Working women in modern times always find themselves in trouble while planning a healthy meal for their family members. But here is the solution for them! In this article, I will share a free Single Ingredient Recipes menu plan. I know what you are thinking right now…
Who wants chicken, beef, mutton or potatoes and other common ingredients in its dishes?
And the answer is, utterly nobody… However, the beauty of this method of cooking is in how you CHANGE that one component every night to avoid feeling like you are eating the same thing over.
Additionally, you may utilise chicken this week and a different ingredient as the backbone of your five dinners the next week. You can use that to provide variation while still saving a tonne of time.
How Does Menu Planning for Single Ingredients Operate?
In a nutshell, you prepare enough of your one ingredient to last a week and store it in the refrigerator. Then, each evening, you take a portion of the already-cooked protein and utilise it in a meal.
Whatever you want to eat will determine how adaptable this technique is. I do advise choosing a single ingredient that is robust and can serve as the basis of whatever dish you utilise it in. Chicken, beef (roasted or ground), pork, shellfish, beans, potatoes, and squash are a few recommendations.
All of the components indicated above are suitable for use in many regional cuisines and may be prepared in advance without sacrificing quality.
How Much Should I Prepare Of The Single Ingredient?
The size of your household and the recipes you utilise the item in will determine this entirely. I advise starting out with 5 pounds of your main component for a household of 5. I utilised 5 pounds of chicken breasts as the main ingredient in the 5 meals that make up your free single-ingredient menu plan.
If you’re unsure of where to begin, choose five recipes that will all use the same basic ingredient, then calculate how much you need.
Let’s take an example where your next meal plan calls for ground beef and you’ve selected these five dishes. Simply note how much ground beef is required for each recipe:
| Recipe | Amount of Beef Needed |
| Chilli | 1 pound |
| Tacos | 1.5 pounds |
| Spaghetti | 1 pound |
| Stuffed peppers | .50 pounds |
| Tater tot casserole | 1 pound |
Therefore, if this was my weekly food plan, I would need to buy and prepare 5 pounds of ground beef.
When I cook a single ingredient, do I season it?
Absolutely! Whatever you choose to use as your only ingredient, season it liberally with kosher salt and pepper at the very least. Additionally, I use onion and garlic powder since they go great with every recipe they are used in.
This implies that the ingredient is cooked twice, right?
The secret to success with this is here…
Second cooking will result in a harsh, overdone basic component.
The precooked foundation components should only be reheated, therefore you should utilise them carefully. Consider chicken noodle soup as an example. As usual, you would make your soup with vegetables, stock, and noodles. Then, just before serving, add the cooked chicken pieces to the soup and heat them through. Done!
If the chicken had been added to the soup from the beginning, it would have toughened and dried up.
To get you started, here is a FREE single-ingredient menu plan.
I have prepared a completely packed example for you to attempt on your own in an effort to persuade you to adopt this method of cooking. It contains instructions on how to prepare and cook the five pounds of chicken, as well as five recipes to use the chicken over the week. Additionally, as an added treat, a shopping list is included so you know precisely what to get at the store.
Click Here To Download Your Single Ingredient Menu Plan
