We’ve all got a lot of time on our hands at the moment, and most of us have a whole load of ingredients in the cupboard too. If you’re anything like my family, you’ll be drowning in vegetables, pasta and pulses, and looking for something interesting to do with it all. Here are a few recipes to make productive use of those many spare hours.
I’ve spent a lot of the time lately reading through my recipes & recipe books, in the hope of finding satisfying, hearty recipes which I can invest a bit of my bounteous time on. But they also have to be freezable, so that I have something in the house for a rainy day.
Why Get into Batch Cooking When Staying Home?
We are all in the uncomfortable position of knowing that if we start feeling unwell, we could be stuck inside for a couple of weeks without being able to stock up much on food. If this is the case, having a few pre-prepared meals in the fridge or freezer could really help you out.
Before we start, I thought i’d share a few of the key staples which will likely help you out during this tricky period. What these foods have in common is that they’re cheap, last for ages, and are versatile enough to make their way into a range of recipes
Main Ingredients to have in the house When Staying Home
- Tinned, peeled tomatoes
- Onions
- Garlic
- Chickpeas
- Root vegetables
- Pulses like lentils and beans
- Quinoa, buckwheat and other nutritious grains
- Pasta
- Rice
- Herbs (either dried, or fresh ones frozen)
- Spices
- Dried or jarred chilli
- Salt and pepper
Below, I’ve listed a few of my favourite batch cooking ideas. Each of these ticks the 3 key boxes I’m looking for in food at the moment; satisfying, nutritious and freezable. They could also all sit in the fridge for at least 3 days without any trouble.
My Top Stay Home Batch Cooking Ideas
Creamy Squash & Coriander Vegan Soup
Why not spend a day brewing up a mean vegan soup for when you need a pick me up. Hearty, healthy and delicious.
If you’ve got a load of time on your hands, sourdough is the perfect investment. Create a yeasty starter and refine your craft on those long days at home.
Roasted Vegetable & Chorizo Sauce
Shamelessly straight in with another pasta sauce recipe. Roasting vegetables brings out a huge amount of flavour in them, and this recipe will feed 4 people easily.
This is the absolute epitome of satisfying, stay-at-home food. The earthiness of the squash stands up perfectly to the rich, wholesome flavour of slow roasted beef.
This is a rich, flavoursome batch cook, taking up the strong flavours of chorizo, thyme, paprika, spring onion and chicken.
Sausage and Chestnut Conchigioni
The richness of sausage and nutty sweetness of chestnut are a match made in heaven. This is a meaty, satisfying wonder.
So there you have it; my top stay at home cooking recipes. Give me a shout in the comments below if you need any replacements for specific ingredients featured.
Jack's Food Blog 