1. Mashed potatoes
Not the most waistline friendly. But delicious none the less! If you love your mashed spuds it’s worthwhile investing in a potato ricer which gives perfect mash texture and removes the need to peel the spuds first. Be generous with the butter.
2. Cauliflower puree
Simmer chopped cauliflower in salted water until tender (arounf 15 minutes). Drain and puree with a generous knob of butter in a food processor or stick blender until smooth.
3. Steamed rice or cauliflower ‘rice’
Rice and sauce can be better than the sauce and meat for some dishes. If you’re a little daunted by the whole rice steaming thing, check out my simple secret to perfect fluffy rice.
Or for a more waistline-friendly slow-carb alternative to rice, try my seriously delicious cauliflower ‘rice’.
4. Chickpea puree
Think hummus without the tahini. Just puree a can of chickpeas with a few tablespoons of the canning liquid, a little lemon juice and if you like a clove of garlic. Allow about 1 can for 2 people.
5. White bean mash
Drain a can of cannellini or butter beans and roughly mash with a fork. Add in a little lemon juice if you want to freshen it up.
6. Crusty bread & butter
For ease and versatility it’s difficult to go past a good loaf of crusty bread and some rich butter (or olive oil) to scoop up the wonderful sauces of slow cooked meals.
And don’t forget there’s more to bread than just crusty loaves. Most cultures have some form of bread to help soak up soups and stews. Think Indian naan, Lebanese pita bread, Mexican tortillas or corn chips, or Moroccan flat breads.
7. Pasta
Pasta just loves slow cooked sauces. Most slow cooked dishes can easily be turned into a wonderful pasta sauce by removing the meat from the bone, tearing it into bight sized pieces and tossing back in to the sauce. Fat ribbons like parpadelle work really well but short pasta like rigatoni also loves a meaty sauce. Can be a great way to use up leftovers.
8. Beans
A slow carb alternative to pasta is to toss in either some drained canned white beans, or cook up a batch of your own beans and serve underneath your slow cooked creation.
9. Lentils
A bed of home cooked lentils like these can make a wonderful slow carb accompaniment. Although, for speed, canned lentils can also be wonderful. I had our mushroom ragu for dinner the other night and served it on top of some leftover caramelised onion and lentil salad. So good!
10. A green salad
Personally, I love having a bowl of lovely slow cooked deliciousness with a sharpy dressed green salad to dip leaves into the sauce. Healthy, quick and so so good.
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