Thrifty Meals

Make the Most of What Is Left 2 crisp noodle cakes cut into halves, with chicken-vegetable gravy; 1 half-cake and one-quarter of the gravy per serving · Active 30 min · Total 40 min Skills: Moderate Cooked noodles take a different shape when they are pressed into a skillet and left to form a crisp cake. A little beaten egg holds the strands together without hiding them. A thick chicken and vegetable gravy is spooned over at the table, keeping part of each cake dry enough to show its golden crust. This uses a modest amount of cooked chicken across four portions. Jump to ingredients The pan needs contact, not stirring Separate the noodles before mixing in the eggs. Long, well-drained wheat noodles make a cake with visible strands; noodles that are swimming in sauce are not suitable for this base recipe. Spread half the mixture into the pan, press it into an even layer and leave ...

A Little Meat or Fish 4 generous portions of split-pea filling under mashed potato · Active 30 min · Total 2 hr 5 min Skills: Easy A small amount of cooked ham flavors a thick split-pea and carrot filling under mashed potato. The peas need to become completely soft before the pie is assembled; the oven stage browns the topping rather than finishing hard peas. Potatoes cook in a second pan during the simmer. The completed dish makes four generous portions. Jump to ingredients Make a filling, not a pot of soup Rinse and sort the split peas, then simmer them with the onion, carrot and measured water. They should soften enough to break down when pressed with a spoon. The exact time varies with the age of the peas, so keep cooking if the centers remain gritty. Stir more often as the mixture thickens and add a little water if it catches before becoming tender. At the end, uncover briefly if needed. A spoonful should mound rather than immediately spread across the plate. That thickness suppo...

A Vegetable-Led Table 4 generous portions of layered potatoes and spinach · Active 25 min · Total 2 hr Skills: Easy Thin potato slices and squeezed frozen spinach make a substantial layered bake with a simple milk sauce. A little cheddar on the surface gives a clear browned finish. The long oven time is deliberate: potatoes need to become tender all the way through before the dish is uncovered. A short rest afterward makes the layers easier to lift. Jump to ingredients Slice for even cooking Use a sharp knife to make potato slices about one-eighth of an inch thick. A mandoline is optional equipment, not a necessary purchase. Uneven slices create a dish in which the thin pieces break down while thicker ones still resist the fork. Keep the prepared potatoes in a bowl of cold water only while making the sauce, then drain well before layering. The bake needs their starch to help thicken the milk, so do not soak them for a long period or rinse repeatedly after slicing. Spread the pieces in...

Beans and Grains That Go Further 6 thin lentil-carrot crepes; 3 per serving with lemon yogurt · Active 35 min · Total 2 hr 50 min Skills: Easy Soaked red lentils blend into a pourable batter for thin savory crepes. Finely grated carrot gives them a soft orange color and a little texture, while lemon yogurt sits alongside. The lentils need a two-hour refrigerator soak before cooking, so this is a recipe to begin earlier in the day rather than after you are already hungry. The soak is part of the total time, not an invisible preparation step. Jump to ingredients Soften the lentils before blending Use ordinary split red lentils, rinse well and soak in plenty of cold water in the refrigerator. Drain and rinse again before blending with the measured batter water. A countertop blender makes a smoother batter than a small weak chopper. The mixture should pour easily and coat the pan in a thin layer; very coarse fragments create thick weak spots. Thin layers cook more evenly Stir the batter b...

Cupboard Suppers 2 generous bowls of cabbage and bow-tie pasta · Active 20 min · Total 40 min Skills: Easy Browning makes cabbage the main flavor of this simple pasta pan. The edges turn golden while the centers remain soft, and a small amount of butter coats the bow ties with the help of pasta water. There is no cream sauce or cheese to buy for it. The cabbage needs a wide pan and two batches; putting every shred into a small pan at once produces a perfectly edible but quite different steamed-cabbage dish. Jump to ingredients Cut through the tough center Remove damaged outer leaves and the hard core, then cut the cabbage into ribbons about half an inch wide. Extremely fine shreds soften before they can brown. Let each batch sit against the hot pan for a minute or two before turning. Keep the browned bits golden, not black, and lower the heat if the butter begins to smell scorched. The cooking water is part of the sauce Reserve the measured water just before draining the pasta, when i...

