For many new university students, cooking everyday can be a daunting and overwhelming experience but it doesn’t have to be. With a few simple skills and easy recipes dinner can become a walk in the park.
Even if your cooking skills only extend as far as a bowl of pesto pasta, batch cooking could be for you!
Not only is it simple but it can also save you loads of time and money in the long run.
Batch cooking is the process of making a massive portion of one meal and splitting it up into several portions. They can be either chilled or frozen for future convenient dinners.
But what are the benefits of batch cooking you may ask? Well, there are loads of them!
Benefits of batch cooking
Firstly, it’s a great money saver as the likes of a spaghetti bolognaise costs around £2 per portion to batch cook compared to £3.50 for your average ready meal.
Secondly, it is super convenient as you only have to cook once and then every other portion can just be thrown in the microwave with barely a second thought.
There’s also a nutritional benefit to batch cooking a homecooked meal is likely going to be a lot healthier than a ready meal. Not to mention a whole lot tastier.
Finally, many people find cooking up a big pot of one of their favourite meals to be very relaxing and destressing which can be very beneficial to any university student.
With some recipes being as simple as cutting up some veg and throwing everything into a pot there really is nothing stopping you from giving it a shot. All you need is a big pot and a free hour, so why not give it a go?
If you’re interested in trying out batch cooking for yourself then try this super simple bolognese recipe:
Simple Batch Bolognese
Makes: 6 portions
Preparation: 5 minutes
Cooking: 60 minutes
Ingredients:
750g lean beef mince
1 beef stick cube
1 brown onion
1 pepper
2 garlic cloves
1 jar bolognese sauce
75ml red wine (optional)
1tsp thyme
Method:
Step 1: Finely dice the onion, pepper and garlic.
Step 2: Add a glug of oil to your large pot and brown off the mince in a pot then crumble in the stock cube and stir with a wooden spoon.
Step 3: Throw in the onion, pepper and garlic and stir gently for a couple of minutes. Finally add the sauce, thyme and red wine (if you are using it), bring to the boil then drop to a gentle simmer for 1 hour.
Notes: Over the next hour stir the Bolognese at least once every 10 minutes.
You will likely have to add a little bit of water as the mixture will reduce as it cooks.
Be sure to add boiling water and top up gently as you don’t want to make the bolognese too watery.
Step 4: After an hour remove your bolognese from the heat, it will now be ready to serve with your pasta of choice and a dash of grated hard cheese if you’re feeling fancy.
Step 5: Leave the rest of the Bolognese to cool before transferring your portions into tubs or freezer bags before chilling/freezing.
Featured image credit: Pexels.com
