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Dinners that will keep to be eaten by family at different times

12 replies

Happyasahedgehog · 08/11/2021 14:05

I'm looking for ideas for dinners that I can cook and keep for the family to eat at different times, that keep well warm or can be reheated safely. I have a son who is always starving and would like to eat around 5pm and a daughter who won't be home until 7:30pm.
At the moment all I make are have lasagne and shepherd's/cottage pie, both veggie and meat varieties and macaroni cheese bake; they need to be one pot meals that will happily sit for a few hours. I have a new slow cooker with a keep warm function but I'm stuck for ideas.

OP posts:
Wilma55 · 08/11/2021 14:07

Chilli and microwavable rice.
Tagine, add own couscous.

PurpleDaisies · 08/11/2021 14:08

Chilli and curry

PurpleDaisies · 08/11/2021 14:08

Stew with dumplings is an easy reheat

LadyDanburysHat · 08/11/2021 14:13

Any kind of stew or other one pot kind of dish that can be made in a slow cooker would be great.

MilduraS · 08/11/2021 15:25

Tagine or curry. I'd keep some mini naan breads in the freezer so they can stick them in the toaster to go with either one.

sittingonacornflake · 08/11/2021 15:32

Soup.

WhatonEarth1 · 08/11/2021 16:26

Sausage cassoulet www.lovepotatoes.co.uk/recipes/sausage-and-potato-cassoulet/
Peanut stew realfood.tesco.com/recipes/west-african-style-chicken-peanut-stew.html
Quiche - fine eaten hot or cold, and can also be reheated.
Chicken pie www.gousto.co.uk/cookbook/chicken-recipes/creamy-chicken-potato-topped-pie
Naan pizzas - assemble them all together and put in the oven as needed realfood.tesco.com/recipes/naan-bread-pizzas.html
Fish cakes - make them all together then cook in the oven as needed.

BabyBunnyMama · 08/11/2021 16:32

We vary our mealtimes depending on our work schedules and how hungry I am at DD's mealtime. I find the best meals are things like curry, chilli, pasta bake, casserole, bolognese (you can cook all the pasta together then just put some olive oil on the portion to be reheated later and it keeps it fresh) and even things like sausage, mash and veg and roast dinner, though they aren't one pot.

I generally find most of our meals are OK to have at different times aside from things with chips or anything crispy as this would go soggy, or nice meats like steak wouldn't be nice reheated in the micro.

Triffid1 · 10/11/2021 11:03

I think it's easy to slip into this idea that it has to be one pot, when actually, most things can be easily kept and reheated or adapted. DH works evenings quite often and on other nights the DC have various activities so it's quite common for us. eg this week:

Monday: Fajitas - me and DC ate earlier. We did not heat up DH's tortilla so all he had to do was microwave it and slightly warm up the mix, then top with avo and cheese .

Last night: spaghetti and meatballs. Me and DC ate together, I added DH's meatballs and sauce to his spaghetti so it didn't dry out and he ate his later.

Tonight: baked chicken, mashed potato and vegetables. DS and DH are at an activity so I'll cook everything earlier for me and DD. If I'm feeling super organised, I might take the vegetables for DS and Dh out a minute or two early (broccoli), if I remember.

Tomorrow: Fish and new potatoes. This one is tricky to do separately but we're all eating together, so it's fine.

Friday: soup and bread and cheese.

It's also quite common for me to do things where I'll cook the bulk but something might need a quick final cook when whoever is late turns up. eg if I make lamb chops or steak, I will prepare everything else and then cook the meat almost to order (or, obviously, Dh does his own) as needed. Similarly, we eat halloumi with wraps or grilled veg quite often and again, the halloumi just gets cooked as the person needs it.

Happyasahedgehog · 10/11/2021 13:40

Thank you very much for replying, some really good ideas and suggestions!

OP posts:
Neurodiversitydoctor · 10/11/2021 14:47

We do this twice a week. The meals I use are chilli, bolongaise, soup, curry- watching for ideas

NadiaVulvokov · 10/11/2021 15:00

They won’t be authentic but you can go pretty good paella and biryani-esque dishes ina slow cooker.

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