Kitchen clear-out: save money and eat well with these easy-to-make meals

January is the perfect time to clear out the kitchen cupboards and restock your pantry for the year ahead. It’s also the perfect time to use up any ingredients that have been taking up shelf space for too long.

These recipes are all incredibly simple and very versatile, and can be adapted to use ingredients you might like to use up. The peppers can be stuffed using any leftover ingredients in your fridge, or just simply with rice, as I have done, using the ends of various bags of rice. The tomato and basil sauce can be used for pastas, lasagne, or even as a soup base.

The Caesar dressing can be made using a whisk if you don’t have a food blender; just make sure to chop the anchovies up small beforehand. You can also remove the Parmesan and anchovies from the recipe and you are left with a simple mayonnaise recipe that you can add other flavours to, such as lemon or soft herbs.

The dahl is one of those dishes that can use up your leftover veggies and other pantry items too, such as chickpeas and beans, and it can be adapted to any spice level desired.

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Clearing out the kitchen cupboards is a great way to save spending money on your meals, and can be a fun way to be creative in the kitchen. Maybe you can challenge a friend to an evening of Ready, Steady, Cook at home.

Recipe: Stuffed peppers baked in tomato and basil sauce

Recipe: Broccoli with Caesar dressing

Recipe: Lentil and sweet potato citrus dahl