How To Make Dinner With What You Have

There is nothing, and I mean nothing that gets me more excited than preparing myself a meal at home using ingredients that I already had. Running to the store at the last minute for one crucial ingredient? I mean, come on. Who even has the time? It could never be me. Instead, I try to keep my fridge, freezer, and pantry equipped with a thoughtful selection of different foods so that at any given moment, I have everything I need to make an ad hoc meal that doesn't send me into a deep depression. Home-cooked meals are exciting. Don't believe me? Here's how I get the job done.

Start With a Starch

an illustrated slot machine with options of starches to serve for dinner — Emily Lundin/Dotdash Meredith

The first ingredient that I tend to think about when I need to pull together a meal is the starch. What is going to be the hearty base of this meal? That's why I always have one of the following on hand: rice, pasta, bread, ancient grains (quinoa, farro, etc.), hearty squash, or potatoes. If I have one of these in my kitchen, then I can make dinner.

Keeping the pantry stocked with dry goods like rice and pasta is pretty simple, but it's not a bad idea to grab a bag of frozen shredded potatoes or frozen, pre-cut squash if you're not sure you'll be able to use your spuds and squashes before they get a little funky in your vegetable basket. I almost always have some bread to use in the freezer, as well. Once I've selected my starch, then I build my dinner around that item.

Pick a Protein

an illustrated slot machine with options of proteins to serve for dinner — Emily Lundin/Dotdash Meredith

Bulking up your meal with protein is easier than it sounds. For me, I typically keep my home-cooked meals vegetarian (because I like eating meat and fish to feel like an occasion), but if you prefer to keep things carnivorous, that is just as easy, too. For a vegetarian protein, always keep a couple varieties of canned beans in the cupboards. You can also opt to buy a block or two of tofu; drain your tofu, seal it in a zip-top bag, and throw it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Of course, the power of adding an egg, cooked to your liking, to any throw-together dinner cannot be understated. I always have at least a dozen in my fridge.

If you want to have meat or fish with your dinner, that's cool, too. One of the easiest (and most affordable) options is making a habit of buying a rotisserie chicken at the beginning of the week. You can also pick out a few other proteins (shrimp, skirt steak, pork chops, sausages, or any ground meat) and toss them into the freezer so they're there when you need them. But remember, frozen proteins obviously need to thaw, so if you feel a throw-together dinner night will be a near certainty in the upcoming days, make sure to move a meat to your refrigerator so that it can begin thawing.

Another solid protein option is tinned fish. Smoked salmon, albacore tuna, and trout are all widely available in the canned protein aisle, and you can get your hands on some pretty high quality products these days. Make a cold fish salad to enjoy with bread or crackers, or zhugh up a plain cup of rice with some tinned fish. I typically have a few containers in my cupboard for an emergency tuna salad. We've all been there, right?

Get Your Veggies

an illustrated slot machine with options of veggies to serve for dinner — Emily Lundin/Dotdash Meredith

I will never shy away from any opportunity to clean out my vegetable drawer. "Odds and ends" is my middle name. If you've got something green and/or crunchy in there, use it. Bonus points if you happen to keep leafy greens on hand, just make sure you use them up before they get slimy and sad.

If you find yourself with a rather desolate veggie drawer, head to the freezer and see what frozen veggie options are there. Spinach, peas, broccoli, and cauliflower are some of my favorite versatile options to have on hand. If you're not in the habit of buying frozen vegetables, it might be a good idea to pick a few packages up on your next shopping trip.

And while we're on the topic of veggies, let's not forget about aromatics. If you have onions, shallots, garlic, or ginger in the house, then you're one step closer to a flavorful, cozy meal. Buy pre-peeled items if it makes life easier for you to keep these sorts of flavor boosters in stock. No judgment. You can always stash excess peeled garlic cloves or fresh ginger root in the freezer so that they last longer and are readily available when you need them. (Note: If you plan to cook with garlic or ginger straight from the freezer, use a handheld grater like a microplane, rather than a knife, in order to avoid injury.)

Nuts and Cheese, Obviously

Listen, we're not making a charcuterie board here, but having at least one nut and/or one cheese can upgrade a lackluster pantry meal to an exciting creation. The best part is that there are no wrong answers. Almonds, cashews, walnuts, peanuts, pistachios, pecans – just pick one from whatever you have kicking around. And if you're allergic, go for a seed – sunflower, sesame, and hemp seeds are a simple way to add a subtle crunch.

Regarding cheese, you might as well file a missing persons report for me if there is not a hunk of Parmesan in my fridge. If there is but one culinary lesson I can impart upon you, it is that showering anything with a generous shaving of Parm will make it infinitely more enjoyable. And it will last a good while in your fridge. If you're more of a soft cheese person, keep a small stash of blue, goat, or feta around for salads and bowls.

Sauces, Condiments, and Thangs

an illustrated slot machine with options of dressings and sauces to serve for dinner — Emily Lundin/Dotdash Meredith

This category is the icing on your cake, so to speak. If you have it, that's great – but if you don't, you can still get by. Keeping a few exciting sauces in your fridge is an easy way to keep morale high when it comes to dinner time. Harissa, pesto, hummus, guacamole, marinara sauce, curry paste, soy sauce, salsa, Buffalo sauce, mustard – whatever gets you going, buy that and keep it around.

Anything you can toss into a soup, salad, pasta dish, or oven-roasted situation that might make it a little more flavorful and exciting will become your weeknight dinner weapon. And yes, you can definitely mix and match condiments to whisk up your own custom sauce.

Okay, So Now What?

Alright, so now that we've discussed the different categories of ingredients that you should be mindful of keeping stocked, how do you put this all together? Well, friends, that is the joy of cooking and the power of creativity. If you're starting with rice, maybe you make a Tex-Mex bowl with your protein of choice, some sauteed veggies, a dollop of prepared salsa, and shredded cheese. Or perhaps you make fried rice, which is always a great last-minute option. As long as you have soy sauce, eggs, and some veggies, you can have some fun with it.

If you're going to use pasta, maybe start by sauteing whatever veggies you have, tossing in a spoonful of pesto, then mixing in some cooked pasta and a (drained) can of beans, or your protein of choice. Remember that hunk of Parm I recommended? See where I'm going with this? If you're cooking up another grain like quinoa or farro, make a hearty grain bowl with soft cheeses, nuts, greens, and your favorite sauce or condiment. Got some bread in the freezer? Sounds like you can make a sandwich or simple open-faced toast situation with whatever proteins you have.

Generally speaking, I think home cooks can often get far too hung up on flavor pairings. But will chicken taste right with walnuts? Is it weird to make pasta with chickpeas and squash? My advice: Don't overthink it. After all, the only way to find out is to simply do. And you know what? Most times, it works. And if it doesn't work out to be your favorite, then you learned something and you're on your way to becoming a better cook.