Cabinet Cuisine: What to make if you haven’t gone shopping

Couldn’t face the grocery store? Braved it but the shelves were bare? We asked our staff what they do when they’re in a pinch, and so we’re bringing you some suggestions, tips, and tools for how to eat well with what you already have in the house.

Our favorite recipes:

Pasta Carbonara: Easy, classic, and cheesy

Pasta con Ceci: A comforting meal Becky makes even when she can leave the house

Adas Polow: Persian comfort food–simple and delicious, lentils and rice (raisins, dates, saffron optional)

Egg substitution ideas from Amanda:

• Don’t have eggs? You can bake without them. Substitute applesauce (1/4 cup per egg) or bananas (1 mashed banana per egg). This works particularly well in muffins and brownies.
• If you wanted an egg as a glaze in a sweet/baked good recipe, make a sugar glaze instead. You don’t even need confectioner’s sugar to do it – just put your regular sugar in a food processor to chop it up more finely.
• Wanted to make meatballs and think you have to have egg as a binder? Au contraire! The meat will hold together without it. If you want a more similar texture, you can use any protein powder you have at home as a binder (just make sure if it’s flavored the flavor won’t be weird). You can also use flour and a little water or breadcrumbs.
• Wanted eggs for breakfast? Sadly, there’s no good substitute for a sunny-side up or poached egg, but you can use tofu to make a tofu scramble. Tofu picks up the flavor of whatever it’s cooked with, so just add whatever flavorings you think will make it taste awesome.

And a fun tool to help you brainstorm!

The site and app SuperCook lets you enter the ingredients you have and it will generate recipes you can make.

Buon appetito!