Tomatoless batch cooking

[andpropersteel]

We usually live off big batch tomato-based things like homemade curry, moussaka, pasta bake, cottage pie, etc. but it seems like anything with tomatoes sets my EBF baby off with a day full of curdled spit up.

Any ideas for healthy non-tomato based dishes (that'll do 2+ dinners)?

The only alternative sauce I can think of is a béchamel type, which doesn't reheat brilliantly and isn't particularly healthy for everyday!

Using tomato bases in curries is very British Indian food.

I am Indian. Bengali. We don't use tomatoes in our curries. Onion garlic and ginger paste is what makes Bengali kitchens smell of heaven

Meat Pie
Cottage Pie
Fish Pie
Quiche

Sausage casserole; any casserole with stock instead of tomatoes in fact, and some sort of grain like pearl barley or even just potatoes to thicken it up.

Fish pie is obviously in a white sauce but I find it's fine to batch cook and reheat.

Risottos would work fine too I think.

A note on freezing risotto... When I've done this in the past I've found that the rice breaks down a bit creating a non-descript mushy texture which isn't very pleasing to eat.

I always get stuck cooking tomato-ey things for batch cooking as well so I'll be interested to see all the ideas that are suggested on this thread.

I agree with pp that for casseroles, cottage pie etc. you can just leave the tomato puree out as long as there is good flavour from decent stock and herbs.

Macaroni cheese with bacon, fried onion, fried garlic, fried mushrooms, frozen peas, raw peppers and courgettes added to pasta water for the last 5 minutes - I do a massive pot of that, DD and DH eat loads and I freeze the leftovers which I then reheat, with a good handful of cheese chucked over the top, as a pasta bake. That works well.

Curries with coconut milk rather than tomato based? I'm not sure about freezing though.

Smoked fish and broccoli pie - poach the fish in milk first and use that milk to make your white sauce, top with mashed potato and a layer of breadcrumbs and/or handful of strong cheddar on top - freezes well too, before or after the baking.

Although it doesn't make 2+ dinners, a very FAST dinner would be to cook pasta. In a separate pan, fry bacon and onion, perhaps mushrooms. In a jug, combine 1/2 eggs and a good dollop of double cream, season well with pepper and grated parmesan (no salt - bacon is usually enough), keep some of the pasta water when draining. Put hot pasta back in the pot, throw the fried bits in, then the "sauce" from the jug and stir quickly - it will need a few tablespoons of pasta water to help prevent curdling of the eggs and make it silky smooth - it shouldn't need to go back on the stove, but perhaps for just 30s to fully cook the eggs, while stirring constantly and preventing curdling/scrambled eggs.

Or fry an onion, chicken pieces, mushrooms if desired. Add a glug of white wine, condense it a little, add a glug of chicken stock, condense a little, add a dash of cream. Serve over fresh pasta or rice.

I lived on boiled carrots, boiled potatoes and plain grilled chops for about 4 months when DD was small for similar reasons.

Thai curry? Coconut milk, curry paste, bit of stock - no tomatoes required!

All fab ideas thanks! Will try the stock thing. First poster (sorry can't remember your username!) can you recommend any proper curry recipes? (Hotter the better )

Beef in beer. Park in cider chicken in red or white wine ? All can be padded out with onions celery carrots leeks swede mushrokns etc.

Ooh great idea helen never thought of that!

Cottage pie -gravy not tomato
Chicken and mushroom lasagne
Pot pies
Curry
Risotto
Tagine with cous cous
Stews/casseroles (coq au vin, boef burginion, cassolet

Tray bakes - roast vegetables with chicken/sausages is one I do fairly regularly
Soups - chunky veg with beans etc
I do a lot of the above - beef in beer/chicken casserole etc

Loads of ideas here! I've always asked myself the same question and most things I cook are tomato based, unless it's cheese sauce, which is so bad for you in comparison:-)

Same Ramona ! It seems hard wired into my brain that it has to be either cheese or tomato

Be careful with stock cubes though they tend to major on salt. I don't eat tomatoes because they give me eczema so I always make a base with chopped celery, carrot, onions or shallots, you cook them gently in olive oil and a couple of tablespoonfuls of water with a tight top on a heavy saucepan when they are softened, then add the varying spices for curry or stew etc.

I use a few drops of soya sauce for a salty but not too salty flavour. I make lovely veg. stews with pumpkin or fennel etc.

Making your own stock is pretty easy in a slow cooker.

Goulash

Making stock is easy without a slow cooker, which I don't own, I just throw the bits of veg. I chop off, into a pan and also use the water that's in the steamer after steaming my veg. (obviously the slow cooker is great if you're out all day of course).

One of the secrets for good veg. stock flavour is not to cook\steam it for too long. The flavour escapes in the steam!

I make my stock in a pressure cooker. 30 minutes tops - and yes to every bit of throwaway veg -- onion skins, raggy ends of leeks, carrot tops , celery leaves etc, always lots of fresh herbs too out of the garden - parsley, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves , majoram
If you worry about salt - Kallo do a reduced salt stock cube thats pretty good.

Good ideas here thank you. Have just done a freezer batch cook for a friend and really struck by my dependence on tomatoes! Will follow...

Mum made this last week, scrum my.
www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/food-allergy-mums-chicken-casserole/

I know this is slimming world but it's lovely, we use full fat coconut milk though.
www.slimmingworld.co.uk/recipes/thai-green-chicken-curry.aspx

Coq au vin is nice, some nice recipes out there for slow cooker.

Honey and mustard pork or chicken.

I'm not a stew fan but that could be an option. Or beef bourguinon. Stroganoff is nice.

Homemade pesto pasta with green beans and chicken (or salmon for the first batch). Add pine nuts if you like a crunch.

Cottage pie with kerrie in the potato puree.

Nigel Slaterhas a nice recipe with chicken, bacon, applecider and an apple. I would freeze it without the apple and add it later though.

Frittata freezes well, and I've done it with bacon and peas and prawns and green beans. Cook as normal, slice into 6 in the pan, take out the slices and leave to cool on a wire rack and then freeze as individual slices or in whatever portion works best for you. I just use individual slices and defrost for 45 seconds in a microwave and it does me for an individual lunch or supper.

Make a massive load of stew. Freeze some as stew and some as pasties (make sure you simmer off some of the gravy so it's not too liquid then put into pastry, pinch it tight together and freeze).