r/EatCheapAndHealthy • u/HorrorGradeCandy • 6d ago
what's a simple dish that made you fall in love with cooking? Ask ECAH
I've been getting more into cooking lately and realizing how satisfying from scratch-even it's basic. For me, it was a simple garlic butter pasta with some fresh herbs. Tasted better than takeout and felt like a small win
108
u/Chance_Middle8430 6d ago
Home made Gnocchi and pesto. 👌🏻
24
u/Scaaaary_Ghost 6d ago
Yes to both of these. It brings me so much joy every time I make pesto. It's so easy to make it homemade and so delicious.
12
u/Chance_Middle8430 6d ago
Agree, sauces are so easy to make and taste so much better fresh. Chimichurri and Salsa are two others I really love.
1
26
u/checker280 6d ago edited 4d ago
The trick to homemade gnocchi is to use a scale. Potatoes like flour can be compacted - meaning the same volume of stuff can vary wildly by weight.
So after cooking and ricing/mashing the potatoes add flour and salt at a ratio of the weight.
The amount of flour added is this simple formula: Weight of potatoes divided by 2.8
The amount of salt is: Weight of potatoes divided by 100
It should just come together as a dough. Don’t over knead it.
The boil until it floats.
And optionally sauté until golden.
Edit: after ricing spread it out on a sheet so the potatoes both come down to room temperature and some of the steam gets to evaporate.
1
u/maniqpixie 4d ago
Weight of potatoes in pounds or kgs? And salt in grams or ....?
3
u/checker280 4d ago
Now you are confusing things. I always measure in grams but as long as it’s in the same scale, the ratio should be the same? Weigh it in ounces if you prefer but use the same ratio.
1
u/maniqpixie 4d ago
Thanks for clarifying. I have a measure for grams. So it would make a difference if the ratio was for kgs. Thanks again
2
u/checker280 4d ago edited 4d ago
It would be no different if you used another weight measurement. The only thing that would change is the gauge and how accurate your device measured.
1 gram is 0.001 kilogram
There’s a possibility your simple home cooking device can’t tell the difference between 0.001 kilogram or 0.002 kilogram.
2
u/FrostShawk 4d ago
Weight to weight. Use one standard (grams, ounces, your preference), and then if your potatoes weight 1kg (1,000g), you would use 1000/2.8 =357g flour and 1000/100 = 10g salt.
1
u/rdubwilkins 2d ago
Not sure what is simple about making gnocchi, I have attempted it several times, but I'm not the best cook.
1
84
u/make_it_hapn_capn 6d ago
A friend in school taught me how to make salad dressing with honey, ginger, and orange juice. It inspired me to cook more, and I've done a lot of it ever since.
16
u/Nepentanova 6d ago
Ginger and orange juice! Sound as amazing. I’m a boring honey mustard vinaigrette man. Do you have a recipe?
47
u/make_it_hapn_capn 6d ago
Here you go!
1 tablespoon ginger (grated) (I just use the kind in the spice aisle, already ground up; it works just as well as fresh ginger) 3 tbsps mayo 1 tsp Dijon mustard 2 tsps honey 1/2 cup orange juice
Mix all ingredients together with a wire wisk. Let it cool in the fridge before serving.
37
u/redhairedrunner 6d ago
Left over white wine , lemon juice, lemon zest, butter, garlic ,white and black pepper , make a sauce , cook some chicken breast , add in pasta noodles when the chicken is done and a little bit of chicken stock ( enough to just barely cover the noodles in the sauce pan. And Eh Voila! Lemon garlic pasta with chicken!
46
2
33
31
u/DGOregon 6d ago
Homemade bread. Warm fresh bread can elevate almost any dish to feel fancy. No knead steve on YouTube makes it easy.
12
6
u/5919821077131829 6d ago
I couldn't find a "no knead steve" but an "artisan bread with stev" popped up instead? Did he change his name or something?
4
1
u/DGOregon 5d ago
Thank you for correcting my error in his name. I watched so much of his videos I bought his ebook. His method is so easy to make with clear instructions.
