By preparing ahead of time, you can cut down on cooking, washing up and shopping time, yet still enjoy a mouthwatering home cooked meal at the end of the day!
Photo Credit: Sodanie Chea
Cooking at home is healthier, cheaper and far more delicious than eating out or relying on ready-meals. Yet many of us find that we don’t have the time to cook as often as we might want to. The solution is your oven, the lazy cook’s faithful companion! By preparing these meals in advance, making them large and popping them in the fridge, you can come home after work and simply shove them into your newly cleaned oven – giving you more time to do the things you love.
To get you started with healthier and heartier home cooking, we’ve come up with three classic easy to make recipes that anyone can master.
How to make an Easy Oven-Baked Shepherd’s Pie
Does it get any better than this timeless British classic? Remember, it’s only a Shepherd’s Pie if you use lamb. If you use beef it’s a Cottage Pie – but still equally tasty!
For the base
1-2 tsp of olive oil
2 medium onions
2 celery sticks
2 medium carrots
2 garlic cloves
500g lamb mince
1 handful of garden peas
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 generous glug of red wine
150ml of stock (whichever flavour you prefer, though beef always works!)
For the top
1kg of mashing potatoes
50g of butter
1 handful of strong cheddar cheese
-
Preheat the oil in a large pan. Add the onions, celery and garlic and cook until lightly browned (ten minutes).
-
Add the mince, and cook it on a medium heat until browned, whilst stirring.
-
Add the vegetables, and cook for another 2-3 minutes on medium high.
-
Add all the other ingredients for the base, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
-
In the meantime, make the mash by boiling the potatoes for twenty minutes then draining them and mashing them. Stir in the butter and continue to mash. When you reach your desired consistency, spread the mash over the base, and top with a handful of cheddar cheese.
-
Bake in a clean preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
How to make an Easy Oven-Baked Lentil Moussaka
Moussaka is a wholesome mediterranean dish that traditionally contains meat. This veggie version skips the meat, but not the flavour, by using cinnamon, white wine and red lentils.
For the base
400g of aubergine, sliced thinly.
2 tsp of olive oil
1 large red pepper
2 medium onions
2 cloves of garlic
100g of cooked red lentils
1 tin of tomatoes
1 cinnamon stick (preferably ceylon)
1 glug of white wine
For the top
125g of ricotta
125g of Greek yogurt
3 large eggs
1 handful of vegetarian parmesan
-
Fry the aubergine on both sides for 2-3 minutes in some of the olive oil until golden brown, then set aside on some paper towels to dry.
-
Add the onions and garlic to the pan and fry until translucent, 2-3 minutes.
-
Add the tomatoes, seasoning, wine and some dried oregano if you have it, and cook for another 8-10 minutes.
-
Add the cooked lentils and the fried aubergine to the mixture, and warm it through for another few minutes. Transfer the mixture to an over dish and sprinkle with freshly chopped basil.
-
Meanwhile, mix the ricotta, yogurt, eggs in a bowl, until the topping is well combined.
-
Pour the topping over the base, then add a handful of parmesan on top.
-
Put it into a preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown.
How To Make An Easy Tuna Pasta Bake
This student favourite is cheap, easy to make and jam-packed with protein. Best of all, nearly all the ingredients are easy to find in the back of your store cupboard!
600g of cooked penne pasta
50g of butter
50g of flour
600 ml of milk
half a tsp of strong English mustard (to taste)
200g mature cheddar cheese
100g of peas
100g of canned sweet corn
2 medium-sized tins of tuna in water (drained)
-
For the white sauce, gently melt the butter in a large pan. Then, slowly but continuously, stir in the flour and cook on low for 1 minute, or until the sauce thickens.
-
Slowly stir in the milk, a little at a time, making sure that the mixture is smooth.
-
Take the pan off the heat and add the mustard, pepper, half the cheese, peas, sweet corn, cooked pasta and add salt to taste. Stir until evenly mixed.
-
Spoon the tuna into an oven proof dish.
-
Cover the tuna with the white sauce, then add the second half of the cheese on top.
-
Bake for twenty minutes, or until the topping is golden brown.
To ensure that these meals taste their best, it’s important that your oven is clean! Avoid the hassle of doing it yourself, and get in touch with professionally trained and environmentally minded oven cleaners in Nottingham today.
