18 Low-Key Brilliant Holiday Recipes That Only Need Three Ingredients To Make (2024)

FAQs

What are the most versatile ingredients for meal prep? ›

Versatile Ingredients

Pantry staples like whole grain pasta or rice, canned beans or fish, and canned vegetables can be combined quickly to create several different, flavorful dishes. These items are also shelf stable and will last, even if plans change.

It's always best to use fresh ingredients when cooking because it makes the final dish taste better and also allows you to get more nutrients from your meals. And isn't this the point of eating - to nourish your body with essential vitamins and minerals that will keep you strong and healthy?

Soups, stews, and chili are the ideal meal prep because they last a little longer than most meals (up to five or six days) AND they're extremely freezer-friendly. If you're new to meal prep and are nervous about how foods taste after a few days, I recommend starting with a soup, stew, or chili.

Just remember to have fresh products in the fridge, with them you can prepare delicious dishes, cakes or appetizers. Then you can have seasonal vegetables packages, which should never be missing. The perfect refrigerator is made up of: milk, bread and vegetables.

Salt – Salt might be the most important ingredient in all cooking and baking. At the very least, have a solid supply of kosher salt (I like Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt) on hand, which can be used for seasoning, brining and baking, and doesn't have any anti-caking agents like other brands.

Plan Ahead with Precision

Start your Christmas dinner preparations well in advance. Create a mental or written timeline, noting when each dish needs to be prepared and cooked. Chutneys and Mincemeat can be made now and will improve over time.

What are high quality ingredients? ›

The primary minimum requirements for a quality ingredient are identity, purity, potency and safety: the ingredient has to be what it says it is, in the purity it says it is, in a useable form that complies with regulations for microbial and heavy metal regulations and guidelines.

When salt is used properly, it improves the flavor of your dish by reducing bitterness. It also increases sweetness, sourness, and umami. When used in higher concentrations, it can suppress the sweetness in savory foods while enhancing the umami profile. And this is why we add salt to nearly everything we eat and cook!

Ingredients will have a number of functions in a recipe, such as adding flavour, colour or texture, or performing a particular purpose, e.g. as a thickener or setting agent.

On your meal prep day, focus first on foods that take the longest to cook: proteins like chicken and fish; whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, and farro; dried beans and legumes; and, roasted vegetables.