So there you are — without a plan for dinner. You don’t want to go to the store. You have a pantry and a refrigerator full of food that is on the brink of spoiling, but you also don’t want to follow a recipe. Don’t you just want to be able to throw something together — like mom used to do? Here’s your primer on an easy, no-recipe dinner.
Mom always made a no-recipe dinner look easy
You don’t always think about how amazing your mom was or is in the zero-waste food department. Moms have a way of making the most of what they have, which means a lot of hodge-podge meals, thrown together, with love and ingenuity in the kitchen. The light bulb comes on when that day comes and she visits. She rifles through the cupboards and fridge, and she somehow comes up with a masterpiece at the dinner table. Then she looks at you, like, ‘What?’
Use your noodle and gather what you have
You can get there. First, think about what you have on hand, especially the vegetables that need to get used soon before going south. You may have some sort of protein in the freezer to thaw, or something you’ve been hanging onto for a while in the fridge. You have spices in the cupboard. There’s the perfect combination. Where there is a will, there is a way.
So, recently, the Onionista was in that very situation. She had frozen chicken, link sausage, peppers and onions, all days away from the trash can. Infusing mom’s spirit, she threw it together for a sheet pan meal.
She chopped up the chicken breasts into chunks, sliced up the sausage, chopped up some aging potatoes that needed to be cooked and cut up some onions onions and peppers.
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Just throw it together for a great sheet pan meal. Drizzle with olive oil and seasonings and you’ve got a great, satisfying dinner.
The fridge revealed some other ingredients: leftover diced onions and green peppers (that were being saved for omelets but also nearing their end days). They made for a great addition to sprinkle on top. Drizzle it all with a little olive oil, sprinkle it with your favorite seasoning. No idea what temperature to cook it at? Google something similar; cook at that temperature and time, and watch closely to make sure the meal doesn’t burn.
ZERO WASTE
It’s a gas finding a way to use everything from the refrigerator and pantry. A no-recipe dinner means using it all and wasting nothing. In today’s age, food waste is a huge issue. In a few years, there will be millions more people to feed, and we need good, wholesome food to feed us. We need to find ways not to waste food. Think about your grandparents living in the Depression. They had to make use of EVERYTHING. If they can do it, so can you! Here’s to zero waste.
Last-minute no-recipe dinner ideas
You can throw together an easy no-recipe dinner. It’s an easy combination — protein + vegetables + potatoes. Then bake on a greased sheet pan for 45 minutes or so at 375 degrees. Check often after 30 minutes. Ovens and altitudes vary!
Throw together your proteins and vegetables with rice or quinoa for another easy no-recipe dinner.
Another easy, high-protein dinner: 1 box macaroni and cheese, one can of tuna, drained; one can of peas, drained; one onion, chopped. Make the mac and cheese according to the box directions. When done, dump in the tuna, onions and peas. Heat through and serve as a quick tuna casserole without the oven.
Tell us how you came out! How creative did you get and what were you able to salvage before it had to be thrown away?