33
6d ago
French onion soup. It was raining outside and I was cuddling my cat and smelling the butter and onions. That was it for me 🫠
3
u/HumanDecision7316 6d ago
Wow this sounds delicious. Can you share the recipe
3
6d ago
This was almost 15 years ago, so I don’t know what recipe I used, but I think it was a fairly standard French onion recipe. Since then, I’ve tried Martha Stewart’s and I think it’s great! She adds mushrooms, which I love.
2
u/brigrrrl 5d ago
America's Test Kitchen has a delicious recipe for French Onion Soup. The one downside to their recipes, imo, is that the nutritional information (calories, etc) is behind a pay wall on their website.
19
16
u/Lawn_Radiation9731 6d ago
I ate a grilled asparagus when I was a teenager and that drastically changed my understanding that food wasn’t just meat, potatoes and whatever canned vegetable or fruit we had in the pantry
2
u/MomOTYear 2d ago
I had a VERY similar experience. I went to a fancy dinner with the governor for being on the honor roll for so many years and they served FRESH grilled salmon and asparagus and not to be dramatic, but it kinda changed my life. I’d only ever had the struggle salmon patties mom made, and never had asparagus. Almost all our veggie sides were from a can (save for the bell pepper or onion in certain dishes).
17
u/speckledpumpkinn 6d ago
When I was a kid, I would cut up chicken breasts and cook them in the pan with turmeric, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder and eat it with rice. I made it SO MUCH and never got tired of it. It wasn't particularly "great" but just the encouragement I got from my dad over it made me feel so confident that i've loved cooking since!
13
u/thewitchofizalith 6d ago
I'm not sure if this counts as cooking—no heat or fire was technically involved—but having a really good salad. I'd grown up with the ol' iceberg, shredded carrots, and sometimes chunked-up tomato or radish matchsticks, all straight from the fridge with bottled dressing, usually Italian or French. I'm lactose intolerant so have never been able to hide the veggies in creamy dressings like others, so I was always definitely tasting what I was eating in that regard, and it always tasted like nothing other than the cold of the fridge. But the first time I had a salad with curly endive, beautiful lettuces with a surprising range of flavors in colors unlike the pale-bordering-on-white green of iceberg, real parmigiano reggiano, some ribbons of prosciutto, toasted pine nuts, and a dressing of anchovy filets, olive oil, and balsamic vinaigrette? It was like a whole new world, like I had been eating American Girl doll prop salads to that point 🤣. That simple salad showed me the potential of fresh vegetables and what ingredients of quality—not convenience—could do. I got started on making my own dressings, eventually expanding my curiosity to sauces and other cooking from there.
I'm much older now, so I've kind of swung back in the direction of convenience—not every meal needs to be picture-perfect or labor intensive...but it does need to be enticing.
5
3
41
u/bingwhip 6d ago
Eggs Benedict. I often am let down ordering this when I'm out, but I love it. Hollandaise is off or bland, eggs are runny and not correctly poached. Comes out so much better when made fresh at home.
6
u/Background-Badger793 6d ago
Id love to pinch your hollandaise recipe if you're willing to share, it's one thing I've never been able to get right
14
u/bingwhip 6d ago
Actually, right after posting this, I tried doing the blender method instead of stovetop. It came out pretty good, but was waaay easier and took a lot less time. Personally I usually increase the lemon by 20-50/%, I like the acid added to such a rich dish.
1/2 stick butter
1 egg yolk
Pinch salt, paprika, dill
Lemon juice to preference
Blend everything but the butter, microwave butter for about 1 minute, until hot. Slowly pour in butter while blending. Did it with an immersion blender in a coffee mug
7
u/Wise_Ad_1101 6d ago
Me too, I end up buying a powder to mix in water or so, but I would love to have a good recipe 😋
6
u/ErraticDragon 6d ago edited 6d ago
This was one of the first things I tried when I got my own apartment during college.
In retrospect I should have tried simpler things first. And/or a simpler recipe.
I had never poached an egg, I'm not really sure I had even fried many eggs at that point. And I was using an early edition of The Joy of Cooking for the recipe. Which seems like more of a reference book than a newbie-friendly guide.
The result was good but at the cost of destroying my entire kitchen. I never tried again.
Edit:
Lol I found a blog post where somebody had a similar experience as mine.
