Please tell me what else I can prepare as main meals!

[WellTidy]

I am an ok cook these days, having previously never cooked a single thing. I make most things from scratch, but we do have the odd convenience things when we fancy them like ikea meatballs and fries. But I’m stuck in a rut. Essentially we have the same three weeks’ worth of meals on rotation and I’d like to branch out. We eat pretty much anything except mushrooms, broccoli and cauliflower. I don’t like creamy sauces either. We like all flavours though. It’s me, DH and 14yo DS.

This is what we have regularly (made from scratch unless I’ve said otherwise) -

Pizzas
Chicken katsu and rice
Pasta bolognese
Lasagne
Whole chicken with harissa, red onion and peppers
Fajitas
Burgers and corn
Salmon en croute
Sausages (bought) and mashed potato
Hot dogs (bought sausages)
Salmon fish cakes with potato/sweet potato wedges
Chicken korma with rice and samosas
Lamb tagine
Pasta, pesto and bacon
Lemon king prawn linguine
Beef and red wine shortcrust pastry pie
Roast dinners
Cottage pie
Chicken satay and peppers
Wagamama recipe for chicken udon
Coca Cola ham

They don’t have to be substantial meals. I’ve just realised that I have never made a soup, so maybe that would be a good one to add.

All ideas and recipes very welcome!

Chilli is an obvious missing item. It could be veggie or meaty.

Spinach and ricotta lasagne or cannelloni is easy and freezable.

Daals are lovely and you can vary what you end up with easily.

Recipes:
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/burnt-aubergine-veggie-chilli
This chilli is brilliant. It takes a long time on the hob but it isn’t hard and can be cooked in huge quantities then frozen in portions

www.tinnedtomatoes.com/2013/10/spinach-and-coconut-dal.html?m=1
A really simple dal. Again, make a big one and freeze. You can leave out the spinach or use frozen. It’s nice with things added at the end, like chick peas, paneer, roast sweet potato/squash, cashews etc.

Super simple lasagne with no need for white sauce. I just use passata for the tomato.

www.gimmesomeoven.com/spinach-lasagna-recipe/

The recipe of the side of the sainsburys cannelloni tubes is what I use for that. Just leave out the mushrooms.

Tuna pasta bake. Great way of using up languishing veg in salad drawer.
We are big fans of teriyaki beef and mushroom noodle stir fry.
Make ahead bacon and potato casserole. Fried bacon and boiled leeks layered in a dish. Sliced tinned potatoes. Grated cheese. Repeat. Bake @200° for half an hour or until bubbly and crispy. Serve with salad.

One tray harissa chicken. I use thighs in this recipe...well it's more of an assembly really!
harissa

Have a look at the Roadting Tin books. Such an easy way to get a family meal on the table and some really nice ideas. I especially like the Quick Roadting Tin.

I forgot my favourite pie. This might be more of a challenge but it’s worth it…
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/crispy-greek-style-pie

You can vary the ingredient depending on what you’ve got in

Roadting? How did it do that twice? Roasting Tin.

My family love home made nuggets. I use turkey breast or chicken thigh pieces cut up, coat in egg then panko breadcrumbs, shallow fry. Serve with rice and any veg you like, and soy, chilli sauces etc. A few black sesames seeds makes it look very posh :O)

These are super ideas. Thank you.

I haven’t made chilli for ages but I shall use this recipe, it looks fantastic

Do you serve the dal with sides please? I can make vegetable samosas. I could have a go at onion bhajis

I have also ordered the Quick Roasting Tin book from Amazon, that looks just what I need, thanks

Spinach and ricotta is also such a good call. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it. We will really enjoy that!

Pie looks great too, thank you

Risottos! All different flavours. I always cook a risotto when I don't know what else to cook.

Salads in the summer
Fondue
Shakshuka
Stroganoff
Baked potatoes with toppings
Savoury pancakes

Do you serve the dal with sides please? I can make vegetable samosas. I could have a go at onion bhajis

Yes-if I’m doing it as a fakeaway definitely bhajis, samosas, pakoras, naan, popadums etc but unless I’ve got a bucket of time, I buy them from Lidl!

Purple you’re much more accomplished as a cook than me. I only did samosas for the first time in lockdown. I have gram flour though so will try the bhajis when I try the dal. I’m looking forward to giving both a go.