Make the Most of What Is Left 4 large wraps; 1 filled wrap per serving · Active 25 min · Total 35 min Skills: Easy A small container of roast potatoes can make more than a reheated side dish. Here the potatoes regain browned edges in a skillet, then join hot lentils and a separate crunchy cabbage filling inside soft tortillas. The yogurt and mustard dressing belongs to the raw vegetables, so it does not soak the potato crust before the wraps are rolled. Jump to ingredients Reheat first, recover the crust second Cut large leftover potato pieces into roughly even chunks. Their browned sides can look ready while the centers are still cold, so give them enough time in the pan and check a thick piece. The potatoes need to reach 165°F/74°C, not merely acquire a new golden patch. Avoid turning them constantly: contact with the pan is what rebuilds the crust. Use a wide skillet so the pieces have room. If they stick initially, wait another minute before trying to release them rather than scra...

A Little Meat or Fish 8 filled savory pancakes; 2 pancakes per serving · Active 35 min · Total 50 min Skills: Moderate Thin homemade pancakes wrap a thick filling of tuna, white beans and onion in a simple milk sauce. The beans help make the filling substantial without a large amount of fish. Pancake batter rests while the sauce is made, then the pancakes are cooked one by one. Serve two filled pancakes per person, with the ends open enough to show what is inside. Jump to ingredients Rest the batter while making the filling Whisk the flour and eggs with part of the milk first to make a thick smooth paste, then thin it with the rest. This is easier than trying to chase dry lumps around a full bowl of liquid. A short rest lets the flour hydrate. During that wait, cook the onion and sauce so the filling can remain hot on a low heat while the pancakes are made. Mash a small portion of the beans to give the sauce body; keep the rest whole so the filling has more than one texture. Thin panc...

A Vegetable-Led Table 4 servings, each with 2 small cheese biscuits and one-quarter of the vegetable filling · Active 25 min · Total 1 hr 5 min Skills: Easy Cabbage and sweetcorn sit under small cheese-biscuit mounds in this savory cobbler. The filling is cooked before the topping goes on, so the oven can concentrate on baking the dough. Eight small mounds are easier to portion than one thick blanket of biscuit. Each serving gets two biscuits and a generous spooning of the creamy vegetables beneath. Jump to ingredients Soften cabbage before it goes under cover Raw cabbage loses a great deal of volume as it cooks. Putting it straight into a casserole under biscuit dough leaves the topping suspended over a wet, collapsing filling. Cook the shredded cabbage in the skillet first and stir until its bulk reduces. Then add flour and milk to create a sauce that lightly coats it. Sweetcorn adds texture without another chopping job. The vegetable mixture should be hot when the biscuits go on, h...

Beans and Grains That Go Further 4 equal generous bowls of chunky chowder · Active 20 min · Total 45 min Skills: Easy Blending some of the potato and corn gives this chowder body while leaving the chickpeas whole. Milk supplies the creamy finish without needing cream, and the short ingredient list keeps the focus on ordinary vegetables and a can of beans. It should be thick enough to coat a spoon but still pour into a bowl. The texture comes from the cooked vegetables, so give the potatoes enough time to soften fully. Jump to ingredients Blend only part of the pot Once the potato is tender, lift about two cups of the potato-corn mixture with some liquid into a suitable blender. Blend carefully according to the appliance instructions for hot food, then return it to the pan. Keeping the remaining vegetables whole gives the chowder variety. Add chickpeas afterward so they stay distinct rather than disappearing into the thickener. Milk goes in near the end The water stage cooks the potato...

Cupboard Suppers 4 equal soup portions, each with 1 garlic toast slice · Active 15 min · Total 35 min Skills: Easy Rolled oats give this pea soup a soft, creamy body without a carton of cream. The oats simmer before the peas arrive, so the vegetables need only a short cooking time and keep a clear green color. Milk rounds the finish, and four slices of garlic toast are included in the meal. A stick blender is convenient, but the soup can also be mashed for a rougher texture if that is the equipment available. Jump to ingredients The soup thickens after the heat stops Oats continue absorbing liquid while the pot stands. Blend or mash the soup, then give it five minutes before deciding it needs more thickness. If it becomes too thick, add hot water a tablespoon or two at a time. A spoon should travel through it easily; it should not stand in a mound like porridge. Put garlic on warm toast Toast the bread before rubbing it with a cut garlic clove. The rough surface catches the garlic fla...

