Bulk Cooking

Candace encouraged me to blog about the bulk cooking that I have been doing with a friend every first Monday of the month. We normally pick five recipes and quadruple them. We each then come away with 10 meals (2 of each of the 5 recipes). Over the next year I will post our recipes and any other tips that have made the whole process easier. First here are our steps to prep for the day of cooking:



1. Pick 5 recipes.

2. Make a shopping list of all the ingredients making sure the quantities are enough if you are doubling, tripling, etc. We group one item together, for example, when we list onions we put the quantity of onions for all five recipes.

3. Shop! You can buy bigger containers of stuff since you are cooking in and therefore save money.

4. Chop! Chop all veggies or other foods that need prep...for us this includes cooking and chopping chicken if need be.

5. Cooking day! We spend about 6 to 8 hours preparing the meals. This includes bagging the food or putting it in casseroles dishes. We use gallon ziplocs for everything except those types of casseroles that need to be frozen in a dish (i.e. lasagna, enchiladas).

6. Label your food with contents and date. You don't want to eat mystery meals or old food!





Here are some recipes I have already posted that have worked for us.



Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili

Spring Veggie Soup with Dumplings



Here is another one that freezes well.

Bryan's Marinara Sauce

¾ cup olive oil, 2 large onions, finely chopped,

1 bulb garlic cloves, minced,

3 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes with added puree,

1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley,

4 small bay leaves,

4 teaspoons dried basil,

4 teaspoons dried oregano
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, and garlic. Sauté until onion begins to color, about 10 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes and herbs and bring sauce to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until flavors blend, stirring often, about 30 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon sugar.
Makes about 10 cups. You can add cooked sausage or hamburger to this. We have used this over pasta and as a pizza sauce.