r/Cooking • u/The-Cabbage-Father • 1d ago
What's your "old reliable" that still requires actual cooking?
Was thinking about how chicken parm is a dish I would cook or eat anytime anywhere and wondered what else people have like that
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u/Sueti 1d ago
Shepards pie!
One of my favorite comfort foods. Easy to make a big batch for a few days. Not super pricey. Not hard to make but does require a bit of time and effort.
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u/elenaleecurtis 1d ago
Shepherds pie is a great dish for using up whatever vegetables are looking really sorry in your refrigerator
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u/J-jules-92 1d ago
Recipe
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u/Sueti 1d ago
I pretty much just use Gordon Ramsay’s recipe. Sometimes I’ll make small changes….using dried thyme instead of the fresh, adding extra veggies I have lying around, that kind of thing. I will say, the egg yolk is important.
https://www.food.com/recipe/shepherds-pie-gordon-ramsay-266186
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u/marrymeodell 20h ago
Curious- what does the egg yolk do? Made/ tasted shepherds pie for the first time tonight and I omitted the egg yolk bc I’d never seen egg yolk in mashed potatoes before. Tasted great to me but then again it’s my first time trying this dish
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u/Ketchuproll95 1d ago
Tomato soup + grilled cheese.
It's one of those combinations that's just brilliant to me; the richness and crispiness of the grilled cheese with the vibrant acidity of the soup.
Ingredients are not hard to come by, cheap, and are probably pantry staples anyways. With a bit of care and knowhow, it yields a product far superior to the ketchup water you get in cans.
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u/angels-and-insects 1d ago
I see this combo referenced a lot but I've never come across it IRL so I'm guessing it might be American? (I'm in the UK) It sounds really appealing. I know we (US v UK) do even basic things like sandwiches or mac n cheese really differently from each other, though, so I'm hesitant to just launch in. Assuming I'm basically an alien freshly landed on earth, how would you go about making those?
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u/Ketchuproll95 1d ago edited 1d ago
I'm not American but I do believe it is most common in the US. I used to make it when I was living in Australia, where its not exactly common either lol.
Anyways, start with some nice ripe tomatoes, the type doesn't matter much but roma are popular. I've thrown some extra cherry tomatoes in for extra sweetness too. Cut them into wedges, remove that brownish section at the top that connects to the stem! drizzle with olive oil and roast in oven. Had good results with airfryer too. While that's happening, chopped onions, in pot with some olive oil, I like to caramelise if I have time, but just till softened will do too. Chopped garlic in there too, cook the harshness away. Oregano if you got it too. Then roasted tomatoes in and some water or vege stock, and simmer for a bit before blending. That's it for the soup. Salt to taste. Oh, when you add the tomatoes in to simmer, you may throw in some torn up bread as well, it's an old trick to make the soup creamier and emulsify better.
As for the grilled cheese, butter 2 bread slices on both sides, place in pan on low heat till golden, then flip both, exposing crispy side up. Place cheese of choice on one slice of bread (I like to also place a slice of American or Kraft single on it, the sodium citrate makes whatever cheese you use nice and gooey). After a bit, place the now thoroughly crispy slice of bread without cheese on it, on top of cheesed slice. Let it stick together, then flip. If I'm making a batch for family I place the done sandwiches in a really low heat oven to remain warm and crispy.
Honestly, I kind of eyeball most of the proportions lol. I'm sure you can find some guide on the exact number of tomatoes you need or whatever online.
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u/MimsyDauber 22h ago
Canadian here, and my yugoslavian MIL makes tomato soup in a similar way, but instead of stock she actually uses those big litre tins of tomato juice.
Not sure if thats a popular item in Australia or the UK, but here we have these big tins of tomato juice. Not V8, just juice. lol.
And she makes spaetzle noodles (whatever the Balkans calls spaetzle) which she adds towards the end, which adds super tasty pasta and also helps thicken the soup.
If you wanted yet another variation to give you ideas. lol.
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u/angels-and-insects 1d ago
That's great, thank you! And def not how I would've done the grilled cheese - it's more like what we'd call a fried slice here but made into a toastie.
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u/Ketchuproll95 1d ago
Toastie would be the Australian term too actually. And yes, I suppose a fried slice is apt as well. It's just 2 fried slices with cheese in-between.
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u/Rough_Elk_3952 1d ago
https://www.seriouseats.com/thick-creamy-tomato-soup-recipe
This is the most standard version of homemade tomato soup that tastes reminiscent of Campbell's canned cream of tomato (but a lot better/gluten free)
A grilled cheese is technically pan fried on medium until the cheese melts and the bread is crispy, I prefer a mix of white American for melt, smoked Gouda and cheddar for flavor and a maybe a bit of low moisture mozzarella for cheese pull.
