Base Ingredients
- Potatoes
- Assorted rice (risotto, basmati, brown)
- Assorted beans (pinto, baked, haricot)
- Dried fruits
- Assorted nuts
- Pasta (linguine, penne, spaghetti)
- Noodles (egg, rice, cauliflower)
- Milk or plant-based alternative
- Butter or plant-based alternative
- Eggs or plant-based alternative
- Lentils
Ingredients for Flavour
- Cooking spray
- Tomatoes (chopped, pureed, fresh)
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Salt & Pepper
- Onions
- Yeast
- Oils (vegetable, olive)
- Soy sauce
- Chocolate
Meals to Cook From Scratch: Our Picks
Any freshly prepared meal is a meal cooked from scratch. But if you’re just starting out on your scratch cooking journey, you’ll likely want to master some basics first.
So, we’ve dug into the SPAR recipe archives and pulled out several ideal starter recipes:
Each of these recipes makes use of the basic ingredients from your scratch cooking pantry and can be tailored to your tastes; whether switching meat for vegan alternatives or adjusting the spice levels to your preferred notch on the Scoville scale.
Of course, the more experienced you become with scratch cooking, the greater your confidence will be. Think of it like training; you rise through the levels as you learn, and before you know it… POW! You’re a scratch cooking master.
Is Cooking From Scratch Cheaper?
Yes. Yes, it is.
And, despite what you may have heard, cooking from scratch on a budget doesn’t require spreadsheets, ingredient trackers, or any other complex planning. (Unless you’re the planning type, in which case… have at thee.)
It simply requires cupboards stocked with the essentials and a clear idea of which meals you’ll be making.
Using fresh ingredients makes it easier to prepare the exact amount of food you need, thereby reducing food wastage and saving money on surplus ingredients.