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We’ve all been there: it’s a Wednesday night and you don’t get home until 9:30pm from the gym, a charity meeting, PTA, fill in the blank. All you know is McDonald’s is not looking like the healthiest option. But you will need to put something in your hollow stomach before the head hits the pillow. So what does that leave you? The answer lies in whatever is lurking in your cupboard or refrigerator.
When I think of the standard state of my fridge I can picture door shelves full of hot sauces, soy sauce and mustard. I might have a tub of miso paste, a small container of chipotle chilies, a few eggs, and the requisite beer and white wine. The freezer is a mix of leftover sauces, dumplings, fish fillets, edamame, and a half-eaten pint of Ben and Jerry’s. The main pantry has its shelves filled with crackers, partly eaten chocolate bars, staple baking goods and then the old standbys from rice to pasta to canned tomatoes, and beans to tuna packed in water.
Believe it or not, from that hodgepodge of miscellaneous items can come an inventive and delicious last minute meal. Comfort food and knowledge of the recipes is the key to success. I’m not going to lie--every couple of weeks after a late night I will default to a bowl of Asian rice noodle soup and some dumplings from the freezer I steam and then dip in soy sauce vinaigrette that I make while the dumplings cook. My Asian nearly-instant, partly homemade comfort food might be someone else’s doctored Hamburger Helper or chicken salad made with a store-bought rotisserie chicken. The thing is, if we just keep some things on hand in the cupboard or in the freezer that we already know how to put together, we will take some of the stress out of that late night dilemma of whether to run through the drive through or cook for oneself.
Salads can be an easy mix of fresh and frozen for the hurried late night cook looking for a healthy meal. A good friend of mine, in addition to being extremely busy with her day job and volunteering as a basketball coach, also finds the time to be a devoted pet owner. When she gets home from a long day and still needs to walk her chocolate lab, she’ll throw a frozen chicken sausage in the microwave and defrost it while she takes her dog for her much anticipated walk. By the time she’s back she puts the sausage in a pan to cook through while she changes her clothes and opens a bottle of wine.
While drinking the first glass she drains canned sweet corn and chops up some jarred roasted red peppers. The peppers, corn, cut cooked sausage and some packaged prewashed salad greens get tossed with her favorite salad dressing and she is eating a homemade healthy dinner minutes after walking in the door with a happy walked dog at her feet.
When my local market is featuring a sale on canned beans I will load up on my favorites, knowing that these protein packed legumes may very well be my saving grace for a last minute late night dinner in the near future. Black beans make a lovely burrito or quick quesadilla addition. Chick peas feature in an Italian chopped salad of sliced salami, grated cheese, and pepperoncinis. My favorite, white beans, transform any variety of dishes from soups to pastas into a protein and fiber rich full meal straight from the cupboard.
One of my standbys is making a pasta sauce with sautéed garlic in olive oil, to which I add canned diced Italian tomatoes, drained white beans, and either fresh sage or basil if I have it--or dried works just fine if I am truly working from the cupboard. The whole thing can be made from start to finish in about 25 minutes with not much more than a can opener.
When time is an issue, using a microwave to defrost or partly cook while you are walking the dog or changing clothes is a time saver worth taking advantage of. Can openers as well as freezers can be your friends in a pinch, without having to sacrifice quality, taste, or health. Beyond the basics of the dish, look to that over-flowing refrigerator door and pantry for sauces to spice up those otherwise mundane quick dishes, whether it be a homemade vinaigrette, a quickie pasta sauce, or some jarred veggies. You, your stomach, and even your dog, can then go to bed full and happy.
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/amy-powell/883-cupboard-cooking/
Cooking From The Cupboard
We’ve all been there: it’s a Wednesday night and you don’t get home until 9:30pm from the gym, a charity meeting, PTA, fill in the blank. All you know is McDonald’s is not looking like the healthiest option. But you will need to put something in your hollow stomach before the head hits the pillow. So what does that leave you? The answer lies in whatever is lurking in your cupboard or refrigerator.
