NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • Generate wealth weekly
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Premium
Home / Eat Well / Recipes

Dish: three easy dinners to make from pantry staples

Basic garlic and chilli pasta. Photo / Sarah Tuck


Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

It's amazing what you can throw together with the remnants in the fridge and a few cupboard staples - these three meals are impressive in flavour, ease and practicality.

Lentils and beans with cumin roast veges

Serves 2

This is the kind of meal you'll want to regularly whip up for lunch or dinner at home - delicious and satisfying.

Ingredients

1 eggplant
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 red onion, cut into wedges
1 red capsicum, sliced
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp chilli flakes
1 small head broccoli, chopped into florets
400g tin cannellini beans, drained
400g tin lentils, drained

Garlicky yoghurt
½ cup Greek natural yoghurt
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
Finely grated zest of a lemon
1 clove garlic, crushed

To serve
¼ cup store-bought dukkah

Directions

1. Preheat the oven 190˚C.

2. Cut the eggplant in half lengthways, then into 2cm cubes. Put the oil in a roasting dish, add the eggplant, onion, capsicum, sea salt and chilli flakes and stir to coat with the oil. Cook for 15 minutes then add the broccoli and cook a further 10 minutes, or until the eggplant is cooked through. Add the beans and lentils and cook a further 5 minutes to heat. Serve with garlicky yoghurt and dukkah.

3. For the garlicky yoghurt: Whisk all the ingredients together and store, covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Top tips:

- Pan-fry lamb or beef tenderloins, slice and pop on top before serving or stir through a drained tin of tuna.
- Swap out the broccoli for cauliflower florets and add 1 chopped kumara with the cauliflower.
- Stir through 200 grams cooked pasta and top with crumbled feta to extend the meal.
- Serve cold as a salad, with spinach leaves, crumbled feta and chopped black olives. Add a little water to the sauce to use as a dressing.
- Add chopped tomatoes and grated tasty cheese, and serve in warm wraps with garlicky sauce. (Add cooked meat of your choice here too.)

- Recipe by Sarah Tuck

Lentils and beans with cumin roast veges. Photo / Sarah Tuck
Lentils and beans with cumin roast veges. Photo / Sarah Tuck

Chickpea and cauliflower curry

Serves 2-3

With old-school flavours and a gentle warmth this curry is perfect for the whole family.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 brown onion, chopped
1 thumb ginger, peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp turmeric
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp garam masala
½ large cauliflower (or 1 small head broccoli), chopped into florets
400ml coconut milk
400g frozen spinach
400g-tin chickpeas, drained

To serve
⅓ cup toasted sliced almonds
⅓ cup apricot chutney
2 Tbsp picked coriander leaves
Rice, flatbreads or naan

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan and cook the cumin seeds for a few minutes, until fragrant.

2. Add the onion and cook for 6-7 minutes until the onion has softened. Add the ginger, garlic and spices, cook for 2 minutes, stirring, then add the cauliflower. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the coconut milk and frozen spinach. Cook a further 5 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender.

3. Add the chickpeas and cook a few minutes to heat through. Serve with almonds, a good blob of chutney and some warm flatbreads.

Top tips:

- Feel free to add 400 grams trimmed, chopped chicken thighs when adding the cauliflower and extend the cooking time by 5 minutes to ensure they are cooked through.
- Whiz half of the curry with a stick blender and return to the remainder to make a thick, nourishing soup.
- Add chopped celery with the onion, and golden raisins and tomato paste with the cauliflower for more of a Coronation Chicken vibe (and if you fancy add the chicken as above too!)
- Add 1 sliced red chilli and 300grams raw prawns with the cauliflower, for a spicy twist.
- Add 1 peeled, chopped kumara, or 1 cup chopped pumpkin and an extra 150mls coconut milk with the cauliflower for a larger meal.

- Recipe by Sarah Tuck

Chickpea and cauliflower curry. Photo / Sarah Tuck
Chickpea and cauliflower curry. Photo / Sarah Tuck

Basic garlic and chilli pasta

Serves 1

Originally designed for late-night Italian revellers on their arrival home this basic pasta is a ready in a flash.

