Some days it is hard to think of anything that might make for an interesting dinner. You may have an important meeting or a mountain of laundry in the washer that you just don’t want to deal with on a Friday night. On occasions like these, one often has little desire to cook something that requires very little time and effort.
On nights like these, one pot meals are your friend. You can make an easy last min meal with a pack of pasta, vermicelli or noodles. Put in some vegetables, salt and pepper and any frozen meats or vegetables you may have and you are good to go. It’s always helpful to keep this in mind when shopping groceries online!
Creamy Pasta With Whatever Is Around
There is no need to prepare this dish in an overly sophisticated manner. Simply chop some onion and garlic in oil, and add a couple of vegetables. Peas, mushrooms, spinach, carrots, or capsicum – you name it, really.
Then, add the pasta, the milk, and the water. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, and maybe some chili if you like your food spicy. Simmer the mixture until the pasta is tender and the sauce is thick enough. Besides, you can also add the remaining chicken that was cooked yesterday. This is more of an improvisation step because, in this recipe, everyone has their own way of cooking this dish.
Noodles When Time Is Running Out
There is a reason noodles are such a popular quick dinner. They cook fast and do not need much preparation. Leftover chicken, tofu or even some sweetcorn would be a good addition to this dish. It is not a fancy food, and that is rather the point. It is hot, tasty and ready without much effort.
Vermicelli For A Change
Vermicelli may sometimes replace the never-ending curries and stir-fries for dinner. Heat oil in a pan, throw in some mustard seeds, curry leaves, chopped onions and green chillies. Sauté the onions till they are tender and add in some veggies.
Now toss in the vermicelli that has been soaked in hot water, add salt and finish it off with some lemon juice. Roasted peanuts or cashews go well with it, if you have any in the house.
This is also a good way of using up vegetables that are still good, but not quite presentable enough for a salad.
Stock Up On The Basics
A well-stocked kitchen does not require a long shopping list. Stacks of pasta, noodles and vermicelli can provide a basis for countless meals in those evenings when you do not know what to prepare
You might want to have onions, garlic, eggs, frozen vegetables, cheese, sauces and some favourite spices in your cupboard as well. They can be combined and used in different dishes so that you are not preparing the same meal twice.
If you have a busy week ahead and do not have time to do any grocery shopping, it might be a good idea to have your staple goods delivered to your home so that you would not have a disappointed family waiting for you to feed them in the evening when the store is closed.
Use What Is Already There
One pot cooking is a very forgiving kind of cooking. If the recipe you are using calls for mushrooms, but you only have peas in the fridge, throw in the peas and a few more chillies, leave out some of the unnecessary vegetables, and use yesterday’s chicken.
A little shopping groceries planning goes a long way but the most important thing is to have a flexible recipe plan for dinner. That way, dinner doesn’t turn into a full-fledged production and a regular Tuesday night doesn’t turn into a full-fledged cooking marathon.
