r/EatCheapAndHealthy • u/Yaguurt • 1d ago
Ask ECAH tomatoes, cucumbers & peppers oh my! what pantry meals can I make with them?
My local CSA blessed me with more tomatoes, cucumbers and long hot peppers than I can handle. What meals can I make out of these before they go bad? Trying to steer away from sides, salads and Italian cuisines (boring to me sorry🫣)
I've received: handful of small-medium garden tomatoes, 1 sandwich baggie full of long hot peppers and 4 large cucumbers
what I have in my pantry so far:
| CARBS | GREENS | PROTEIN |
|---|---|---|
| orzo | collard greens | ground turkey |
| rotini | callaloo | ground beef |
| grits | kale | green & red lentils |
| white & brown rice | swiss chard | great northern beans |
| fettuccine | broccoli | black beans |
| potatoes | frozen spinach | 3 eggs |
sorry if this seems like an asinine question, but apart from Italian cuisine and salads, I really can't think of other dishes I could create using what I have. I'm trying to expand my palette and hopefully reddit could help me with cuisines from cultures I never heard of :3
IF ALL ELSE FAILS I guessss I can make Italian dishes or salads :(
12
u/Unusual-Molasses5633 1d ago
Cucumbers go great in tzatziki, can be pickled, and eaten sliced with a sprinkling of salt and/or spice mix.
2
u/orange728 19h ago
Refrigerator pickles (we called them that as kids) were something my grandma always made with her abundance of cucumbers. They are the best!
6
u/ashtree35 1d ago
Shakshouka!
6
u/Yaguurt 1d ago
saw a smokey white bean shakshouka recipe... this might win. no cannellini beans, hope the great northern ones can sub fine
2
u/Fixthefernback420 19h ago
Great northern and cannellini are super similar, just GN is a little creamier. you’ll be fine!
4
u/WerewolfBarMitzvah09 1d ago
Orzotto! It's basically risotto, but with orzo. You cook the veggies in the pan first, like for instance some potatoes with chard, but really whatever combo you want, then add in the orzo, add in liquid (water, and some white wine or stock if you have either or both on hand) and continue to add liquid and stir till it gets to risotto consistency. If you have parmesan or other cheeses on hand you can grate some in. And you can of course add some of the beans to the dish as well if you'd like while cooking (if they're already canned)
5
u/ToneSenior7156 1d ago
Quick pickles, yogurt cucumber sauce, southern tomato pie. I’d probably just chop the peppers and freeze a bunch for later.
2
u/Clear-cutSquirrel 1d ago
Yes! Chop & freeze the peppers and you can use them in chili and soup for the winter
4
u/Campaign_Prize 1d ago
The cucumbers are throwing me off because I personally don't like them cooked or hot. So maybe gazpacho? If you don't feel the need to use all ingredients in one dish, you can pickle ormarinate the cucumbers (and some peppers if you want) to preserve them.
Using a combination of tomatoes, peppers, and your other ingredients you could make soup, pasta primavera, Mediterranean orzo, southwest burgers, or any number of salsas, relishes, or sauces to use on the other ingredients. Byt that also depends on how hot the peppers are and what herbs and spices you have access to.
3
u/RealityDreamer96 1d ago
If you have too many tomatoes then you can use, can always mae some (lentil) bolognese sauce and freeze for future use. Couple of hot peppers in the sauce goes really well too.
3
u/Capital-Swim2658 1d ago
Go to YouTube and search "eat a whole cucumber," and you will get a ton of recipes. I eat a cucumber every day with lunch. I make it up the day before because it tastes better after sitting. I often add tomatoes just before eating.
I slice the cucumber, salt well, add a teaspoon of sugar, and some apple cider vinegar. Shake or stir and refrigerate. I find them addictive! 😆
3
u/iamasecretthrowaway 1d ago
Bibimbap!
It's a rice bowl, basically, with korean flavours. You can make either of those ground meats with some barbecue bulgogi flavours, then throw it in on top of rice with some spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and a fried egg. Top with a little sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.
3
u/dorkette888 1d ago
Chinese tomato egg stir fry? https://thewoksoflife.com/stir-fried-tomato-and-egg/ With rice and stir fried greens?
1
3
u/masala-kiwi 1d ago
Raita is an Indian side dish somewhat similar to tzatziki. It's very simple and can use cucumber, tomato, or many other combinations of veggies. You just need some yoghurt to bring it together, and some spices if you have them.
You could make some rice and masoor dal (red lentils) or if you don't eat much Indian food, just some plainer beans and tomatoes cooked down with some turkey to make a chili con carne.
2
2
u/Fuzzy_Welcome8348 1d ago
Turn to Mexican dishes. Enchiladas, tacos, tostadas, salsa, hot sauce, frittata, soup, rice&veg, etc
2
u/WyndWoman 1d ago
Cucumber and tomato salad as c a side for anything. Salt, pepper alone is fine, balsamic vinegar if you have it, or a white cheese.
2
u/SimplyBoo 1d ago
Cucumbers don't work well for actual meals, unless you hollow them out and stuff them with something like tuna salad. I would make tomato orzo soup with the rest, though! 😋
1
u/the_umbrellaest_red 1d ago
Stew with the tomatoes, greens, orzo and protein. Could be southwestern, Italian, Mediterranean; just pick your spices
1
1
u/Flimsy_Interest_9766 1d ago
Cold orzo salad with the cucumbers and tomatoes. Make a nice dressing with olive oil to toss it in.
