The Steam Oven Meal Plan for real people #4

Or, what to cook in your combi steam oven, March 27-April 2, 2023

Welcome to this week’s Steam Oven Meal Plan for real people!

New to this blog series? Check out the first Steam Oven Meal Plan for notes about how I do my meal planning and cooking, or just dive on in and add this week’s ingredients to your shopping list.

I use my combi steam oven pretty much every day, but I also include links to other recipes I’m cooking, from all around the web. This is the closest you’ll get to actually being in my kitchen every week.

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A steam oven meal plan with…pesto?

I was gifted a huge bunch of basil over the weekend, so we now have basil and pistachio pesto for allll the things (yep, pistachio; just as delicious as pine nut pesto!). You can go straight to the recipe for all the different ways I like to use pesto, and I’ll be sharing a few things below where you can use it if you, too, have plenty of basil to hand (or parsley, or cilantro/coriander, or just heaps of baby spinach).

Pistachio Pesto

Fresh, fragrant and packed with flavor, pesto goes with so many things. Use basil and pistachios like me, or try one of the variations in the notes.

Check out this recipe

Freshly made pistachio pesto with basil in a small white bowl, with a wooden spoon and more fresh basil in the background.

Happy cooking, see you here again soon.

Monday

Kicking off with pesto related things, we’re having my all-time favorite sheet pan dinner with chicken and pumpkin. I’m using cacciatore sausage instead of the listed chorizo, because the kids like it better. And those who like pesto will add it to their plate, those who don’t can go without.

Steam Oven Chicken, Pumpkin and Chorizo Sheet Pan Dinner

Filling, warming and nutritious, this sheet pan dinner comes together in minutes so you can go off and do something else while it cooks. Come back when it's done, serve up and pat yourself on the back because you've started the week's dinners so well.

Check out this recipe

Pieces of Chorizo Pumpkin and Chicken Tray Bake served on a patterned plate, with rosemary and green pesto garnish.

Tuesday

If I’m organized and can get a batch of dough mixed up during the day, we’ll have Rick Stein’s lahmacuns for dinner (from Rick Stein’s Mediterranean Escapes; I think my favorite of all his books). These spiced lamb flatbreads are pizza-like but so different at the same time. They’re a little time consuming but I’ll double up and freeze the leftovers for another night.

Lahmacun (Spiced Lamb Flatbreads)

This recipe is from Rick Stein's lovely Mediterranean Escapes cookbook, and it's a keeper. Think delicious flatbreads covered with a spiced ground lamb mixture that's comforting and a little different in the same bite.

Check out this recipe

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Wednesday

The muffins from last week will be gone, and I have some bananas to use up. Cue banana blueberry oatmeal muffins, except with raspberries instead of blueberries (using what I have!).

In the interests of continuing to use up my pesto, it’s loaded sweet potatoes for dinner. I’ve got bacon, corn, pickled red onions, cheese and pesto as toppings tonight.

Banana Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

A lunchbox favorite, these muffins freeze exceptionally well and are adaptable to include all kinds of ingredients.

Check out this recipe

Loaded Sweet Potatoes

Roast up a tray of sweet potatoes and load them up with whatever you fancy. This is midweek dinner at its best, and everyone gets to create their own flavor combinations.

Check out this recipe

A loaded sweet potato stuffed with beans and corn and topped with sour cream and sliced green onions.

Thursday

Tandoori chicken night! We have a couple of extras for dinner but one chicken and a generous amount of potatoes will be plenty to go around, especially if I can find some decent flatbread or naan to serve with it. I’ve also got plenty of mango chutney thanks to a marathon cooking session last week to use up a dozen gifted mangoes.

30 Minute Steam Oven Tandoori Roast Chicken

Such a great way to roast a chicken fast, and to add different flavors to it. If you haven't tried this before, definitely add it to your own meal plan for the week.

Check out this recipe

tandoori roasted butterflied chicken with roast potatoes, flatbread and yoghurt

Friday

My 7 year old’s favorite dinner is on the menu for Friday. If there’s leftover tandoori chicken then hubby and I will have that instead of macaroni, because I want to leave enough extra for Saturday night kids dinner.

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

There are few things which beat creamy, cheesy homemade macaroni and cheese. It's a carb lovers dream and I'm a big fan of hiding a few vegetables in there for nutrition purposes. 😉

Check out this recipe

a dark blue plate with a serving of macaroni and cheese, and fork to the side

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Weekend

The adults are out on Saturday night so dinner will be a repeat of last night’s macaroni and cheese for the small ones.

On Sunday I want to make braised beef ribs, although that could change depending on whether the ribs look nice and meaty when I go shopping. If they’re not great I’ll do the recipe with chuck instead.

I’m also planning to get into Easter prep, with a batch of hot cross buns and some chocolate rolls if time allows.

Asian Style Sticky Beef Ribs

Sticky sweet and aromatic, these ribs never, ever fail to make me happy. If you don't have access to nice meaty short ribs, go for chuck or another slow cooking cut of meat.

Check out this recipe

Sticky Asian Beef Ribs on a wooden plate on a bed of rice, garnished with radish and herbs

Hot Cross Buns

No store bought version will ever top your own freshly made hot cross buns. Richly spiced and studded with dried fruit, these are easy to make in your steam oven and worth every bit of effort.

Check out this recipe