For those of you who have taken the plunge and purchased one of our new glass meal prep containers, you are most probably looking for any excuse to use them as much as possible right now. And with one of the most sought after facets of these new containers being the ability to cook with them directly in the oven, we thought we would bring you some easy ‘prep and bake’ recipes to give your recent purchase a little spin! Simple, tasty, healthy bakes to tantalize the family.
Rustic Vegetarian Moussaka
Serves: 6
Difficulty: easy
Duration: 1 hour 15 mins
Ingredients
500g potatoes
1 aubergine
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
2 red peppers
1 tbsp fresh thyme or marjoram leaves
4 tbsp olive oil
300g cherry tomatoes
250g passata or creamed tomatoes
250g feta cheese
300ml natural yoghurt
3 eggs
25g vegetarian Parmesan
3 Igluu single compartment glass containers
Emanating from the Middle East and Greek shoreline, Moussaka has been a staple in that particular region of the world for well over 100 years. The Greek variant, which is the most popular version to spread across the globe, is believed to be the favourite dish of 1 in 3 Greeks. Throughout the years it has gone through more than a few alterations and changes, with one of those changes, of course, being a modern vegetarian twist on the recipe.
Preheat your oven to around 230C (fan 210C) or gas mark 8. Par-boil your chopped potatoes for around 5 minutes. Drain the water, and add them to your Igluu glass containers, along with your chopped aubergine, garlic, peppers and onion. Drizzle a little olive oil over them, and sprinkle with the herbs. Now place your glass container in the oven, and roast the contents for around 20 minutes, turning the vegetables at around the 10 minute mark. Now add the tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes or so, until the tomatoes skin appears slightly torn. Drop the oven temperature to around 200C.
Now slice the roasted veg into smaller, flatter chunks, and line the bottom of the dish with half of them. Spoon over half of the passata or creamed tomatoes, and feta cheese. Now top with the remaining veg, and passata. Separately, mix the yoghurt, eggs and Parmesan in a pouring jug, and decant over the veg. Sprinkle a little more Parmesan over the top and bake for a further 20 to 30 minutes, until the Parmesan looks crisp and browned, and the yoghurt mix is firm. Garnish with thyme, and serve hot.
Seafood Gratin Pasta Bake
Serves: 4/5
Difficulty: easy
Duration: 35 mins
Ingredients
200g of penne pasta
1.5 tbsp olive oil
500g of mixed seafood
2 leeks
2 garlic cloves
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
2.5 cups of milk
1 chicken bouillon cube
¾ of a cup of panko (breadcrumbs)
¼ of a cup grated Parmesan cheese
Chopped fresh parsley
2 Igluu single compartment glass containers
Looking for some comfort food that isn’t full of fatty, calorie-packed ingredients that will make you feel guilty for next week? This seafood gratin pasta bake manages to be both filling, comforting, and creamy while not actually containing any cream! Grab yourself a couple of single compartment glass containers and let’s get going!
Start by preheating your oven to 180C, and cook your pasta on the hob as directed on the packaging. Drain, and pour into the glass containers. Grab a skillet, and heat 1 tbsp of oil over a high heat. Add your selection of raw seafood (can be prawns, salmon, white fish or whatever you prefer) and sear for 30 seconds on each side. Decant the seafood (still raw on the inside) into the glass containers along with the pasta, and return the skillet to the heat. Add half a tbsp of oil to the pan, and lower the heat slightly, adding the garlic and leeks. Cook for around 3 minutes until they become soft, and now add them to the glass containers too.
Still using the same skillet, melt the butter and add the flour. Mix together, cook for 1 minute and then add 1 cup of milk and combine with the butter and flour using a whisk. Add the remaining milk and bouillon cube when it starts to thicken and continue to whisk. When the sauce has the consistency that is viscous enough to coat the back of a spoon, season with salt and pepper. Now pour it into the glass container and top with the panko (breadcrumbs) and Parmesan. Pop in the oven, and bake for around 25 minutes, or until the top is browned. Garnish with some parsley, and serve piping hot!
Chicken And Rice Bake
Serves: 6
Difficulty: easy
Duration: 1 hour
Ingredients
6 chicken thighs (preferably with skin and bone on)
4 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of long-grain rice
1 handful of veg of your choice (we like chopped mushrooms)
4 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried basil
3 Igluu single compartment glass containers
Rice bakes don’t get anywhere near the amount of attention that pasta and potato-based bakes do, so for the last recipe let us indulge in something that doesn’t get the recognition it deserves, chicken and rice bake!
Preheat your oven to 180C, and in the meantime add the chicken broth to a large pot and bring it up to the boil. Take your Igluu glass containers and add the chicken pieces (skin side up if they have them) and sprinkle the rice around them. Take your garlic pepper, salt, and oregano and season the contents, and then pour over the hot chicken broth. Pop your containers in the over after covering them with foil, and cook for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue cooking for a further 30 minutes until the chicken is browned, and cooked through. Voila! Gorgeous chicken and rice bake. Can be served with a salad of your choice, or eaten on its own.
So there you have it, three simple dishes to help christen your new glass meal prep containers with! Don’t forget, that alongside the single compartment glass containers, we also have two and three section versions, and for those looking for reusable plastic meal prep containers, we have you covered there too. Until next time, happy meal prepping!