When I think of the standard state of my fridge I can picture door shelves full of hot sauces, soy sauce and mustard. I might have a tub of miso paste, a small container of chipotle chilies, a few eggs, and the requisite beer and white wine. The freezer is a mix of leftover sauces, dumplings, fish fillets, edamame, and a half-eaten pint of Ben and Jerry’s. The main pantry has its shelves filled with crackers, partly eaten chocolate bars, staple baking goods and then the old standbys from rice to pasta to canned tomatoes, and beans to tuna packed in water.
Believe it or not, from that hodgepodge of miscellaneous items can come an inventive and delicious last minute meal. Comfort food and knowledge of the recipes is the key to success. I’m not going to lie--every couple of weeks after a late night I will default to a bowl of Asian rice noodle soup and some dumplings from the freezer I steam and then dip in soy sauce vinaigrette that I make while the dumplings cook. My Asian nearly-instant, partly homemade comfort food might be someone else’s doctored Hamburger Helper or chicken salad made with a store-bought rotisserie chicken. The thing is, if we just keep some things on hand in the cupboard or in the freezer that we already know how to put together, we will take some of the stress out of that late night dilemma of whether to run through the drive through or cook for oneself.
Salads can be an easy mix of fresh and frozen for the hurried late night cook looking for a healthy meal. A good friend of mine, in addition to being extremely busy with her day job and volunteering as a basketball coach, also finds the time to be a devoted pet owner. When she gets home from a long day and still needs to walk her chocolate lab, she’ll throw a frozen chicken sausage in the microwave and defrost it while she takes her dog for her much anticipated walk. By the time she’s back she puts the sausage in a pan to cook through while she changes her clothes and opens a bottle of wine.
While drinking the first glass she drains canned sweet corn and chops up some jarred roasted red peppers. The peppers, corn, cut cooked sausage and some packaged prewashed salad greens get tossed with her favorite salad dressing and she is eating a homemade healthy dinner minutes after walking in the door with a happy walked dog at her feet.
When my local market is featuring a sale on canned beans I will load up on my favorites, knowing that these protein packed legumes may very well be my saving grace for a last minute late night dinner in the near future. Black beans make a lovely burrito or quick quesadilla addition. Chick peas feature in an Italian chopped salad of sliced salami, grated cheese, and pepperoncinis. My favorite, white beans, transform any variety of dishes from soups to pastas into a protein and fiber rich full meal straight from the cupboard.
One of my standbys is making a pasta sauce with sautéed garlic in olive oil, to which I add canned diced Italian tomatoes, drained white beans, and either fresh sage or basil if I have it--or dried works just fine if I am truly working from the cupboard. The whole thing can be made from start to finish in about 25 minutes with not much more than a can opener.
When time is an issue, using a microwave to defrost or partly cook while you are walking the dog or changing clothes is a time saver worth taking advantage of. Can openers as well as freezers can be your friends in a pinch, without having to sacrifice quality, taste, or health. Beyond the basics of the dish, look to that over-flowing refrigerator door and pantry for sauces to spice up those otherwise mundane quick dishes, whether it be a homemade vinaigrette, a quickie pasta sauce, or some jarred veggies. You, your stomach, and even your dog, can then go to bed full and happy.
White Bean, Tomato and Sage Pasta
Made with salt and pepper, penne, olive oil, garlic, diced tomatoes, dried sage, fresh sage, Great Northern beans
Made with salt and pepper, penne, olive oil, garlic, diced tomatoes, dried sage, fresh sage, Great Northern beans
Serves/Makes: 8
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cans (15 ounce size) Italian seasoned diced tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
- OR
- 8 fresh sage leaves, finely minced
- 1 can (15 ounce size) Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 pound penne or other dried pasta
- salt and pepper
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add minced garlic to oil. Cook for about 2 minutes until garlic begins to soften.
Add tomatoes with their juices and sage to the saute pan. Bring to a simmer and continue cooking for about 10 minutes until juices have reduced slightly, stirring occasionally.
Add white beans to tomatoes and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Continue to simmer sauce over medium while you cook pasta according to package directions.
Drain pasta and serve with white bean and tomato sauce.
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/amy-powell/883-cupboard-cooking/