Cooking for a particular eater - ideas please!

[SoloMumJustMuddlingThrough]

It's a long standing joke that my dad like OAP food (an always has). He likes simple and plain food like meat, boiled potatoes and overcooked vegetables (or at least he thinks he does!).
He gets back from work late and so I've been cooking something for him to heat up when he gets home ...otherwise he'd just get a takeaway. Things that have gone down very well : spag bol, Chile con carne, fish pie, shepherd's pie. All things that I can throw together whilst DD is having her nap and can be eaten over a couple of days. I would happily cook him anything but now he keeps asking for the same 4 meals again because he enjoyed them the first time! 🤦 Any ideas of something similar. I'm thinking of Dowling a chicken and mushroom pie (even though he says he's not a pastry fan!). All ideas welcome before I make our 100th vat of spag bol 😆 (exaggeration but that is the direction we are heading!)

What take away would he get if he enjoyed meat potato and over cooked veg?

If he loves those 4, just stick with them. No biggie

How about casseroles and stews?

There’s a Mary Berry chicken hotpot recipe which I bet he’d like and which can be prepped in advance (chicken and vegetables topped with sliced potatoes). In fact, Mary Berry recipes might be worth a look more broadly.

Nigella has a good fish gratin recipe which uses fewer potatoes than a traditional fish pie.

How about some kind of traybake, with meat, potatoes and veg in one tin? That could be prepped in advance and shoved in the oven later.

Sausage and mash
chicken pie
beef stew
roast chicken dinner
lasagne (can use your vat of spag Bol to make this!)
cottage pie
toad in the hole
a very mild curry and rice - korma? Might be a bit too adventurous though!

Stews and casseroles definitely worth a try
Macaroni cheese

That's the thing...he orders Thai, curries, Japanese, etc etc. He actually likes pretty adventurous stuff but thinks he likes only very plain food. He said he would 'never' eat fish pie but then he did and now asks for one every week!

I'd rather mix it up a bit so I don't have to two meals.

I'm looking for recipes that can be easily heated up/finished off the oven, or warmed up on the hob (no microwave).

@RonnSeall he 'doesnt like' lasagne even though it is EXACTLY the same thing as spag bol.

I should add he's super grateful and really lovely about it.

So he really really is not a meat and two veg guy!

No he isn't!!! But he says he is and won't entertain the idea of anything else until he's tried it and then will ask for it on repeat for 6 months!

How illogical

whatever he orders at takeaway…. Try that

That's actually not a bad idea! It's incredibly frustrating because I am a chef and could literally cook him anything he wants.

Cook food. Serve food. Stop letting him make your life difficult.

I am baffled you haven’t said

“what do you order at all these exotic takeaways you get?”
and then say “and you say you’re a plain eater??!”
and then home cook the takeaway version

Your time must be precious though @SoloMumJustMuddlingThrough

Your skills will be far superior to my suggestion here for effort saving recipes

Can heartily recommend the chicken & chorizo jambalaya

I've made this a few times, it goes down really well and is easy to heat up.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQ7H5CDjEXI/?igsh=Yzk4azNoZmZmZDVi

Honestly I think I’d just serve him the same 4 things you know he likes!

But here are some other ideas for one pot easily reheated meals.

Lamb shoulder casserole, add celery and carrot batons for veg plus greens at the end, chickpeas or beans for bulk

Short rib casserole, mash alongside which he can reheat in a pan. Or for a true one pot you could add some new potatoes to the cooking liquid for the last 45 min (never actually tried this)

Lamb shawarma soup (RecipeTinEats website)

Taco soup (RecipeTinEats again)

Chicken tagine

Minestrone

Chorizo stew with beans, chickpeas and greens

Any kind of curry- he’d need rice to go with it, the rice pouches can be heated in a pan if you think he’d bother to do that? Start with massaman lamb or butter chicken

Risotto

Sausage casserole
coq au vin
beef bourguignon
cottage pie
Cornish pasties
Chicken bacon and leek pie (potato topped)
Mushroom rissoto

He gets back from work late and so I've been cooking something for him to heat up when he gets home

I know it's not the point of your question, but is there any reason why he can't batch cook for himself at the weekend instead of relying on you to do it?

Normally he would sort himself. I offered because I have time and enjoy it. He always asks so politely and with no expectation at all. (I've basically had to fight him to let me help him a bit). He leaves the house at 6:30 and often doesn't get back until after 9.

Chicken leek and bacon pie is next! Thanks for all suggestions!!

Lancashire hot pot

Moussaka

Carbonnade and dumplings

Lamb chops / pork chops

Sausage casserole

If he's eating rice with chilli, try risotto, kedgeree, paella.

Try a mild curry.

As he seems to like potato topped things, anything you might have made into a pie (eg chicken and mushroom), just top with potato. If you are making eg a stew for yourselves, put a portion for him in a dish and top with potato. You’ll run yourself ragged otherwise