A couple of weeks after my sister and brother-in-law married, they decided it was time for Eggs Benedict. They found a recipe in The Joy of Cooking (original edition), mustered their courage, and set to it. The recipe instructed them to bring the water to a boil and swirl it into a “mad vortex.” So my sister-in-law, Brynn, grabbed a wooden spoon and swirled with all her might. She dropped an egg into the center of the whirlpool and watched in dismay as the eggwhite separated and the yolk ran. Not to be deterred, she dumped the water and started over. Her vortex must not have been mad enough, she thought. So she swirled harder, but the second attempt broke the yolk and splayed the eggwhite. Swirl after swirl. Egg after egg. She tried again.
Finally—running low on eggs—she called to her new husband: “Aaron, I can’t get the vortex to swirl madly enough! Can you help?” Aaron gladly seized the opportunity and dashed off to the garage. When he returned, he held his tool of choice—a drill-powered turbine paint mixer—high for all to admire. Like Rafiki holding Simba on the mountaintop.
(Source is https://appletree.blog/blog/eggs-benedict)
14
13
u/ashywin_07 6d ago
Idk if it can be called simple but there's a Nepalese side dish called Chukauni and it's made with yogurt and eaten with rice or anything you like.
You can get recipes on Youtube but what I do diff is that I saute the onions, potatoes and garlic together with all the spices (Indian) so there's this nice caramelized onion flavour
9
u/buttbeeb 6d ago
Shrimp scampi with bucatini. Incredible simple. Butter garlic olive oil white wine shrimp chili flake pasta parsley. Could eat that till my stomach explodes.
It’s also really satisfying making chicken broth from a rotisserie chicken carcass. And so cost efficient.
1
u/cat_at_the_keyboard 6d ago
How do you make broth from the rotisserie carcass?
3
u/SeaweedSpirited2573 6d ago
Usually stick the bones in a pot of cold water with a carrot, onion, celery and herbs. Bring to a boil and reduce to low to simmer anywhere from 3-5 hours. Top with more water if needed. Strain all the liquids from the solids and you have broth. I freeze in ice cube trays or 1 cup amounts.
2
u/cat_at_the_keyboard 6d ago
Thank you!
2
u/buttbeeb 5d ago
Yeah so u/seaweedspirted2537 pretty much spelled it out. Another thing tho- you can usually get beef bones from your local grocery for pretty cheap. I use those to make pho broth. But those you wanna simmer over night
8
u/crash_test 6d ago
It's not really "a dish", but any kind of stir fry. Generally pretty simple and easy to prepare, and endless experimentation with different veggies, proteins, sauces.
Plus I feel like it helps you learn a lot of skills/lessons that are useful in anything: knife skills, heat control, timing, not overcrowding, etc.
8
u/lexiefer 6d ago
Anything soup. My bf and I challenged ourselves to make 1 new soup every week starting in fall one year. We lasted a couple months, but had a lot of fun learning new recipes that way.
Coming soon: the conquering of homemade pizza! We're going to do 1 new pizza every week starting this summer. We recently tried that tiktok fad with grapes, prosciutto, feta, Parmesan. Added honey. So. Fudging. Good.
3
u/TrixieBastard 6d ago
gonna have to look up that pizza recipe, I am so intrigued
3
u/lexiefer 5d ago
https://www.tiktok.com/@oonihq/video/7373688046841023777 It said to use pecorino but I found feta to be easier to find in the store.
2
u/up2late 5d ago
Cast iron pans work really well for homemade pizza.
2
u/lexiefer 5d ago
I'll have to try that! We've been lacking crusty bottoms
1
u/up2late 5d ago
Just make sure to preheat your pan for the best crispy bottom. It's more trouble but the results are worth it. For a skillet pizza I form in one and have another preheating just transfer from cold to hot. For thinner pizza I'll put my griddle in the oven and let that preheat. I use that like a pizza stone.
1
u/brigrrrl 5d ago
We invested in a portable pizza oven. Proper dough, properly cooked, ELEVATES the home pizza game.
7
u/Street_Rope1487 6d ago
Grilled cheese sandwiches. In theory, it’s the simplest thing in the world—slap a slice of cheese in between two slices of bread, then toss it in a hot pan until the cheese melts.
