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

Meatball toad in the hole.
Preheat some oil in a roasting tin in the oven (200degrees until just starting to smoke)

Make or buy premade meatballs (as many as you need)
Brown them off in pan and set aside (I don't use oil just dry fry)
Buy pancake or Yorkshire pudding batter (or make your own of course)
Add meatballs to roasting tin spaced a little apart and pour batter over.
Return to oven for 20-25 mins (don't open oven door to check or it won't rise - check after at least 15 mins)

Can be served cut into slices with chips, mash, roasties, veg, beans, gravy... Anything. My kids love it and are happy when I make it.

I love adding wholegrain mustard to mashed potato!

We make our own fishfingers and use different toppings like dried herbs, lemon zest or chilli flakes or whatever the kids decide they fancy!

My cooking is pretty boring, but rather than having plain sausages I add a bit of yorkshire pud to make toad in the hole. I also add some red onion to give it a bit more flavour.

some dark chocolate in a chilli makes it yummy!

i add mustard to mash and hide veggies in meals

I add mushroom ketchup or worcester sauce to most savoury dishes ie stews, casserole, shepherd's pie etc. I've recently discovered unnami paste which gives a fabulous depth of flavour so most savoury dishes.

I add smoked paprika to tomato based recipes.

I make a spicy spag bol by adding in chilli flakes.

I grate carrot into bolognaise and add balsamic at the end. Marmite goes into my beef chilli, occasionally accompanied by some dark chocolate if I haven't already raided the baking cupboard and eaten it all

Tomato ketchup goes brilliantly in a curry sauce - I don't know why, but it just works.

I use horseradish a lot. I mix it with Quark, lemon juice, salt and pepper for a virtually fat free dressing for a steak salad.

I stuff anchovies under the skin of roast lamb. They dissolve and make it unbelievably delicious. Anchovies also go well in tomato based pasta sauces.

I add cumin to everything stews, especially good now the weather's getting colder.

Mix porridge oats with fruit smoothies into a thick paste and fry for fruity porridge pancakes

To me a twist would be a way to make the normal cycle of meals that little bit different and to turn what was routine and ordinary into something a little bit different without too much effort and with few or no extra ingredients, effort or expense! This can be even harder as a vegan family, as we are but a bit of imagination and the confidence to experiment can really pay off

We tend to buy the same things each week, almost on autopilot- loads of fresh veg and the usual staples of wholemeal pastas, rice, lentils, pulses and other grains. I find that changing the cooking technique around or even just the way you cut, prepare or arrange your veg can produce really different results, textures and flavours that we all enjoy at no extra cost- what may have been a slightly predictable nut roast, mash, veg and gravy, for example, could be grilled nut 'meat' balls in an onion gravy sauce with potato scallops and root vegetable 'crisps'... the ingredients in a veggie sausage and pinto bean casserole can be rearranged into baked enchilladas with refried beans... the list goes on and I'm hungry now :)

One of our family favourites is a bolognese pasta bake. A traditional bolognese sauce (with bacon!) topped with penne pasta and cheese and baked in the oven until the cheese has nicely melted!

I always add Marmite when roasting my potatoes.

i maker a chicken curry and rice then mix it all up with the rice and we have chicken curry wraps instead of just a plain curry x

Myself and my children cannot stand kidney beans, so when I make Chilli Con Carne I use baked beans instead of kidney beans, it gives it a slight sweet flavour but still has that kick!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons oil
1 Sachet of Chilli Con Carne Mix (I use Colmans)
400 grams lean minced beef
1/4 pint of cold water
1 large Onion (Chopped)
Sliced Mushrooms
1 cup of pasata
1 tin of baked beans
half teaspoon garlic powder

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan & add the mince, onion cook until brown and then add sliced mushroom. Drain any excess oil.
2. Blend the contents of the sachet with the water and add to the mince, onion & mushroom
3. Add the pasata, baked beans & garlic powder.
4. Bring to the boil, stirring continuously.
5. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until thoroughly cooked.
6. Ensure piping hot and serve on a bed of boiled rice.

We serve it with tortilla chips!

My lot have thier favourites and whole new dishes are always a gamble. So to add a twist and varienty I add or change sides and stapples. So they might get their curry with bread, rice or even pasta. The chilli can come with rice, flat bread (some times ready wrapped, sometimes do it yourself) and occasionally with nachos. Sometimes meals are served onto plates while the next time we have the same meal it's help yourself from pots on the table. Just because you're making the same meals they don't have to seem the same. (Possibly not the answer you're after but you asked how I added a twist to meals)

I add garlic puree to most recipes. Just gives it that extra bit of flavour :D I always like to add curry powder to my rice dishes, yum!

I always add a couple of squares of dark chocolate to chilli con carne - it gives the flavour more depth.

Chilli is one of those dishes that is really flexible - I have it with rice, pasta, tortillas, jacket spuds, nachos etc.

Chorizo seems to be added to most things I cook to give it a kick as it don't like spicy foods but Chorizo gives it a nice taste :)

Add some chilli to a pasta sauce or bolognese.

Worcestershire sauce, lots of.

Generally its my husband, he gets a recipe for something he likes then makes it himself but where it says add 'X' if my husband doesnt like it he omits it and adds something else instead, in his chilli he adds beer, coco powder and brown sugar - no one only has one bowl!