Midweek meals: Five warming casserole recipes to make this week
Midweek meals for Autumn
Persian chickpea stew
A veggie take on Khoresh Gheymeh which is usually made with beef.
Servings
4Cooking Time
20 minsTotal Time
20 minsCourse
MainIngredients
100ml (3 ½ fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
400g (14oz) onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin, finely roasted and ground
1 tsp freshly roasted and ground coriander
½ tsp ground cinnamon
400g (14oz) very ripe tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and diced or 1 tin of chopped tomatoes in Winter
2 x 400ml (14fl oz) coconut milk
200ml (7fl oz) vegetable stock
100ml (3 ½fl oz) aquafaba (liquid from tin of chickpeas)
175g (6oz) swede turnip, diced into 2cm (3/4 inch)
100g (3 ½oz) potato, diced into 2cm (3/4 inch)
50g (2oz) sultanas
a generous pinch of saffron
1 x 400g (14oz) tin of chickpeas
salt and freshly-ground black pepper and a pinch of sugar
freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime
To garnish:
1 large ripe tomato, deseeded and diced
50g (2oz) almonds, toasted and halved
100g (3 ½oz) frozen desiccated coconut
1 generous handful of fresh coriander sprigs
Method
Heat the extra virgin olive oil. Add the onion and cook for 10-15 minutes on a medium heat until it starts to caramelize. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then add all of the spices except the saffron and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes then add the coconut milk, stock and aquafaba. Bring to the boil, add the swede turnip and diced potatoes, sultanas and saffron. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Add the chickpeas. Bring back to the boil and season with salt, freshly-ground pepper and a pinch of sugar. Taste, correct the seasoning and add the juice of 1 lime or more to taste.
Garnish with the diced fresh tomato, toasted flaked almonds, frozen desiccated coconut and lots of fresh coriander.
Store cupboard chickpea stew
If you’re cooking from what you have in the press this is a good way of using up what you’ve got and is perfect for thermos flasks and even for a warming brunch
Servings
4Preparation Time
10 minsCooking Time
15 minsTotal Time
25 minsCourse
MainCuisine
ItalianIngredients
1 tin cooked chickpeas
2 tins chopped tomatoes
400ml water
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 tin of sweetcorn
200g dried pasta
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
Fresh herbs like basil or parsley (optional)
Fresh Parmesan, grated
(optional)
Method
Place the sunflower oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat with the onion and garlic. Stir for five minutes then add the smoked paprika, stir for another minute.
Add the drained chickpeas and stir around so that they are coated in the onions, garlic and paprika.
Now add your tomatoes along with the water. Stir well then break up the pasta into small pieces straight into the pot. Bring to a simmer then cover and cook for 15 minutes.
Now add the sweetcorn, herbs and lots of Parmesan, if using and serve.
Tip: If you fancy a more meaty version add some lardons or pieces of rasher at the very start when cooking the onion and garlic. Or you can serve with a poached egg on top.
Slow cooker beef stew with bake-and-smash potatoes
This slow cooker stew tastes better the day after you make it
Servings
4Cooking Time
4 hours 0 minsTotal Time
4 hours 0 minsCourse
MainIngredients
400g lean stewing beef, cut into 3cm pieces
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 onions, finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 litre beef stock
2 tbsp flour
Bake-and-Smash Mash:
4 small potato/sweet potato
4 tsp maple syrup
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
salt and pepper
Method
You will need a slow cooker with 3.5-litre capacity. Preheat the slow cooker (if recommended by the manufacturer).
Place the beef, carrots, onions, garlic and bay leaves in the slow cooker. Use a whisk to blend the beef stock and flour. Pour the stock into the slow cooker, using just enough stock to cover the ingredients. Set the slow cooker to high and cook for 4 hours, stirring a few times.
Prick the sweet potato and bake at 180°C for 35-40 minutes or until tender. Mash with the maple syrup and the thyme, salt and pepper and serve with the stew.
Sausage stew with fennel and lentils
This puy lensil, sausage and fresh herb stew with a hint of chilli is a delicious, hearty supper
Servings
4Preparation Time
10 minsCooking Time
25 minsTotal Time
35 minsCourse
MainIngredients
dash of rapeseed oil
400g good quality banger style sausages, chopped into bite size pieces
2 onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium sized fennel bulb, sliced
2 tsp fennel seeds, toasted
1 tsp chilli flakes
200g puy lentils
300ml stock
100ml white wine
Method
Heat your oil in a heavy saucepan and sauté the onion until completely soft.
Add the sausages and garlic and fry until the sausage pieces have browned all over. Stir in the fennel.
Now add the fennel seeds, chilli flakes, wine, stock and lentils.
Bring to a gentle boil and leave to simmer for about 20 minutes until the sausages are cooked through.
Taste and season.
Chicken, chorizo and butterbean casserole
This one-pot casserole needs nothing extra, making it the perfect heat-and-eat midweek meal
Servings
6Preparation Time
10 minsCooking Time
45 minsTotal Time
55 minsCourse
MainIngredients
1kg chicken drumsticks
175g chorizo
2 medium white onions
1 butternut squash
2 red peppers
300g baby potatoes
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
3 garlic cloves
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 tsp hot paprika
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tin butterbeans
500ml chicken stock
salt
ground black pepper
handful of flat-leaf parsley
Method
Chop the end of the chicken drumsticks to give you tidy balls of meat. Remove the skin and discard it. This is our two greyhounds favourite moment; they somehow seem to know when a meaty treat is available and come right into the kitchen just in time to ensure it ends up in their dishes and not in the bin.
Slice the chorizo thinly. Cut the ends of the squash and remove the seeds. You do not need to peel the squash for this dish. The skin helps the squash keep its shape when cooking and adds some more fibre.
Heat a heavy-based pan or a casserole dish over a high heat. Get it good and hot and then toss in the sliced chorizo. You do not need any extra oil for this, as the chorizo browns it will give off plenty and it is full of flavour. Once the chorizo is nice and brown, add the chicken pieces and cook for 5-8 minutes, browning them all over. Next add the onion, roughly chopped, and the garlic cloves, crushed, along with the paprika.
Cook until the onions go translucent, just a few minutes. Now add the fresh chopped rosemary, the oregano and the squash. Stir it well to get everything coated in all that flavour and toss in the baby potatoes, cutting the larger ones in half.
Remove the seeds and stalks from the red peppers and cut them into roughly three-centimetre chunks. Add them to the pot, stir well and let it cook for another minute or two.
Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato purée and the chicken stock and a teaspoon of flaky sea salt. Bring to a gentle boil and then simmer until the potatoes and squash are cooked. This will take about 30 minutes.
Now add the drained tin of butterbeans. If the sauce is a little thin, stir one tablespoon of cornflour into a little water and add that. Give the casserole a good stir. Let it cook for another few minutes to allow it to thicken slightly and cook out the taste of the cornflour.
Give it a final taste for seasoning, it may well need a final good grind of black pepper. Serve up in bowls with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and a generous handful of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley.
