While I love to linger in the kitchen and derive a meditative calm from the precision of dicing, slicing and mincing, I can’t always manage the time or effort. After a long day, my resolve to pick up my chef’s knife fizzles before I even step into the kitchen.
But having a few prepped or quick-cooking store-bought ingredients on hand helps me feel like I can handle dinner on most weeknights. Here are some of my favorite readily available options that are healthy and minimally processed. (For items such as canned and other shelf-stable goods, look for reduced- or low-sodium, or no-salt-added, options if you’re watching your sodium intake.)
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Precut and prewashed vegetables
Precut vegetables can save on prep time without sacrificing taste or nutrition. Shredded cabbage and carrot mixes can be added to stir-fries and slaws. Prechopped carrot, celery and onion mixes – also known as mirepoix or soffritto – can serve as an aromatic base for soups, sauces and stews. And a peeled and chopped butternut squash is ready to be tossed into my kid’s favorite, Butternut Squash and Pear Soup.
If you are aiming for a low-carb diet, cauliflower rice and zucchini noodles – also called zoodles – are convenient shortcuts. Grabbing a package of prewashed greens, such as baby arugula or spinach, means a quick green salad can be on the table in minutes. Most of my family’s meals are accompanied by baby arugula tossed with fresh lemon juice, olive oil and salt.
Keep food safety in mind: “With anything precut, check the expiration date. The minute you cut something, you expose it to bacteria – and you have to refrigerate it,” says Nourish columnist and registered dietitian nutritionist Ellie Krieger.
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Parboiled or frozen grains
Parboiled or frozen grains, such as brown or white rice, quinoa, and farro, can now be found at many supermarkets. Stocking them in your freezer or pantry can yield a healthy side in as little as three minutes. “Brown rice takes about an hour to cook from scratch, so the frozen or parcooked option is a real time-saver,” says Krieger. Frozen rice makes speedy weeknight dinners such as Brown Rice Bowl With Turkey, Toasted Garlic and Kale possible, while parboiled brown rice helps put longer-cooking casseroles on the table in less time.
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Canned foods
I’m lucky to live in a household of card-carrying bean lovers, so pulses and other legumes are a staple in our diet. And while I love the idea of making a big pot of beans on a Sunday to eat throughout the week, I don’t always have the time or the foresight to do it. Canned options are handy for nearly instant hummus or bean dip, and can add heft to skillet meals. My kid is a big fan of Daniela Galarza’s Vegan Picadillo, which stars canned lentils, and my Skillet Turkey Kielbasa With Lentils and Kale.
Canned tomatoes are ready for a rich pasta sauce or soups, braises and stews. And, according to Krieger, canned tomatoes “pack even more of the antioxidant lycopene than fresh ones do, plus they’re rich in vitamins A and C, as well as potassium and fiber.”
Canned seafood, such as tuna, salmon, clams and oysters, provides a more affordable source of protein, as well as minerals and omega-3 levels that are comparable to those found in fresh ingredients. They can be turned into a filling Antipasti Tuna Salad, salmon burgers or fancy canapés. Krieger prefers the fish sold in vacuum-sealed pouches because you don’t even have to drain it.
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Frozen fruits and vegetables
When harvested at peak ripeness, frozen fruits and vegetables are affordable and convenient, and are “comparable in nutritional value to fresh-cooked,” says Krieger. Add frozen fruit to your morning smoothie, or tuck some into a baked dessert. Krieger prefers frozen fruit to fresh in her smoothies, as it adds a desirable “frothy, milkshake frostiness.”
Krieger notes that produce such as peas and corn starts converting its sugars to starch once picked – so when neither is in season, the frozen option delivers more flavor and nutrients. Frozen spinach, corn, peas, edamame and broccoli can help you throw together a meal that’s nutritious, tasty and budget-friendly.
And while I don’t like the flavor of minced garlic or ginger in a jar, I’ve found their convenient frozen counterparts to be indistinguishable from fresh when used in a sauté or stir-fry.
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Rotisserie chicken
Roast chicken is one of my favorite dinners to make. It also takes time. A rotisserie chicken can be served as is or tucked into a curry, quesadillas or sandwiches. Then, use the scraps for a speedy soup and enjoy an extra meal.
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Shelf-stable goods
Krieger is a fan of store-bought marinara sauce, particularly our taste-test winner, as well as salsas and broths. Shauna C. Henley, a senior extension agent at the University of Maryland Extension, encourages home cooks to read the labels on marinara sauce. “The devil’s in the details,” she says. “Some of the stuff has so much sugar and salt to counteract some of the tomatoes’ bitterness.”
Jarred salsas aren’t just an accompaniment to chips. Use them in soups or enchiladas. Krieger refers to broths and stocks as “processed culinary ingredients” and prefers them to concentrated soup bases such as Better Than Bouillon. “That extra step of making it into a cube or goo … would be considered ultra-processed,” she says.
Krieger also likes store-bought pesto, which is minimally processed and can add verve and umami to soups, salads or sandwiches. Find it alongside other shelf-stable goods or in the refrigerated aisle. While both are acceptable options, Krieger prefers the flavor of the refrigerated version.
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