I am a lazy cook—not all the time, but enough times to make this statement true. This doesn’t mean I intentionally make bad or tasteless food. It simply means that I often rely on the basic items in my cupboard for many on-the-fly meals, sometimes grabbing things from the shelves before having a clear idea of what I’m making. The usual suspects in my cupboard are: a can of plum tomatoes, a bag of bread crumbs, all purpose flour, ketchup, a can of tuna fish, a jar of marinara sauce, chicken broth, some sort of pasta, and a bag of onions. And these are five of my favorite lazy meals that I can make from them.
1. Marinara Sauce
A friend of mine who is a pretty darn good cook once told me the secret ingredient of his wonderful marinara sauce: a jar of ready made marinara sauce. He uses it as a base for his own delicious sauce because it already has all the spices he needs. He adds another can of tomatoes and sausages and then lets it slow cook for two or more hours. If he’s feeling especially fancy, he’ll throw in some red wine and fresh basil. Like chili, marinara sauce need not follow a rigid recipe every time you make it. But as long as you start with a decent base, it will come out tasting wonderful every time.
From the cupboard
One can of plum tomatoes
One jar of ready-made marinara sauce
Extra ingredients
Two or three links of sweet or hot Italian sausages
1 cup red wine
Fresh basil
Drain the tomatoes, dice them, and then set them aside. Place a large soup pot on a stove top and brown the sausages under a medium flame. Add the tomatoes and let it simmer for five minutes. Stir in the entire jar of marinara sauce and wine. Bring to a boil for five minutes and then reduce heat. Allow to slow cook for at least two hours. Check on your sauce every half hour and add some water if it looks too dry. Add fresh basil before serving over cooked pasta.
