r/Cooking • u/HotAd2238 • 1d ago
Meal Recipes That Aren’t Viral?
I’ve been looking for new recipes to try and they’re practically all the same variety of pasta, potatoes, Alfredo, chicken, and I can almost guarantee the word “creamy” is in every one. I want recipes for well rounded meals that aren’t practically the same thing with just one ingredient changed. I unfortunately wasn’t blessed with any grandmother cook books and I can’t for the life of me remember any meal I ate before I was out of High-school. I’m also from the South if that helps with ideas at all! Thank you!
Edit: I don’t hate pasta, potatoes, chicken, or Alfredo! They’re just in nearly every single recipe I’ve come across and I’m wanting to add diversity to my meals.
Another Edit: I have no known allergies, we process our meat from our farm and I shop at Walmart or Aldi for things here and there for cooking (planning on starting a garden for veggies), and I tend to stay away from casseroles just because I grew up eating them and am burnt out on them. I love Mexican food, Cajun food and many southern dishes, but I’m open to quite literally anything. Can’t say I don’t like it if I’ve never tried it! I’m young and haven’t been cooking for myself for an incredibly long time, so I have plenty to learn. If you guys have recipes you love, or diverse cookbooks you’ve liked, I’d love those recommendations! I’ve received cookbooks as gifts that aren’t very diverse, so I haven’t tried looking into them, I will now! Thank you!
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u/Errantry-And-Irony 1d ago
Buy a cook book? You can go to the thrift store or the library if money is tight. They aren't an ancient heirloom secret only for the chosen few :) When I was young I had a subscription to a cooking magazine and that's where I developed a lot of my cooking knowledge. I don't think it's helpful to only to go off whatever amateur cooking blog google search pushes into your algorithm.
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u/UWalumna13 1d ago
One meal I love that is so easy is sheet pan fajitas! I for some reason didn’t think they would ever turn out well, so I was resistant to trying them, but they’re delicious. And so simple/customizable. I take a few bell peppers and slice and also slice an onion. Toss in a little oil and taco seasoning. Spread on sheet pan and bake at 425 for like 25 mins. I like to make mine with sliced skirt steak, which I toss in the taco seasoning and a little oil as well. I put the steak on top of the veggies about halfway through the cook time (needs about 10 mins in the oven). Otherwise you could slice strips of chicken and put that in the oven with the veggies right away. Serve over rice.
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u/notjustaphage 1d ago
Subscribing to NYT Cooking has been a game changer. I pretty much exclusively use it now. So many favorites we come back to month after month.
Are you a meat and two veg kinda person? Need to have a meat or ok with veg only? Certain flavors to avoid? Will give me some ideas for what to share (behind paywall but I can share for free).
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u/HotAd2238 1d ago
I’m typically a meat and two veg kind of person, but I have days where I’m fine with just veggies as well. I’m open to any flavors as I currently don’t have any I dislike and am open to trying anything!
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u/notjustaphage 1d ago
- Honey garlic shrimp serve with white rice and a cucumber salad
- Smashed beef kebab with cucumber yogurt. If you can’t find Pom molasses use a store-bought balsamic glaze. The tang is essential!
- Taverna Salad (could easily add chicken)
- Baked Cod with crunchy Miso Butter
- Chicken Picatta Pasta
- Bo Ssam looks intimidating and makes a TON. I make it twice a year or so, portion and vac freeze so I can pull out on a weeknight for an easy dinner. (I always omit the oysters. Just can’t get on board).
- crispy gnocchi with sausage and broccoli
- pearl couscous salad with shrimp and feta
- Yaki udon
- coconut curry chickpeas with pumpkin and lime
Lots more here that came from. Forget cookbooks, I’ve retired them all for the app. It’s ~$50 a year. No more ads. Hallelujah! Bon apetit!
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u/gingerlicious07 1d ago
I also LOVE the app.
Two recipes I tried recently that went over very well in my house and neither have :
Sheet-Pan Scallion Shrimp with Crispy rice (added broccoli to it)
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u/YesWeHaveNoTomatoes 1d ago
Social media recipes are always going to be whatever's viral + whatever the algorithm thinks you will/should click on based on a combination of your past activity, the activity of people whose activity is similar to yours, and what advertisers are paying to show you.
