When shopping for your weekly groceries, there are several items that should be staples in your kitchen. The simplest ingredients can make the most amazing food. Having these items on hand will make it easier to create a great meal. The key ingredients to a great meal are as simple as these.
Potatoes
You may think of a potato as just a bland starch. You couldn’t be more wrong! Think of a potato as a blank canvas just waiting for amazing flavors. Of course potatoes make a great side dish. Whether mashed, roasted, or baked, almost everyone loves to eat potatoes as a side dish. But potatoes are great ingredients in main courses as well. A Sunday pot roast is not complete without big chunks of potatoes in the mix. There are great potato hash meals also; and not just for breakfast! Add chopped steak, onions, and bell peppers to your hash browns for a comforting dinner. You should learn how to make loaded baked potato soup for a great fall or winter meal that’s sure to warm you up.
Rice
Rice is another one of those staples that we take for granted. Like the potato, rice can go from a side dish to main course with a little effort. A favorite meal of ours is a chicken stir fry. Cook your rice ahead of time according to the instructions. Then on a griddle throw on the rice, add some carrots and onions and allow them to soften. Next add a couple of eggs and mix it up. Add your favorite cooked protein like chicken and spice it up with garlic, soy sauce, and other Asian spices and voila! It’s a meal everyone loves. And it’s quick and easy.
Rice is also a great addition to your favorite soups. It will instantly transform an everyday soup into a hearty meal.
Pasta
Pasta is the perfect addition to almost any protein. You may like a delicious garlic and herb tomato based sauce added to spaghetti. You can take that base and add spicy Italian sausage and pour it over any type of pasta. A nice penne pasta had grooves that allow a sauce to really clink to each noodle. And fettuccini has is a beautiful long flat noodle that works especially well with cream sauces like alfredo.
Pasta also makes great side dishes. Cold pasta salads made with rotini with a light vinegar and oil dressing tossed with chopped olives, feta cheese, and ham is a great addition to any meal. Of course pastas can also be added to soups to make a more hearty meal.
Onions, peppers, cheese
Be sure you keep a couple of onions in the crisper drawer at all times. Having a few bell and red peppers in the drawer is also a good idea. And any meal becomes more decadent when you add cheese. When possible you should shred your own cheese for the best meltability.
Having these ingredients on hand at all times will help you create quick and easy meals. These simple ingredients can spice up even the most mundane meals. You can liven up your meals by adding these staples and everyone loves something that’s topped with gooey cheese.
On those days when you just don’t know what to fix for dinner, if you have a protein and one of these staples available, you can likely whip up a meal that the entire family will love. Just remember to keep important staples on hand at all times so you won’t have to make an extra run to the store at mealtime.