049 - 2 for 1 Recipe

Sometimes, I like to cook. Sometimes I'm too lazy. Conveniently enough, I discovered a way to make two different meals from the same basic ingredients. It's great if you're only cooking for one or two. It's simple, and depending on how much you make, can last a few days in the fridge and can be frozen.

Basics you need:
75g of minced (ground) beef per meal
onion, as much as you want
carrot, as much as you want (the more you add, the more meals you'll make)
beef stock cube

For Bolognese, you will also need:
a tin of chopped tomatoes
tomato puree
fresh tomatoes (optional, depending on how much food you want to make)
red pepper, as much as you want
herbs of your choice

For some sort of stew-like dish, you will need:
beef gravy
potatoes
parsnips (optional, because I hate them)
mushrooms (optional - I've discovered that I like it better without them)
other veggies if you really want...

Ok, so, cook the meat until it turns brown, and drain off the excess fat/water.
Chop the carrots and onion quite small, so that they cook easily, and throw them into the pot with the meat, and crumble in a beef stock cube. Now decide what you're going to do with it. Half can be frozen to be used for a second dish at a later date if you want, or it will keep in the fridge for a day or two.

Bolognese:
Add the all of the tomato things and pepper (chopped small, like the carrots and onion), and let it simmer on a low to medium heat for about 40 mins, adding the herbs half way through. Stir it every now and again, and don't forget about it! Oh, and cook some pasta too. If you cook pasta in salted water it tastes nommy.

Stew-thing:
Add a few cups of water (relative to how much food you're making), and add any veggies and potatoes you want to. Let the whole thing boil for 20 - 30 minutes. Take some of the water out and use it to mix the gravy (however you do it... gravy granules are my friend) then add it back into the pot and leave it to thicken for about 10 minutes.

The best part about this food is that if you're on a Weight Watchers plan, you only have to count points for the meat and pasta/potatoes. And if you really want, try changing the beef mince to turkey (roughly half the Points). Oh, and Point the other veggies if you add some to the stew thing.