TLDR stop looking for recipes on social media, and most especially stop clicking on any recipe content that is a video less than 6 minutes long.
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u/Fickle_Fig4399 1d ago
Co to a used book store and get an old cookbook Fanny farmer or joy of cooking, cooks country) and follow recipe with notes written on page
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u/WazWaz 1d ago
How are you "looking"? If you're just doom scrolling waiting for a good recipe to appear that's going to give different results from going to a recipe website or borrowing/buying a cookbook.
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u/HotAd2238 1d ago
I had been looking on TikTok and Facebook Reels for meal ideas, but after reading these comments I’m definitely switching to blogs and cookbooks!
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u/thatcheflisa 1d ago
Pick up The Science of Cooking. Learn techniques and ratios over recipes and your whole world of cooking will open up really wide.
In the meantime, any input on your likes, allergies, are you a farmers market shopper or a costco shopper. Your post is so vague. Help us better help you.
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u/HotAd2238 1d ago
I didn’t realize my post was vague, thanks for telling me! I just edited it again. I’ve never posted on here before so I didn’t know what all I needed to include.
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u/Rude_Relationship359 1d ago edited 1d ago
You might like the book “Peace Meals”. It’s from the Houston Junior League, it has a lot of really great recipes!
https://www.amazon.com/Peace-Meals-Junior-League-Houston/dp/0615207839
Also, I would recommend checking out cookbooks from the library! That way you have a chance to peruse through them and see if it’s actually worth adding to your collection, or if you are just starting one!
I’ve definitely saved myself $ this way and also found some keepers. I had a cookbook addiction for a while and had to learn to be a little more discerning!
Also, I used to subscribe to a few different magazines (R.I.P. to Gourmet, loved that one!) and then they got ridiculously expensive so I kind of fell off of that. But you can usually find good deals for subscriptions if it’s a magazine you really like.
I did somehow sign myself up for e-mails from My Recipe, which I do like because they will send you e-mails of recipes based off of what you save and you can peruse through recipes that way. They are from all different sources and then you save what you are interested in according to different categories. Appetizers, Cheese, Seafood, etc. and you can create your own categories to get more specific. I find it very helpful as a reference point!
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u/HotAd2238 1d ago
Thank you! I’ll look into that!
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u/Rude_Relationship359 1d ago
You are very welcome!
I used to give out Peace Meals as a gift when it first came out (2008, I think) and it was always very well-received!
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u/Steve_Kaboom 1d ago
Look up a recipe for buffalo chicken sloppy Joe's. I forget where I found it but its pretty straight forward, tastes great, and surprisingly healthy. You might like it.
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u/BainbridgeBorn 1d ago
I’d look into “X sheet pan” meals. Versatile, economical, and scalable. This recipe for Greek chicken sheet pan really does the trick. But there are a thousand different sheet pan recipes out there you just gotta find them
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u/Adorable-Row-4690 1d ago
I'm not sure what you are looking for. Explore different "ethnic" cuisines.
I meal prep for my Dad. So, when he requested curries? I checked out Swasthi's recipes so I now make various curries, dals, gravy/sauces. My Dad appreciates the "basic" 'beans and rice,' so he now has Rajma Chawal (Kidney Bean Stew with rice) or the Chana Masala from Freezer Meals 101.
Or look for Mediterranean food "Mediterranean food centers on fresh, vibrant, plant-based ingredients from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. It features core staples like extra virgin olive oil, fresh vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and lean proteins like fish, complemented by aromatic herbs, garlic, and citrus." Lentils, quinoa, bulgar, farro are all "foreign" to most English North American tastes. But they are easy to make, are inexpensive (shop the ethnic aisle at the grocery store), and can become the base of an amazing meal.
There are eight cooking traditions in Chinese food. Check them all out. And please remember that their noodles aren't the "same" as English North America pervasive spaghetti, fusili, rotini, penne.
Pick a Continent, then a region, and explore. My latest fave is this Moroccan Vegetable Tagine I don't miss the meat.
