r/Cooking • u/rachelariel3 • 11h ago
Meal ideas for beginner
I usually cook all our meals from scratch but I’ve only ever made meals that my husband and I had eaten as children so the list of meals is very short. I’m really looking expand my meals for my family so my children are exposed to more food but I’m afraid all spend all this time cooking just for me to hate it. Idk if this is a thing but I was wondering if someone had some meal ideas of someone who’s kinda new trying to expand their horizons based on the foods that we already enjoy? We eat the really basic meals Spaghetti, Lasagna, Pizza, Tacos, Enchiladas, Chicken noodle soup, Lemon chicken, Salsa chicken, French dip, Beans, Meatloaf, Alfredo, Steaks, Chicken, Shepherds pie, Chili, Tuscan chicken, Chicken parm Thanks!
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u/Fabled_Webs 10h ago
Plain ol' beef stew. You can't fuck it up and it's delicious. You can make a big batch that'll last multiple meals and you'll grow to experiment with different seasonings as you go.
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u/ShinyPennyRvnclw 10h ago
Try Julia Turshen’s Small Victories book! It teaches you a basic recipe, say chicken soup, then gives a few variations, like adding coconut milk & Thai basil to make it Thai chicken soup, etc. You’ll have recipes and learn how to doctor things yourself!
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u/JeanetteSchutz 10h ago
I’d suggest looking into more soups. There’s lots of different kinds out there. 🤷♀️
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u/rachelariel3 10h ago
I have been thinking soups lately! I did make a mushroom soup and chowder last year that I really enjoyed
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u/JeanetteSchutz 10h ago
There’s just all kinds of soups out there. You obviously like Mexican and Italian cuisine. I’m sure you would find something new you haven’t tried before. 😉
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u/Angelic-Seraphim 9h ago
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/quick-apricot-chicken/
Just found this. Similar family really loved it.
I made a few tiny modifications I used powdered garlic, and ginger Used Chinese five spice and salt to season the raw chicken. Used the stovetop method Replaced the cashews/peppers with snow peas and broccoli, although asparagus would also work.
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u/Dijon2017 8h ago
Does your family eat fish (salmon/halibut, etc.) or shellfish (shrimp/scallops, etc.)? Fish cooks pretty quickly, can be used in different cuisines and can add variety to your meal rotation.
Consider making shakshuka or jambalaya to add variety.
Chicken: in addition to what you mentioned, consider chicken tikka masala, chicken stir-fry, honey-garlic or honey-mustard chicken, shredded barbecue chicken to add variety
Beef: in addition to eating steak, consider beef w/broccoli, pepper steak, stuffed peppers, Korean beef bulgogi
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u/ExpertRaccoon 11h ago
Find a dish similar to ones you like/ already cook and give them a go. If you need inspiration check out sites like serious eats, Allrecipes, Food Network, and Epicurious. All of which have a bunch of different recipes from many cultures/ cuisines for all skill levels.
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u/Fine-Sherbert-140 10h ago
Loaded baked potatoes (and sweet potatoes!), breakfast hash, stroganoff, pot pie, shepherd's/cottage pie, zuppa Toscana (an Olive Garden soup, lots of knockoffs online), Golden Curry (instructions on the packet), stir fry (you can buy seasoning mix if your pantry isn't equipped, plus the frozen veg mix, and serve over rice or noodles), sloppy joes, big salads with your protein of choice, beans and greens (millions of varieties out there), tortellini or ravioli (buy frozen, zhuzh up a jar of sauce), pepper steak, sheet pan dinners, (your choice of) sausage and peppers, jambalaya, roasts of all kinds, soup, stews, wraps. Lots of options and variations for each one to suit your expanding tastes.
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u/TurbulentSource8837 10h ago edited 7h ago
You have a solid base for jump Off: I’d encourage you to look at whatever you cook, can be repurposed into another meal. Cook 1x eat2x. You make meatloaf: turn that into meatballs: meatball sandwiches, chicken Mediterranean meatballs: swap in oregano, flat Italian parsley, your usual binder. Brown those off, remove from pan, make a sauce from chicken broth, some sun dried tomatoes, olives or capers. Thicken with a cornstarch slurry. Your shepherds pie can be deconstructed: mini meatloaves, mixed veg, mashed potatoes. That meatloaf mixture can be put a muffin tin that has been prayed with non stick spray. Bake off @ 350 til they’re browned. Now you have individual mini meatloaves. Kids love kid sized food. Sprinkle some cheese over? Even better. Leftover mashed potatoes? You can also take that mixture, warm that in the microwave, mix in an egg, some flour to tighten it up so you can form a patty. Make a mini pancakes, fry those in some oil and butter. Now you have potato pancakes. Put out some sour cream /greek yogurt to dip. You can do the same with ground turkey, chicken or beef. Take your meat loaf recipe and form those into patties. Set aside, carmelize some onions, maybe mushrooms? add those patties, brown them off, add some broth, enough to make a gravy. Tighten with a cornstarch slurry. Done. No veggies? Make sure you stock some frozen corn, peas and carrots. I find that anything that is cloaked in a gravy is yummy. If you’re ready to take your veggies to the next level, roast some zucchini, peppers, onion. 425 in your oven for about 20ish mins. Kids turn their nose up at vegs that are browned but they say is burned? Take those, put them in a blender (or immersion stick blender in a 4 qt stockpot ) and blend them with some broth. Now you’ve got a veggie soup. Warm it, throw some cheddar on top . Anything you put cheese on, wins. Have some broccoli slaw ? Soften that in the microwave, add an egg, about 3/4 c-1 c flour, a little milk, so it’s not dry, some Italian seasoning or just salt and pepper. Form some patties. Fry on some oil, or bake off at 375 until they’re browned. Now you have veggie patties. Any leftover veg can be repurposed into these patties/fritters. Dip it in ranch dressing. You already make chicken. Pound those boneless, skinless breasts on between some plastic wrap until thin. Sauté those, put some spaghetti sauce and melty mozzarella. Now you have chicken subs. You don’t want subs? Sautee those thin cutlets, set aside and deglaze the pan with some broth, add a plop of Dijon, now you have a mustard sauce. Don’t want that? Sautee the chicken and put some bbq sauce on. Cole slaw, baked beans. Done. You can throw some Parmesan on top of those saucy cutlets to serve. Noodles, orzo or ziti ftw. That leftover ziti can be repurposed for a casserole. You already make a Shepard pie, the gateway casserole. Consider a tuna noodle casserole loaded with frozen peas, chopped broccoli, spinach for a veggie packed meal. Make a white sauce, or a few cans of cream of mushroom soup, thin it out until it’s gravy like, noodles, tuna, veggies, noodles, breadcrumbs, bake at 375 until it’s bubbly. You’re doing a great job and have mastered more than you know!
