Dinner using just the basics?

[LisaMuffin]

I don't know quite what I feel like having tonight, but I'm tired of the same old thing.
I have a lot of the basics: carrots, onion, celery, white rice, chicken stock, beef stock, canned tomatoes, cornmeal, pasta, etc

Any ideas for something I can make that will warm my belly and be delicious?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Wyogal]

Polenta or pasta with a simple tomato sauce maybe?
(I know that one should use a coarser ground cornmeal for polenta, but I've made it with regular cornmeal at times, add butter and it's delish, especially with a nice sauce, maybe some mushrooms if ya got 'em)

 

[CharlieD]

Sounds like a great soup to me. Just use pasta OR rice, everything else can pretty much go in the pot.

 

[SharonT]

If a can of red kidney beans is part of the "etc" - sounds like Red Beans & Rice to me - cornbread on the side.

 

[Bilby]

Either a vegetable soup with rice or a tomato soup with cornmeal dumplings are the obvious ones to me but...

Assuming cornmeal can be used to make a form of pastry, I would make a vegetable pie in a white sauce - but do it in the shape of a Swiss roll. Like you would use filo pastry. You can pad that with a can of beans/chickpeas or a meat if you have it.

Vegetarian fried rice - or normal fried rice if you have the other ingredients.

Make cornmeal scones (larger size than normal) and top with cheese and tomato. Any eggs? top with a fried egg and cheese.

Or make a pizza base out of the cornmeal and top with whatever you have and fancy.

Cornmeal savoury pancakes and use as a wrap for whatever you have. If you have a can of kidney beans, make a chilli with the can of tomatoes and pour over the pancakes, top with cheese and grill til the cheese bubbles.

Use the rice to make a boiled rice pudding for dessert - boil rice in milk, 3/4 of the way thru add some dried fruit, just before turning the heat off, add some sugar to taste. Serve topped with honey, golden syrup, maple syrup, jam, treacle or something to your taste. Also add some cold milk or evaporated milk if you like it wet, otherwise have as is.

If you want to define "etc" more fully, I am sure we could come up with more for you.