice wine. After 2+ hours, skim and add noodles plus green veg of your choosing (I like pak choi, the kids like broccoli).

Also check out the slow cooker threads.

Sausage bean mash thing

Layer of sausage meat cooked off and fat drained
Layer of baked beans
Topped with a layer of really cheesy mash then some more cheese
Brown it off in the oven and freeze left overs.

Kids love it and its really simple to prepare then cook when you want it.

I have found that for lots of things that are meant to be fried, you can do in the oven.

chicken with polenta. buy some ready cooked polenta, chop into bite size cubes.toss in some grated parmesan, salt and pepper, and some herbs. dried is fine, like thyme or rosemary or basil. layer in casserole, tuck whole cherry toms in between polenta pieces. lay chicken breast or legs/thighs on top. whack in the oven at 180 for about 25 mins, until the chicken is browned a cooked through and the polenta is crisping.

you can also do this with potatoes. I would cut those a bit smaller.

great with a bag of salad and literally takes five mins to assemble.

also butternut squash and chickpea fragrant curry from nigel slater kitchen diaries. I don't do the mushroom thing though. just stir in the yoghurt at end. you can also do this with coconut milk but add it earlier to cook out.

Where are you buying your ready made polenta madame defarge?
I love it but tis always hard to find.

either a deli or supermarket. sorry to be so unhelpful! I tend to buy a few packs as they last a long time, whenever I see them!

i wonder whether is one of those things worth looking for on mysupermarket thingy...