We’ve all seen the expansive, aesthetic pantries on social media. You know, the ones that practically double as a mini grocery store.
But there’s another trend shaping home cooking right now, too: Underconsumption core.
While the aesthetic pantry takes a maximalist approach to food storage, underconsumption core aims to reduce your carbon footprint, minimizing food waste and helping to limit your impact on the planet. In practice, it looks different from person to person — since everyone has their own unique needs, preferences and priorities — and success is all about finding the approach that works for you.
Here, we’ll share five key strategies to help get you started, with plenty of delicious recipe inspiration for next-level meals.
Keep an arsenal of pantry staples on hand
The easiest way to cut down on waste? Stock your pantry with stuff you’ll actually use.
The truth is that you probably turn to the same set of staples to make meals over and over. But did you know that jar full of quinoa goes seamlessly into Smash Burgers, salads and grain bowls, like this Asian Steak and Bok Choy Quinoa Bowl?
To lower your consumption, curate your pantry to the essentials that you reach for over and over, then look for recipe inspiration to keep things fresh.
Here are some handy guides to get creative with kitchen essentials:
Mix in plant-based meals (or plant-based ingredients)
Incorporating more plant-based foods in your meal plan can be a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. While several factors go into a food’s total carbon emissions, ingredients lower on the food chain — like plants — generally consume less energy than animals.
And, luckily, plant-based meals are delicious. If you’re new to plant-based eating, consider challenging yourself to try Meatless Monday (any day of the week) to focus on plant-based meals for the day. But there are other ways to mix in more plants, too: Try mixing ground meat with lentils and veggies to get more portions from that same pack of ground beef, or using a few slices of chicken breast as a garnish for your meal, rather than as your main entree.
Check out these fun recipes to explore plant-based meals:
Have a plan for your leftovers
Using up your leftovers is one of the easiest ways to reduce waste and practice lower your consumption. But let’s be real: Leftovers are far from glamorous.
Until now.
All you need is a little strategy to give your leftovers a serious glow-up. For example, try using your leftovers from one meal as a star ingredient in another. You’ll get the benefits of meal prep without needing to eat the same meal multiple times.
That delectable rotisserie-style chicken, for example, makes a delicious Sunday dinner — and you can mix the leftover meat into soups, put it in quesadillas or use it to make next-level pizza. Similarly, that leftover batch of ground beef can be used in multiple recipes, from beef tacos to cheesy casseroles.
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Read more: 10 Tasty recipes starring ground beef
Use seasonings to mix things up
Reusing your ingredients goes a long way toward reducing food waste — and the right seasonings can help ensure you’ll never get bored.
If you’re looking to lower your consumption, take a curated approach to stocking your spice rack and resist the urge to pick up every seasoning imaginable. Instead, consider stocking just a few staples you can use in a wide range of recipes, like onion, garlic or chili powder.
Consider picking up a handful of Seasoning Blends, too. Each one is made with a medley of herbs, spices and aromatics, creating a complex “flavorscape” without the need to stock several seasonings. Find a few flavors to match different moods, so you can turn your favorite staple recipes (or staple ingredients) into something that tastes entirely new.
Find “fridge cleanout” recipes you love
We’ve all been there: You planned your menu perfectly…only to discover veggies wilting at the back of your crisper. While you shouldn’t eat any produce that has gone bad, look for recipes that will turn your mildly-wilted or slightly-overripe produce to good use.
Here are some ways to make it work:
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Turn it into soup: Opt for a brothy or pureed soup to turn leftover produce into a soul-warming meal.
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Make great grain bowls: Steam, grill or roast veggies and layer ‘em over your fave grain. Get our grain bowl guide here.
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Upgrade your pizza: That nearly-forgotten produce can make a delicious pizza topping! Adapt our Easy Homemade Pizza recipe to include the ingredients in your fridge.
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Mix it with eggs: Quiches and frittatas are some of the easiest ways to use up produce. Mix and match produce with cheese, meat or other add-in for an easy, delicious dinner.
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Throw it in a quesadilla: Speaking of cheese, try filling a tortilla with cooked produce, cheese and your favorite sauce for a quick and easy meal.
Feeling inspired? These articles can help you reduce your consumption