Ingredients

100g dried spaghetti
2 Tbsp olive oil plus extra to serve
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ tsp chilli flakes
2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
¼ cup freshly grated parmesan
Sea salt and ground pepper

Directions

1. Cook the spaghetti in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 1 minute less than the packet instructions.

2. While the spaghetti is cooking heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan and cook the garlic and chilli flakes over a low heat for 2 minutes or until lightly golden but not browned. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve a ¼ cup of the cooking water then drain the pasta. Add the hot pasta and reserved water to the sauté pan along with the parsley and toss together. Add 3 tablespoons of the parmesan and toss again.

3. Transfer to a serving bowl and drizzle with a little more oil, the remaining parmesan, a pinch of sea salt and a grind of pepper.

Top tips:

- Feel free to protein-up by cooking 60 grams raw prawns, chopped chorizo, bacon or pancetta in the oil before adding the garlic and chilli flakes.
- Add cooked thawed, peeled prawns with the garlic and chilli flakes.
- Slice a cured chorizo sausage into thin rounds and cook until lightly golden.
- Pop in a handful of baby spinach leaves and toss to wilt.
- Slice a couple of marinated artichokes and stir through the oil.
- Chop 3-4 good anchovies and let them melt into the oil.
- Add 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
- Capers, green and black olives are all fantastic add-ins.
- Add a small handful of roughly chopped hazelnuts, pine nuts or walnuts to the garlic oil and cook until lightly golden.

- Recipe by Claire Aldous & Sarah Tuck

Basic garlic and chilli pasta. Photo / Sarah Tuck
Basic garlic and chilli pasta. Photo / Sarah Tuck

Find more great recipes at dish.co.nz

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest Recipes

Why your winter meals need these flavour-boosting tricks
Food News

Why your winter meals need these flavour-boosting tricks

22 Aug 11:00 PM
Why tinned tomatoes are the unsung hero of your pantry
Food News

Why tinned tomatoes are the unsung hero of your pantry

16 Aug 02:00 AM
Why cottage cheese is making a surprising comeback, spurred by social media
Food News

Why cottage cheese is making a surprising comeback, spurred by social media

07 Aug 11:00 PM
Slow-cooking secrets: How to master flavourful meals with ease
Food News

Slow-cooking secrets: How to master flavourful meals with ease

16 May 12:00 AM
Soba to spaghetti: Why chilled noodles are the perfect summer meal
Food News

Soba to spaghetti: Why chilled noodles are the perfect summer meal

19 Jan 10:44 PM
Cold brew, hot summer: How to make the perfect iced coffee at home
Food News

Cold brew, hot summer: How to make the perfect iced coffee at home

17 Jan 05:00 PM

Latest Food News

‘Don’t bother with the canapes’: How to host without going broke (or burning out)
Food News

‘Don’t bother with the canapes’: How to host without going broke (or burning out)

12 Sep 04:00 AM
In a dinner rut? 7 tips to make weekday dinners less boring
Food News

In a dinner rut? 7 tips to make weekday dinners less boring

05 Sep 04:05 AM
Why your winter meals need these flavour-boosting tricks
Food News

Why your winter meals need these flavour-boosting tricks

22 Aug 11:00 PM
Why tinned tomatoes are the unsung hero of your pantry
Food News

Why tinned tomatoes are the unsung hero of your pantry

16 Aug 02:00 AM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Recipes

Why your winter meals need these flavour-boosting tricks
Food News

Why your winter meals need these flavour-boosting tricks

Simple tips and tricks to make winter food taste fresh, bright and anything but beige.

22 Aug 11:00 PM
Why tinned tomatoes are the unsung hero of your pantry
Food News

Why tinned tomatoes are the unsung hero of your pantry

16 Aug 02:00 AM
Why cottage cheese is making a surprising comeback, spurred by social media
Food News

Why cottage cheese is making a surprising comeback, spurred by social media

07 Aug 11:00 PM


Kiwi campaign keeps on giving
Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP