Bolognese risoni slice
Freezable
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Makes: 24 pieces
Prep time: 15 minutes
Ready in: 45 minutes
Ingredients
4 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup (50 g) uncooked risoni, approx. 1½ cups (330g) cooked
1½ cups (450 g) bolognese sauce
1½ cups (180 g) coarsely grated cheese
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200℃ (180℃ fan-forced) and line a baking tin with baking paper.
- Cook the risoni according to package instructions, drain. Place the risoni, eggs, bolognese and the cheese in a mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
- Pour the mixture into the baking tin and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden.
- Allow to cool slightly, or even better completely, before slicing into squares or rectangles to suit your lunchbox.
Allergies/intolerance: Gluten/wheat: use gluten-free pasta. Eggs: skip the baking process and serve some bolognese sauce with some pasta warm in a thermos. Dairy: omit the cheese or use a dairy-free alternative. Vegetarian: use tinned brown lentils instead of beef mince in your bolognese sauce. Or try ¼-½ cup of pesto too in place of the bolognese with about double the quantity of risoni.
Storage: keep the slice layered with baking paper in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days, or in the freezer for 1-2 months. Use only fresh bolognese if you prepare to freeze the slice. Defrost in the fridge overnight if serving cold in lunchboxes or reheat gently in the oven or in the microwave and place in an appropriate thermos to keep warm for school.
Time saving tip: if you can, prepare this slice at the same time as you are preparing your bolognese sauce for dinner. Use any small pasta or chopped up leftover spaghetti if you prefer.
Food safety note: keep the bolognese risoni slice in the fridge, or the lunchbox if pre-packed, until your child is ready to go to school. Ensure the lunchbox is packed in a cooler bag with a suitable ice pack/brick or stored in a fridge if one is available to prevent food spoilage and potential food poisoning.
Massaman beef curry
Freezable, Egg Free, Dairy Free
Serves: 6Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 8 hours on LOW
Ingredients
800 g chuck or slow cooker beef
2 teaspoons Chinese five spice powder
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons massaman curry paste
¾ cup (180ml) salt reduced beef stock
270 ml coconut milk
juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 small-medium potatoes, peeled, quartered
Steamed basmati rice, to serve
Steamed greens, to serve
Crushed roasted peanuts (optional, to garnish)
Thai basil leaves or coriander (optional, to garnish)
Crispy shallots (optional, to garnish)
Method
- Season the beef with the five spice powder.
- Heat the oil on the sear setting on a high heat. Add the beef, in batches if required, to the bowl of the slow cooker and brown all over to seal the meat. Note: sear the meat in a heavy-based frying pan if you don’t have this function. If you are short on time you can skip this step.
- Return the beef to the slow cooker, add the brown onion, curry paste, beef stock, coconut milk, lime, fish sauce and maple syrup. Place the lid on, set to low and cook for 6 hours.
- At 6 hours, add the potato and cook for a further 2 hours or until the potato is tender.
- Serve with steamed rice, thai basil or coriander leaves and crispy shallots. Sprinkle with the crushed peanuts for older children and adults, if desired.
Baby serve: Mash or blend the curry, stir through some rice and spoon feed to your baby. Omit the nuts for babies, or crush/blend to an appropriate size.
Toddler serve: Serve the curry with some rice in a bowl. Alternatively deconstruct it by keeping the rice and curry separate if your toddler prefers, or even choosing some of the beef or potatoes to serve as finger food alongside some of their preferred vegetables and fruit. Omit the nuts for young toddlers, or crush to an appropriate size.
Allergies/intolerances: Check your Massaman curry paste for any allergens. Gluten/wheat: choose a gluten-free brand of fish sauce and curry paste and a gluten-free stock. Nuts: omit the peanuts.
Storage: Allow the curry to cool slightly and keep any leftovers in the fridge for 1-2 days. Alternatively, freeze a portion in bulk or in individual portions for up to 2 months.
Sausage, vegetable & tortellini soup
Egg free, Freezable
Serves: 6
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
500g pork and fennel (or beef) sausages, casings removed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil1 brown onion, finely diced2 cloves garlic, minced1 medium carrot, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
1 medium zucchini, finely diced⅓ cup (95 g) no-added-salt tomato paste
700g jar of passata4 cups (1L) salt-reduced chicken stock½ cup (125ml) cream
1 cup (120g) finely grated parmesan
375g packet refrigerated (fresh) cheese tortellini (alternatively use ravioli, macaroni or other short pasta of choice)1-2 cups baby spinach leaves (optional)
Method
- Heat a large saucepan or casserole dish over medium heat. Add the sausages and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon as it browns, until cooked through. Remove from the frying pan and drain on a paper towel.
- Carefully wipe the pan clean with a paper towel, add the oil and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes or until soft. Add the carrot, celery and zucchini and cook for 5-6 minutes or until beginning to soften. Add the tomato paste, passata, stock and return the sausage meat to the pan.
- Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked and the soup is heated through.
- Add the tortellini, cream, half of the parmesan and spinach, if using, and stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes or until the tortellini is just cooked. If the soup becomes too thick add another cup of stock or water. Top with the remaining parmesan and serve.
Baby serve: Mash or blend the pasta and vegetables and spoon feed to your baby, adding the liquid from the soup to reach your desired consistency. Try pieces of pasta offered as a finger food, however the sausage pieces are best avoided due to their choking risk.
Toddler serve: Serve the soup in a bowl with some toast fingers for dunking, or try serving deconstructed with the sausage pieces, vegetables and tortellini on a plate. For younger toddlers, crumble any sausage pieces into small bits to reduce the choking risk.
Fussy eating tip: A fun tip to engage and maximise the exposure to soup with little kids is to have ‘a treasure hunt’, finding and scooping out all of the elements. Just be sure there is no pressure to eat anything that they find to keep the mealtime relaxed and enjoyable.
Time saving tip: ask your butcher for sausage meat only or to remove the casings for you, this will be a huge time-saver when you’re in a hurry!
Allergy/intolerances: Gluten/wheat: choose a gluten- or wheat-free tortellini or pasta. Dairy: omit the cheese and cream, use a dairy-free tortellini or simply use plain pasta. Vegetarian: omit the sausage, adding in some cannellini beans if desired.
Storage: Allow the soup to cool slightly and keep any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Alternatively, freeze in individual portions for up to 2 months. Please note, any leftovers from the dump bag can not be frozen as the cooked sausage in the dump bag has previously been frozen and defrosted. This is to prevent food spoilage and food poisoning.
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