What is your best “go-to” recipes that always work and are regularly on your meal plan?

[Katie1945]

I’m trying to learn to cook more meals as we’re getting bored of the ones I can already do. I’ve been trying some new recipes and have found some that are really good and seem to work well for us.

For instance, this one: maunikagowardhan.co.uk/cook-in-a-curry/easy-indian-chicken-pulao-with-cardamom-cloves-and-basmati-rice/

It’s really tasty and always works.

I’d love to see your recipes that you really like. We don’t eat fish, and prefer to cook fresh when we can. We really like rice dishes, and chicken.

Thanks 😁

One of favourite quick meals is pasta and bacon

Pasta , cooking bacon ,( much cheaper than rashers) Tinned tomatoes, onions, then any other veg like a bit past its best peppers , mushrooms, spring onions, etc
Herbs or spices

Pur pasta on to cook
Fry onion
Add bacon ( chopped up smallish)
Add Tinned Tom's cook till sauce reduced a bit
Add herbs Italian seasoning or basil works well
or add spice tobasaco chilli powder/ Flakes
Add chopped veg
Cook till all warmed through
Strain pasta
Add tomato bacon to pasta pan and give it a good stir.

You can feed two people for about £1.50 and it takes about 15 mins to cook .

Oh it also works with rice or noodles 🙂

toad in the hole.
sausages (better chopped than whole and it stretches it out a bit…) in the oven for twenty mins in plenty of oil. Eggs /flour / milk /S&P in the mixer in broadly equal quantities then pour into the radioactively hot sausages for another 20-25 minutes. Cheap, reliable crowd pleaser and healthy with veg.
(Infinitely improved with fried onion and mushrooms with a teaspoon of bouillon to make a gravy)

@DeanStockwelll this is exactly what we're having for dinner tonight except I'm using chorizo instead of bacon.

Cajun chicken pasta.

Really, really simple. Slice chicken breasts, red peppers (or all colours cos.. pretty!), sliced onions, drizzle with olive oil and coat liberally with Cajun spices. Oven bake until cooked and a little browned. Pour the lot (juices and all) into to a pan of freshly cooked and drained pasta. Stir in some double cream to make its saucy and creamy and serve with some garlic bread.

www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/rigatoni-with-sausage-and-fennel-ragu/

Bean chilli with rice and avocado salsa - recipe from the green roasting tin book

Puy lentil Bolognese, I use passata rather than chopped tomatoes though cupfulofkale.com/vegan-tagliatelle-puy-lentil-ragu/

Ooh I can also second the sausage and fennel ragu recipe above! It's lovely

I am always on the lookout for more veggie recipes. My somewhat fussy DC will eat black bean chilli:
Chop onion and red pepper and fry for a few minutes. Add a bit of Fajita mix seasoning (or use chilli powder and cumin). Add a tin of drained black beans and a tin of tomatoes. Cook for about 15 minutes. I usually serve in taco shells with chopped avocado and grated cheese but also works in a wrap like burritos or with rice.

I’m making this tonight. Have it loads.

Tray-bake, this is a good example :-

www.hairybikers.com/recipes/view/spanish-style-chicken-bake

It's all a matter of timing, but it's infinitely variable- use whatever meat & veg you've got + whatever herbs & spices you fancy.

That sounds delicious and have screenshot it for our meat free Monday meal

Seeing as you like rice and chicken:

Chicken paprikash with rice.

Beef or pork stroganoff with rice.

Gousto Katsu - card attached.

Gousto crispy lemon chicken with rice - ingredients attached (garlic and a tsp of 5spice got cropped off):

1. wash and boil rice


2. tendestem in oven in foil


3. mix half lemon juice, honey, half the soy, tsp cornflour


4. Chop and coat your chicken in mixed cornflour and 5spice


5. fry chicken in lots of hot veg oil, add some soy sauce and garlic


6. Chop spring onions and chilli and mix with the rice

Saving this for some ideas- I am trying to be more adventurous with food

I have just cooked and eaten this!

www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/mushroom_stroganoff_with_83256

Get some really good paprika though, it makes a difference.

This chicken and chorizo rice is insanely good and v easy to cook, plus uses easy to come by ingredients. It’s one of those recipes that tastes even better than the sum of its parts. If you like chicken and rice, you are in for a treat…

Good Housekeeping chicken chorizo rice

Not quite matching your brief op, but this recipe is on our list at least fortnightly, it’s really nice and filling too! www.hairybikers.com/recipes/view/dieters-doner-kebabs

Oh yes we love this one as well!

This is a lovely recipe, with and without the plantain. It's so comforting and lovely.

Poulet DG from Cameroon.

We also love a good jollof.

@Katie1945 I love Maunika's butter chicken maunikagowardhan.co.uk/cook-in-a-curry/butter-chicken-murgh-makhani-chicken-cooked-in-a-spiced-tomato-gravy/

and I'd also recommend Meera Sodha's baked onion bhajis thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/baked-onion-bhajis-pyaz-ke-pakore/

On chicken front, Nigel Slater's chicken and lemon basil is fail-safe
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2002/may/26/foodanddrink.shopping

As is Diana Henry's chicken, cauliflower, ndjua tray bake www.britishcharcuterie.live/recipes/chicken-cauliflower-nduja

Don't want to leave Nigella out of the traybake chat www.nigella.com/recipes/one-pan-sage-and-onion-chicken-and-sausage

Family favourite here is pork in almond sauce from Sam and Sam behind Moro
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2004/oct/09/foodanddrink.shopping

I always find Ottolenghi very reliable but I know some are put off by the list of ingredients but this is a banger thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/ottolenghis-portobello-steaks-and-butter-bean-mash/

Chicken and leek pie or chicken and sweetcorn pie or steak and ale pie.

Weirdly. Its one of the few things that DH and DS never moan about my cooking skills over. Left overs generally, slung in a tray, add veg and gravy (instant granules work well enough) and ready made puff pasty and whack in the oven.

I quite often do fajitas especially at this time of year. I replace peppers with courgettes as they are seasonal and I usually have tonnes of the damn things. Chicken, fajitas seasoning, onions, courgettes or peppers in wraps. Add chillis, avocado, salsa or sour cream if you can be arsed. Or chop some salad leaves and tomatoes and put on top. Dh and I had a kebab last night and it dawned on me that I can do similar with chicken, wraps and cabbage in the winter. I never know what to do with the damn things. Again a seasonal twist on roughly the same thing. You can also change the seasoning to your taste - so Indian variation or a Korean variation. Whatever you fancy. Dead quick easy and healthy. And you can bulk out meat with veg with ease.

Homemade pizza with left overs. Yes seriously you can put your Christmas Dinner on one. Or anything from chilli / meatballs to Italian chicken. Or full English breakfast. We draw the line and don't top with pasta though!

In the winter www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/spaghetti-meatballs can make the meatballs in the morning or night before.

Chorizo stew is always a winner in my house.

Sausage traybake. Brown sausages first. Sausages, new potatoes, parsnips, shallots, apples and sage and thyme in roasting pan. Add good glug of cider. 15 minutes before ready add a mix of whole grain mustard and honey over the top.

I like it with chorizo too, or gammon it's o versatile and great for using up slightly wrinkly veg