All the Easy Meals I Cook When I Don’t Want to Cook Anything – Bon Appetit
Every Wednesday, Bon Appétit executive editor Sonia Chopra shares what’s going on at BA—the stories she’s loved reading, the recipes she’s been making, and more. If you sign up for our newsletter, you’ll get her letter before everyone else.
Okay, I have to ask: Have you hit yet another cooking low point, or is it just me? The other day I went into the kitchen to make lunch, only to discover a fridge completely empty of anything but condiments. There wasn’t take-out rice or eggs or even a last little knuckle of parm. I ended up eating graham crackers right out of the sleeve, smeared with peanut butter like an after-school snack.
It’s not that I’m sick of cooking, really! It’s just as I started eating out more, I just kind of…stopped planning as much as I used to. And maybe forgot to go grocery shopping once or twice. And yes, chose outdoor brunch over the farmers market. But I’m trying to get back on track. I’ve been scouring the BA archives for advice, tips, and recipes to help. There are so many old recipes that feel very new to me, and it’s been fun to scroll through them, bookmarking things for later use as I get back into the swing of cooking. In particular I’m gravitating toward sauces—these five are a great place to start—and marinated dishes, like this zucchini tossed in a vinaigrette and served over ricotta. Or quick recipes that use up all the veg in my fridge, like this ratatouille pasta (double the ratatouille and turn the leftovers into another meal), or that get better with age, as this make-ahead lentil salad does.
Really, I’m just looking for ways to impart big flavor without a ton of time. I’ve gotten super into this ginger-scallion tofu scramble and this ginger-mustard barbecue sauce, both heavy on one of my favorite ingredients (ginger!), and I can’t wait to try this soy-ginger egg scramble, which BA’s Editorial Director Amanda Shapiro calls her “never-fail lazy dinner.”
Below are a few of the other dishes I’ve been making as I try to ease back into cooking after an early summer filled with lazy, snacky meals and lots and lots of eating out. Please tell me what you’re eating these days too (seriously, I need the inspiration)—as always, I’m at [email protected].