Food ideas batch cooking

[pawpaws2022]

Not necessarily "let's cook 20 portions"
I live alone so I cook maybe 6 servings and portion then freeze things which means the stuff i sometimes want to eat doesn't reheat well (saw a great enchilada recipe but doesn't work really to reheat)

I'm in a rut and need recipe ideas! I don't eat lamb, offal or pistachio and not keen on fish but everything else is fine. Prefer something I can put lots of veg in

Usual stuff is
Chicken pie topped with mash
Cottage pie
Pasta bake
Beef stew with mash or sweet potato mash
Sausage and mash
Meatballs with veg/sauce/pasta

Chili? Can be served with rice or baked potato. Or inside a burrito

Chilli could be a good one actually. I'm not mad keen on kidney beans but I'll eat them! (I will eat a lot of stuff I don't love as otherwise I would exist on toast and cake)

Lasagne
Curry
Soups
Meatloaf

Fish pie
Sweet pot Daal
Sausage casserole
Portioned quiche

Tagine
Spanish chicken stew
Enchiladas with freezing instructions
Pasties
Leek and ham gratin
Vegetable gratin
Pork and pesto cobbler

Have a look at the batch lady. Loads of freezeable recipes

Chilli as it can be served with lots of different options. Put black beans in if you're not keen on kidney.
Any red meat based pasta dishes tend to freeze well, particularly if they have a sauce, as that soaks in to the pasta and often tastes better reheated.
We made sloppy Joes earlier in the week but I doubled up on the meat mixture and froze it. Will throw in some mushrooms and salami and serve with spaghetti next week.

You can find recipes on BBCgoodfood site, lots of ideas on there.

Green macaroni and cheese (Jamie Oliver)
Cajun vegetable cobbler

I love a lasagne. Roast veg, harissa and feta lasagne, the ottolenghi spicy mushroom lasagne (add some spinach in the layers), or just a classic ragu. Likewise moussaka (usually veggie with a lentil and walnut ragu), and aubergine parmigiana (throw in some courgettes too).

I tend to make all of these in a dish that serves 8, bake, then slice into neat squares and freeze. They reheat nicely in the microwave or oven, and don’t need any more than a token side salad.

The trick is to only make stuff that you’re going to be enthusiastic about defrosting again. Otherwise it’ll just grow old in your freezer. I also make the odd saag paneer, and various vegetable curries in a masala sauce. These I freeze in little Lakeland Tupperware containers, and eat with a naan bread (also freeze well). The tubs take up more room than freezer bags, but I’m more likely to pull something out the freezer if I can just reheat and go, rather than have to decant. You might be less lazy than me!