What Can I Make with the Ingredients I Already Have?

The answer to this question is almost always: more than you think. Most home kitchens have the building blocks of a solid meal sitting in the fridge and pantry. The key is knowing the framework rather than searching for a specific recipe.

The build-a-bowl framework

Protein plus grain plus vegetable plus sauce equals a complete meal. Pick one from each category based on what you have, and build from there. The protein can be leftover chicken, canned tuna, canned chickpeas, tofu, eggs, or any cooked meat. The grain can be rice, farro, quinoa, pasta, or even bread. The vegetable can be whatever is in the fridge or freezer. The sauce ties it together.

The sauce is everything

A bowl of rice, roasted vegetables, and chickpeas with no dressing tastes like diet food. The same bowl with a tahini dressing, a yogurt sauce, or a quick pan sauce with lemon and olive oil tastes like dinner. Most pantry sauces come together in under five minutes: olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt. Tahini, lemon, water, garlic. Soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey.

Pantry staples that stretch any meal

Canned beans and lentils, frozen edamame, eggs, canned tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and any whole grain keep for weeks and combine with almost anything. If you have these, you can make a meal. The Lemon Herb Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables, the Spicy Chicken and French Lentil Bowl, and the Mediterranean Lentil Bowl all demonstrate this framework with ingredients that are easy to keep on hand.

Sous can help you build a meal from whatever you have right now. Available in the Kitchen membership at chefhealthyhenry.com.