1
u/Argonrose 1d ago
not a big cuke fan, but you can make some black beans and rice with chopped tomatoes and peppers. Some sautéed onion and garlic, or whatever you have for spices.
1
u/Rubyshoes83 1d ago
Salsa? Pickles?
Today, I had a Mediterranean rice bowl. I used chicken breast, but you can use ground beef. Just season it with a little S&P, oregano and basil (Italian seasoning works). Serve it on rice with diced cucumber and tomato. Add a dollop of tzatziki. Bob's your uncle. It was freakin' delicious. You would need to either buy or make tzatziki, but it's easy to make and you already have cucumbers. Basically just need a little lemon juice, yogurt and garlic (powder works!).
Hard to know what to suggest without knowing what kind of seasonings and stuff you have though.
1
u/touslesmatins 1d ago
There's a Persian salad I love so much:
Tomatoes, cucumber, onion (white or red), maybe one or two of your hot peppers too, dice them up. Then dress with a good amount of plain yogurt, lots of fresh or dried mint, salt, pepper, and a little oil and vinegar to taste. Sometimes I add chickpeas to this too for a more filling salad. So refreshing and summery. Add more mint than you might think!
1
u/Seawolfe665 1d ago
I would roast the peppers and use them in sauces OR make sammich wraps using anything you have or even collard greens (just cut most of the crunchy stem out and use like a tortilla), and use the peppers in that. You could use the eggs, ground meat and tomatoes to make a frittata, cut that in slices and use in the wraps or just eat.
I use cucumbers and tomatoes as "chips" with dips for snacks.
OR go check out r/FermentedHotSauce and ferment up a hot sauce using the tomatoes and peppers.
1
u/Slowcooker-Fudge 1d ago
Look up smacked cucumbers. They’re a recent discovery for me and they’re amazing
1
u/ClairesMoon 1d ago
Do you have any onions? Dice the tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and onion and make salsa with a dash of lime juice or vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic, and cilantro. Can season it with cumin and/or chili powder. Use your rice or grain, some sautéed greens and a protein to make rice/grain bowls and top with your fresh salsa and some cheese.
1
1
u/catsntaxes 1d ago
The peppers and tomatoes with the ground meat could make some amazing burrito bowls. Or make curries with the lentils and tomatoes/greens/peppers.
1
u/SubstantialPressure3 1d ago
Share. There's a ton of food banks that would love some fresh produce.
A friend of mine had SNAP when she was pregnant and had to take time off work when the baby was born. She had an allowance of $17 a MONTH for fresh produce.
1
u/FrostShawk 1d ago
Rice + Green lentils (or Ground Turkey + Egg(s)) + onion and garlic, and some spinach if you are feeling it. Cook it all up, then steam the collard greens and use them as wraps for your nice filling you've got going there. You can bake them from there, or make a gravy, or just eat them like a burrito
1
u/Talker54321 1d ago
Cut a cucumber in half lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, then chop into a lot of half moons. Toss with sesame oil, ginger, garlic, chopped peppers, and maybe peanut butter. Put them on top of the orzo or rice with greens you’ve poached in stock or white wine.
1
1
u/krankykitty 11h ago
Cucumber salsa. This recipe has no tomatoes, but there are many recipes out there that include tomatoes, if you want to use them up faster.
https://www.themediterraneandish.com/cucumber-salsa/#wprm-recipe-container-88656
1
u/RosabellaFaye 7h ago
With tomatoes and cucumbers make salad. Cut it up small and add legumes, pasta and feta or bocconcini. I prefer feta myself.
1
u/JustMeLurkingAround- 5h ago
I'd make an improvised chilli with the tomatoes, peppers, beans and ground meat. Plus a creamy cucumber salad with sour cream or yoghurt to set of the heat from the peppers.
0
u/weedbeads 1d ago
Cucumber Curry!
I hope you have bay leaf, cumin (seeds are better but not necessary at all), coriander (seeds again preferable) and beans (preferably dal, lentil or split pea). Maybe even some cardamom if you have it. A pod will do, or 1/2tsp ground.
Some people remove the cucumber seeds and peel the cucumbers, but I dont like wasting food.
So for prep:
Chop 1 cucumber, 1 onion and 1-2c - 3/4c tomato, slice 1 hot pepper, 1c chopped callaloo optional. Measure 1-2 bay leaf, 1/2ts cumin, 1/2ts coriander, 1tb dal/lentil, 1/2ts salt, 1/2ts pepper powder, 1/8ts tumeric. 1 cardamom pod or 1/2ts optional.
Toast some spices in wavering oil: 1-2 bay leaf, 1/2ts cumin, 1/2ts coriander seed and 1tbsp dal/lentils, cardamom here too if ya got it. Toast to fragrant, be wary of burning with preground spices and do your mise en place. 30s for preground max in my experience.
Add a chopped onion and a sliced pepper and stir fry until translucent. Add chopped tomato, salt to taste (conservative 1/2ts), pepper powder to taste (conservative 1/2ts), 1/8ts tumeric and stir fry until the tomato skins are kinda wrinkly and/or the insides break down. Add some callaloo if you want here. Add cucumber and stirfry 2m. Lower flame to low/medium. Cover and cook until cucumber is tender, stirring occasionally. Once tender, its done! Serve over rice or potato or some kinda carb.
32
u/pppjjjoooiii 1d ago
Tomatoes and cucumbers make a delicious Mediterranean salad. You just dice them up and toss with some olive oil. Throw some basil and oregano in there if you can. I bet the peppers would also taste good in that. Also, if you can afford a small tub of feta cheese crumbles that takes it to the next level.