10 Tasty Meals You Can Make with Your Kitchen Basics

Having a fully stocked kitchen with every trendy appliance and obscure ingredient might sound nice. But the truth is, you can make many delicious homemade meals using just basic kitchen essentials. With a simple cookware set and core ingredients, you can easily whip up a variety of tasty dishes. In this post, we'll share 10 meal ideas that require only basic kitchen tools, so you can start cooking great food at home.

Main Dishes

Hearty Skillet Lasagna

With just a few basics, you can make lasagna right in a large oven-safe skillet for easy weeknight cooking. Start by browning ground beef in the skillet to add savory flavor. Then layer your meat sauce with jarred marinara, lasagna noodles, ricotta cheese, and shredded mozzarella. Pop it in the oven to bake until hot and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Finish with a garnish of fresh basil or parsley. This skillet lasagna uses your essentials - a skillet, spoon, and oven - for a hearty meal the whole family will love.

Easy Chicken Fajitas

For a quick and easy dinner, whip up sizzling chicken fajitas. Dice chicken breast and sauté in a skillet with sliced bell peppers and onions. The seasoning possibilities are endless - try fajita seasoning, cumin, chili powder or just salt and pepper. Warm flour or corn tortillas while the filling cooks. Let everyone assemble their own fajitas with desired toppings like guacamole, cheese, and salsa. The simple ingredients and cookware deliver a flavorful family meal.

Sausage and Vegetable Pasta

This one-pot pasta dish is simple to make but feels fancy. Boil your favorite pasta in salted water in a stockpot until al dente. Drain it and set aside. In a skillet, cook Italian sausage until browned. Then add vegetables like zucchini, grape tomatoes, and spinach, cooking until tender. Toss the pasta with the sausage and veggies. Finish with Parmesan cheese, fresh basil, olive oil or red pepper flakes for extra flavor. With just your stockpot, skillet, chopping-knife, and cutting board, you can make this hearty meal.

Easy Vegetable Soup

For an effortless soup, start by sautéing aromatics like onion, carrots and celery in a little olive oil using your skillet. Add broth, canned beans, pasta or grains and an array of vegetables like potatoes, tomato, spinach, corn, green beans. Simmer everything in a stockpot until the vegetables are tender. Stir in fresh herbs like parsley, oregano or basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. With minimal time and tools, you can make this nourishing vegetable-packed soup.

Side Dishes

It's easy to prepare delicious sides to complete your meals using only basic essentials. For roasted vegetables, simply toss potatoes, Brussels sprouts, carrots or cauliflower in olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and roast in the oven until browned and tender. For quick sautéed greens, heat olive oil in your skillet and cook spinach, kale or chard with garlic and lemon juice, stirring frequently, until wilted. Creamy stovetop mac and cheese is simple too - just boil pasta in salted water and make a cheesy sauce by melting butter with milk and cheese in your saucepan.

Breakfasts

You don't need fancy tools for easy homemade breakfasts either. Prepare light and fluffy scrambled eggs by whisking eggs in a bowl, pouring into a preheated nonstick skillet with butter or oil, and gently stirring over medium-low heat until set. Serve with toast and fruit. Make pancakes on your electric griddle or skillet by whisking together a simple batter of flour, baking powder, milk and egg. Cook batter by the scoopful into rounds. For a savory baked egg dish, make quiche in a pie dish by whisking together eggs, milk or cream, chopped vegetables, cheese and baking until set.

Desserts

Your basic cookware set lets you whip up all kinds of sweet endings. For cookies, simply cream butter and sugar, mix in egg, flour, chocolate chips and vanilla, then scoop dough onto a baking sheet to bake. Make apple crisp by tossing sliced apples with spices and topping with an oat crumble before baking in an oven-safe dish. Old-fashioned chocolate pudding, banana bread and more can be made right in a mixing bowl.

You truly don't need fancy equipment or obscure ingredients to make tasty homemade meals. As shown in these recipes, classic dishes like lasagna, fajitas, pasta, and soup come together easily using just basic cookware like skillets, stock pots and baking sheets and simple ingredients. With a well-equipped kitchen, you can cook delicious food your family will love. Try out these easy meals using your essentials and enjoy the pleasure of cooking at home.