Batch-cooking is a brilliant way to save time and money while helping minimise food waste. It’s comforting to know there’s a meal on standby in your freezer or that last night’s leftovers can be reworked into something just-as-spectacular during the week.
These are our best batch cook recipes, each including how to revamp the dish for serving the second time around. Transform a classic bolognese sauce into a rotolo pasta bake or use yesterday’s meatballs to fill our tantalisingly cheesy sub rolls. These really are recipes that keep on giving!
Batch-cooking is a brilliant way to save time and money while helping minimise food waste. It’s comforting to know there’s a meal on standby in your freezer or that last night’s leftovers can be reworked into something just-as-spectacular during the week.
These are our best batch cook recipes, each including how to revamp the dish for serving the second time around. Transform a classic bolognese sauce into a rotolo pasta bake or use yesterday’s meatballs to fill our tantalisingly cheesy sub rolls. These really are recipes that keep on giving!
A really good, slow-cooked ragù is a wonderful thing. It doesn’t have to require a lengthy list of ingredients to be a success because the secret to its brilliance is in the cooking – low and slow to let the flavours infuse. You’ll love it first time round, served with buttery mashed potato and greens, then again in this peppered pie with extra mushrooms and a pastry lid.
Both of these meals are seriously handy weeknight dinners to have up your sleeve. Get involved with meat-free Monday and stir up a nourishing batch of dhal (we love it served with warm flatbreads), then look forward to Tuesday’s meal – this time topped with fried lamb chops. You could of course omit the lamb if you prefer, or try it with roasted chicken thighs or fried tofu instead.
Everyone should have a good sausage casserole recipe on standby – so why not make it this one? The good news is you can use it again in these nifty pies, padded out with a tin of beans and topped with cheesy mash.
Swap your usual Sunday roast for this lighter, whole-poached chicken recipe, drizzled in a garlic and mustard dressing. Then, rest safe in the knowledge that Monday’s dinner is taken care of too –hello, herby chicken pilaf bowls!
Our easy curry sauce recipe is as fragrant as it is colourful – and it’s gluten and dairy-free too. Make a big batch and store half in the freezer to whip up a speedy curry midweek. We recommend our egg and potato recipe for a veggie 20-minute meal.
A classic bolognese sauce serves as a starting point for numerous family dinners. Please everyone at the table with spaghetti bolognese then use up leftovers in this rotolo pasta bake. The sauce is wrapped in pasta sheets, arranged in a dish, topped with a creamy feta sauce and baked until bubbling and oozy. You’re going to love it.
Our easy chicken stew makes for wonderful year-round eating. Simultaneously cosy yet light and fragrant, a deeply garlicky chicken stew is topped with crispy lemon and herby breadcrumbs. You can’t blame us for wanting to eat it again, so we have, in this fruity chicken tagine.
From fish pie to macaroni cheese to myriad of sauces, there’s so much you can do with a simple white sauce. Take this easy chicken and broccoli pie for example: simply stir through a few extra ingredients, top with shortcrust pastry and bake until golden. Easy peasy.
What makes the ultimate pie topping: potato or pastry? Luckily, you don’t have to decide with this perfect pie combo. Use half the sweet potato, pepper and chicken filling to make this easy but impressive hotpot, then top the rest with nests of crispy filo pastry to make mini pot pies.
Use this simple mince ragu to top jacket potatoes for an easy but filling dinner, then freezer leftovers to whip up this crispy-topped pie with Indian flavours.
It’s a classic for a reason: this hearty veg soup is a great standby to have in the freezer. Enjoy it even more the second time around with added chicken and fragrant Thai flavours.
This cook-once, eat-twice roasted vegetable ratatouille recipe makes the most of summery veg. Make a batch and serve with crusty bread or pasta then use the other half to cook our speedy spiced shakshuka recipe with eggs.
This comforting veg-packed chilli includes lentils, beans, butternut squash and plenty of spices and chipotle paste. Serve over rice, then enjoy the leftovers topped with mash to make a pie. You could even use defrosted frozen mash you’ve made in advance.
Salty pancetta and peppery watercress are used in this recipe to make one big pot of creamy risotto. Freeze half and save for an evening when you’re pushed for time or use the leftovers to make these crispy arancini with mozzarella.
We’ve doubled the quantities of this sensational smoky sausage chilli so you can eat half now and freeze the other half for another meal. Use it to make this hearty cowboy pie with added beans and barbecue sauce. It’s topped with cheesy mash.
Sweet, salty, sticky ham isn’t just for the weekend. Our trick? Cook it long and slow in the oven and serve for a midweek tea with chips and peas. Use leftovers in this gorgeous shortcrust pastry pie made with ricotta and fresh tarragon – perfect with a simple salad.
Our tender, fall-off-the-bone, baby back pork ribs are much easier to make than you might expect and are a great option for a tasty weeknight supper. Use them to put together these super sticky Chinese-style spare ribs, too. Serve alongside some steamed white rice and pak choi for a comforting dish for two.
French cuisine has never looked so easy. Our take on the classic French stew is simple to follow and is abundant in rich, hearty flavours. Let it bubble away in the oven at the weekend, then turn the leftovers into a warming, meaty pie – perfect for cosy nights in.