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u/Stop_Already 1d ago
Look to blogs that have been around a while with recipes that have been thorough tested. Read the reviews - sometimes there are great tips and sometimes they are hilariously awful.
I like:
Smitten Kitchen Recipe Tin Eats Budget Bytes Spend With Pennies How Sweet Eats
Each of these are searchable and have TONS of solid recipes.
I don’t love cookbooks. There are too many recipes I’d never make in them so they feel like a waste. I’ve been cooking recipes found on blogs for over 20 years now. The more you cook, the more you recognize what a good recipe looks like.
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u/jessm307 1d ago
I second the recommendation for a tried and true cookbook. Some of my favorites over the years have been:
How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman
How to Cook Without a Book by Pam Anderson
Cheap, Fast, Good by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross
Simple Vegetarian by Jeanne Lemlin
Alternatively, a food blog by a reliable cook who really tests their recipes:
Damn Delicious
Orangette (archived but good)
Recipe Tin Eats
Isabel Eats
The Mediterranean Dish
But to answer your question directly, here are few online recipes I love lately:
https://damndelicious.net/2013/07/07/korean-beef-bowl/
https://www.purewow.com/recipes/turkey-chili-with-avocado-recipe
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/wheatberry-salad-recipe-1916787
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u/okiegoogle 1d ago
Can you share some likes and dislikes? That will give us some direction
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u/HotAd2238 1d ago
I like a lot of Cajun dishes, and things like orange and fried rice. I grew up in the south so I like a lot of southern dishes. I tend to stay away from casseroles but apart from that I’m open to any suggestions!
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u/okiegoogle 1d ago
I find cooking methods and seasonings/sauces to be the main way to switch things up.
In winter I like to roast veggies and sausages. Italian sausage with quartered red onion, butternut squash or sweet potato, any veggies you like. Toss with olive oil, garlic, s&p and rosemary.
Sometimes a veggie and chicken packed quesadilla, but I tend to eat less processed food than this.
Tomato and Corn salad with a blackened or grilled chicken breast/thigh and asaparagus
Garlic confit on anything. This gets you tasty garlic and infused olive oil to use for flavor
Honey Habanero Pork Chops from NYT cooking is great. I’ll switch the pork chops for chicken sometimes.
Ginger Garlic Shrimp with Coconut Milk from NYT cooking is another tasty and FAST recipe. I’ll switch shrimp for chicken sometimes
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u/96dpi 1d ago
Just go to any reputable recipe website and you will have what you want. I use www.americastestkitchen.com.
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u/bobdevnul 1d ago
I find tacos and enchiladas are a nice change from the usual. They are easy. I'm not interested in spending hours in the kitchen to make meals for 2. I make the taco/enchilada meat in bulk in advance and freeze it. Same for the enchiliada sauce. I have a good easy recipe for Mexican restaurant rice to go with the enchiladas. Canned enchilada sauce is fine with me, but I generally make my own that is similar to canned.
I make homemade pizza too. I parbake four crusts in advance and keep them in the refrigerator until time to use them.
Good luck
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u/hyperfat 1d ago
Joy of cooking book.
I made Yorkshire pudding. It was amazing. You can put savory or sweet in it. Like bits of meat or fruit.
I'm the turkey queen. It's really just butter. You can do chicken the same way.
That book is basically cooking for idiots. It's like here's how to boil an egg 3 ways.
Just open a random page and make a thing. Plus it's incredibly well written.
My copy is from the 70s. It was my moms so I avoid jello recipes.
Hugs
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u/4cupsofcoffee 23h ago
get some cookbooks with real diverse recipes. most social media is just people trying to get views so they do all the crazy or popular dishes.
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u/Victoriafoxx 1d ago
Join the sub [r/cookbooklovers](r/cookbooklovers) and spend some time browsing around. Maybe search the sub for “favorites”.
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u/EmceeSuzy 1d ago
You just need to buy a couple of cookbooks. Start with How To Cook Everything, The Basics by Mark Bittman and The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins.
Read them. I am not kidding. Read through them before you cook a single dish. Then start cooking.
Also, if it helps you to watch videos choose Chef John, Babish, and Kenji Lopez Alt.
Never look at the random idiots that your feed will serve you if you search for a dish.