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10 Recipes to Know When You Leave Home

1. Clean-out-the-Fridge Soup

Presented as the 5-5-1-1 soup, this recipe is super easy to learn by heart. With 5 cups of vegetables, 5 cups of broth, one onion and one potato, this basic soup is perfect for using up the carrots, peppers, beans and other vegetables that are starting to sag in the fridge. It also has a great double advantage: you can easily vary the flavour and you can freeze it!

2. Spaghetti Sauce

Before leaving home, you need to learn a recipe for spaghetti sauce, whether it’s your dad’s, your granny’s…or RICARDO’s! There’s nothing more convenient than having spag sauce in the freezer. You can even turn it into a good chili in a jiffy, by adding a drained can of red kidney beans and a touch of cumin.

3. Ham and Cheese Omelette

An omelette is a super simple basic dish, but it can often scare beginners in the kitchen. It’s true that it requires practice, because eggs are fragile ingredients. But once you know the recipe, you can make it for breakfast or it can become an economical dish for dinner by adding vegetables, a good cheese or, as in this recipe, ham!

4. Basic Béchamel Sauce

Once you’ve mastered the technique for making this classic sauce with few ingredients, recipe possibilities are (almost) endless and potential meals as well. You can make a vol-au-vent sauce, quick rosée sauce, macaroni and cheese, cauliflower gratin and so much more. A ton of great comforting dishes like those you loved sharing at your parents.

5. Sheet-Pan Fish Tacos with Cilantro Salsa

When you have neither the time nor the inclination to make an elaborate dinner, you’ll be very happy to know a recipe for a sheet-pan meal; it’s always quick and delicious. The advantage of this one is that the fish fillets allow you to make solo meals when they’re individually wrapped in the freezer. If you’re out of tacos, the fish is also delicious by itself served with rice and a green salad.

6. Roast Chicken with Vegetables

We all need a recipe to entertain our parents or friends on the weekend. Roast chicken is among our favourites. The recipe is uncomplicated and always makes an impression. Plus, you can use leftovers in several other recipes, including chicken noodle soup, salad, basic chicken filling for sandwiches or even a great club sandwich.

7. Braised Beef with Onions

A braised beef recipe is essential if only to learn how to cook a piece of beef. It’s easy to make, the cut of meat is affordable and you won’t be stuck with tons of dishwashing later. Plus, the next day, you can use the leftovers in a sandwich or white bean, tomato and braised beef salad.

8. Tofu Stir-Fry Curry

Adding this vegetarian stir-fry recipe to your list of essentials, you’ll have a meatless meal option to make regularly. Stir-fries are great dishes for using your vegetables. You can customize them endlessly and cook them in great quantities. This tofu version brings comforting flavours to meatless Mondays and the recipe is also excellent with shrimp or chicken.

9. Basic Tomato Sauce

After the béchamel and spaghetti sauce, here’s a recipe for a third sauce to add to your collection. The great thing with tomato sauce is that it can be prepared in so many different ways. For example, you can turn it into rosé sauce by combining it with béchamel. And if you feel like having an Italian dish for dinner, breaded chicken cutlets alla parmigiana are indispensable.

10. Saucepan Vanilla Cake

Everyone needs at least one basic cake recipe, whether for entertaining  or just to have a little taste of something sweet every now and then. This basic recipe is interesting because, by simply adjusting the ingredients a little, you can make chocolate cake, cupcakes or even fruit pudding. Plus, it’s super convenient because you can make it in a pot if you don’t have a mould.

For other meal ideas, check out the budget recipe category that lists several easy-to-make recipes that are also wallet-friendly.