Spare Spoons Kitchen
Spare Spoons Kitchen · for the days you're running on empty

Low-Spoons

Some days you've only got a spoon or two. These are the easiest, quickest, lowest-decision recipes in the house — no-cook bowls, dump-and-walk-away pots, and a-few-minutes meals — so there's still a real, warm dinner when the tank is empty. No big effort, no shame. Just something to eat.

"Cold Open" Tomato Soup
Bright San Marzano tomato soup, blended smooth, finished with lime. Good hot or chilled. Vegan, GF.
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Instant PotVeganVegGF
"Hydrogen Bomb" Chili
Fast vegan chili on TVP and a splash of red wine — 5-minute pressure cook, as hot as you dare.
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Instant PotVeganVegGF
"Nick-Of-Time" Noodle Soup
Pantry noodle soup — a from-scratch-tasting broth with little filini noodles. Tofu or chicken.
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Instant PotVeganVegGF
"Red Dawn" Red Lentil (Masoor) Dal
Quick golden red-lentil dal — bloomed spices, soft and comforting, in under an hour. Vegan.
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Instant PotVeganVegGF
Brown-Butter Roasted Nectarines
Butter, brown sugar, 20 minutes in the oven.
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VeganVegGF
Cashew "Cheese" Sauce
Silky vegan cheese sauce from soaked cashews + nutritional yeast. Pour over pasta, nachos, veg.
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VeganVegGF
★Cherry Sauce for Ice Cream
A glossy 15-minute sauce, warm over cold ice cream.
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VeganVegGF
Chicken Thigh Marinade
Sweet-savory soy-garlic-herb marinade for chicken thighs — then grill or oven-bake. Easy weeknight dinner.
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GF
Christmas Fruit Salad
Fresh holiday fruit salad — pineapple, oranges, apples, banana, cherries. Vegan and gluten-free.
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English Pea Salad
Canned peas, sweet relish, and cheddar in a quick mayo bind — the ten-minute pantry salad.
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French Dip Sandwiches
15-minute French dip — warm pre-cooked sirloin in a quick au jus, pile on a toasted roll.
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GF
Geneva's Pepper Steak
Tender beef in a glossy soy-and-broth gravy, over rice.
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Goat Cheese & Lemon Pasta
Bright lemon pasta on melted goat cheese — lighter and sharper than a cream sauce. ~20 min.
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VegGF
Hot Broccoli Dip
A warm, cheesy broccoli dip that keeps in the slow cooker. Drain the broccoli well and melt low and slow.
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Instant Pot Rice & Grains
Perfect white rice, brown rice, and quinoa in the Instant Pot — the ratios to memorize.
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Instant PotVeganVegGF
Katherine's Fruit Salad
No-cook ambrosia — canned fruit thickened with dry pudding (no milk) and whipped topping.
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Loaded Mug Mashed Potatoes
Creamy loaded mashed potatoes from a mug, ~3 minutes — foolproof comfort from the pantry.
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VeganVegGF
Loaded Mug Scramble
Fluffy scrambled eggs in a mug, ~2 minutes, microwave only — protein with no pan to wash.
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VegGF
Marinated Bean Salad
Sweet-and-sour marinated green bean & pea salad. Make a day ahead; keeps over a week. Vegan, GF.
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Mexican Guacamole
Fresh avocado, tomato, onion, and citrus. No-cook, vegan, and gluten-free — just use ripe fruit.
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MH*B's Frito Pie
Layered chili, Fritos, onion, and cheddar, baked bubbly.
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Microwave Brownies
Fudgy brownies from the microwave in minutes — melt, stir, and zap just until set.
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Microwave Mug Mac & Cheese
Creamy mac and cheese in one mug, ~5 minutes, microwave only — real comfort on a low-spoons night.
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VeganVegGF
Microwave Shrimp Creole
Shrimp creole from the microwave — the trinity, tomato sauce, shrimp added last. Over rice.
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Molten Mug Brownie
A warm, fudgy chocolate mug brownie in ~90 seconds, microwave only — gooey middle, one spoon.
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VeganVegGF
Mug Burrito Bowl
Rice, beans, salsa, and cheese, hot in a mug — a hearty pantry burrito bowl in minutes.
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VeganVegGF
Oreo Ice Cream
No-churn cookies-and-cream — softened vanilla ice cream, Cool Whip, crushed Oreos. Three ingredients.
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Pennsylvania Dutch Wilted Lettuce
Warm leaf-lettuce salad in hot bacon dressing — sweet-and-sour, poured over to wilt the greens.
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★Pesto alla Genovese
The real basil pesto — basil, two cheeses, pine nuts, good oil. Keep it cold to stay bright green.
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VegGF
Pico de Gallo
Fresh tomato-and-lime pico de gallo — and your fresh salsa, too. Vegan, gluten-free, no-cook.
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VeganVegGF
Quick Chicken 'N Dumplings
Shortcut chicken and dumplings — canned dumplings + cream of chicken soup, melted in the slow cooker.
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Rice Pilaf
Savory pantry pilaf — rice in seasoned broth with dried veg and pine nuts. Hands-off, vegan, GF.
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Instant PotVeganVegGF
Ro*Tel Cheese Dip
Two ingredients — melty cheese and a can of Ro*Tel. The default party dip.
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Roasted Cherries with Balsamic
Improves almost anything it touches.
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VeganVegGF
Sausage & Tortellini Dump Dinner
Smoked sausage, a jar of sauce, and cheese tortellini — dump, seal, walk away. Dinner for four, one pot.
