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September Batch Cook

I made 1 month of meals for under £150 in under 5 hours! As with all of my recipes, please remember that I’m cooking for 2 adults and 2 small children, so you may need to adapt the portion sizes to suit your appetite/requirements!

Batch Cook Menu

This time I wanted to make life as easy and efficient as possible, so I made the below core elements to use across multiple meals:

  • Slow Cooked Chicken & Mushroom Sauce
  • Homemade Meatballs
  • Cheesy Cod Fishcakes
  • Crispy Chicken
  • Spinach & Butter Bean Pesto
  • Satay Sauce
  • Katsu Sauce (with Hidden Veg)
  • Veggie Burgers

This will turn into:

  • Pesto Pasta Night & Crispy Pesto Crusted Fish
  • Veggie Burgers & Chips
  • Cheesy Cod Fishcakes & Veg
  • Chicken Katsu Curry & Rice
  • Chicken & Mushroom Pie
  • Chicken & Mushroom Lasagne
  • Crispy Chicken Wraps
  • Spaghetti & Meatballs
  • Dump Bags: Veggie Bolognese, Mixed Bean Chilli, Satay Chickpea Curry, Honey Mustard Sausage Traybake, Nando’s Chicken, Satay Chicken Skewers

Recipes

Slow Cooked Chicken & Mushroom Sauce

This meal went down really well the last time I served it up to the kids, so I wanted to reinvent it a little this month! I love that this meal cooks in the slow cooker whilst I batch cook everything else, so all I’m doing is assembling the 2 variations I’m making from it.

Ingredients:

  • 800g chicken thighs
  • 2 onions, diced (or 2 large handfuls frozen chopped onions)
  • 300g mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 chicken stock cubes
  • 500ml water
  • 3 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 4 tbsp plain flour
  • Black pepper
  • 3 leeks
  • 300g crème fraîche

Method:

  1. Put the chicken, onions and mushrooms into the slow cooker. Sprinkle over the 4 tbsp flour and toss everything together so it’s coated. Add the 2 chicken stock cubes, 500ml water and Dijon mustard.
  2. Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours.
  3. Separately, sauté the 3 sliced leeks in a little butter/oil for around 10-15 minutes.
  4. Once the chicken is cooked, stir through 300g crème fraîche.
  5. I then reserved two-thirds of the sauce for 2 chicken pies (where I added the leeks and topped with mash), then used the final third to make a creamy chicken lasagne. I simply layered the sauce and a little grated cheese between lasagne sheets.

Homemade Meatballs

This meal is a handy one to prep ahead and cook in the air fryer. I like the fact that you can get creative with the seasoning/flavours you use for the meatballs.

Ingredients:

  • 750g beef mince
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • Salt & pepper

Method:

  1. Combine all of the ingredients and roll into balls. Freeze flat.
  2. Defrost thoroughly before cooking, then cook in the air fryer at 190°C for 12-15 minutes until browned to your liking.
  3. Serve with passata & spaghetti.

Cheesy Cod Fishcakes

When the kids went to my mum’s house, she served them up some fishcakes and they really enjoyed them. I wanted to see if I could recreate them at home, and seeing as I was making a big batch of mash for this batch cook, this was the perfect opportunity!

Ingredients:

  • 800g mashed potato
  • 1 Boursin
  • 600g white fish fillets
  • 30g butter
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 tsp dried parsley
  • Salt and black pepper
  • Coating: 75g plain flour, 2 eggs, beaten, 150-200g panko breadcrumbs

Method:

  1. At the start of the batch cook, freeze 8 small balls of Boursin.
  2. Steam the fish until just cooked and flake into pieces.
  3. Mix the fish into the mash, along with the lemon zest, herbs, salt and pepper. Allow the mixture to cool completely.
  4. Divide the mixture into 8 portions. Flatten one portion into a thick disc, put a frozen Boursin blob in the centre, then bring the potato mixture up and around it. Seal it completely so there are no gaps for the cheese to escape through.
  5. Set up three bowls for coating the fishcakes: flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs, then coat each fishcake in that order.
  6. Freeze flat.
  7. Defrost thoroughly, then cook in the air fryer at 190°C for 15-20 minutes, turning carefully halfway.

Crispy Chicken

I quite like to prepare a large batch of a protein when batch cooking. This month I went for crispy chicken, to be served in 2 different ways.

Chicken Katsu

I thought I’d try the kids on this sort of curry this month and it went down really well!