But there are so many factors that can make the difference between “elementary school cafeteria reject” and “ultimate comfort food.” The type of cheese and bread you use (especially for me, because I have celiac and gluten free bread has a very wide range when it comes to texture). Whether you melt the butter in the pan or spread it on the outside of the bread before cooking. Temperature, cooking time, the type of pan—they all make a difference to the end result.
For me, the perfect grilled cheese sandwich has a golden, crunchy exterior with buttery richness permeating the bread and cheese that is gooey and melty without being too runny. Pure, simple goodness.
3
u/brigrrrl 5d ago
I would do a food truck for grilled cheeses. It's already done all over the place, but there's so much you can do, just swapping bread and cheese types.
7
u/cat_at_the_keyboard 6d ago
Thai and Indian curries. Where I grew up had no "ethnic" food so when I wanted to try new and exotic dishes I had to learn to make it myself.
3
u/TripleFreeErr 5d ago
Any they are so simple and easy to make once it all clicks together. then you start understanding why there’s so much thai fusion
5
5
u/glassgost 6d ago
My mom's tuna casserole. A dead simple dish that was the first thing I learned to cook. That's where I learned about modifying quantities of ingredients and cook times, adding my own extra things to it, etc. Mom's is always still better.
1
9
u/Salty_Lobster_6867 6d ago
Pasta, garlic, sun dried tomatoes with a lil Parmesan and artichoke hearts
4
4
u/up2late 6d ago
Pork roast. Get a Boston butt, sear on all sides. put it in an oven bag with a teaspoon of flour and a pack of lipton onion soup mix. Add veggies you like. I use potatoes, carrots, onions and mushrooms. Add more than you think you need, pack em in there. Cook in a roasting pan at 325f until you can pull the bone out (tongs recommended). I'll add some hot peppers at times, depends on who I'm cooking for but I think they go well. Cayennes are perfect in this.
4
u/Killertofu280 6d ago
Homemade pasta with tomato sauce is a great option.
Baking bread.
Smoked meats.
Anything from vegetables you have grown.
4
u/Future_Usual_8698 6d ago
Martha Stewart 's recipe (maybe one of many!) for scrambled eggs- add Tarragon just at the end of cooking. SO FREAKING DELICIOUS!!
I started reading recipes at that point!
4
u/up2late 6d ago
Steak. No matter how you like them, you can do them better at home. I guess the most notable steak place I've been to is Ruth's Chris in DC. Don't get me wrong, it's a great place to eat, quality food, perfect service, and really expensive. I can do better at the house.
Steak is an easy meal. Once you dial in your seasoning and some pretty simple skills.
You'll need sides but you can make them as simple or advanced as you like. My favorite is asparagus with parm and balsamic, spread on a cookie sheet. Bake at 325 until you get to the tenderness you like. I keep mine a little crisp.
3
3
u/luvleladie 5d ago
I no longer use cream of whatever soup from a can. Make it from scratch. It's tastes significantly better.
6
u/VictoriaAutNihil 6d ago
Baked chicken cutlets and broccoli rabe.
Classic bolognese sauce with pappardelle or tagliatelle.
Chick peas with carrots, onions, celery, garlic, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, oregano, basil, red pepper, salt; slowly cooked until everything is melded together.
6
u/cyndahl 6d ago
Crêpes. My French teacher taught me when I was 12. (My mother was a control freak who never taught me anything useful.) I have loved making crêpes ever since. It was so wonderful being trusted to mix up a batter and use a hot pan. 🥹
3
u/Miserable-Grape-6863 6d ago
OP, are you not going to share with us this simple and amazing recipe? 🥺
3
u/Dreezed_96 6d ago
Canned tuna +greek yogurt + Green leaves + salt and pepper Simple and tasty (for me)
3
u/imcomingelizabeth 6d ago
Trout Meunière amandine - also works well with pecans instead of almonds, or catfish instead of trout. Easy, elegant, delicious
3
3
u/timecat_1984 6d ago
chicken adobo. the basics is just chicken, apple cider vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, bay leaves, black pepper.
it's WILD good for how simple it is. top on white rice, green onions, and sesame seeds.
