how 2 marmite

August 18, 2016 7:54 AM

I like marmite. I am irresponsible with bread and butter. What are some ways I can incorporate marmite/vegemite into meal-type food? Note: I don't like cooking.

To expand on the "I don't like cooking" bit...

There are lots of recipes out in the internet like 7 recipes for marmite!! and like 6 of them are for sugary thick sauces to put on, like, immaculately grilled proteins. I am lazy and anyway don't have a grill, so roasting a rack of lamb or something just to smear a marmite-based sweet sauce on the outside isn't the best solution for me.

There are also recipes like stews that require a million choppings of things and protein braisings and a stock base with a pile of other herbs and then a whole bunch of slow simmer cook time too that's like "ok, now add the minutest spec of marmite to this and enjoy your marmite stew." Lots of labor for not a whole lot of yeasty payoff. I really cannot overstate how lazy I am. LAZY.

Let me show you an example of the sort of thing that's most up my alley: did you know you can put marmite on spaghetti and it tastes good. Though preferably I'd like something with more nutritional value, since this is basically just bread and butter but squiggly looking.


So yes, I want marmite-use recipes please. My strong preference is for things that really let the umaminess win out, aren't just a sauce with a cup of sugar added to it (other sauces ok!), and are ultra low labor, like dump this in a pot or mix it with this and suddenly you will have food.

Zero diet restrictions. Assume I am familiar with spreading it on bread and crackers and similar snack-type options.

Thanks!

posted by phunniemee to Food & Drink (34 answers total)

Adding it to soups or stews that sound good to you is probably one easy entry way to use it.
posted by goggie at 8:00 AM on August 18, 2016

Microwave a bag of frozen veggies. Stir in a spoonful of marmite.

Heat some peanut butter until it is runny. (Add a little orange juice or water to thin, if needed.) Stir in marmite. Add some garlic or chili powder if you want. Pour over veggies, pasta, beans, etc.
posted by belladonna at 8:02 AM on August 18, 2016

When I was a child and came down with a cold, my mother used to make porridge ("rice congee" to US/ British people). She would stir in chicken pieces and Marmite.

Really easy to make. Basic steps:

1) Put one cup rice to six parts liquid into a pot.

2) Add chopped chicken pieces. You can also use raw/ cooked fish -- smoked mackerel, anchovies, salmon

3) Boil until a thick consistency, when the rice gets all soft and broken down. Might take up to an hour of boiling. You can add water if you wish. I prefer my porridge super runny, but I know some people prefer a more thicker variety, more like risotto.

4) Stir in Marmite.

Extra bonus points for lazy people: Chuck in some frozen veg.

There are probably better porridge/ rice congee recipes online, but this is the basic version.

I still do this sometimes, as it's a one pot recipe (less washing up!!) and requires zero effort.
posted by moiraine at 8:02 AM on August 18, 2016

Cottage cheese is my favourite marmite delivery system since I quit eating bread. Just stir however many spoonfuls in until it reaches the right level of salty-umami goodness for your palate.
posted by litereally at 8:05 AM on August 18, 2016

Or if congee doesn't appeal, I'm sure I've seen basically the same idea with oatmeal.
posted by Logophiliac at 8:06 AM on August 18, 2016

Marmite and cheese are such a perfect combination, they have appeared together in products (and here) and recipes (and here) a lot of late.
posted by Wordshore at 8:07 AM on August 18, 2016

Put some in scrambled eggs.
You can first sautee some mushrooms in butter, then scramble the eggs and marmite in that. For good laziness/deliciousness ratio, use frozen shitake or mixed mushrooms -- I think Cascadian Farms has them.
posted by flourpot at 8:07 AM on August 18, 2016

I use it in places where I might otherwise chuck in a bouillon cube or spoonful of miso paste. I have seen elsewhere on the internets that people will even dissolve a bit in hot water and drink it like broth. I also really like the marmite/peanut butter combination, but that's still just finding alternate substrates to apply it to. I think most of the "recipes" you'll find are going to fall into these two basic categories.
posted by yeahlikethat at 8:11 AM on August 18, 2016

Cottage cheese is my favourite marmite delivery system

this is genius and something I would never ever have thought to do
posted by phunniemee at 8:14 AM on August 18, 2016

Nthing use with soups, stews, mushrooms.