Ingredients:

  • 6 chicken breasts
  • 100g flour
  • 3 eggs
  • 250g panko
  • 1 tsp garlic granules
  • 1 tsp onion granules
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • Salt and black pepper
  • Oil spray, for cooking

Method:

  1. Prepare the chicken. Slice the breasts horizontally to make thinner escalopes. You want fairly thin chicken so it cooks quickly and evenly later.
  2. Mix the flour with the garlic granules, onion granules, paprika, salt and pepper.
  3. Set up a coating station: flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs.
  4. Coat each piece thoroughly, pressing the panko onto the chicken, then freeze flat.
  5. Defrost thoroughly, then cook in the air fryer at 190°C for roughly 12-16 minutes.
  6. Slice into strips and serve over rice with katsu sauce (see recipe below).

Hidden Veg Katsu Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 500g frozen carrot, onion & celery base mix
  • 1 courgette, roughly chopped
  • 1 apple, peeled and chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 20g fresh ginger, grated
  • 2 tbsp mild curry powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 1 litre chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • Black pepper

Method:

  1. Heat a little oil in a large saucepan and add the frozen carrot, onion & celery mix. Cook for about 5-7 minutes until starting to soften.
  2. Add the courgette, apple, garlic and ginger. Cook for another 5 minutes.
  3. Stir through the curry powder and turmeric and cook for about 30 seconds.
  4. Sprinkle over the 2 tbsp flour and stir everything together.
  5. Gradually pour in the 1 litre chicken stock, stirring as you go.
  6. Add the soy sauce, honey and black pepper.
  7. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for around 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.
  8. Blend until really smooth, then taste and adjust. If it’s too thick, add a little water; if it’s too thin, simmer it for another few minutes.
  9. Cool completely, divide into two family-sized portions and freeze.
  10. Defrost and gently reheat the sauce.

Crispy Tortilla Chicken Wraps

Ingredients:

  • 6 chicken breasts
  • 125g Greek yoghurt
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp garlic granules
  • 1 tsp onion granules
  • 1 tsp mixed herbs
  • ~200–225g tortilla chips
  • Salt & pepper

Method:

  1. Cut the chicken breasts into chunky strips/tenders.
  2. Put the chicken into a large food-safe bag or lidded container.
  3. Add the Greek yoghurt, smoked paprika, garlic granules, onion granules, mixed herbs, salt and pepper. Seal and shake/massage it.
  4. Crush the tortilla chips quite finely, but not into powder. You want some little crunchy pieces remaining. Add the crushed tortilla chips to the chicken. Seal it again and shake! The crumbs should stick straight onto the yoghurt-coated chicken.
  5. Take the coated strips out individually and lay them on a lined tray without touching. Open-freeze until firm, then transfer to freezer bags/containers.
  6. Defrost overnight in the fridge. Spray lightly with oil, then cook in the air fryer at 190°C for roughly 12-15 minutes, turning halfway, until crispy and completely cooked through.

Spinach and Butter Bean Pesto

Our kids have always loved pesto, and I like to make it myself. Firstly, it’s super easy, but more importantly, when you make it from scratch you can ramp up the nutrients and customise it to your taste.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tins of butter beans
  • 150g basil
  • 1 large bag fresh spinach
  • 20ml (approx.) lemon juice
  • 100g Parmesan
  • 50-100ml olive oil
  • 25-30g pine nuts (optional)

Method:

  1. Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. I find this works best if you blend up the butter beans, pine nuts and oil/lemon first, then gradually add the other ingredients.
  2. Taste to check if you want to add more lemon/oil to your taste.
  3. Store in freezer-safe containers and defrost thoroughly before stirring into cooked pasta.

Crispy Pesto Topped Fish: To serve in this way, simply spread pesto over white fish fillets, top with breadcrumbs and some grated cheese if you fancy, then bake for 15-20 minutes at 190°C in the oven until fully cooked through. I use a thermometer to check the internal temperature is over 75°C.

Veggie Burgers

These were a little bit of an experiment, and I think I went a bit too heavy on the peas and sweetcorn! I’d also recommend adding one more egg than I did to ensure they bind together well.

Ingredients:

  • 2 × 400g tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 × 400g tin green or brown lentils, drained
  • 100g frozen peas
  • 100g frozen sweetcorn
  • 150g mature cheddar, grated
  • 3 eggs
  • 100g breadcrumbs
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic granules
  • 1 tsp ground cumin

Method:

  1. Cook the frozen peas & sweetcorn in the microwave according to the packet instructions.
  2. Add the chickpeas and lentils to a large bowl and roughly mash them. They don’t need to be totally smooth, as this gives the burgers some texture.
  3. Add in the peas, sweetcorn, smoked paprika, garlic granules and cumin.
  4. Add the eggs and breadcrumbs, season, then mix everything together.
  5. Divide into 8 portions, shape firmly into thick burger patties and freeze.
  6. Defrost before cooking, then spray with oil and air fry at around 190°C for 12-15 minutes, carefully turning halfway, until golden and piping hot. We topped ours with some cheese just before they were finished in the air fryer.
  7. We served ours in burger buns with Nando’s-style peri-peri sauce & salad.