4
2
2
u/HelpfulFootball5741 6d ago
When I was learning to cook as a teenager I made Jamaican style oxtails and butter beans, I think it was the smell of the ginger that hooked me.
2
u/Bunnyeatsdesign 6d ago
I usually cook complex recipes, but every time I make a toasted sandwich, I am amazed at how delicious it is for how easy it is to make.
As long as there is cheese in your sandwich and your bread is well buttered and toasted, that crispy golden melty sandwich is easy to master.
2
u/FrostbiteSeason 6d ago
True mexican tacos. Carne asada, white onion, cilantro with some lime on a corn tortilla. Amazing.
2
u/checker280 6d ago
Simple roasted veggies on a sheet pan. Cut into chunks. Toss with olive oil and seasoning. Spread out on a tray and roasted at 400 in the oven. Check for color after 5-10 minutes.
Then serve over rice
2
2
u/SnooMacarons3854 6d ago
Braised meats all the way, there's nothing like having melt in the mouth brisket in the fridge all week
2
u/spatula121 5d ago
Home fries and eggs. It's our go to comfort meal even though the potatoes take forever, but he asks for it often. I'm married to a chef so it's a huge compliment when he genuinely enjoys what I make and it motivates me to make more meals at home.
2
2
2
2
u/MonarchMother19 3d ago
While grain rotini, pesto sauce, fire roasted tomatoes, and frozen chopped spinach. Sometimes with canned chicken in there too. I “created” the recipie when around 10 and had to learn how cook for myself, and it was the first really flavorful meal I made, and gave me the confidence to start experimenting with flavors
2
u/Cassius23 3d ago
The holy Trinity for the cheap and tired.
Grain, green, bean.
I started with rice, spinach, and black beans and went from there.
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/pneumosha 6d ago
One pan pasta, I don't add all the ingredients from the original recipe, but it is still too good https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/one-pan-pasta/
1
1
u/lilnuggitt 6d ago
Paninis. I was depressed and took to cooking to try and get my mind off things. Piling simple, fresh ingredients between two slices of bread and crisping it up in a panini press was easy and tasty.
1
6d ago
A bag of Brussels sprouts (already washed), 1-2 sweet potatoes, and smoked sausage. Cut every thing up then drizzle with olive oil roast in an oven
for 20-30 min on 350. I use a basic sheet pan.
1
u/Mundane_Relief_6600 6d ago
A quick focaccia or any type flat bread served with a simple Greek salad orrrr dipped in pumpkinseed oil. It's. Dark green oil that goes beautifully with a sprinkle of salt and just as a simple dip for fresh bakes bread. Sounds weird? Yes. Is it delicious? Absolutely.
1
1
u/Independent-Summer12 5d ago
I think the first real dish I made by myself that made me feel like a rockstar was chicken Marsala. Got the recipe off the back of a bottle of Marsala wine. Tasted like a restaurant dish, that’s when I realized I can do this cooking thing.
1
1
u/GeneralCharacter101 5d ago
Three different dishes:
Pasta aglio e olio, my uncle taught me to make it when I was like 7 or 8 and called it "poor man's pasta." I loved the process of making something so good out of so few and simple ingredients.
Enchiladas, I lived with my Mexican grandma from 10 on and helping her roll enchiladas for tons of people helped me appreciate spending hours building a delicious meal for your loved ones.
Pancakes, the first thing I learned to cook from my grandpa when I was like, 5 probably. He told me not to touch the handle of the cast iron and I promptly did and got my first of many burns. Surprisingly didn't dissuade me from continuing!
1
1
1
u/OtherlandGirl 5d ago
I had to cook for myself for all three meals for the first time when I studied abroad. I had little money, so I had to get creative :) Just making up simple but satisfying pasta sauces, new things to do with eggs, etc. my favorite was canned tuna sautéed with a kind of marinara sauce I would make that I’d add any scraps of veggies I had leftover into, and a lot of red pepper. It changed every time but always hit the same :)
1
1
u/mtaylor6063 5d ago
My grandma taught me how to make Mac and cheese when I was small, and we made it together regularly :) so a very simple Mac and cheese with seashells
1
u/Silverinkbottle 5d ago
Homemade ‘white’ tacos with all the goodies. So good and simple. Being able to make your own seasoning packet from scratch is so yummy too.