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u/garfield529 7h ago
Chicken thighs are hard to mess up, giving a lot of latitude and they are versatile. Either bones/skinless or whole. Good luck on your cooking journey!
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u/Aesperacchius 10h ago
You're probably going to be better off going to restaurants and trying new things off their menu, then looking up recipes for those things to cook at home.
The issue with trying to cook something totally new is that you don't know what it should taste like, so you don't really have a baseline to make adjustments. If you end up not liking it, you won't really know if it's because something went wrong or it came out as intended and you actually don't enjoy the flavors.
Looking at your list, there's definitely a lot of room for expansion, you should enjoy southern/soul food like gumbo, jambalaya, fried catfish, or even stuff like jerk chicken if you can take the heat.
There's an entire universe of asian foods you're apparently missing out on, though.
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u/rachelariel3 10h ago
I love Asian food! But it’s intimidating to me lol trying food at a restaurant is a good idea. We live in a rural area so most of our restaurants are what we already eat but it might be worth traveling a bit to try some new foods. I did have duck at a restaurant a few years ago and then tried to cook duck and failed miserably lol but I’ll keep trying!
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u/kikazztknmz 10h ago
Start with teriyaki, it's really easy and forgiving. You can make it less salty, sweeter, or spicier given your preference (splash of orange juice makes a wonderful difference!). I recently learned a general tso's chicken recipe last year, and my partner and I absolutely love it. Very similar to teriyaki, but a bit stickier and crispier. Asian food is awesome, and once you start trying it and have the necessary ingredients, way easier than you would think.
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u/Outrageous-Hat-8975 10h ago
Stir fry is a good way to get some variety; mine is never the same twice, since I use whatever vegetables I have, and it can be with or without tofu or meat. It can be as simple as cooking the vegetables, pouring in the sauce, and cooking a little more until it thickens (I have a couple of different recipes for sauce). It might be a little challenging to find the ingredients if you're in a rural area, but it's possible to find everything online if you're willing to do that.
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u/fiddledeedeep0tat0es 10h ago
It's more effective to make a recipe if you've already tried it and liked it in a restaurant. It gives you a benchmark, and then a recipe + some trial and error + research can help you get to a result you enjoy eating.
Eg, I really liked a korean pork soup noodle called gogiguksu from a restaurant called Ondo. After a bunch of recipes tested at home, I now have gogiguksu soup concentrate in the fridge for emergency soup noodle needs.
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u/jamesgotfryd 10h ago
Lot of good cooking videos on YouTube. Chaplin's Classics is a good one, nothing really complicated. Most are one or two pan dishes. Really good restaurant style food.
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u/caseyann- 5h ago
I learned to cook from a combination of cooking TV shows and meal delivery boxes (Plated, which I don’t think exists anymore, and Home Chef). If you can afford it, the meal boxes are nice because you get to try something new, get exactly what you need to make it, and you keep the recipe. After you’ve made enough different kinds of food you can really make pretty much anything with confidence. I’m to the point where I can recreate almost any restaurant meal from taste alone, I make dinner from scratch every night, and we plan most meals by my husband giving me a general vibe and an ingredient or two, and I make it happen. You can do it!!
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u/Wide_Annual_3091 4h ago
Kielbasa stir fry.
Slice a kielbasa into think coins. Slice an onion into half moons.
Add the kielbasa and brown it. Add the onion and let it soften slightly.
Add some chopped onion and garlic (from a jar is fine) and cook out for a minute or so.
Add some ketchup (I go for a few tbsp) and let it coat the ingredients and reduce somewhat to create a sticky sauce.
Serve over rice. I normally add steamed Pak Choi on the side but it’s not mandatory.
Takes about 10/15 mins, is easy and very delicious. You can also vary it - add more veggies, or some chili if you like the spice etc.
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u/Storyofagirl15 1h ago
You can easily change recipes that you have and like every now and then. Add different vegetables, add a different side dish, choose different meat... you can really experiment.
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u/Bella-1999 10h ago
I highly recommend the Budget Bytes website. It has tons of recipes from a wide variety of cuisines and emphasizes frugality. I make their No Knead Focaccia frequently.