As people practice social distancing and stay at home whenever possible, how we eat and shop for groceries will change over the next while.

Ontario’s supermarkets and food suppliers say there is no concern over food shortages, so there is no need for hoarding or panic shopping. However, as everyone buys an extra week or two’s worth of food, certain ingredients such as eggs might take longer to restock. Maybe you’ll be lucky and hit the supermarket when the fridges are full, or maybe you’ll get there just as the last carton is taken.

Either way, the way we normally cook — finding a recipe, making a grocery list and then hitting the store — might not be the most practical (or possible) thing to do now. We’ll have to be flexible and adapt to cooking with what’s available during our limited outings; be more mindful of spending; rely more on pantry items and vegetables that won’t go bad after a week; and scale down on portion sizes if we’re eating alone or with just one or two others.

As a solution, I’ve come up with three “no-recipe” recipes (a term I got from New York Times cooking website) that encourage improvisation in the kitchen. Ingredients can be substituted, seasoning is up to individual tastes and little equipment is needed. Think of these more as a template that you can build a meal around. Use this as an opportunity to get creative, use ingredients you haven’t before and try out new flavour combinations.

Root vegetable hash with fresh herbs

Take a starchy root vegetable — potatoes, sweet potatoes or rutabaga — and cut it into cubes. Sauté them until tender in oil that’s been seasoned with salt, pepper and any other aromatic — Italian seasoning, minced garlic, finely chopped onion, whatever you please. Add in one or more umami bombs, such as chopped mushrooms, bacon, pancetta, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste or anchovies. Toss in chopped vegetables and continue to sauté until tender. Add a splash of acid to balance out the saltiness — some vinegar, a squeeze of lemon or even a few capers. Finish with a fistful of fresh herbs (I like parsley) or delicate salad greens, like spinach, arugula, spring mix or whatever you can find.

2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable or canola oil

Salt, pepper and chili flakes to taste

2 minced garlic cloves (or 1/2 tsp jarred minced garlic or pureed garlic)

2 cups (500 mL) peeled and cubed starchy root vegetable (potato, sweet potato, rutabaga)

1 1/2 cups (375 mL) chopped mushrooms

1/4 cup (60 mL) chopped pancetta, bacon or shredded prosciutto

1 cup (250 mL) chopped cabbage (or any vegetable)

2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil

apple cider vinegar, white vinegar or lemon juice, to taste

1 small handful parsley, roughly chopped

In a medium-sized skillet, add oil, a generous pinch of salt, pepper, chili flakes and garlic. Turn on low heat. When garlic starts to sizzle, bring heat up to medium. Add root vegetables, chopped mushrooms and bacon or pancetta (if using prosciutto, add it at the end). Sauté until mushrooms are browned and liquids have cooked out, root vegetable cubes are tender, and bacon or pancetta is browned, about 10 minutes. Add chopped cabbage and continue to sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add sun-dried tomatoes and a splash of vinegar or lemon juice. Stir. Toss in parsley (and shredded prosciutto, if that’s what you’re using). Transfer to a plate and serve immediately.

Makes one serving.

Ingredient notes:

Rutabaga is a very versatile ingredient that has a peppery flavour similar to a turnip. Cook with them like you would with potatoes. They can be roasted, sautéed, pureed into a soup, turned into mash or even grated for salads. A raw, uncut rutabaga can be kept for months in a cool, dry place. When peeled and cut, blanch them in water for three minutes and store them in the freezer.

Cabbage is another underrated vegetable that keeps longer than most greens and can be used in many dishes. Shred them for slaws; braise them with onions and garlic and top with chickpeas or any cut of meat; or sauté shredded cabbage until super tender and serve with egg noodles.

Garlicky egg noodles with wilted greens

This follows a formula similar to the root vegetable hash, starting with egg noodles as my carb of choice, although other pastas and grains such as rice, quinoa and even steel-cut oats will work. Then I use other kinds of umami-rich ingredients to build flavour, followed by a different vegetable and acid. Once you get the hang out it, you’ll be able to make your own substitutions and see how different ingredients in your pantry fit into this. It’s hearty enough on its own, but it can be topped with a small piece of seared fish, meat or fried egg.

1 3/4 cups egg noodles

2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable or canola oil

2 minced garlic cloves (or 1/2 tsp jarred minced garlic or pureed garlic)

1 cup (250 mL) collard greens, stems and leaves separated and chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

3 anchovy filets, chopped

2 tbsp (30 mL) sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped

1 tbsp (15 mL) capers

Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add noodles and cook until al dente, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat, add oil and garlic. When garlic sizzles, add the collard greens stems and sauté until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add leaves and continue to cook until tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in anchovies and sun-dried tomatoes.

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Add cooked noodles and stir. Remove from heat. Toss in capers.

Transfer to a plate and serve immediately.

Makes one serving.

Ingredient notes:

Collard greens, Swiss chard and kale can be used interchangeably. Most recipes throw out the stems because they’re quite tough, but they’re perfectly edible — they just need a few extra minutes in the pan, so cook them for a few minutes before adding the leaves. If they start to wilt, revive them by submerging the greens in a big bowl of ice cold water for 30 minutes.

Hong Kong-style macaroni soup

This is a go-to comfort dish for many kids from Hong Kong. I eat it when I am jet-lagged, feeling stressed, or straight-up forgot to get groceries. It’s a very simple breakfast and everything in it is made from pantry staples. In essence, it’s elbow macaroni cooked in broth (typically chicken) and seasoned with a bit of soy sauce. Luncheon meat, fried eggs or Spam are the usual choices of protein but I imagine a cup of chick peas sautéed in a hot pan would taste delicious as well. As for vegetables, anything can be added. My mom throws in broccoli florets to cook with the noodles, others add a handful of frozen veggies and I like to sauté hearty greens such as collards in a separate pan. The dish traditionally uses macaroni, but this is the time to use the pasta shapes no one else wants at the supermarket.

2 cups (500 mL) any kind of broth, plus more as needed

1/2 cup (125 mL) water

1 tbsp (15 mL) soy sauce

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup (250 mL) dry macaroni (or any short pasta shape)

1 tbsp (15 mL) any neutral-tasting oil (vegetable, canola, avocado)

1 cup (250 mL) any chopped vegetable

3 slices Spam

In a small pot over medium-high heat, bring broth, water and soy sauce to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add pasta. Cook until al dente, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add more broth if pasta absorbs too much liquid. Transfer to a serving bowl.

While pasta is cooking, add oil to a small skillet over medium heat. When oil is shimmering, add vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until tender. Transfer to bowl of noodles.

Wipe down pan and sear Spam slices until browned. Transfer to bowl and serve immediately.

Makes one serving.

Ingredient notes:

Spam gets a bad rap in North America, but it's a staple pantry ingredient in many Asian households. We mix it with scrambled eggs to go with steamed rice, use it to make Spam musubi (Spam sushi) or at its simplest, pan-fry it to serve with instant noodles.

I always have tetra packs of broth in my pantry to make a quick base for soups. They are also a more flavourful alternative to water when cooking grains.

Karon Liu is a Toronto-based culture reporter for the Star. Have an ingredient you don’t know how to use? Email him at karonliu@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @karonliu