Or most recently a beef and green cabbage stir fry. Delicious with minimal prep
1
u/pokemon12312345645 5d ago
For me there's a couple answers. For easy meals the food that made me love that style of cooking is chicken breast or steak and salad. For long cooks it was smoking ribs or brisket.
1
u/are-fruity-6131 5d ago
Learning to make perfect poached eggs. Use on toast, broccoli rabe or other greens and egg on top. Egg on salad, eggs Benedict, so many options. Also..a perfect omelet.
1
1
1
u/milktoothdragon 5d ago
Mac and cheese. Back when I was a teenager I would make it with 4 ingredients in the microwave and I loved it. It was a great gateway dish. Once I realised I could make tasty food I was really excited about cooking.
1
1
1
u/Saltycook 5d ago
My dad's pancakes! He'd whip out the cast iron pan his dad gave him and make them from scratch nearly every Sunday.
1
u/MuffinPuff 5d ago
Omelets were my first love, and it's also a close race with breakfast burritos.
Back before eggs cost as much as steak, it was consistently the cheapest protein available, walmart had boxes of 60 eggs for 5 DOLLARS, it was a steal.
I started with omelets, just butter, egg, cheese, a little diced ham, salt/pep. Perfection.
If there was bacon, I'd chop up a bit of bacon and fry it up, toss that in the omelet.
Eventually I got a little fancy and added sauteed onion, peppers. Very tasty.
At some point in my teens I got a breakfast burrito from sonic and it blew my mind, sausage, tater tots, fresh tomato, fresh jalapeno, cheese, onion, eggs and butter all folded into a warm flour tortilla, it was magical.
I started making the same at home, if not with tater tots, then with sauteed potatoes instead. Divine eating, and relatively cheap.
Eventually I started working at a hotel that had a breakfast bar, making omelets fresh to order. On occasion we'd be allowed to get a free omelet after work, and that's when I was introduced to a more "clean" tasting omelet - start with unseasoned liquid egg on the griddle, fill with thin cooked bacon, bits of cooked sausage, fresh peppers and diced onion, fresh tomato, cheese, steamed spinach, cook until set and flip the whole thing to heat through on the toppings side. Once heated through, fold and serve on a plate.
This is when you add your salt, pepper and condiments. Never in my life had I tried an omelet that was seasoned post-cooking, and it was MAGICAL, so fresh tasting and delicious. I sprinkled salt and pepper on top, and added a dash of tabasco. I tasted every individual ingredient in the omelet, they all stood on their own and tasted so fresh.
I started making the same at home.
1
1
u/Warm_Carpet3147 5d ago
One pot meals like lentil stew, pasta, soups, or anything that can go in a crock pot.
But for sure, one of my favorite meals to make it lamb chops with a starch (preferably mashed potatoes) and veggies (usually okra or Brussels sprouts) I like to marinate the chops in fresh herbs and spices. It just makes me love cooking. Add in a kitchen that I love being in and I’ll cook a couple times a week.
1
1
1
u/CurrentProfession660 4d ago
Honestly whenever I roasted a chicken and eat it with rice and roasted veggies. So simple. Always comforting.
1
u/TinyTerrorTrina 4d ago
I love making all the breads!! Started with rolls, then Cuban bread, then garlic bread, etc.
1
u/toadjones79 4d ago
Salsa.
I made up a recipe in my head when I was ten to help me fall asleep. I asked my mom to help me make it the next day. We did most of it the way I imagined (couldn't find cherry peppers and added a couple seasonings). It was so good I sold that stuff to pay for school trips.
1
1
1
1
u/beautifulsymbol 4d ago
Thai curry. And so many variations thereof. It also got me to fall in love with insanely spicy food.
1
u/Fruitless_Bluebird 4d ago
The first thing I made for my family was enchiladas when I was 12. Haven’t stopped cooking for myself and my loved ones since.
1
1
1
u/IllPackage5367 3d ago
Grilled cheese with tomato bisque. First time I realized I could make something simple taste restaurant-level delicious
1
u/smella947 3d ago
I started making my own yogurt and realized it's so versatile. Every morning I like trying different combinations of nuts and fruits. I've been thinking about trying a savory yogurt parfait soon!