It's basically salty umami in a spread, so you can use it to increase umami in dishes that already have it, or add it to dishes that don't. You can use it most any place you might use nutritional yeast.

You can mix some marmite with mayo, coat potatoes, and roast them for an oven-fried "chip"/steak fry kind of feel.

I invented a sandwich, I think of it as a meal so I will share even though it uses bread: the idea is that one British-associated spread might enjoy the company of another, marmalade. Think of it as a cousin to peanut butter and jelly.

However, it turns out brits don't understand peanut butter and jelly, and have without exception been horrified at my "mar-mar" sandwiches -- but you may like them!
posted by SaltySalticid at 8:17 AM on August 18, 2016

I put Marmite in my oatmeal. Oh god, is it so good.
posted by Kitteh at 8:26 AM on August 18, 2016

I use it to boost the flavour of mushrooms, especially when doing a meatless meal. Not a meal-type food, but popcorn. Melted into the butter, sometimes with Parmesan.
posted by betweenthebars at 8:28 AM on August 18, 2016

You can put marmite on potato wedges.
posted by ellieBOA at 8:35 AM on August 18, 2016

If you like marmite, seek out nutritional yeast (vegans use this stuff all the time). It's a bit like a dried, powdered marmite, with an almost cheesy flavor. It's great for peak lazy because it's basically a sprinkle for any finished dish. It works great on microwaved popcorn (put 1/4 cup popcorn kernels in a brown paper bag, roll the bag closed, microwave for 4-ish minutes, open the bag and dust with salt, pepper, and nooch).

You can also smear marmite or nooch over storebought, prepared meals. Any time I get a side of rice with my takeout, I mix in some nooch and soy sauce, for instance. Same goes for canned soups, or any vegetable side (love it on cauliflower and broccoli). And yes, potatoes! My youngest kid mixes nooch with ketchup for his french fry dip of choice.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 8:39 AM on August 18, 2016

Bacon sandwich, thin layer of butter and marmite. Trust me.
posted by Leon at 8:43 AM on August 18, 2016

It may be so obvious that it doesn't bear mentioning, but marmite and plain cream cheese (or the tofu variant, to make it vegan) on a bagel is so good that if the authorities get wind of it, it'll likely be banned.
posted by multics at 8:47 AM on August 18, 2016

did truman write this question, tell the truth
posted by poffin boffin at 8:48 AM on August 18, 2016

did truman write this question, tell the truth

Oh yeah, I should add, my dog fucking LOVES the stuff.
posted by phunniemee at 8:50 AM on August 18, 2016

How about on a baked potato?

(You can jump start a baked potato by steaming it in the microwave, but do finish it in the oven. Nuking a potato dry doesn't taste good.)

Edit: maybe on roasted cauliflower?
posted by fingersandtoes at 9:20 AM on August 18, 2016

I accidentally stumbled on Marmite and peanut butter as a thing and will now mix it with unsalted roasted peanuts and eat them with a spoon
posted by Tchad at 9:26 AM on August 18, 2016

How is popcorn not a meal-type food? Butter and marmite on popcorn sounds sort of life-changing.