I’ve never cooked a risotto. Any non-mushroom recommendations, preferably with a steer to an online recipe, please?

Mid never heard of shakshuka so I googled I should have said that I don’t eat eggs unless they’re part of a batter or cake!

I make the breaded chicken for katsu in the same way as you’ve mentioned ohsugar - always enjoyed here too so it’s a good idea to make it for other meals too

I haven’t made tuna pasta bake since I made the Annabel Karmel recipe for Ds1 when he was a baby! Never thought to make a version for us all, excellent idea

Thanks all!

Pork fillet with rubbed on Jerk spices, roasted tinfoil. Takes maybe an hour but v quick with boiled rice and frozen greens

Marking to steal ideas as we are also in a bit of a rut. Quite impressed by your original list OP, it's longer than ours

Fish pie - fish of choice, maybe hard boiled egg, in parsley sauce with mashed potato on top, green veg

Super easy baked risotto recipe

www.google.com/amp/s/www.deliaonline.com/recipes/books/delias-complete-how-to-cook/oven-baked-risotto-carbonara%3Famp

Veg roasting tin book green one also good ...just had beetroot chickpea curry and was great ds not usually a beetroot fan also ate all...done a couple of others also good....bought to get dc cooking!

Marcella hazan essential Italian brilliant recipes she's bossy old school but you can't go wrong. With any of hers .her risotto recipes are fab...although Jamie Oliver Italy has a great cauliflower one

I’ve bought the Marcella Hazan essential Italian book too

shallwe you’re very welcome to use my rolling meal planner!

Carbonara wouldn’t work for us all unfortunately as I don’t like creamy sauces. If I do make it, I make it for DH and DS and I have something different. It’s a pain to cook different things for different people, even if they are as simple as carbonara though, which is why I don’t think to make it that often

Ditto fish pie, which is a shame as DS and DH would happily eat it

Enchiladas, quesadillas, burritos
Chicken or steak pie
Fish and chips

Great thread. I am stuck in a rut so looking for inspiration too.

I was about to suggest lots of egg based dishes then saw your last post. For anyone else who does eat eggs and is reading along for ideas…
Oyakodon (you could try this without the egg I think)
Omelettes
Spaghetti carbonara
Egg and homemade oven chips

Pasta with a garlicky bacon and goats cheese sauce.

Cottage pie with a tin of baked beans mixed in.

Baked salmon served with lemon and garlic flavoured cous cous (you could probably make from scratch but I use a packet).

Leftovers pie with root veg mash.

Sausage and bean casserole.

I used to make a delicious pepper pasta sauce from a Charmaine Solomon vegetarian cookbook but I don’t have the recipe any longer - it had cream added at the end but it was more of a tomato based sauce IIRC.

Chicken burgers in buns with salad and home made coleslaw. I use a lazy method of dunking thigh fillets in mayonnaise then dredge in panko breadcrumbs and cook in the oven.

Teriyaki chicken

Yoghurt marinated baked chicken or lamb in a pitta or wrap served with loads of salad and tzatziki.

If I have leftover roast lamb I tend to slice it thinly and heat it up then serve in a wrap with lots of salad and tzatziki or turn it into a curry.

Falafels, hummus and salad in pittas or wraps.

Smoked salmon, lemon and cream cheese pasta with green veg.

Baked potatoes.

Egg fried rice with whatever veg needs to be used up and leftover roast chicken and/or cashew nuts (you could leave out the egg).

If you have leftover Coca Cola ham there’s a nice ham and rice dish where you bake it in the oven with cheese and broccoli (but subbing in frozen peas works well too).

I used to make a baked green Thai currry rice recipe - I think it’s this one: www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/oven-baked-thai-chicken-rice

Toad in the hole.

Wow Miaowse that’s loads of suggestions! Supportive of me as ever

I forgot that I do thai green chicken curry routinely with green beans and I buy the Sharwoods as thai crackers which are lovely

Chicken burgers would go down well here. Silly of me not to think of it. Jamie Oliver used to do a coleslaw in his restaurants that was made with yoghurt instead of mayo which I really liked (don’t eat mayo as I don’t like eggs) so I will try and find that.

Really looking forward to my receipt books arriving!

recipe

You could do Trou Cabbage with the sausages, so simple and yet so delicious. We also do Birria tacos regularly, I love them with beef, but my daughter does not eat meat and they work equally well with shrimp, mushrooms or jackfruit.