Three recipes for cheese lovers and washing up haters

If cheese – and less time at the sink – is the way to your heart, these recipes, from a sausage and bean casserole to a cheesy pancetta risotto, should make it onto your shopping list this week, says Hannah Twiggs

Lots of cheese and barely any washing up? It’s amore (Sorted Food)

If you find comfort in cheese and in knowing there won’t be a mountain of washing up to climb after cooking with it, these are the recipes for you.

As part of our Budget Bites column – where we’ve teamed up with Sorted Food to bring you easy, affordable, quick and (most importantly) tasty recipes once a month – we’ve brought you three cheesy dishes that maximise on taste, and minimise on both mess and food waste. They also make the most of your staple ingredients while keeping your fresh shopping list minimal.

We’ve also provided a handy shopping list for the ingredients (thoguh hopefully most of it will be knocking about already), which are used across all recipes to ensure minimal food waste. You just need to decide where to shop, whether it’s locally or online.

Shopping list

• 6 cloves garlic
• 80g watercress
• 2 red onions
• 140g diced pancetta
• 8 pork sausages
• 50g hard Italian cheese
• 10 American style cheese slices
• 600ml milk
• 80g cheddar cheese
• 187ml white wine
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 187ml red wine
• 150g arborio rice
• 200g dried pasta macaroni
• 1.5 tbsp plain flour
• 400g tinned butter beans
• 30g dried panko breadcrumbs

Cheesy sausage and bean casserole

Somewhere between French onion soup and a hearty casserole (Sorted Food)

If you are into French onion soup, this might be the recipe for you – melty cheese, crispy breadcrumbs and a rich gravy await!

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

4 pork sausages

2 red onions

2 cloves garlic

1.5 tbsp plain flour

187ml red wine

400g tinned butter beans

1 beef stock cube

80g cheddar

30g dried panko breadcrumbs

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C – this will be for the casserole later.

2. Add 2 tbsp of vegetable oil to a large, oven-proof frying pan and place it over a medium high heat.

3. Once the oil starts to shimmer and loosen, pierce 4 sausages with a small knife to stop them from popping, then fry them in the oil, turning occasionally for 5-6 minutes, until golden all over. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait.

4. Halve, peel, and slice 2 onions, then peel and mince 2 cloves of garlic.

5. Once the sausages are golden all over, transfer them to a plate and add the onions and garlic to the pan. Fry for 10-12 minutes, tossing occasionally, until soft, golden and sticky.

6. Add 1 ½ tbsp of flour to the onions and garlic. Cook it out for 1-2 minutes, until it starts to stick to the bottom of the pan.

7. Deglaze with 187ml of red wine and allow it to reduce by about ½. This should take around 1 minute thanks to the flour.

8. Add 1 undrained 400g tin of beans, crumble in 1 stock cube, and bring everything up to a boil.

9. Take the pan off the heat, season the stew to taste with salt, then lay the sausages on top. Grate over 80g of cheese and scatter over 30g of breadcrumbs.

10. Bake everything in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese and breadcrumbs are golden. Crack on with a bit of washing up while you wait.

11. Once the stew is ready, take the pan straight to the table… But maybe wait a little bit to avoid burning your mouth, then tuck in!

One-pot watercress mac’n’cheese with crispy sausage

A great way to sneak in extra vegetables (Sorted Food)

Tip: If you can’t find watercress, swap it out for spinach.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

4 pork sausages

600ml milk

80g watercress

2 cloves garlic

200g dried pasta macaroni

6 American style cheese slices

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Method:

1. Pour 2 tbsp of vegetable oil into a large, oven-proof frying pan and place it over a high heat.

2. Once the oil starts to shimmer and loosen, squeeze in the meat from the casings of 4 sausages. Fry, breaking everything up occasionally for 6-8 minutes, until light golden and crisp. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait.

3. Once the sausage meat is ready, transfer to a plate – we will need the pan in the next step, so don’t wash it up!

4. Add 600ml of milk to the pan and bring it to a bubble.

5. Add 80g of watercress, then peel and finely grate in 2 cloves of garlic. Simmer for 1-2 minutes, until the leaves darken and wilt.

6. Take the pan off the heat, then blitz its contents with a hand blender, until silky smooth and vibrant green.

7. Place the pan back over the heat, add 200g of macaroni, and bring everything up to a boil.

8. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally for 8-10 minutes, until the pasta is soft but still has a slight bite. Crack on with a bit of washing up while you wait.

9. Preheat the grill/broiler to its highest temperature. Once the pasta is ready, take the pan off the heat, then fold through 6 slices of American cheese and 1 tsp of mustard.

10. Scatter over the crispy sausage from earlier.

11. Pop the whole pan under the grill and cook for 4-5 minutes, until the top is bubbling and golden.

12. Take the whole pan to the table and tuck in!

Pancetta and two-cheese risotto

A solution for any leftover cheese lurking in the fridge (Sorted Food)

Tip: Try changing up the cheeses for a quick spin.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

140g diced pancetta

2 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic

150g arborio rice

187ml white wine

1 chicken stock cube

50g hard Italian cheese

4 American style cheese slices

Method:

1. Fill the kettle with water and get it on to boil – this will be for the risotto later.

2. Tip 140g of pancetta into a medium saucepan along with 2 tbsp of olive oil, then place the pan over a medium heat and fry the pancetta for 4-5 minutes, until golden. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait.

3. Peel, then mince 4 cloves of garlic.

4. Once the pancetta is ready, transfer ½ to a plate ready for serving later. Add the minced garlic to the pan and fry everything for a further 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.

5. Add 150g of arborio rice, and fry for a further 1-2 minutes to toast the rice a little – but make sure the garlic doesn’t burn!

6. Deglaze with 187ml of white wine and reduce by ¾, until the rice is sticky and starchy, stirring all the while.

7. Crumble in 1 stock cube, add 200ml of boiling water from the kettle, and reduce by ¾ again until the rice is sticky and starchy, stirring all the while.

8. Add another 500ml of boiling water from the kettle, turn the heat down to medium low, and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Stir occasionally, until the rice is soft but still has a slight bite, and the liquid has thickened to a starchy sauce that loosely coats the grains. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait.

9. Once the risotto is ready, take the pan off the heat and fold through the hard cheese and 4 slices of American cheese. Season generously with salt and pepper.

10. Divide the risotto between bowls and top with the reserved pancetta. Tuck in!

In response to the rising cost of living, we have teamed up with Sorted Food to bring you easy, affordable, quick and (most importantly) tasty recipes once a month. Find out more about Sorted and their nifty meal-planning app Sidekick at sortedfood.com/sidekick.