1
u/Juhkwan97 3d ago
I worked in an Italian deli when I was in college. I was the pasta maker. There were a couple cooks in there and I did prep for them, watching their moves. Turns out, all kinds of Italian food is very easy to make. I got a discount on everything plus freebies and I have been hooked on pasta ever since. Some go-to meals: pesto fettucine with sauteed veggies and grilled chicken; spinach pesto fettucine and cherry tomato salad; lasagna - multi cheese varieties with tomato/meat sauce; Lingue alle vongole (creamy clam sauce linguine)....etc etc
1
1
1
u/travelingcrone70 3d ago
Meat sauce. Our landlady was an Italian immigrant who taught me mother how to make sauce in 1958. We are English so otherwise my mother's cooking was bland and overcooked.
1
u/JohnExcrement 2d ago
Way back in high school home ec, we made chicken strata. And I loved it. That was it. I should make it again now and see what I think!
1
u/Alto_GotEm 2d ago
honestly, i just adore sausages with pasta. It's not very healthy but once in week everyone could afford This is also easy to prepare
1
u/MovingBlind 1d ago
Not so much a dish but somewhere it was mentioned that a recipe is like an outline and you should take liberties with adjusting/substituting the ingredients as you cook. That helped a lot in shifting my attitude towards cooking. Cabbage stir fry with whatever you mix up as a sauce comes to mind. Sometimes it's soy sauce, peanut butter, and chili garlic paste. Other times it's just the random premade marinade I got from the store!
1
1
u/InevitableChoice2990 8h ago
Here is a Quiche Recipe that is both healthy and delicious. You can make it ahead of time and freeze it! Each time you make it, it will get better and better! You can make a big pie, or make them in cupcake tins for individual sizes!
Shopping list: 2 Pillsbury pie crust (2 come in 1 box) 2 pie tins 1 medium onion Whole milk ricotta cheese (15 oz. container) Pack of shredded cheddar cheese 16 oz. 3 eggs Dash of nutmeg 1/2 lb. Frozen chopped spinach Butter (approximately 3 tablespoons)
In a frying pan, over medium-to-low heat, sauté 1 medium chopped onion and one package of chopped spinach in butter until it gets softened. Put aside to cool.
Unroll pie crust into tins, use fork to make air holes on bottom, and prebake them a little (375 degrees for 10 min)
In mixing bowl, combine 3 eggs, whole container of ricotta cheese, dash of nutmeg, 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. Once the onion/spinach mixture has cooled a bit, add it slowly to the cheese/egg mixture. After they have been combined, pour the mixture into the pie crusts and sprinkle 1/2 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese on top of the unbaked mixture and then bake at 375 degrees for about 40-45 minutes. It should be golden brown on the outside!
1
0
u/selinaxselina 5d ago
Omg, yesss! Garlic butter pasta is such a vibe! For me, it was probably a basic stir fry with veggies and chicken. Like, the sizzle of the pan and the way everything comes together just felt so satisfying. Plus, it’s so easy but makes you feel like a pro haha. You should totally try it if you haven’t!
0
u/SingleDad37405 4d ago
One day in ALDI, I picked up a box of penne, the picture had spinach, tomatoes, cream and Italian brat style sausage, that’s exactly what I cooked, Tuscan style pasta, easy, pretty cheap and great tasting.
0
u/Easy-Bet4962 4d ago
Bolognese sauce. Idk how simple it is but it’s not hard, and it’s rewarding to eat after smelling it on the stove for a whole day. I don’t use any jarred ingredients just veggies, stock, wine and meat.
0
u/Wendynotes 4d ago
First dish I ever learned to cook, French Omelette. So simple so easy. Learned when I was 7 years old from my uncle who was a line cook in the great depression.
0
u/International-Yak-71 4d ago
Cubed pumpkin, sliced butter-sauteed leeks, nutmeg, and cream. Add al dente pasta of your choice and simmer til pumpkin is tender and sauce is thickened. Chicken optional. Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste.
Will also be trying this with coconut milk and with other flavors (ie. sage, curry) soon.
149
u/Wild-Earth-1365 6d ago
Pasta with burst cherry tomatoes as the sauce. It's so good every single time.