Whether you’re avoiding the grocery store due to a pandemic or just trying to save money, you can make nutritious meals with ingredients you already have on hand. Prep and store these meals to help simplify your busy lifestyle. Give the following recipes a shot, and you might be surprised at how good you feel during your next workout! And, depending on your personal preferences and dietary needs, you may want to swap out some items (e.g. gluten-free grains instead of pasta or meat in place of beans).
Tuna Pantry Pasta
Inspired by Trader Joe’s
- 1 pound of pasta (any kind)
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 can of tuna packed in olive oil, drained
- 1 tablespoon red chili flakes
- Grated parmesan cheese and lemon wedges, for serving
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, for serving
Directions:
- Cook a pound of pasta according to package instructions then drain and toss with a bit of olive oil.
- Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in empty pasta pot over medium heat. Add garlic, tuna and red chili flakes and sauté for a few minutes to form a savory paste.
- Turn off heat and add pasta back to pot. Toss to coat with tuna mixture.
- Transfer pasta to serving bowls. Garnish with parsley, cheese and a squeeze of lemon and serve.
Shakshuka
Inspired by the New York Times
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne, or to taste
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes with their juices, coarsely chopped (could also use diced tomatoes or marinara sauce in a pinch)
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, plus more as needed
- 5 ounces feta, crumbled (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 6 large eggs
- Chopped cilantro, for serving (optional)
- Hot sauce, for serving (optional)
Directions:
- Heat oven to 375 degrees and heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low.
- Add onion and bell pepper to pan and cook gently until very soft, about 20 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook until tender, 1 to 2 minutes; then stir in cumin, paprika and cayenne and cook 1 minute.
- Pour in tomatoes and season with 3/4-teaspoon salt and 1/4-teaspoon pepper; simmer until tomatoes have thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Stir in crumbled feta.
- Gently crack eggs into skillet over tomatoes. Season eggs with salt and pepper.
- Transfer skillet to oven and bake until eggs are just set, 7 to 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with hot sauce.
Asian Peanut Noodles
Inspired by the blog, The Girl Who Ate Everything
-
1/2 pound spaghetti or linguini noodles (or use rice noodles if you have them on hand)
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 bunch green onions, sliced (white parts only - reserve green parts for garnish)
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (or a pinch of ground ginger)
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 1 tablespoon rice or cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Chopped peanuts and hot sauce, for serving (optional)
Directions:
- Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions and then drain.
- While noodles are cooking, prepare the sauce. In a small skillet, heat sesame oil over low heat. Add the onions (white parts only) and cook until tender. Add the ginger and cook for about 1 minute.
- Increase the heat to medium and stir in the peanut butter, soy sauce, water, vinegar, sugar and pepper. Stir until combined. Remove from heat.
- Toss noodles with sauce and garnish with sliced green onions, peanuts and hot sauce.
Lentil Sloppy Joes
Inspired by the blog, Minimalist Baker
Lentils
- 2 cups water (or a mix of water & broth)
- 1 cup green lentils, well rinsed
Sloppy Joe Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 medium white or yellow onion, minced (plus more for serving)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 medium red or green bell pepper, diced
- Sea salt and black pepper (to taste)
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 to 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 pinch smoked or regular paprika
- Toasted hamburger buns or bread, for serving
Directions:
- To a small saucepan, add liquid and rinsed lentils and heat over medium-high heat.
- Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for about 18 minutes, or until tender. The water should have a constant simmer (not boil). Drain off any excess liquid and set aside.
- In the meantime, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add oil, onion, garlic and bell pepper. Season with a pinch each salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- Sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the peppers and onions are tender and slightly browned.
- Next add tomato sauce, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, cumin and paprika. Stir to combine.
- Once the lentils are cooked, add them to the skillet as well and stir to combine.
- Continue cooking the mixture over medium-low heat until completely warmed through and thick, stirring occasionally—about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Serve the mixture on toasted buns with sliced onion.
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