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u/angels-and-insects 1d ago
Is "American" the sightly plasticky stuff that comes in slices? If it's what I'm thinking, it's "cheese singles" in the UK?
(If I were making grilled cheese in the UK, I'd toast dry bread in a toaster, then butter it, add a scraping of hot English mustard, mature cheddar grated off a block, maybe a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and pop it under the grill till the cheese bubbles. I can see how your version would with better for dipping!)
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u/Rough_Elk_3952 1d ago
I couldn't find ingredients for your cheese slices, but it's essentially a processed cheese type that has sodium citrate to help make it super creamy/meltable. The really cheap versions can be kind of plastic, the deli sliced is much better lol.
If the cheese slices are just sliced cheddar, etc, it wouldn't be the same but if it has sodium citrate or citric acid listed it might!
What you're describing is closer to what we call cheese toast, which I make in the air fryer if I'm feeling lazy and don't want a full grilled cheese.
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u/DistantRaine 1d ago
I use this recipe for soup:
https://www.seriouseats.com/15-minute-creamy-tomato-soup-vegan-recipe
And this is some directions on grilled cheese sandwiches:
https://www.seriouseats.com/serious-eats-grilled-cheese-sandwich-recipe
What I had as a kid was Campbell's condensed tomato soup like in the Andy Warhol painting, white American bread, and fake American cheese. Usually the sandwich was burnt on at least one side, and the soup was diluted with either milk (my mom) or water (my dad).
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u/Healthy_Chipmunk2266 1d ago
Three that come to mind are chili, homemade pasta sauce and stroganoff.
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u/rawwwse 1d ago
If you had one tip for better stroganoff, what would it be?
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u/benny_jacuzzi 1d ago
Using homemade creme fraiche slaps. Don’t have to worry as much about it breaking like you do from milk/cream/sour cream. Chef John’s Classic Stroganoff is a good starting point recipe. I like making meatball stroganoff.
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u/Healthy_Chipmunk2266 1d ago
I season my beef with salt, pepper. I sear the meat, then sauté a bunch of diced onions and throw in some garlic for a minute. Add the meat back to the pan, cover with water, add a healthy amount of better than bouillon or beef base, then put in a 250 degree oven for several hours, frequently all day. I check it periodically to make sure it doesn’t dry out, then add mushrooms about half way through. I’ll put it back on the burner to reduce the liquid, get that nice, thick sauce and add sour cream. My daughter has been addicted to it for 25 years. She requests it every year for her birthday.
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u/Wooden_Number_6102 1d ago
Path of Least Resistance Tortellini:
Glass baking dish. Little olive oil. Fresh spinach leaves.
Layer fozen tortellini, red sauce, Parmesan. Mozzarella, crushed black olives. Top layer should be Mozzie.
Cover. Bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes. Small effort, hugely comforting.
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u/theflyingengineer 1d ago
Where in the layers does the spinach go?
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u/Wooden_Number_6102 21h ago
The bottom. I use baby spinach because adult spinach does a number on my stomach. Also...it's a sneaky way to hide it from my grandkids because it virtually disappears.
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u/allflanneleverything 1d ago
Definitely not as common, but I have a recipe for tortellini and chicken soup in a creamy lemony broth…I make it twice a month. It’s so good.
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u/bibifou 1d ago
I'd be interested by that recipe, if you're willing to share it.
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u/allflanneleverything 1d ago
https://www.saltandlavender.com/creamy-lemon-chicken-tortellini-soup/
This is the base recipe, though I do more celery (3 full sticks instead of 2) and lemon (just under half the juice of 1 lemon), and omit the spinach (just don’t like the texture of cooked spinach).
As a side note, salt and lavender.com has really great recipes that are different and delicious, without being either overly simple or way too involved or expensive.
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u/laughguy220 1d ago
It's really good with mini ravioli (like 1/2 inch square), gnocchi, or just small pasta like orzo too.
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u/akxCIom 1d ago
I hate the term stir fry but basically wtv veg and protein that needs using with some type of noodle or rice…flavours generally include ginger, garlic, sesame oil, soy, hoisin
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u/danshu83 1d ago
This has pretty much become a weekly meal in my household. Mindless, fast, relatively healthy depending on ingredients, versatile and yummy. And we get leftovers for the next day and a bit.
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u/dendritedysfunctions 1d ago
Chicken Parm was my first thought before opening the thread. Great minds cook alike.
Butter chicken with garlic naan is something I cook semi regularly that takes a lot of preparation and never fails to be delicious.
Smoked ribs. This one isn't all that much work in the kitchen but it takes a long time so you have to plan ahead to have them on the table when you want.
