Sometimes we want to put meal prep on autopilot. How do I do that? Roasting a chicken is a hands off way to get started and ensure that I have protein for multiple meals later in the week or even further into the future if I put some in the freezer. I find 425 degrees for an hour and half to be just about right for a 4-5 pound bird. Pat it dry and sprinkle with seasoned salt before roasting. Simple meals don’t get any easier than that.
Near the end of cooking, I returned to the kitchen to decide what else I would add to create a meal. Yes, it had been a long day and I didn’t feel like expending much effort in the kitchen. Putting a pot of water on to boil for pasta seemed like a good idea. What would be refreshing on such an occasion? Lemon, I decided. The very fragrance banishes the cares of the day, doesn’t it? Taking a lemon out of the refrigerator, I perused the vegetables available. Which vegetable would be good with lemon and chicken? I contemplated cauliflower or broccoli and decided they would be equally delicious, but green broccoli would look nicer with white pasta. So that was that.
What else would I put into the pasta that would complement the other elements of this meal? Beginning with sautéing some crushed garlic in olive oil, I then smashed a drained can of anchovy filets into the pan. Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it. It’s a delicious umami flavor boost. After adding some dry white wine and letting that reduce a bit, I added the lemon juice and broccoli florets to let them cook until crisp tender. Sprinkled with a little parsley and pepper to serve.
Badda bing, badda boom. Dinner was ready and it didn’t require much effort at all. Taking the pictures was a bit more taxing, so pardon me if they aren’t perfect.
Ingredients for Pasta Sauce:
- olive oil
- garlic
- anchovies
- dry white wine
- lemon
The main thing is to be aware that cooking without recipes is just a matter of combining ingredients on hand in a way that makes sense to you and your palate. Make sure you always have a variety of fresh vegetables, proteins and pantry staples on hand. They provide the basis for an infinite number of simple meals. How do you put meal prep on autopilot?