What to Cook When Stuck at Home

If you are stuck at home due to corona virus (or other emergencies), I have complied recipes and meal ideas for you and your family.

With the corona virus pandemic upon us, a lot of us are home-bound, maintaining our social distance, or trying to feed kids and families at home. This is a very weird/scary/chaotic times and I honestly don’t know how things will unfold in the next couple of weeks or months to come. I have complied recipes and meal ideas categorized into soups/stews/chili, stir-fry/fried-rice, pasta/casserole, snacks/bites, pizza/sandwich/wraps, and a few wish-list recipes for you. Hope this will help you and your family navigate meals and snacks during this challenging time.

First Use Up Fresh Produce or Leftovers in the Fridge

Let’s start by using up ingredients you already have such as fresh product, meat, and leftovers. I am a huge fan of making soups and stews with different veggies and meat…or stir fry. Soups and stews will last 3-5 days or can be stored in the freezer for later use. If you are not in the mood for cooking, you can dice/slice/cut veggies and place them in a zip-lock bag and freeze for later use. Fresh herbs can be used to make pesto, chimichurri sauce, or preserve them in olive oil.

Soup/Stews/Chili Recipe ideas:

• One Pot Chicken Noodle Soup (sub : chickpeas for vegetarian)

• Chipotle Turkey & Sweet Potato Chili (sub: chicken, beef, or quinoa instead of turkey)

• Everything But the Kitchen Sink Vegetable Soup (swap out whatever veggies you have)

• Carrot Ginger Soup (carrot can be subbed with butternut squash or sweet potatoes)

• Instant Pot Moong Daal with Spinach (use a sauce pan or pressure cooker if you dont have IP)

Stir-Fry/Fried Rice Ideas:

• Clean The Fridge Lo Mein

• Kimchi Fried Rice

• Spring Veggie Stir-Fry (clean out your produce drawer)

• The Best Fried Rice (leftover rice, quinoa, or cauli rice works well)

• Nepali Style Thukpa (use meat or just veggies, and noodle of your choice)

Pasta/Casserole Recipe Ideas:

• Spring Vegetable Hummus Pasta (use fresh or frozen veggies, your fav pasta & hummus)

• Easy 5 Ingredient Baked Rotini (kid friendly, inexpensive, and great for crowd)

• Mexican Lasagna (very versatile and can be adapted for vegetarian, gluten-free lifestyle)

• Skinny Spinash Lasagna

• Spanish Tortilla (reheats really well)

• Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie (feeds a large crowd)

Snacks/Bites Inspiration:

• Everyday Hummus (use it for snacking, on wraps, and sandwiches, and pasta)

• No Bake Oats & Peanut Butter Bars (swap out pb with your choice of nut/seed butter)

• Tandoori Roasted Chickpeas (swap whatever seasoning blend you have)

• Chocolate Date Bites

• Curried Chickpea Salad (great as sandwich or wrap)

• Stove-Top Popcorn

• Yogurt Parfait (Breakfast Parfait with Granola // Savory Parfait with Chickpeas)

• Smashed Chickpea & Avocado Sandwich

• Cheeseboard

Sandwich, Wrap & Pizza Recipe Ideas:

• Smashed Egg Sandwich (great for breakfast, lunch, and dinner)

• Fried Egg and Avocado Sandwich (avocado can be swapped with tomatoes)

• Vegetarian Bahn Mi with Crispy Tofu

• Easy Thin Crust Pizza (I always double the recipe and freeze the dough)

• Baked Falafel Wraps (make extra batch for later)

• Instant Pot French Dip Sandwich

• Asian Chicken Lettuce Wrap

• Pulled Portobello BBQ Sandwich

• Sheet Pan Pizza with Trader Joe’s Pizza Dough

• Tangy Veggie Wrap

• Chicken Kebab Sandwich (freezer-friendly and great with salad, wrap, & rice)

Breakfast Ideas:

• Peanut Butter Mocha Smoothie (also see : Make Ahead Smoothie Packs)

• Oatmeal 8 Ways

• Nepali Egg Chatamari

• Super Easy Breakfast Taco

• Blackberry Almond Chia Pudding

Recipes probably on your bucket-list :

• Sourdough Bread (this post pretty much covers everything you need to know)

• Fresh Pasta Dough (PS. double the batch and freeze the rest for later use)

• Perfectly Poached Eggs

• French Macarons

• Homemade Ice Cream (Ice Cream maker not required!)

• Stove Cooked Beans

• Homemade Vinaigrette

• The Classic Bolognese Sauce

• Chicken Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao)

Please utilize groceries you already have on hand first, shop your fridge, pantry, and freezer. I feel truly grateful to have the a well-stocked kitchen but that isn’t the case for everyone right now. If possible, shop locally and support farmers and businesses in your community as this epidemic is hitting them and their families very hard.

Stay safe, healthy, & strong.