What happens when you can’t find the right ingredients?

Plato said, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” And I would add, “When the store shelves get sparse, we cooks gotta get creative!” Particulary true right now in COVID-19 times. Again I think it’s best to have your list ready and go early for the best choice of options. But when you can’t find the ingredients you wanted, what else would work?

I promise these little tips will keep you happily cooking and filling those hungry mouths at home.

What if I can’t find the meat I need?

For ground beef, use ground turkey – I personally don’t like this option if it’s not seasoned well. But that being said, I make many recipes now with turkey as my ground meat of choice.

For boneless chicken breasts or thighs, use bone-in – it’s super easy to skin both of these and if you’re by chance going to cook in the crockpot or InstantPot, the meat will fall off the bones anyway. Fishing out bones (and cartilage from thighs) is a small price to pay for a good hot meal. (Leg quarters can work too but be careful to remove any additional smaller bones that are sometimes attached here.)

For pork chops, use half a pork loin – normally some butchers will cut this into chops for you but even if you have to do it yourself (as I did last week), a sharp knife will do the trick. You could even use a small pork roast if you find one. These cook down really tender in the crockpot or InstantPot, too.

If this goes on long enough, I have noticed that one of my local stores has no problem still getting lamb. Can’t say I’ve ever cooked with it, but it might be time to learn.

For sausage, use ground turkey and season the way you want it. See three options here.

What if I can’t find canned tomatoes or beans?

For canned tomato products, use fresh tomatoes of any kind, flavor or shape – blanching to remove the skin (learn how here) takes away any chewy texture; then chop for diced, cook down and mash for sauce, and thicken just a little with cornstarch, flour or tapioca starch for paste. (Yes, this is probably going to remain a little more liquid than what you’re used to, but you’ll get by.) Or if you find a large tomato paste in a club store, you can freeze what you don’t use in greased ice cube trays (remove the cubes to a freezer bag AFTER 100% frozen.)

For diced tomatoes and chiles, use fresh tomatoes and either fresh chile or jalapeño peppers (or canned or jarred for that matter). Really any of these will do. Just remember to go easy if you have to use the hotter pepper and you don’t care for the heat (particularly good to remove the seeds and DON’T touch your eyes…but you’re not doing that right now anyway!)

For spaghetti sauce, use fresh tomatoes and spices. Basil, oregano and garlic (or plain Italian seasoning) are the building blocks for tomato sauce. Blanch and cook your tomatoes until mashable, then add in the spices to your liking. A little dash of salt will also help bring the flavor to life.

For canned beans like pinto, kidney, navy or black-eyed, use the dried option – directions will be right on the package. Just know you won’t be able to go right home and dump them into your recipe, they will take some prep and cooking time. Use the overnight soaking method for faster cooking tomorrow. And get those little ones involved. Sorting and measuring dried beans is perfect for younger kids (see what else they can help with here).

What if I can’t find fresh cabbage?

For recipes that call for shredded or chopped cabbage, use cole slaw mix instead. I use a 16-ounce bag of cole slaw mix in various recipes that call for a full head of cabbage and find it’s a great timesaver.

But if you can’t find cole slaw mix and THAT’S what you were aiming for specifically, of course substitute a real head of cabbage and some grated carrot!! (Guess I need to cover how best to cut those at some point.)

What if I can’t find frozen hashbrowns?

For cubed hashbrowns, simply grab some fresh potatoes to use. Peel and cube into salted water, then use just like you would your hashbrowns though you’ll want to make sure you cook them long enough to be fork tender. Or you could parboil them a couple of minutes before cubing, and they’ll cook down faster. Red potatoes will take longer to cook than russet so keep that in mind when making your choice.

For shredded hashbrowns, still use fresh potatoes! This time peel and then grate your potatoes. But again, put them right into a bowl with salted water to keep them from turning dark. Then drain and use like normal. You might need to make a few little adjustments, but we’re getting creative here! Take on the challenge!

What if I can’t find frozen peppers and onions?

I feel your pain here as I use this particular shortcut regularly. Time to grab the fresh versions and hone your chopping skills (onions here; peppers here). One medium pepper and one medium onion pretty much equals that 12-ounce package of frozen peppers and onions. If you like these veggies to be soft, you’ll need to cook the fresh ones a little longer than the frozen counterpart.

What if I can’t find ghee?

Learn how to clarify your own butter here.

What if I can’t find fresh fruit?

Use frozen! Put it in a drainer in the sink and run cold water over it to defrost just what you need. Keep in mind frozen fruit will be much softer once defrosted and may lead to a more liquid result if using in a recipe. I LOVE berries only partially defrosted with a little unsweetened coconut and coconut milk over top!

If all else fails, be creative!

There are a gazillion things you can end up swapping out for other ingredients. And if you truly just can’t find all you need for a given recipe, create something fun and new (kitchen sink meals)! Let me know what things you need help with in the comments or other creative options you’ve found and YES, I got the problem fixed so you CAN actually comment! ; )