Verily Table – Already Stocked

After my brother spent a few weeks in Mexico, he came home and introduced me to chilaquiles—essentially fried tortillas, tomato sauce, and eggs. This recipe (called “Camp Stove Chilaquiles,” from an outdoorsy site) was the closest thing I could find to the way the family he stayed with taught him to make them. I didn’t use as much oil as called for, and I didn’t bother to remove the tortillas from the pan. Finally, I also added garlic and red pepper flakes (instead of the jalapeño) to the sauce.

This could not be quicker or easier to throw together on a hectic weeknight (and you may even already have all the ingredients). I always double this recipe, except for the water—three cups to two cans of black beans makes a very runny soup. Depending on how thick you like your soup, about a cup and a half of water (or broth, if you have it) will work well for a double recipe. You can always blend in a little more if needed (and may even want to when reheating leftovers).

There is so much to love about this recipe! It’s quick, easy, and budget-friendly, and it will make your kitchen smell amazing. This is also one of those dinners where the leftovers are just as delicious as the freshly prepared meal. When I make it, I like to use exactly 1 Tbsp each of honey and Sriracha, as I find keeping those ingredients equal provides a pleasant balance of flavor.

I typically make this without the red chili, simply because I never have one on hand, and it’s still very flavorful. You can definitely substitute ground ginger for fresh ginger if you need to, and while parsley on top is a nice addition, it isn’t necessary.

This recipe features a warm blend of spices: cumin, ginger, garlic, and cinnamon. I skip the dry beans and simply use two (15-oz) cans of black beans instead—much quicker. I also substitute a 15-oz can of diced tomatoes for the peeled plum tomatoes.

This recipe calls for specific fresh vegetables, but frozen stir-fry veggies work great. Take care with the sauce, however: I recommend adding one tablespoon of curry powder, then tasting to see how you like it before adding the second (I ended up tempering my slightly-too-curried sauce with honey). Garlic and cinnamon would be great additions to the sauce, too. Finally, I recommend adding chickpeas (or leftover chicken, if you have it) for protein.

This may not look like an “Already Stocked” recipe at first glance, but hear me out. First of all, you can definitely replace the fresh cherry tomatoes with 28 oz canned diced tomatoes; in fact, if I had one complaint about this dish when I was eating it, it was that there could’ve been a little more sauce for the rice—the cherry tomatoes didn’t pop quite enough. Second, just use powdered ginger (and curry powder if you don’t have garam masala). Finally, the cilantro on top is delicious, but you won’t miss it if you don’t have it.

Time-saving notes: If you’re not up for hard-boiling eggs, this would be delicious with poached eggs a la shakshuka. Serve over toast (or microwaved frozen cooked rice) to reduce prep and cleanup time.

I love making quinoa in the slow cooker, since it takes so little effort and it’s easy to make a lot at once. I recommend using a red onion, since they’re a bit milder; if you don’t, think about sautéing it over the stove for a couple minutes before adding to the slow cooker to tone down its flavor a bit.

This recipe is made mostly from canned or shelf-stable ingredients like lentils, diced tomatoes, and coconut milk—plus, of course, a variety of delicious spices. The prep takes little more than dicing a few veggies and dumping everything into your Crock-Pot—and with its big yield, it can double as a “Batch” recipe.