And for you and (your) Truman, this is a more generalized suggestion to help with the not liking of cooking: get an Instant Pot the next time there is a sale on Amazon. Oh, the marmite-y things you could make in there ... plus, it's easy to make congee, "baked" potatoes, stews, all kinds of things mentioned in this thread in an Instant Pot.
posted by freezer cake at 10:03 AM on August 18, 2016

Did you know there is a Marmite cookbook? I remember being a bit underwhelmed by it, but might be worth a look.
posted by paduasoy at 10:18 AM on August 18, 2016

2nding Marmite cookbook; there's some good ideas there. My in-laws regularly go to the UK to visit my SIL and her family, and as they know I love Marmite, I have so many jars in my pantry.
posted by Kitteh at 10:40 AM on August 18, 2016

I just had an appalling thought

What if you made bread and butter pudding, with a reduced amount of sugar, but... like... with Marmite on the bread

it's just as well you don't like cooking, really

I'll see myself out.
posted by tel3path at 10:48 AM on August 18, 2016

What if you made bread and butter pudding, with a reduced amount of sugar, but... like... with Marmite on the bread

I'm not a member of the Marmite fraternity, so I feel wrong telling you this in the furtherance of Marmite's yeasty goals, but... you can basically make lazy bread and butter pudding by sitting the bread in a Pyrex tray filled with custard from a tin/carton and microwaving it. Friend of mine did it with hot cross buns slathered in butter and marmalade and it was great.
posted by penguin pie at 11:17 AM on August 18, 2016

To expand on the Marmite and cottage cheese idea, I like to spread a layer of Marmite on a good hard cracker - usually Melba toast - and stick it under the broiler until it looks good, and then add a dollop of cottage cheese on top.

It's also heavenly to take a good summer tomato, cut up some thick slices, then add it to very good cheddar and stick on a nice grainy/chewy bread you've spread with a thin layer of butter and a respectable layer of Marmite.

So glad you asked this question - there are some great ideas in here!
posted by DingoMutt at 11:36 AM on August 18, 2016

Oh, also, just hot water and Marmite makes for a nice broth/drink in the winter (though Bovril is even better but it seems it's still not available in the US, which just flipping stinks). AND! I just realized, feel like I need to be sure that you're aware of Twiglets. You are aware of Twiglets, yes?

You should be aware of Twiglets.
posted by DingoMutt at 11:40 AM on August 18, 2016

Stir some into your baked beans. Possibly grate some cheese in too.
posted by runincircles at 12:15 PM on August 18, 2016

I mean, if you were to do a savory bread pudding, it isn't fussy cooking, you just:
- cut sliced bread into cubes and put it in a bakeable dish
- crack some eggs in a bowl, add milk, and whisk (or stir aggressively with fork) until homogeneous
- this is probably where you would add the marmite
- pour egg-milk over bread
- sit in fridge overnight
- bake

there is a wide range of eggs and milk to bread ratio, aim for something like 6-8 slices of bread, 4-5 eggs, a cup of milk, and bake for 30-40 minutes at 350.
posted by telepanda at 12:19 PM on August 18, 2016

Make ramen and swap it in instead of the seasoning packet. Add frozen veggies or whatever if you want to be fancy about it.
posted by nebulawindphone at 2:50 PM on August 18, 2016

I thought maybe rather than adding the marmite after the custard you would spread the bread-and-butter pieces with it.

I also wouldn't bother leaving it overnight but I'm impatient like that.
posted by tel3path at 3:49 PM on August 18, 2016

and forgive me for abetting your filthy habit
posted by tel3path at 3:49 PM on August 18, 2016

My sons subsist on marmite. Every breakfast is gluten free waffles from Trader Joe's, vegan butter and marmite. Marmite on their sandwich bread even burgers and in particular, bacon burgers.
posted by jadepearl at 5:20 PM on August 18, 2016

Marmite in sour cream makes a pretty good dip for pretzels / veg / potato chips.

Also, I really like buying the most unseasoned croutons that I can find, and then, when adding them to a salad, smearing them with marmite. Spinach + bacon + strawberries + croutons + marmite is A+ for this. And it's healthy! It's a salad! Healthy.
posted by mishafletch at 9:18 PM on August 18, 2016