Sticky Satay Chicken Marinade (Dump Bag)

This recipe was so tasty! We had ours with some flatbreads, a squeeze of lime and some salad.

Ingredients:

  • 6 chicken breasts / roughly 1.2kg chicken
  • 120g smooth peanut butter
  • 40ml reduced-salt soy sauce
  • 40g honey
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 15g fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 tsp mild curry powder

Method:

  1. Mix everything together until you have a thick, sticky marinade.
  2. Cut the chicken into chunks, put into a freezer bag, pour over the marinade and massage together.
  3. Freeze, then defrost thoroughly in the fridge before cooking. Cook in the air fryer for 18-20 minutes or until fully cooked through. I always use my thermometer to double-check the internal temperature.

Creamy Satay Chickpea Curry (Dump Bag)

I loved this curry and it was a great veggie option. The ginger in this really makes the sauce extra tasty, and we served ours with sticky rice and a squeeze of lime.

Ingredients:

  • 4 × 400g tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 200g frozen chopped onion
  • 2 red peppers, sliced
  • 250g smooth peanut butter
  • 75ml reduced-salt soy sauce
  • 60g honey
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 20g fresh ginger, grated
  • 2 tsp mild curry powder
  • Black pepper
  • Add on cooking day: 500ml vegetable stock

Method:

  1. Split all of the ingredients apart from the vegetable stock across 2 freezer bags and freeze.
  2. Defrost, add 500ml vegetable stock, then slow cook on LOW for 3-4 hours.

Veggie Bolognese (Dump Bag)

The kids really enjoy this recipe, as they’re not the biggest fans of eating meat. I love how much goodness you can pack in! Top tip: if the sauce needs to thicken, take the lid off the slow cooker and allow it to reduce down a little.

Ingredients:

  • 500g frozen carrot, onion & celery base mix
  • 300g mushrooms, finely chopped
  • 2 × 400g tins green/brown lentils, drained
  • 2 × 500g passata
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • Salt & black pepper

Method:

  1. Split all of the above between 2 freezer bags.
  2. Cooking day: Tip into the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours. If it’s too thick, add a splash of water or stock. If it’s too thin, leave the lid off towards the end.

Mixed Bean Chilli (Dump Bag)

Ingredients:

  • 2 red peppers, chopped
  • 2 × 400g tins black beans
  • 2 × 400g tins kidney beans in chilli sauce
  • 2 × 400g tins chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1-2 tsp mild chilli powder
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • Salt & black pepper

Method:

  1. Split all of the above across 2 freezer bags.
  2. Cooking day: Add about 200ml vegetable stock, then slow cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours.
  3. We like to serve ours with rice, avocado, a squeeze of lime and some feta cheese crumbled over the top. This also works really well as a nacho topper!

Honey Mustard Veggie Sausage Traybake (Dump Bag)

This recipe was a bit of an experiment, but I really liked the way the sticky marinade paired with the sausages and caramelised in the air fryer! There isn’t a lot of sauce with this meal, so you might want to serve it with gravy.

Ingredients:

  • 16 sausages
  • 75g Dijon mustard
  • 50g wholegrain mustard
  • 75g honey
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • Black pepper

Method:

  1. Mix together the sauce ingredients and split across 2 freezer bags with the sausages.
  2. On the cooking day, I cooked my sausages in the air fryer at 190°C for 20 minutes until golden. I also added some chopped pepper and quartered red onion. You could serve with gnocchi or mash, and maybe some gravy on the side too.

Nando’s Chicken (Dump Bag)

This recipe was another experiment, but again was super delicious! I loved that I had another reason to use the Nando’s-style peri-peri sauce that we had with the veggie burgers.

Ingredients:

  • 900g chicken thighs
  • 2 red peppers
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • Juice and zest of 2 lemons
  • 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp onion granules
  • 1½ tsp salt

Method:

  1. Blitz all the marinade ingredients until smooth.
  2. Put the chicken into the freezer bag, pour over the marinade and massage it in.
  3. Seal, flatten and freeze.
  4. Cooking day: Defrost overnight and cook the chicken in the oven, air fryer or on a griddle until completely cooked through and nicely charred around the edges. I cooked mine for 20 minutes at 190°C in the air fryer, using a thermometer to check they were completely cooked through. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the thighs.
  5. Serve with corn on the cob, spicy rice and Nando’s-style peri-peri sauce.