Cooking for 90 minutes on Sunday yields 5 dinners in 15 minutes. Three neutral bases, no heavy sauces: basic tomato rice, stewed chickpea with bay, and oven-roasted vegetables. The finish varies from there.
This guide is designed for real Portuguese kitchens: small fridge, little time, and a desire not to repeat the same flavour every day.
Shopping list for 2 people
- Arroz carolino 300g, ripe tomatoes 800g, onion 3, garlic, olive oil
- Dried chickpeas 250g or 2 jars cooked, bay leaf, cumin, carrots 2
- Pumpkin 600g, courgette 2, peppers 2, sweet potato 2
- Eggs 6, tuna in olive oil 1 tin, spinach 200g, fresh cheese
- Parsley, coriander, lemon, bread
Base 1: neutral tomato rice (30 min)
Sauté 1 chopped onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until translucent. Add 2 garlic cloves, then chopped peeled tomato. Cook for 10 min until slightly thickened. Add rice and water at a ratio of 1 to 2.5. Cook for 14 min on a low heat, covered. It should be slightly loose, not dry. Set aside half for the week. Adjust the salt at the end.
Storage: 4 days in the fridge, 2 months in the freezer.
Base 2: stewed chickpea with bay (40 min + soaking)
Soak the chickpeas for 12h with 1 bay leaf. Cook in water with bay and 1 teaspoon of salt until tender but whole, about 45 min. Reserve the cooking water. In a pan, sauté onion and carrot, add the chickpeas with a little of the water. It turns creamy without cream.
Storage: 5 days in the fridge, 3 months frozen with a little liquid.
Base 3: roasted vegetables (35 min)
Cut the pumpkin, courgette, peppers, and sweet potato into similar cubes. Season with olive oil, salt, pepper, and cumin. Oven at 200°C, 28-32 min until golden at the edges and tender in the centre. Don’t overcrowd the tray, or they’ll steam instead of roast.
Storage: 4 days in the fridge. Do not freeze, it loses texture.
5 dinners in 15 minutes
- Monday: tomato rice with egg and spinach. Warm the rice with a little water, add spinach until wilted, serve with a fried egg.
- Tuesday: warm chickpea and roasted vegetable salad. Chickpea + vegetables + parsley + lemon + olive oil.
- Wednesday: tomato rice with tuna and pepper. Mix drained tuna into the hot rice, finish with coriander.
- Thursday: sautéed chickpea with poached egg. Sauté the chickpea with garlic, serve with egg and bread.
- Friday: roasted vegetables with fresh cheese and rice. A quick, light, meat-free base.
Organisation
- Use identical glass jars, label with day and contents.
- Cool for up to 1h outside, then fridge at 4°C. Do not leave at room temperature for more than 2h.
- Reheat only the portion you’ll eat, to 74°C in the centre.