feat: Add recipe as ingredient (#4800)

Co-authored-by: Michael Genson <71845777+michael-genson@users.noreply.github.com>

mealie/alembic/versions/2025-09-10-19.21.48_1d9a002d7234_add_referenced_recipe_to_ingredients.py

@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+"""'Add referenced_recipe to ingredients'
+
+Revision ID: 1d9a002d7234
+Revises: e6bb583aac2d
+Create Date: 2025-09-10 19:21:48.479101
+
+"""
+
+import sqlalchemy as sa
+from alembic import op
+
+import mealie.db.migration_types
+
+# revision identifiers, used by Alembic.
+revision = "1d9a002d7234"
+down_revision: str | None = "e6bb583aac2d"
+branch_labels: str | tuple[str, ...] | None = None
+depends_on: str | tuple[str, ...] | None = None
+
+
+def upgrade():
+    # ### commands auto generated by Alembic - please adjust! ###
+    with op.batch_alter_table("recipes_ingredients", schema=None) as batch_op:
+        batch_op.add_column(sa.Column("referenced_recipe_id", mealie.db.migration_types.GUID(), nullable=True))
+        batch_op.create_index(
+            batch_op.f("ix_recipes_ingredients_referenced_recipe_id"), ["referenced_recipe_id"], unique=False
+        )
+        batch_op.create_foreign_key("fk_recipe_subrecipe", "recipes", ["referenced_recipe_id"], ["id"])
+
+    # ### end Alembic commands ###
+
+
+def downgrade():
+    # ### commands auto generated by Alembic - please adjust! ###
+    with op.batch_alter_table("recipes_ingredients", schema=None) as batch_op:
+        batch_op.drop_constraint("fk_recipe_subrecipe", type_="foreignkey")
+        batch_op.drop_index(batch_op.f("ix_recipes_ingredients_referenced_recipe_id"))
+        batch_op.drop_column("referenced_recipe_id")
+
+    # ### end Alembic commands ###

mealie/core/exceptions.py

@@ -22,6 +22,14 @@ class PermissionDenied(Exception):
     pass
 
 
+class RecursiveRecipe(Exception):
+    """
+    This exception is raised when a recipe references itself, either directly or indirectly.
+    """
+
+    pass
+
+
 class SlugError(Exception):
     """
     This exception is raised when the recipe name generates an invalid slug.
@@ -47,6 +55,7 @@ def mealie_registered_exceptions(t: Translator) -> dict:
         PermissionDenied: t.t("exceptions.permission-denied"),
         NoEntryFound: t.t("exceptions.no-entry-found"),
         IntegrityError: t.t("exceptions.integrity-error"),
+        RecursiveRecipe: t.t("exceptions.recursive-recipe-link"),
     }
 
 

mealie/db/models/recipe/ingredient.py

@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ from .._model_utils.guid import GUID
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from ..group import Group
     from ..household import Household
-
+    from .recipe import RecipeModel
 
 households_to_ingredient_foods = sa.Table(
     "households_to_ingredient_foods",
@@ -358,6 +358,12 @@ class RecipeIngredientModel(SqlAlchemyBase, BaseMixins):
 
     reference_id: Mapped[GUID | None] = mapped_column(GUID)  # Reference Links
 
+    # Recipe Reference
+    referenced_recipe_id: Mapped[GUID | None] = mapped_column(GUID, ForeignKey("recipes.id"), index=True)
+    referenced_recipe: Mapped["RecipeModel"] = orm.relationship(
+        "RecipeModel", back_populates="referenced_ingredients", foreign_keys=[referenced_recipe_id]
+    )
+
     # Automatically updated by sqlalchemy event, do not write to this manually
     note_normalized: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String, index=True)
     original_text_normalized: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String, index=True)

mealie/db/models/recipe/recipe.py

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ from sqlalchemy.orm.session import object_session
 from mealie.db.models._model_utils.auto_init import auto_init
 from mealie.db.models._model_utils.datetime import NaiveDateTime, get_utc_today
 from mealie.db.models._model_utils.guid import GUID
+from mealie.db.models.recipe.ingredient import RecipeIngredientModel
 
 from .._model_base import BaseMixins, SqlAlchemyBase
 from ..household.household_to_recipe import HouseholdToRecipe
@@ -22,7 +23,6 @@ from .api_extras import ApiExtras, api_extras
 from .assets import RecipeAsset
 from .category import recipes_to_categories
 from .comment import RecipeComment
-from .ingredient import RecipeIngredientModel
 from .instruction import RecipeInstruction
 from .note import Note
 from .nutrition import Nutrition
@@ -100,11 +100,17 @@ class RecipeModel(SqlAlchemyBase, BaseMixins):
     )
     tools: Mapped[list["Tool"]] = orm.relationship("Tool", secondary=recipes_to_tools, back_populates="recipes")
 
