Batch Cooking that only needs a microwave to reheat

[JemimaTiggywinkle]

I’m having the kitchen done and will be without a cooker for a few weeks. I will just have a fridge/freezer and a microwave.

I’m looking for batch cooked full meals that only need a microwave to heat. I won’t be able to boil pasta to go with frozen bolognese etc.

Any ideas gratefully received, so far I only have frozen mash and stew.

Does anyone know if risotto freezes well?

Thank you x

Yes I have frozen risotto. Do you not get precooked packs of pasta? You get rice pouches/trays that you can microwave too

Just googled and dolmio does pasta twists that you microwave

Do you have a slow cooker you could make stuff in?

Stews with mash - freeze the mash either in single portions in tupperware with a ladle full of stew or do portions of mash on a baking tray to freeze before popping in a freezer bag or tupperware
Chilli or curry and rice - same principal

No I don’t have a slow cooker.

Also realised I wasn’t very clear - I have a full kitchen now to prepare things in advance. But will only have a microwave at the time for reheating.

I have frozen curry and rice, but when my kitchen was being done, I served curry with couscous that I just covered with boiling water for 5 mins before serving, it saved a lot of room in the freezer, although we did give in and buy a £20 2 ring hob from amazon after a week! This has since been donated to a charity setting people up after homelessness

Lasagna, fish/cottage /shepherd's pies

Lasagna reheats well in a microwave. I make a giant one and individually wrap portions to stick in the freezer.

A rice cooker only costs about £20 and will be useful to you even after the renovation, that can cook rice/steam veg to go with your dishes, which opens you up to loads more - chilli, stroganoff, chicken supreme, curries.

Cook pasta now and freeze. I did this a lot when kids younger. Seperate pasta and sauces frozen which just needing heating up in the microwave.

Chilli and rice
Soups
Curry
Frittata

You can do pasta in a microwave!

Risotto
Chilli (have with tortilla chips)
Soup tends to freeze well
Curries and have with naan/chappati
Lasange
Spinach and ricotta cannelloni
Various stews
Shepherds pie
Fish pie

Main meals are no problem - batch cook lasagne, cottage pie, casserole etc.
To have with casserole - buy packets of microwaveable rice and pasta to go with precooked casserole portions.
I also cook real oven baked potatoes when I am cooking a casserole. Once cooled, wrap them in foil and freeze. Defrost unwrap from foil and reheat in microwave.

Good to know that cooked pasta freezes okay - opens up a few more possibilities.

I freeze loads of stuff!
Pasta bake
Pork or beef Meatballs and mash or pasta
Chilli to have with tortilla chips or rice or add to tortilla chips to make nachos microwave
McCain frozen jacket potatoes
Beef stew
Curry to have with naan bread or microwave rice
Chicken pie (mash topped)
Cottage pie
Sausages with gravy (add mash)
You can get microwave packs of pasta so maybe freeze some tomato/meat sauce

Have ready made packets of merchant gourmet grains and just add water cous cous as they're handy

Would you consider buying a slow cooker or InstantPot? I recommend the InstantPot, personally, and I use mine all the time.

Those microwave rice pouches to go with chilli and curries. Not cheap though

Couscous only needs boiling water & cover in cling film or a lid to cook - you could eat bolognese and other sauces with cous cous rather than pasta. Bit weird maybe but same basic taste. Also good with casseroles.

Frozen sweet potato mash is really useful and defrosts well. Frozen normal mash is ok defrosted, especially if you mix some extra milk or butter in.

Freezable whole meals:

Lentil casserole
Soups (substantial ones)
I have found risotto does not freeze and defrost very well, but pearl barley risottos do.

Pies as suggested above

Actually not sure about pies if you don’t have an oven to bake them in

Yes I wasn’t sure about pies/lasagne etc - I guess I would have to oven them before freezing if I can only microwave them after?

I've seen microwave pies in the freezer section

Microwave rice pouches are 39p in Lidl.

I make loads of dal, chilli and curry for the freezer. You can heat up naan in the toaster. You can actually cook potato waffles in the toaster.

I batch cook bolognaise and pasta, mix together and freeze in portions. Then just microwave to reheat. Very easy

Pastry goes yuck in a microwave IME.

You can freeze pasta or rice mixed in or portioned with your meals.

Daal, curry, lasagne, hot pot, stews, quiches, hell, you could even do everything for a roast dinner and freeze it!

Lasagne
Chilli
Stews with mash
Spaghetti bolagnaise (I portion it up with the pasta)
Curries
Sausage casserole
Chicken chasseur
Chicken in white wine sauce
Thai green curry
Thai red curry
Beef massoman
Shepherds/cottage pie
Lamb stew
Pork casserole
Salmon pie (salmon with broccoli in cheese sauce with mash topping)

Basically I batch cook everything and freeze it. Nothing has gone wrong yet.

With lasagna, yes you need to cook in oven before you freeze