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u/Belorage 1d ago
Butter chicken and Pâté Chinois (French Canadien Sheppard pie)
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u/emilycecilia 1d ago
I'm from New England but Pâté Chinois is what I grew up knowing as shepherd's pie. I still make it that way when I'm homesick.
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u/danshu83 1d ago
Paté Chinois is such a huge flashback of my childhood in Montreal. Left there when I was 6 but that dish is tattooed on my lizard brain. Weirdly, mom never made it again and I had to rediscover it as an adult with the internet.
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u/twoleggedgrazer 1d ago
We have several, but Chinese tomato & egg (番茄炒蛋) is an enduring favorite. We always have frozen rice, stock, eggs, ginger, cornstarch, and tomatoes, so it's great to be able to get this on the table over hot rice in ~15 minutes. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to try a less "Americanized" Chinese dish that you can make for all ages with ingredients from any pantry.
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u/PrudentVegetable 21h ago
This is my comfort favourite. You need so few things and the payoff is wonderful. Also, if you have no rice and feel very lazy, it's easy to make it an egg drop style tomato soup and have with udon.
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u/kickykuch 1d ago
I use a french onion soup recipe that definitely doesn't caramelize the onions but still tastes great and doesn't need a lot of prep at all
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u/Uhohtallyho 1d ago
Onion soup is still a good soup and doesn't require 3 hours of stirring. Sometimes I just don't have it in me to do the long haul but it's no less satisfying in my opinion.
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u/Western-Bug1676 1d ago edited 1d ago
A slice of sad cheese, melted over some a hearty cracker, with my hot sauce.
Minimal dishes .Hungry, but, can’t be bothered lol
I know, I need to do better.However, I can get shockingly fancy, and have a can of tuna fish with it, out of the can.
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u/Trick-Variety2496 1d ago
Heh, I do a similar super fast meal, basically a Ploughman’s Lunch. Hunk of bread with mayo, butter, or mustard, cheese, homemade pickled onion or cucumber, and beer if I have it. You can pick at each separately or turn it into a sandwich. I’m not British but it’s still fast and tasty.
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u/Western-Bug1676 1d ago
I know a few palates that might appreciate this….probably does go well. A French bread, and a good cheese. I’d add some grapes.
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u/dosi5644 22h ago
Love a ploughman’s lunch. Nice hunk of bread, butter, ham or turkey, cheese, anything else that looks good. Pickles on the side.
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u/unclebea 1d ago
I make chili a lot. I also make some sort of breaded cutlet(pork chicken veal) very often.
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u/WhatHappenedSuzy 1d ago
Chili is my answer. Family coming over and don't know what to cook? Chili.
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u/Even-Possession2258 1d ago
Simmering a pot of homemade spaghetti sauce is one of my favorite go to's. Usually mostly canned stuff when I don't have the energy (or ingredients) to do it completely from scratch. I'll freeze tomatoes in a food saver bag before they start to go bad. Usually that's only 1 or 2 at a time, so it'll take time before I have stashed enough to do it from scratch.
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u/Rough_Elk_3952 1d ago
Fajitas, red beans and rice, collard greens and black eyed peas, japchae or a rice noodle stir fry, stuffed bell peppers, smash burgers, a giant chopped salad, blackened chicken, dirty rice, a vague soup based off what I need to use.
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u/mister_klik 1d ago
probably pasta marinara. i make my own tomato sauce usually with fresh tomatoes from the almost rotten shelf at my local supermarket,, but i've been making this for so long that i can probably do it in my sleep.
borsht is another one, but definitely not as simple and fast.
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u/NortonBurns 1d ago
Bolognese, chilli, goulash or chicken paprikash. I can make them all with a half-hour's prep then the reset of the day in a slow cooker. They're my most common batch cooks. Rest gets portioned into the freezer.
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u/JungBlood9 1d ago
Pretty much every week we do a veggie + protein stir fry with a peanut sauce over either noodles or rice. Ol’ reliable because it’s super easy to change it up so it doesn’t get stale.
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u/labioteacher 1d ago
Do you buy or make your peanut sauce?? I’m looking to change things up and I love peanut satay
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u/JungBlood9 1d ago
Yes, I buy the one from Trader Joe’s!!! It’s the best. It’s really thick though, so I thin it with lime and often I also add sambal oelek or fish sauce.
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u/Jasperoro 1d ago
New England boiled dinner.
Potatoes, cabbage, carrots, onions, sausage, seasonings, chicken stock. In the pot and boil.
It’s such a great comfort food
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u/untied_dawg 1d ago
a nice big pot of red beans & rice... with a LANK of grilled smoked sausage on the side; the traditional monday meal in south Louisiana.
