Hey folks! Barry here. In my latest adventure, I decided to whip up four of the most talked-about recipes of 2024 for my wife, Mrs. B. Social media has been going wild over these dishes, and I couldn’t resist diving in to see if they’re worth the hype. From a hearty lasagne soup to some pretty quirky cottage cheese wraps, let’s see how they turned out—and more importantly, if Mrs. B gave them the thumbs up!
The Recipes
1. Lasagne Soup
Yes, you heard that right—lasagne in soup form. This recipe combines everything we love about lasagne (gooey cheese, rich tomato sauce, and pasta) into a warming, one-pot dish. The process was pretty straightforward:
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- Heat Things Up: Splash a bit of the veg oil into a large pan and get it going over medium heat.
- Soften the Onion: Chuck in your onion and let it cook, stirring now and then, until it’s softened and pale—around 7 minutes should do it.
- Garlic Time: Toss in the garlic and give it a quick sizzle for about 1 minute.
- Meaty Mix: Add your beef, pork, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Fancy a bit of a kick? Throw in some red pepper flakes too. Break up the meat as it cooks, and keep at it until there’s no pink left.
- Sauce It Up: Pour in your passata sauce, then follow with chicken stock and the double cream. Get it bubbling by bringing it to a boil.
- Noodle Business: With your broken up lasagne pieces, put them in the pan. Let them cook away in the bubbling soup for about 15 minutes, until they’re tender, don’t overcook it or they could go mushy!
- Cheese Magic: Take the pan off the heat and stir in grated parmesan and torn mozzarella cheeses until they’re gooey and melted.
- Finish with herbs: Sprinkle fresh basil on top for that extra pizzazz, plus some more salt and pepper if you wish! This was phenomenal!
2. Korean Strawberry Milk
Next up, we made this pretty fun drink, that’s as simple as it is delicious. You can use different fruit than strawberries too if you wish.
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- Get Blending: In the cup of your blender, pop in most of the strawberries (reserving 3 or 4 strawberries), the sugar, vanilla, and water and whizz away. until nice and smooth.
- Heat Things Up: Pour the purée into a small saucepan and heat it over medium. Once it starts bubbling, let it cook for another 2 minutes on medium-low, it’ll thicken a little when it cools.
- Strawberry Boost: Toss in the rest of the cubed strawberries (it’s worth making these small enough to go through a straw for a taste explosion!) and cook for just 1 more minute. You’re aiming for a syrupy consistency, not thick like jam.
- Cool It Down: Once cooled to room temperature, pop the syrup into the fridge for about 30 minutes or until it’s nice and chilled.
- Syrup Split: Divide the chilled syrup between 2 tall glasses. Pour cold milk into each one. You could try a fancy a swirl effect like what we did – twirl the syrup around the inside of the glass for a snazzy pattern and then top with milk – it’s quirky, the small pieces of strawberry really help. Job done—enjoy your strawberry milk magic!
3. Carrot Salad
Carrot salad doesn’t sound viral-worthy at first, but let me tell you, this one’s packed with flavour and crunch, plus it’s super easy!. It’s all about the dressing—a zesty mix of citrus, spices, and a touch of sweetness that transforms humble grated carrots into a side dish superstar. I decided to grate mine, but you can ribbon them if you want using a peeler for thicker pieces.
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- Prep Your Carrots: Give the raw carrots a good wash, then peel them or grate them as mentioned above, it’s enough to make a rabbit jealous!
- Mix the Dressing: In a large bowl, chuck in the carrot along with sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, and a squeeze of lime juice (add more to taste!). Mix it all together thoroughly.
- Top It Off: Sprinkle over some sesame seeds and a handful of chopped spring onions for a bit of flair.
- Serve and Enjoy: Dig in straight away, or pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes to let the flavours really come alive.
Mrs. B was pleasantly surprised by this one—light, refreshing, and surprisingly satisfying! You could also make double the marinade and pour some of that on top just before serving or having it as a dunking pot!
4. Cottage Cheese Wraps
Finally, we tried out this high-protein, low-carb trend. The concept? Blend cottage cheese until smooth, bake and it’ll turn into a wrap, adding your favourite fillings for gobbling up! I’m not a fan of cottage cheese, so I struggled with this, it was quite strong!
- Get the Oven Going: Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F).
- Blend It Up: Chuck the cottage cheese, egg, and seasoning into a small food processor or blender and blitz until smooth.
- Prep the Tray: Line a small baking tray (about 13″ x 9″ or a quarter sheet pan) with parchment paper. Give it a light spray with cooking spray to stop any sticking.
- Spread the Batter: Pour your batter onto the tray and spread it out as thinly as possible.
- Bake to Perfection: Pop it in the oven and bake for 25–35 minutes, depending on your oven. Mine took 30 minutes. The top should be lightly browned, soft to touch, but firm enough to lift off the parchment. It’ll strengthen as it cools too.
- Cool, Fill, Roll: After letting it cool for about 5 minutes, load it up with your favourite fillings and roll it into a wrap. We used rocket salad, avocado, chargrilled peppers and torn mozzarella pieces.
- Mrs. B enjoyed the wraps but admitted the texture of the blended cottage cheese might take a little getting used to. Still, it’s a clever idea for a quick, healthy lunch as long as they hold together!
Final Thoughts
Cooking these viral recipes was a blast, and it’s always fun to see what dishes are trending each year, but these were the real top ones of 2024. While some recipes were instant hits (hello, lasagne soup and strawberry milk!), others were a bit more divisive. But that’s the joy of trying something new, isn’t it?
If you’ve given any of these recipes a go—or have a 2024 viral recipe I should try next—let me know! And if you want to see how it all went down, check out the video on my channel.