Pantry and fridge staples come together to save busy family dinners

The lazy days of summer are behind us, and the transition of moving away from the relaxed, unscheduled lifestyle of the summer holidays to a more structured workweek routine starts to creep back in in September. I have always relied on the school year calendar to restart my internal clock, and regardless of having school-age children at home, for me the energy of the autumn generally has a faster and more organized pace.

During the fall months, I tend to eat out less frequently during the week and cook more weeknight dinners. To help me get back into the swing of things, I like to do a bit of an overhaul in my fridge and pantry, restocking my shelves with a few staples that help me put together quick and easy meals any night of the week. A few of my favorite pantry staples that I keep on hand include extra cans of tomato paste for whipping up a quick pink
vodka pasta sauce, as well as low-sodium bone broth for easy soups and stews. I also like to stock unsweetened coconut milk and curry paste for simple homemade curries. Other essentials include dried cranberries, toasted chickpeas, jars of olives, and a couple of high-quality store-bought salad dressings, making it easy to create a variety of delicious salads whenever I need a quick meal.

Both my Quick Pink Vodka Sauce and Salad Grazing Board are simple to put together any night of the week while using ingredients that I have on hand. The pink sauce is delicious tossed over any shape of pasta. It can be served as a main dish by adding any leftover protein you have on hand, or as a side dish along with a salad. The salad grazing board is a great dinner idea to put together when you need to stretch your leftovers. You can change up the flavor profile depending on the types of vegetables, proteins, toppings, and dressings you use. Plus, it can be tailored to suit anyone’s preferences, since a salad served in this manner easily allows you to create your own personal salad.

Salad Grazing Board

1 head Romaine, butter or iceberg lettuce

Fresh vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots

Jarred add-ins such as olives, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm

Grilled or roasted proteins such as chicken, shrimp, tofu

Toppings such as dried cranberries, raisins, toasted chickpeas, nuts, hummus

Cheeses such as feta, blue cheese, parmesan, sharp cheddar

Store-bought salad dressing

Juice of ½ lemon

Fresh ground pepper

Wash and dry lettuce; pull leaves apart. Place leaves on a large platter. Add a variety of different vegetables, proteins and toppings to create a colorful tasty salad board. When using a store-bought salad dressing, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and fresh ground black pepper to help brighten up the flavor.

Pasta with Quick Pink Vodka Sauce

Yield: 4 servings

1 tsp. salt

4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

½ cup chopped shallots

½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

¼ tsp. dried Italian herbs

3 cloves minced garlic

5 oz. tomato paste

½ tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. fresh ground black pepper

¾ cup vodka or dry white wine

1 cup heavy cream

8 oz. (½ lb.) dried pasta

1½ cups reserved pasta water

For pasta, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add 1 tsp. salt and 1 Tbsp. olive oil.

While pasta water is heating, for sauce, heat 3 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet; add shallots, red pepper flakes and Italian herbs. Sauté over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and continue sautéing for another minute or until garlic becomes fragrant. Stir in tomato paste, kosher salt and black pepper, and continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring as it cooks. Turn off heat and add vodka or wine; stir to combine. Turn heat back to medium and bring sauce up to a simmer. Add heavy cream and stir until incorporated. Reduce heat to low and continue simmering sauce for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cover to allow flavors to come together while pasta is cooking.

Once pasta water has come to a rolling boil, add pasta and stir well. Allow pasta to come back to a boil, stirring every 3 minutes to prevent sticking and ensure even cooking. Depending on shape of pasta, it should take 8 to 10 minutes to cook.

Before draining pasta, turn heat back to medium on sauce, and reserve 1½ cups pasta water to add to sauce. Drain pasta and pour pasta directly into pan with sauce. Toss to coat, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time until sauce is smooth and evenly coats pasta without being too thick.

This article was originally published in the September 2026 issue of 225 Magazine.