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Instant PotVeg
Watergate Salad
Pale-green pistachio fluff — pudding, pineapple, marshmallows, pecans, whipped topping. Fold and chill.
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Yellow Rice
Sunny turmeric rice side — dried onion, garlic, a pinch of turmeric. Hands-off, vegan, GF.
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Instant PotVeganVegGF
"Blackest of the Black" Black Bean Soup
No-soak dry black beans pressure-cooked with ancho and cumin, then blended. Vegan, GF.
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Instant PotVeganVegGF
"Hurried Herbs" Vegetable Barley Soup
Herb-packed pantry soup — dried veg and chewy pearled barley, dump-and-go. Vegan.
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Instant PotVeganVegGF
"Speedy" Spinach & Lentil Stew
One-pot pantry stew — green lentils, brown rice, tomato, and spinach. Shelf-stable and vegan.
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Instant PotVeganVegGF
Asparagus Casserole
Pantry asparagus bake — layers of asparagus and saltines in cream of celery soup, cheese on top.
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Basic Black Beans
Tender black beans from dry, no soaking — the building block for tacos, bowls, and soups. Vegan, GF.
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Instant PotVeganVegGF
Boar's Head Wassail
Hot holiday wassail — mulled cider with orange, lemon, and pineapple juice. Vegan and GF.
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Broccoli Casserole
A layered broccoli bake with cream-of-chicken soup, water chestnuts for crunch, and a buttery crumb top.
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Broccoli Salad
Crisp raw broccoli in a sweet-tangy dressing with bacon and golden raisins — better after a chill.
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Chana Dal
Creamy split chana dal — bloomed spices and tomato, pressure-cooked. Vegan and protein-packed.
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Instant PotVeganVegGF
Chili
A mild, dependable beef-and-bean chili — one pot, one lazy simmer.
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Claire's Self Crust Turkey Pie
No-roll pot pie — turkey and creamy soup with a self-rising batter poured over that bakes its own crust.
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Coca Cola Barbeque Chicken
Three ingredients — chicken, ketchup, and Coke — simmered into a sticky sweet-tangy glaze.
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Corn-Yellow Rice Casserole
Sunny Southern side — yellow rice, Mexicorn, cream of chicken soup, cheese on top. Stir and bake.
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Creamy Chocolate Pie
A no-bake chocolate icebox pie — pudding, whipped topping, ready crust. Use just 1 cup milk so it slices.
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Curried Mung Bean Soup
Cozy curried mung bean soup — no soak, pantry-friendly, pressure-cooked soft. Vegan, GF.
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Instant PotVeganVegGF
Easy Brunswick Stew
The shortcut Brunswick stew — three cans of barbecue meat, corn, and tomatoes.
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Easy Red Velvet Cake
Shortcut red velvet — a butter cake mix doctored with cocoa and color, cream cheese frosting.
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Gina's Chess Squares
Gooey butter-cake bars — press-in cake base, rich cream-cheese top. A Southern potluck classic.
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Green Bean Casserole
The 1955 holiday classic — green beans, mushroom soup, crispy fried onions.
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Ham & Cheese Quiche
A crustless Bisquick quiche — one bowl, one pan. The mix forms its own crust as it bakes.
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Lipton's Famous California Dip
The 1950s original — onion soup mix stirred into sour cream. Make it ahead.
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Little Smokies
Cocktail sausages in a sweet-tangy three-ingredient glaze — the slow-cooker party staple.
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Mediterranean Orzo Salad
Lemony orzo with sun-dried tomatoes, olives, chickpeas, and herbs.
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VeganVegGF
Mixed Vegetable Casserole
Creamy frozen-veg bake — broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cheese, and a French-fried onion crown.
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Monkey Bread (Sweet Rolls)
Pull-apart cinnamon-sugar monkey bread from canned biscuits, baked in sticky brown-sugar caramel.
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Oven Baked Chicken
The plainest, most useful chicken — seasoned and baked until the skin crisps.
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Punch Bowl Cake
A retro punch-bowl trifle — crumbled cake, pie fillings, fruit, and whipped topping. Feeds a crowd.
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★Red Lentil Soup
Creamy spiced red lentil soup, finished with lemon — vegan, one pot.
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VeganVegGF
Refried Black Beans
Creamy refried black beans from dry — pressure-cooked soft, blended smooth in the pot. Vegan, GF.
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Instant PotVeganVegGF
Ritzy Chicken
Bite-size chicken in a sour-cream-and-soup sauce under a buttery Ritz crust. One dish, over rice.
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Strawberry Pies
No-bake icebox pie — condensed milk and whipped topping set with lemon, fresh strawberries. Makes two.
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★Chicken and Rice
The classic cream-soup casserole — chicken and rice baked together in one dish.
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Crock Pot Roast
Dump-and-go slow-cooker pot roast — lean roast, a quick canned-and-packet gravy, fork-tender by dinner.
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No-Knead Everyday Bread
Crusty no-knead loaf — stir, rise slow, bake in a hot covered pot. Dough keeps in the fridge.
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VeganVeg

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