Ideas for big one-pot meals I can make at weekend and eat for lunch during week please

I make a "lasagna casserole" of sorts. I use turkey sweet Italian sausage (bulk), low-carb Penne pasta, skim-milk mozzarella, and I subsitute 1% fat cottage cheese for ricotta. I use fresh plum tomatoes to make my sauce, but have used a jar sauce with good results too. You don't even have to boil the pasta first - just mix it with the sauce & Italian sausage & cottage cheese. Top with a layer of mozarellla and bake. You can add some kidney beans if you want to add more fiber & make it more filling. Put in a lasagna pan, cover with foil & bake at 350 for about 50 minutes. Remove foil to let cheese brown and bake another 5-10 minutes.

daymonalisa wrote: »

I make a "lasagna casserole" of sorts. I use turkey sweet Italian sausage (bulk), low-carb Penne pasta, skim-milk mozzarella, and I subsitute 1% fat cottage cheese for ricotta. I use fresh plum tomatoes to make my sauce, but have used a jar sauce with good results too. You don't even have to boil the pasta first - just mix it with the sauce & Italian sausage & cottage cheese. Top with a layer of mozarellla and bake. You can add some kidney beans if you want to add more fiber & make it more filling. Put in a lasagna pan, cover with foil & bake at 350 for about 50 minutes. Remove foil to let cheese brown and bake another 5-10 minutes.

Yum!!! I'll have to try it!

I like making shepherd's pie, although it's a dish obviously and not a pot. I just brown some ground beef with some onions and a bit of tomato sauce, add frozen veggies, then top with mashed potatoes and some cheese (cheddar or Swiss) then bake until the cheese is melted.

Francl27 wrote: »

daymonalisa wrote: »

I make a "lasagna casserole" of sorts. I use turkey sweet Italian sausage (bulk), low-carb Penne pasta, skim-milk mozzarella, and I subsitute 1% fat cottage cheese for ricotta. I use fresh plum tomatoes to make my sauce, but have used a jar sauce with good results too. You don't even have to boil the pasta first - just mix it with the sauce & Italian sausage & cottage cheese. Top with a layer of mozarellla and bake. You can add some kidney beans if you want to add more fiber & make it more filling. Put in a lasagna pan, cover with foil & bake at 350 for about 50 minutes. Remove foil to let cheese brown and bake another 5-10 minutes.

Yum!!! I'll have to try it!

I like making shepherd's pie, although it's a dish obviously and not a pot. I just brown some ground beef with some onions and a bit of tomato sauce, add frozen veggies, then top with mashed potatoes and some cheese (cheddar or Swiss) then bake until the cheese is melted.

I didn't give much direction! but, obviously you brown the sausage with some garlic & a little onion, then add the sauce, seasonings, etc. before baking.

Great ideas, thanks!

bump

thanks for the ideas.

My absolute favourite, 'easy' lunch is a sweet potato with baked beans.

You could pre-bake the sweet potato, however I find it only takes about 6 minutes to cook in the microwave fresh at lunchtime. I use the Heinz baked beans 'snap pots', as they go straight in the microwave too, for 1 minute.

Very quick, easy, potentially no prep and no washing up lunch, low in calories and can be tarted up by adding 30g half fat grated cheese (add 85 calories) or slices of wafer thin ham, etc

Oh this is fantastic too. I'm actually making it again

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2013/03/cheeseburger-casserole.html

Check out the Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew in Joy of Cooking. I don't add the ginger or the zuchini. You can use low-fat peanut butter... and maybe even PB2 -- but I haven't tried that yet.

Freaking delicious over brown rice.

Cold an rainy today - Jambalaya Sunday.

This recipe is about 200 calories per cup if you use Aidelle's Andouille Sausage (very tasty and very lean).

I eat it like a stew or serve it over rice or quinoa...be sure to add the rice/quinoa calories in if you use it.

allrecipes.com/recipe/colleens-slow-cooker-jambalaya/

If you leave the rice out of the jambalaya, it freezes and reheats like a champ. Make the rice/quinoa separate and store separate if you want to have it as a leftover.

One of our favorite recipes is called Chicken and Spaghetti Squash with Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Sauce. It can be adapted easily to use vegan ingredients, but I love the richness that the cream cheese gives it and I use the lower fat variety.

http://littlegrazers.com/chicken-and-spaghetti-squash-with-a-creamy-sun-dried-tomato-sauce/#.VHKeyPnF8po

I make this recipe a lot, I've adapted it a little from She Wears Many Hats | Chicken & Rice - my main adaptation is to use my crockpot; the original recipe says to boil the chicken in a stockpot for a few hours but I don't typically want to spend that kind of time heating up my kitchen. A serving is around 400 grams if you go for the 8 serving quantity (it really makes a ton), and the 400g serving is about 450 calories. You could add veggies as desired, I bet it would be great with peas & carrots. My current working recipe is below

Chicken and Rice | Makes 6-8 servings

Gather
1 whole chicken or chicken pieces equal to about 4 pounds
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon celery salt
1 ½ teaspoon parsley
575g long grain white rice
8 cups water
3 carrots, 5 ribs celery, ½ large sweet onion, all chopped in larger pieces

Prepare

• In a 6-quart crockpot, add the 8 cups of water, 4 pounds chicken (about 1 whole chicken or use pieces), 3 carrots, chopped, 5 stalks chopped celery, 1/2 chopped sweet onion, ½ tsp pepper, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp oregano, ½ tsp celery salt, and 1 teaspoon parsley, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
• Once cooking is complete, remove chicken to cool in order to debone. Strain the veggie chunks out of the broth and save the broth for later!
• When it is cool enough to handle, debone the chicken. Roughly chop any larger pieces.
• Strain out vegetables from broth.
• Using another pot or large saucepan, transfer 6 cups of saved broth, the rice, deboned, chopped chicken, ½ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon parsley into the pot. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, stir in another 1 cup of broth. Cover and simmer 5 minutes.
• Add remaining 1 cup of broth; stir, cover and simmer for 5 more minutes or until rice is done - this should take about 25 minutes total. If your rice needs more time or you run out of broth you can use canned broth or water.
• Salt and pepper to taste.