Make the Most of What Is Left 12 bread dumplings with onion gravy; 3 dumplings and one-quarter of the gravy per serving · Active 30 min · Total 1 hr 5 min Skills: Moderate Firm bread ends and a small amount of cooked roast vegetables become soft, substantial dumplings in a pool of onion gravy. The vegetables stay in little pieces rather than being blended away. A short soak brings the bread together, while gentle poaching keeps the outside tender. Three dumplings and a generous spooning of gravy make each of the four portions. Jump to ingredients Dry bread earns its place here Choose a plain loaf with a reasonably firm crumb. Bread that has become dry is useful because it takes up the measured milk without collapsing immediately; bread with mould or an off smell must be discarded. Cut away only a genuinely hard, thick crust, then chop that crust finely rather than throwing it away. The soaked mixture should squeeze together in your hand. If it is dripping, it needs a little more stand...

A Little Meat or Fish 1 round stuffed bread, cut into 4 generous wedges · Active 40 min · Total 2 hr 30 min Skills: Moderate A simple yeast dough encloses a cooked filling of sardines, tomato and onion. Reducing the tomato and cooling the filling are important: wet hot filling makes a thin bread envelope difficult to seal. The dough rises while the filling cooks and cools. Four substantial wedges make a useful meal from two small cans of fish and a modest amount of flour. Jump to ingredients Use the rising time twice Once the dough is mixed, cover it and let it rise until noticeably puffy. The room temperature affects how long this takes, so look at the dough as well as the clock. During that wait, soften the onion and reduce the tomato filling. Spread the cooked mixture on a plate to cool promptly. It should be cool enough to handle before the dough is rolled; warm filling softens the thin lower layer and can make it tear as the top is fitted. A reduced filling is easier to enclose D...

A Vegetable-Led Table 4 bowls, each with one-quarter of the potatoes and tomato-braised beans · Active 20 min · Total 40 min Skills: Easy Frozen green beans make this tomato braise easy to measure without committing to a large bag of fresh produce. Cooked potatoes catch the sauce and turn the vegetables into a generous bowl. A small measured handful of parsley finishes the dish; it is chopped into the potatoes rather than used as an ornamental sprig. The two pans can cook together. Jump to ingredients Give frozen beans a proper sauce Start by softening the onion, then let the tomato bubble long enough to lose its raw, watery appearance. Add the frozen beans directly instead of thawing them on the counter. Their released moisture becomes part of the braise, so begin with only the small amount of water listed. Cover briefly to help them heat through, then uncover to concentrate the sauce. Follow the bean packet if it requires a longer cooking time. The finished beans should be tender an...

Beans and Grains That Go Further 4 bean burgers in buns, each with one quarter of the slaw · Active 30 min · Total 1 hr Skills: Easy Canned kidney beans and grated carrot make firm, savory patties for a simple burger supper. Drying the bean mash briefly and resting the mixture both matter more than adding a large amount of crumbs. The buns and tangy cabbage slaw are included, so the recipe finishes as four complete burgers. Use fully cooked canned kidney beans here; this is not a shortcut for preparing dried red kidney beans. Jump to ingredients Dry the mash before binding Rinse and drain the beans, then mash roughly in the warm skillet. Stir for a few minutes so excess moisture can escape. Let the mash cool before adding egg, otherwise the binder begins cooking in patches. Leave some bean pieces for texture, but crush enough to make the mixture hold together. Turn a burger only when it has a crust The patties need an undisturbed first side. Use medium heat and slide a broad spatula f...

Cupboard Suppers 4 bowls of tomato rice with one quarter of the egg ribbons each · Active 20 min · Total 45 min Skills: Easy Tomato rice and a thin, crisp-edged omelet make a satisfying pan dinner from a short cupboard list. The rice cooks by absorption, while the eggs cook separately and are cut into ribbons. That separation keeps the yellow strands visible instead of letting raw egg disappear into the grains. Use plain long-grain white rice and have a lid ready before adding the liquid; this is a covered rice dish, not a fried-rice recipe. Jump to ingredients Let the tomatoes lose their raw edge Softening the onion and briefly simmering the tomatoes before the rice goes in gives the base a fuller flavor. Stir the rice through that mixture so it is evenly coated, then add the measured water. Keep the lid on during the main cooking stage. Lifting it repeatedly releases the steam needed to cook the top layer. An omelet made for slicing The eggs need a broad, lightly oiled nonstick surf...