Whether the cupboard is bare or the shelves groan with food, getting a quick dinner on the table can be a disaster–or a delight.
Granted, luxury ingredients such as wild rice, smoked oysters and white truffle oil are lovely to have and a pleasure to cook with. But on weekdays, when the family is hungry, homework looms, and you have loads of wash waiting in the basement, basics beckon.
Our trick to simple suppers is to keep five key ingredients on hand. Start with onion, garlic, canned tomatoes, vinegar and olive oil. Add meat (or skip it entirely), veggies and a few other ingredients, and you’ll be on your way to speedy, not-quite-from-scratch soup, sandwiches or pasta.
Begin by heating olive oil in a large skillet. Using a nonstick pan lets you keep the fat to a minimum, but don’t eliminate it. Even a drizzle adds flavor. Cook the onions until they soften and start to brown. The color change is a signal that the natural sugars in the onions have started to caramelize, a process that adds complexity and a touch of sweetness.
Stir in the garlic; as soon as it becomes fragrant, add the next ingredients, including diced canned tomatoes, a shortcut to sunny flavors. Don’t let the garlic brown, or it will become bitter.
And don’t omit the vinegar, either wine vinegar or balsamic: Its sweet-and-sour flavor adds complexity and sophistication to even the simplest of recipes. You don’t need to break the bank to buy it, either. Inexpensive grocery-store brands work well in these recipes.
Once you get the hang of combining the basic ingredients, variations will come naturally. Make the sandwiches with chicken or sausage, or leave out the meat and add more cheese.
Change the veggies in the pasta to suit your palate or what looks good at the grocery. (Green beans are especially good with the combination of onions, tomatoes and balsamic vinegar.) Add leftover ground beef or chopped, sauteed sausage for a dish that’s even heartier.
Try other types of tortellini in the soup, or stir in cooked shell pasta and canned white beans for an easy version of pasta e fagioli. The choice is yours; and so is victory, as you learn to avoid a dinnertime disaster.
Easy meatball sandwiches
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Microwaving time: 6 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Meatballs:
1 egg
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons plain or seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground round, see note
Sandwiches:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, cut into slivers lengthwise
1 cup sliced bell pepper (red, yellow, green or a combination)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can (14 ounces) can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, see note
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or to taste
Dried red pepper flakes, optional
Salt, optional
Freshly ground black pepper
4 hoagie rolls, split in half
Shredded mozzarella cheese, optional
1. For meatballs, beat egg with a fork in a large bowl; stir in garlic, bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste. Add beef, mixing gently but well. Form into 12 meatballs. Arrange meatballs on a microwave-safe rack or in a circle around the perimeter of a large microwave-safe plate; cook on high 3 minutes. Turn meatballs; cook 1 minute. Remove any meatballs that are done. Continue cooking in 30-second bursts, removing meatballs as they are done.
2. For sandwiches, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce and vinegar; heat to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; add a few dried red pepper flakes.
3. Add meatballs; cover, cook, gently stirring occasionally, until heated through, adding a few tablespoons of water if the sauce gets too dry, about 4 minutes. Add more vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Split open bread or rolls; place on serving plates. Ladle on sauce and meatballs. Sprinkle with cheese.
Note: You can substitute 12 chicken tenders for the meatballs. Add to simmering sauce; cook until done, about 5 minutes. If you use plain diced tomatoes, add 11/2 teaspoons dried basil and 1 teaspoon dried oregano to the sauce.
Nutrition information per serving:
739 calories, 32% of calories from fat, 26 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 123 mg cholesterol, 88 g carbohydrates, 37 g protein, 1,861 mg sodium, 6 g fiber
Easy veggie pasta
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
8 ounces pasta
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
2 small zucchini, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cans (14 ounces each) diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons each, chopped: fresh basil, fresh parsley
Freshly ground pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional
1. Cook pasta in boiling water salted with 1/2 teaspoon of salt according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add onion; cook, stirring frequently, until onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and zucchini; cook, stirring often, until mushrooms release their liquid and vegetables begin to brown, about 4 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring, 30 seconds.
2. Add 1 can of the tomatoes with their liquid. Drain other can of tomatoes, reserving juice; add tomatoes to skillet. Stir in vinegar. Heat to a boil; reduce heat. Let sauce simmer while pasta is cooking, about 6 minutes; if mixture becomes too dry, add reserved juice. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
3. Add cooked pasta to the skillet. If the mixture seems dry, add water. Stir in fresh basil, parsley and pepper to taste. Serve topped with Parmesan.
Nutrition information per serving:
306 calories, 13% of calories from fat, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 57 g carbohydrates, 11 g protein, 842 mg sodium, 7 g fiber
Quick tortellini soup
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cans (14 ounces each) reduced-sodium, low-fat chicken broth
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated portobello mushroom tortellini or other variety
1 cup chopped fresh spinach or 1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Freshly ground pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese
1. Heat oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add broth and tomatoes and their liquid; heat to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add tortellini; cook until tortellini are heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in spinach and vinegar; cook until spinach wilts and is heated through, about 2-3 minutes. Add pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls; top with cheese.
Nutrition information per serving:
221 calories, 39% of calories from fat, 10 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 87 mg cholesterol, 23 g carbohydrates, 11 g protein, 394 mg sodium, 3 g fiber
