Waste Not, Want Not - Soups, Stews, Curries
These liquid-base meals are perfect for chilly nights, freeze well, and can be adjusted to feed different numbers of people. They also tend to be convenient one-pot meals for minimum fuss. P.S. make your own stock and use it in these recipes!
SOUPS
- A vegetable soup recipe that can be adapted to whatever is in your cupboard: you just need some stock and potatoes on hand!
- A savoury, spicy carrot & lentil soup that can be prepared in less than half an hour and frozen for later use.
- Use up holiday turkey or other poultry meats in this creamy turkey & wild rice soup. The wild rice can be substituted with cheaper alternatives, although white rice isn’t recommended. Look here for other rice recipes.
STEWS/CASSEROLES
- A hearty chicken and bacon stew that only requires some pantry staples.
- A cross between ravioli and beef lasagne that can be easily made vegetarian.
CURRIES
- British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook declared chicken tikka masala to be Britain’s true national dish in 2001 — debatable, but delectable regardless!
- This vegan potato curry may look slightly intimidating, but it doesn’t call for too many spices —all of which are handy to keep around the kitchen anyway!
- Here’s a different take that uses sweet potatoes instead.
P.S. Soups, stews, and curries all keep well, but sometimes you’re left with a smaller portion than you need. You can use it as a side or a snack, but you can also cook rice in them to give you a very flavourful dish that resembles a risotto. This method of cooking actually calls for a thinner liquid so that the resulting dish isn’t too thick! I’ve found that a 3:1 gravy to water ratio works best.
Get more ideas and read another Waste Not, Want Not article.
Thanks to our volunteer Jodi Chiang for this article