What to make when there's "nothing to eat"
Most nights there's more to eat than it looks like - it just doesn't look like a recipe. Instead of hunting for one that matches your shelves exactly, use a formula: a base, something hearty, something fresh or frozen, and a flavor. Here are eight that work with what most kitchens already have.
1. Pantry pasta
Pasta + a can (tomatoes, tuna, white beans or chickpeas) + garlic and olive oil + any vegetable, fresh or frozen. Finish with cheese, lemon or red pepper flakes. Save a splash of the pasta water - it turns everything into a sauce.
2. Fried rice
Day-old rice + eggs + frozen peas or mixed vegetables + soy sauce. Add any leftover meat. Cold rice fries better than fresh, so this is the best use of leftover takeout rice there is.
3. Eggs for dinner
A frittata, an omelet or shakshuka (eggs poached in a can of tomatoes with cumin and paprika). Eggs pick up whatever's in the crisper drawer - half an onion, a handful of spinach, the end of a block of cheese.
4. Bean soup or chili
Two cans of beans + a can of tomatoes + broth + onion and spices (chili powder and cumin, or Italian herbs). Simmer 20 minutes. It gets better the next day, and it freezes well.
5. Quesadillas or tacos
Tortillas + cheese + beans or leftover meat. Salsa, a can of corn or a spoon of sour cream make it feel finished. Burritos and nachos are the same idea.
6. Grain bowls
A grain (rice, quinoa, couscous) + a protein (beans, eggs, canned fish, leftovers) + something crunchy or fresh + a quick sauce: soy sauce and honey, peanut butter thinned with lime and water, or yogurt with garlic.
7. Soup from the freezer
Broth + frozen vegetables + a handful of pasta, rice or lentils. Lentils need no soaking and cook in about 20 minutes, which makes them the fastest protein in the pantry.
8. Breakfast for dinner
Pancakes from flour, baking powder, an egg and milk; oatmeal with fruit and nuts; or toast with eggs. Nobody complains.
Keep the formulas stocked
A short list of staples covers almost every formula above:
Pantry dinner staples
- Pasta
- Rice
- Tortillas
- Canned tomatoes
- Canned beans
- Lentils
- Broth
- Canned tuna
- Eggs
- Cheese
- Frozen vegetables
- Onions and garlic
- Soy sauce
- Olive oil
- Chili powder and cumin
More guides
- Pantry staples for a first kitchenWhat to buy first when you're stocking a kitchen from scratch - the short list of staples that covers most everyday meals, plus what to add later and what to skip.
- How to plan a week of meals around what you already haveA simple weekly routine: check what's expiring, plan meals that use it, fill the gaps with pantry staples, and shop only for what's missing.
- How to cut food waste at homeWhere household food waste really comes from, ten habits that cut it, and a simple way to track what you throw out so you can see it shrink.