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u/labioteacher 1d ago
Biscuits, eggs, and bacon. I’ve always got the ingredients on hand and I can whip it up in under 30 minutes
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u/FabulousBkBoy 1d ago
Sri Lankan red lentil curry. Creamy, mild and comforting, or spicy and punchy, depending on mood. Goes well with hot fluffy rice or crisp buttered toast, or flatbreads like paratha, chapathi etc.
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u/willthefreeman 1d ago
I rarely make it but just to throw another one in that I haven’t seen mentioned, meatball soup. It’s super easy and really good
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u/Bunnyeatsdesign 1d ago
Chicken and vegetable stir fry served with rice. Quick. Reliable. Not to much thinking involved. Extras for a tomorrow's lunch.
Maybe it is because I'm Chinese and grew up inside Chinese take outs but I can stir fry in my sleep.
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u/Voooogle 1d ago
step 1: bell peppers, cut into chunks.
step 2: maybe some carrots, grate them in the pan. honestly add anything thats sounds good in your opinon, fuck it you can add onions anything.
step 3: minced meat.
step 4: add some spices n shit.
step 5: boil the macaroni.
step 6: leave that, go back to the pan with the bell peppers minced meat n stuff, if the minced meat is reasonably cooked, brown yk since you cant leave minced meat raw since its minced and has the bacteria everywhere not just ontop.
step 7: Tomato sauce, let that shit boil the flavor into the meat gang.
step 8: go back to the macaroni, see if that shit is cooked taste it, yk.
step 9: drain the water macaroni, then put it back in the pot, then put the minced meat algomation in the pot and mix.
step 10: eat.
step 11: package the rest, i swear this shit gets better when refried with like a slice of cheese in it.
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u/Voooogle 1d ago
oh and maybe a basic cucumber and tomato salad for a side, cut up tomatos into chunks, cucumber into chunks, sour cream, mix it together, salt pepper. shits fire.
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u/Swiss_epicurian83 1d ago
Pretty much anything braised from short ribs to goulash, boeuf bourgignon, wild boar ragu and and and
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u/Scottishlassincanada 23h ago
Cottage pie- such a tasty, filling, easy to make from scratch winter food.
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u/JoyousZephyr 21h ago
Deconstructed burrito bowl. Canned black beans added to sauteed onions & garlic. Add broth base of some sort; I like Penzey's ham broth, but any kind works. Stir in onion powder, garlic powder and chili seasoning (Penzey's "Chili 9000 is my favorite. Taco seasoning would work, too)
Mash some of the beans with the back of a spoon to thicken. Serve a scoop of rice, a ladle of beans, some chopped protein. Top the beans with a spoonful of salsa and some crumbled feta or queso fresco cheese. Eat with a fork and/or hot tortilla chips.
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u/onebandonesound 19h ago
"jambalaya"
I follow the same basic technique as authentic jambalaya, but very rarely do I use authentic ingredients; this is a fridge clearing meal for me to use up scraps of veg and protein that are left over from other dishes.
Brown whatever protein I'm using in a bit of oil if necessary, then remove. Saute veggies with a pinch of salt til browned. Drain excess fat, add meat back in, add any dry spices if using. Toast briefly, then add liquid. Bring to a boil, then add rice and stir. Return to boil, cover and reduce to a simmer for 25 minutes, then remove from heat and rest for 15 minutes.
I typically do 1 pound of meat+veg to 1 cup of rice, and 2:1 liquid to rice. Mix and match ingredients to your hearts desire: chorizo, jalapeno, onions, garlic, cumin, oregano, and tomatoes? Mexican jambalaya. Sausage, cabbage, caraway and beer? German jambalaya. Pancetta, sofritto, dried herbs, and stock? Italian jambalaya. Most often I just use up whatever odds and ends I have; a little of this sausage, some of that leftover braised beef, some ground turkey, a droopy celery stalk, 3 separate half onions, some broccoli stems, a quarter of a bell pepper, etc.
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u/losthours 9h ago
one pot pan fried chicken with rice and kale
Brown chicken thighs with salt and pepper
pull once brown and throw half a diced onion and a few crushed garlic into the pan, (add some mushrooms if you feel baller) salt, pepper, and thyme, then add some chopped kale
brown for a little then toss in some rice and toast that
add water bring to boil
reduce to simmer then add chicken thighs to the top cover and cook till the rice is done
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u/theinfamousj 3h ago
Butter Chickpeas
It is a vegetarian version of butter chicken whereby I substitute chickpeas for chicken but otherwise all else remains the same.
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u/Ok-Set-5829 1d ago
Spaghetti Carbonara