Cheap means the cupboard, not a bargain claim
A cheap New Year’s dinner, on this page, is not a promise about a price in a shop. It means the meal is built from food that keeps: tinned or dried beans, rice, pasta, tinned tomatoes, coconut milk, onion, and a small amount of sausage or mince if you already have it. Look at those shelves before you look at a festive menu.
If a recipe needs something you do not have, skip it or swap inside the same role. Beans can stand in for beans. Another green vegetable can stand in for the one named, if you have it. Rice or bread can be the side. Do not invent a missing ingredient and hope the dish still works.
Two dinners that come off a normal shelf
Chickpea curry with tomato and coconut milk is a full vegetarian pot. It wants chickpeas, tinned tomato and coconut milk, and it is good with rice if you have rice. Black bean tacos are the second, when people would rather assemble than be served. Warm tortillas, seasoned beans, and whatever crisp vegetable is left in the drawer.
Both recipes below are the published ones. The amounts are for the whole recipe, not for one plate. If you are fewer people, cook the pot and eat the rest the next day, cooled, covered, refrigerated, and reheated until steaming.
If your cupboard looks different
Sausage and rice is sausage stroganoff. Mince and pasta is pasta with meat sauce, or quick taco mince if you have tortillas instead. Chicken and coconut milk is red curry. None of these require a special New Year’s shop. They require the ingredient that is named.
The morning after, the same pots are lunch. That is the point of cooking a little extra from stores, and it is the same habit as Christmas leftovers: cool it, cover it, and do not leave rice or stew on the counter overnight.
The gap, and only the gap
Write down what the chosen recipe needs and cross out what you can already see. The remaining lines are the shop. In Cibello that comparison is the pantry you have reviewed. You can keep that list by hand. Scanning receipts and packets, planning as a household and the AI help are Premium. The store shows the price before you subscribe. New users get 2 free scans when they sign up.
For a whole week of this kind of cooking, use budget meals. For tonight when you have not decided, use what to eat tonight.
Recipes to cook from the cupboard
Ingredients and steps below match the published recipe pages. Cook the amounts you need, and keep the listed quantities as the full-recipe reference.
Chickpea Curry with Tomato and Coconut Milk (Vegetarian)
A quick and flavorful vegetarian curry with chickpeas, crushed tomatoes, and creamy coconut milk. Perfect for an easy weeknight dinner, served with rice.
Servings: 4
About 40 min
Ingredients
- 400 g Chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- 1 can Canned crushed tomatoes (about 400 g)
- 4 dl Coconut milk
- 1 pcs Yellow onion
- 2 clove Garlic
- 2 g Ginger
- 2 tbsp vegan red curry paste
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 0.5 tsp Salt
- 0.5 tsp Turmeric
- 300 g White rice
- 10 g Parsley (optional)
Method
- Cook rice according to the instructions on the package.
- Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Grate the ginger.
- Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or pot. Sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger for about 3-4 minutes until the onion has softened.
- Stir in the red curry paste and turmeric. Let it sauté for 1 minute while stirring until fragrant.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and coconut milk. Bring the sauce to a boil and then let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the drained and rinsed chickpeas. Let it simmer for another 5-7 minutes so the flavors blend well.
- Season with salt to taste. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley if desired.
- Serve the chickpea curry with the cooked rice.
Open the full Chickpea Curry with Tomato and Coconut Milk (Vegetarian) recipe. Amounts there, and here, are for the whole recipe.
Black bean tacos with fresh toppings
A quick and flavorful weekday meal where black beans are seasoned with taco spices and served in warm tortillas with crisp vegetables and creamy avocado. Perfect for an easy dinner that the whole family can customize to their own taste.
Servings: 4
About 30 min
Ingredients
- 480 g Black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 8 pcs Tortilla wraps
- 1 pcs Yellow onion
- 2 clove Garlic
- 1 pcs Bell pepper
- 1 tbsp Rapeseed oil
- 40 g Taco seasoning
- 1 pcs Lettuce
- 2 pcs Tomato
- 1 pcs Cucumber
- 1 pcs Red onion
- 2 pcs Avocado
- 200 g Salsa
- 1 pcs Lime
- 0.5 tsp Salt
- 0.5 ml Black pepper
Method
- Finely chop the yellow onion and garlic. Slice the bell pepper into strips.
- Heat rapeseed oil in a large frying pan. Sauté the onion, garlic, and bell pepper until they soften, about 3-5 minutes.
- Rinse the black beans thoroughly and add them to the pan. Stir in the taco seasoning and let everything simmer together for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Meanwhile, prepare the toppings: shred the lettuce, dice the tomatoes and cucumber. Thinly slice the red onion. Dice the avocado.
- Warm the tortillas according to the package instructions, for example in the microwave or a dry frying pan.
- Serve the bean mixture in warm tortillas with the fresh vegetables, avocado, salsa, and a lime wedge.
Open the full Black bean tacos with fresh toppings recipe. Amounts there, and here, are for the whole recipe.
Common questions
Do I have to buy specialist ingredients?
No. Both dinners use beans, tomato or coconut milk, and a staple such as rice or tortillas. If you do not have one of those, choose the other recipe or one of the linked plates.
Can the curry or the beans be lunch tomorrow?
Yes. Cool them, cover them and refrigerate them. Reheat until steaming. Do not leave rice or stew out overnight.
How does this fit the app?
Review the food you have, then let the missing lines be the shop. Manual inventory and basic recipes do not need a subscription. Scanning and household planning are Premium, with the price shown before you pay. New users get 2 free scans when they sign up.
Cook from the food you already have
Check the fridge, freezer and cupboard first. Manual inventory, basic recipes and reminders can be used without a subscription. Premium adds scanning, personal AI help and shared household planning. The App Store or Google Play shows the price and renewal before you buy. New users get 2 free scans when they sign up.
Premium
Manual pantry management, basic recipes and reminders are available without a subscription.
Premium brings scanning, personal AI help and shared household planning. Choose the plan that suits you; the App Store or Google Play shows the price and renewal terms before purchase. New users get 2 free scans when they sign up.