News & Tips

15 quick/bulk recipes to save the day

How do you keep to a budget as a home cook?

There are three low-value options: panic buys, default meals, and takeaways.

You should want a takeaway, not need one.
Making a reliable meal keeps your budget, but gets tiring.
Last-minute buys at express stores waste time and cost more for less.

Let's paint the alternative. Instead, rely on quick to make meals, bulk dishes, and ingredients ideal for freezing and fast reuse. You don't need to commit your Sunday to meal prepping. A little bit here and there goes a long way.

Here are some meal ideas to save your day - for when you don't have much in the pantry, are planning a night out, or simply don't feel like cooking.

Quick to make improv meals
Ingredients to make extra and freeze
Great meals to bulk

Quick to make improv meals

Chana Masala & Paratha

So tasty and vibrant! Sauté diced onion and chickpeas in a garlicky, spicy tomato sauce and serve with frozen flatbread that heats in mere minutes.

Fried rice

Really, all you need for a great fried rice is leftover short-grain rice and soy sauce - everything else is extra! Make extra rice with a previous dish and keep ~250g cooked rice leftover. Cooked rice lives for about 4-5 days in the fridge and can only be reheated once. All in all, fried rice should take 15-20 minutes from plan to plate.

Galettes bretonnes

Buckwheat flour, salt, and water - it's as easy as that. Add your favourite fillings:

Fried egg
Spinach & goat's cheese
Spinach & feta
Ham & cheese
Caramelised onion & sausage
Smoked salmon & cream cheese

Quesadillas

A really simple snack. Pan-fry cheese like gouda and whatever else in a folded wrap until golden brown and delicious! Some suggestions to go with cheese:

Fridge/Freezer: Salad tomato, red onion, avocado, spinach, sour cream, lime.
Ambient: Black beans, kidney beans, sweetcorn.
Pantry essentials: Paprika, chilli powder.

Spaghetti with creamy smoked salmon

Quick and delicious! Just boil spaghetti while you make a simple white sauce. Once it thickens, simply add flaked smoked salmon and herbs and then serve.

To make it vegan, use soya cream and sun-dried tomatoes instead.

Ingredients to make extra and freeze

Caramelised onions

Sweet, caramelly onion goes great with so many dishes. And made the Belgian way with Liège syrup, it's faster to caramelise. Still, it's worth making extra!

Mashed potato

Make extra mashed potato and you've got the base for loads of quick dishes such as Swedish meatballs, shepherd's pie, potato patties, or as a dumpling/pastry filling.

Rice

Leftover rice is essential for fried rice, but it also speeds up your rice bowl prep. Don't bother freezing rice - if you make extra, plan to use it in the next 4-5 days.

Tofu

Tofu can complicate an otherwise simple dish. When you prepare tofu - the best way with our tips below - make extra cubes/slices and freeze for easy reuse! You could make a stir fry, rice bowl, gimbap, or summer rolls.

Great meals to bulk

Bean stew

The ultimate hands-off slow cook. Great if you're working from home!

Soak 300g dried beans in water overnight. The next morning, drain, rinse, and put in a pan with cold water to about 3cm above coverage, three whole cloves of garlic, and 2-3 tbsp olive oil. Bring to a boil, then simmer until soft for 3-6 hours. Move the beans every hour, tasting a few at a time until deliciously soft. Once cooked, mash lightly to thicken, add 1 tbsp olive oil, and season to taste. That's it!

Some flexible vegetarian base ideas, serving with crusty bread or rice:

Butter bean, spinach, onion, mushroom & herbs
Tuscan-style butter bean, spinach, tomato purée, sun-dried tomatoes, & cream
Black bean, onion, paprika, & chili pepper
Kidney bean, paprika, chili pepper & coconut milk

Galician Tuna Empanada

Encased in shortcrust pastry, canned tuna and pepper strips in a garlicky tomato sauce - empanada gallega is easy to make in big quantities. Make and freeze extra slices for a perfect emergency dinner.

Lasagna

Everyone has their own lasagna recipe - so I won't suggest one. But when we're running low on emergency dishes and have time to cook, lasagna is our go-to. While it takes a few hours to put together, lasagna is easy to bulk and holds up so well in the freezer. In fact, we find it's always better the next time you eat it!

Red lentil dal

It's impossible not to make a huge dal. To be sure, if you're going to stand there stirring lentils, it should pay off. And it does! Freeze leftover dal, serving with fresh rice, packet rice, flatbread, or just on its own.

Risotto

Risotto takes a bit of time and constant surveillance. So make it worth your while - prepare extra and freeze portions. The method is exactly the same, just add more!

Stuffed peppers

A golden combo for bulking: long cook time, short prep time. This hands-off approach means it takes less effort to create bigger portions. If you're going to roast peppers, it definitely pays to fill your oven space with them and freeze extra.