recipes in between ready meals and cooking from scratch

want2bmortgage3

I'm just looking for suggestions for recipes, which arent as expensive as buying ready meals, but also aren't as time consuming / mess making as cooking from scratch.(eg chopping onions!)

For example a recipe which uses a curry paste, but does not need you to make the curry paste yourself. Or a pasta recipe which uses a pre made pesto/sauce, again not requiring you to make it yourself.

Hope someones on my wavelength here...I find ready meals are never big enough and cost too much! I do enjoy learning to cook but I need some meals which I can do quickly and without creating a lot of washing up!

pretz_2

one we use for curry paste is spicy chicken and sweet potatoe bake its dead easy and only uses one baking tray

Ingredients
4 pieces of chicken (we use breast but thighs work well to) diced if its breast whole if its thighs
4 sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
juice of 1 lime
half a jar of pataks curry paste any strength heat you like we use tikka

now chop it all up and add the lime and curry paste all in a bakinmg tray mix till well coated then bung it in the oven till its all nice and soft it takes me about 45 minutes in my oven on 200 but mine is a fan oven

we also have with this with a salad of raw onion sliced, coriander sliced and sliced tomatoes. also serve with mango chutney and chappatis or naan these are optional but are very nice with the chicken and potato.

hope this helps
pretz
xx

cyclingyorkie

sounds wonderful!

want2bmortgage3

thanks.. i have 2 curry pastes i need to use soon. they are both pataks and one is baltl , the other korma. how best can i use these up, i'm thinking of using potatoes, chick peas, frozen green beans/baby carrots as well. i just dont know the best way of using the paste.. any tips? i also have tins of tomatoes and coconut milk. also basmati rice to serve with. the recipe on the jar says fry onion first, can i use a red onion as thats all i have atm?

morganlefay

You can do good things with what used to be campbells soups - think they're batchelors now - which are double strength in the tin and you dilute to make soup. Chicken bits with a bit of chopped up onion if you can be bothered and a can of mushroom soup, or chicken or tomato, only half diluted. I sometimes do it with a bit of wine and some water, dried herbs, a bit of garlic, bake for about 30 mins. You can do sausages like that with perhaps a bit of chopped courgette too, or pork chops.

Also pork chops dipped in dry stuffing mix (sage and onion is nice) to cover them (can dip the chop in egg first to make the stuffing stick) then drizzle with oil and bake for about 30 mins - less if chops thin.

Filled jackets - bake jacket spuds, when cooked scoop out soft middle and mix the potato with whatever you've got - a bit of cooked chicken chopped, and/or ham, or even tuna (but I am a BIG tuna fan) perhaps a few chopped spring onions, herbs, fresh or dried, sprinkle with grated cheese and bake again just to reheat.

Sure I'll think of something else soon.

retiredlady

Cook some pasta (amount depends on how many you are feeding). Drain and then add a jar of pasta sauce and a tin of tuna if you like. Put into a baking dish, sprinkle with cheese and put into oven for a few minutes. Voila - delicious pasta bake!:beer: You can add different things instead of tuna - meatballs, chopped chicken, cooked vegetables - anything you fancy really!

Gigervamp

I usually have a jar of pasta sauce in the cupboard for those times when I can't be bothered making it from scratch.

I sometimes make a pasta bake with it. Cook pasta spirals (or another type of small pasta), drain, then mix the jar of sauce with it. Pop it into a baking dish and sprinkle the top with crushed crisps or breadcrumbs, then grate some cheese and sprinkle that on top. Bung it in the oven for about 20 minutes or so. Serve with salad and garlic bread.

You can add other things to the mix as well, such as sweetcorn or tuna.

Gigervamp

Lol, Retired Lady, you posted that as I was typing my post!

retiredlady

Gigervamp wrote: »

Lol, Retired Lady, you posted that as I was typing my post!

Great minds think alike! :T:T

alicemary

You can get bags of pre-chopped veggies for stir frys. I use these, plus some chicken strips and a packet of stir fry sauce.
It's ready in minutes! Unless I forget to cook the rice first

mouseymousey99

Delia has a cheats cookbook (lots of shortcuts) - sounds like what you are looking for? Your local library can get a copy for you.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Delias-How-Cheat-at-Cooking/dp/0091922291/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246962690&sr=1-7

The pasta recipe is nice (in my humble) Best wishes