How do you put a twist to your midweek favourite recipes? Share your top twists with Sainsbury's and you could win a £300 voucher NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

We've been asked by the team at Sainsbury's to find out how Mumsnetters put a twist on their favourite midweek recipes.

Sainsbury's say "As a nation we cook over 5 billion midweek meals a year - and Sainsbury's is passionate about offering great quality, everyday food to inspire households that are cooking the meals that matter to Britain. The store cupboard is a goldmine of interesting twists in waiting. With more ingredients available than ever before, now is the time to reclaim the store cupboard and start experimenting!"

So, how do you put a twist on your favourite recipe? Maybe you add balsamic vinegar to a pasta bake? Or perhaps you add some chilli to a shepherds pie? Maybe you've even added peanut butter to a stir fry?

Whatever your top twists are for your weeknight meals, Sainsbury's would love to hear about them. Take a look at the Sainsbury's Homemade website for inspiration and to see what twists they've suggested.

Everyone who posts on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will receive a £300 Sainsbury's voucher to spend in store or online at sainsburys.co.uk.

Please note your comments may be included on Sainsbury's social media channels, and possibly elsewhere, so please only post if you're comfortable with this.

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

Please read the terms and conditions here

Spice them up with mild chilli's or herbs, and/or top them with cheese, and pop them under the grill!

Liven up the cottage/fish pie with a cheese and breadcrumb topping - always the favourite bit!

I put salsa in the cottage pie. Mm mmm!

Roll slices of haloumi cheese in beaten egg then semolina, then shallow fry for a delicious crunch, serve with runny honey for a different starter.

I always add nutmeg and a splash of white wine to white sauces. I keep Noilly Prat handy for this. If you are using a bought sauce the wine and nutmeg and some crushed garlic will always improve it.

There are a few twists and changes to meals the kids love in the week. My children love pasta and a firm favourite is bolognese. I sometimes add some worcester sauce to it for a little twist which they love.. Gives it an extra kick. Sometimes instead of mincemeat i'll use tuna which is a fave of theirs or substitute meat for fish. Some lovely big chunks of cod added to the bolognese sauce is delicious. Changes things up a bit :)

Another favourite mid week that i dish up with a twist is macaroni and cheese. With my twist its called a BLT cheese melt. Besides the basic mac and cheese recipe in which i melt, by whisking and heating, cheese, butter and milk until the mixture is really smooth. Pour that over some macaroni that you've boiled for around 3-4 minutes. Then stir in some more grated cheese and some chopped cherry or small plum tomatoes along with chopped spinach (much better for them than lettuce and they'll never know :) ). Cook for around 30 minutes. Whilst cooking grill some bacon until crispy and chop into very small bits. Take dish of mac and cheese out of oven and sprinkle the bacon and some breadcrumbs over the top. Cook for around 5 minutes more. Lovely and the kids love it.

Worchestershire sauce on the top of the cheese on our cottage pie and also in our spag bol

I add cheese ' sprinkles' to the kids food and mustard to the adults

A favourite midweek meal for us is pizza. I buy cheap supermarket ones then load on the extra topping with whatever's in the fridge

Mmm just had a look at the site and chorizo in lasagne sounds lush!

I love a good sprinkle of cinnamon in a shepherds pie, or adding sweet potato to the mash.

Another fave is adding finely chopped pickled gherkin to the mince when making homemade burgers, and a good splash of Worchester sauce too, delicious!

Using marmalade as a chicken marinade is also a quick midweek twist dinner for sticky chicken .

I'm not really sure that we have a mid week twist as we follow a food planner but the above comments have certainly given me food for thought.

Simple things like ketchup in ragu sauces (everyone has ketchup in their cupboards so a cheap addition!!) and soy sauce in thai dishes!

I have a mystery spice box and once a week i open the box and add one of the random spices to the dishes

I find fresh herbs and a minute extra on presentation can make a meal look a lot more delicious

By substituting one ingredient for another less ordinary one. I feel my family I more inclined to try new tastes and things if it is done very gradually, our fave at the moment in Butternut squash lasagne!!

Failing this a nice bottle of red always puts a bit of a twist on an ordinary mid week meal!! ??

Hubby adds franks hot sauce to our spag bol. Not enough to make it spicy hot but enough along with glug of ketchup to definitely alter taste for the better. So much nicer you just cant put finger on it

Vary the herbs and spices

I swap pasta with quinoa for macaroni cheese.

Also sweet potato instead of jacket potato

we eat fairly spicy food in this house but the twist is to add no spice and see how it tastes but in case of emergencies how a bottle of chilli sauce handy

I like to chop lots of extra little veggies into everything so the boys don't even know they're eating them! Not a twist really but a sneaky cheat :)

My children like cinnamon powder put on fried chicken. They also like to put it on rice!

I add rock salt and paprika to homemade chips or wedges and chocolate into my chilli - delicious

I'm always hunting the cupboards for additions to dishes. Mustard in mash is good and do half and half cauliflower to get more hidden veg in the kids or just to be healthier. Marmalade works well in a chilli as well as marmite and chocolate.

I like to add a twist to mash potato. Depending on what it is being served with, it might be some wholegrain mustard, some leeks, or grated cheese to the top, and crisped under the grill.

My DC don't like mashed potato so when I do Shepherds Pie I cut up day old granary rolls (or whatever bread needs using up) into rough cubes, top with grated cheese and grill for 5 mins.

We grow our own veg, so it's a matter of adding different veg with different seasons