-    recipe_ingredient: Mapped[list[RecipeIngredientModel]] = orm.relationship(
+    recipe_ingredient: Mapped[list["RecipeIngredientModel"]] = orm.relationship(
         "RecipeIngredientModel",
         cascade="all, delete-orphan",
         order_by="RecipeIngredientModel.position",
         collection_class=ordering_list("position"),
+        foreign_keys="RecipeIngredientModel.recipe_id",
+    )
+    referenced_ingredients: Mapped[list["RecipeIngredientModel"]] = orm.relationship(
+        "RecipeIngredientModel",
+        foreign_keys="RecipeIngredientModel.referenced_recipe_id",
+        back_populates="referenced_recipe",
     )
     recipe_instructions: Mapped[list[RecipeInstruction]] = orm.relationship(
         "RecipeInstruction",

mealie/lang/messages/en-US.json

@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@
     },
     "exceptions": {
         "permission_denied": "You do not have permission to perform this action",
+        "recursive-recipe-link": "A recipe cannot reference itself, either directly or indirectly",
         "no-entry-found": "The requested resource was not found",
         "integrity-error": "Database integrity error",
         "username-conflict-error": "This username is already taken",

mealie/routes/recipe/recipe_crud_routes.py

@@ -94,6 +94,12 @@ class RecipeController(BaseRecipeController):
             raise HTTPException(
                 status_code=status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST, detail=ErrorResponse.respond(message="Recipe already exists")
             )
+        elif thrownType == exceptions.RecursiveRecipe:
+            self.logger.error("Recursive Recipe Link Error on recipe controller action")
+            raise HTTPException(
+                status_code=status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST,
+                detail=ErrorResponse.respond(message=self.t("exceptions.recursive-recipe-link")),
+            )
         elif thrownType == exceptions.SlugError:
             self.logger.error("Failed to generate a valid slug from recipe name")
             raise HTTPException(

mealie/schema/recipe/recipe_ingredient.py

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ from mealie.db.models.recipe import IngredientFoodModel
 from mealie.schema._mealie import MealieModel
 from mealie.schema._mealie.mealie_model import UpdatedAtField
 from mealie.schema._mealie.types import NoneFloat
+from mealie.schema.recipe.recipe import Recipe
 from mealie.schema.response.pagination import PaginationBase
 
 INGREDIENT_QTY_PRECISION = 3
@@ -155,8 +156,9 @@ class RecipeIngredientBase(MealieModel):
     quantity: NoneFloat = 0
     unit: IngredientUnit | CreateIngredientUnit | None = None
     food: IngredientFood | CreateIngredientFood | None = None
-    note: str | None = ""
+    referenced_recipe: Recipe | None = None
 
+    note: str | None = ""
     display: str = ""
     """
     How the ingredient should be displayed

mealie/services/household_services/shopping_lists.py

@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ from mealie.schema.household.group_shopping_list import (
     ShoppingListOut,
     ShoppingListSave,
 )
+from mealie.schema.recipe.recipe import Recipe
 from mealie.schema.recipe.recipe_ingredient import (
     IngredientFood,
     IngredientUnit,
@@ -315,10 +316,22 @@ class ShoppingListService:
 
         list_items: list[ShoppingListItemCreate] = []
         for ingredient in recipe_ingredients:
+            if isinstance(ingredient.referenced_recipe, Recipe):
+                # Recursively process sub-recipe ingredients
+                sub_recipe = ingredient.referenced_recipe
+                sub_scale = (ingredient.quantity or 1) * scale
+                sub_items = self.get_shopping_list_items_from_recipe(
+                    list_id,
+                    sub_recipe.id,
+                    sub_scale,
+                    sub_recipe.recipe_ingredient,
+                )
+                list_items.extend(sub_items)
+                continue
+
             if isinstance(ingredient.food, IngredientFood):
                 food_id = ingredient.food.id
                 label_id = ingredient.food.label_id
-
             else:
                 food_id = None
                 label_id = None

mealie/services/recipe/recipe_service.py

@@ -369,6 +369,27 @@ class RecipeService(RecipeServiceBase):
 
         return new_recipe
 
+    def has_recursive_recipe_link(self, recipe: Recipe, visited: set[str] | None = None):
+        """Recursively checks if a recipe links to itself through its ingredients."""
+
+        if visited is None:
+            visited = set()
+        recipe_id = str(getattr(recipe, "id", None))
+        if recipe_id in visited:
+            return True
+
+        visited.add(recipe_id)
+        ingredients = getattr(recipe, "recipe_ingredient", [])
+        for ing in ingredients:
+            try:
+                sub_recipe = self.get_one(ing.referenced_recipe.id)
+            except (AttributeError, exceptions.NoEntryFound):
+                continue
+
+            if self.has_recursive_recipe_link(sub_recipe, visited):
+                return True
+        return False
+
     def _pre_update_check(self, slug_or_id: str | UUID, new_data: Recipe) -> Recipe:
         """
         gets the recipe from the database and performs a check to see if the user can update the recipe.
@@ -399,6 +420,9 @@ class RecipeService(RecipeServiceBase):
         if setting_lock and not self.can_lock_unlock(recipe):
             raise exceptions.PermissionDenied("You do not have permission to lock/unlock this recipe.")
 
+        if self.has_recursive_recipe_link(new_data):
+            raise exceptions.RecursiveRecipe("Recursive recipe link detected. Update aborted.")
+
         return recipe
 
     def update_one(self, slug_or_id: str | UUID, update_data: Recipe) -> Recipe: