Zoe Barrie Soderstrom Has a Better Dinner System

Restaurant-inspired prep and planning means you can “fire” Tuesday dinner quick.

A random assortment of vegetables in the fridge can be an opportunity, but it’s also sometimes a recipe for waste. So this week’s podcast guest, Zoe Barrie Soderstrom, thought back to her days working in restaurants, “where all the ingredients you have,” she says, “are purchased with intention to get used in a specific dish.” She really wanted those ingredients to work in more than one dinner, and to use up everything she’d bought by the end of the week.

Restaurant Dropout

, Zoe’s wildly popular video series and newsletter, solves the jigsaw puzzle every week with a full lineup of dinner recipes based on one grocery haul—and some efficient ingredient prep that helps you get weeknight meals on the table faster.

I talked to Zoe about what elements of this week’s dinners you can prep ahead, what you really shouldn’t, and a few of her favorite sources for cooking inspiration. She also aced a rapid-fire quiz, providing you with ways to use up that leftover heavy cream and half-full carton of buttermilk in your fridge, and those candy canes that are sitting around…

This is a fun one—I hope you listen in. And I’d be so grateful if you’d leave a rating, too.

Discount alert

Zoe’s offering 20% off her newsletter until Dec 25th, so you may want to sign up now using this link. Want a preview? Scroll down for Zoe’s Caramelized Cabbage Shakshuka recipe—plus a hearty pasta that’ll use up the other half of that cabbage.

Zoe mentioned:

Chicken Tikka Masala
CPK-inspired Chicken Tostada Pizza
Martha Stewart’s Grand Marnier Italian Meringue Buttercream
Earl Grey Pot de Creme
Ethan Chlebowski
Benjamin the Baker
Frankie Gaw
Rachel Lo
The Flavor Bible by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page
On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat

Find Zoe on Instagram here.

Maggie mentioned:

The Recipe with Kenji and Deb
Food52 Cookbook Club on Facebook

This newsletter contains affiliate links.

Photo: Restaurant Dropout

Caramelized Cabbage Shakshuka

Excerpted from Restaurant Dropout by Zoe Barrie Soderstrom

Makes 3-4 servings

Ingredients

Red Pepper-Tomato Sauce (can be made 3-4 days in advance)
2 Tbsp (14 g) olive oil
1 large shallot, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 ½ tsp (2 g) ground cumin
½ tsp (<1 g) ground paprika
½ tsp (<1 g) crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28 oz) can (794 g) crushed tomatoes
½ cup (135 g) water
⅛ tsp or a small pinch (<1 g) white cane sugar
1 tsp (3 g) kosher salt

Caramelized Cabbage Shakshuka
1 Tbsp olive oil
½ head green cabbage, thinly sliced
A small pinch kosher salt
4 cups (all) Red Pepper-Tomato Sauce
4-5 eggs
½ cup crumbled feta
Chopped chives, for garnish
Chopped dill, for garnish

Instructions

Prep the Red Pepper-Tomato Sauce

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan on medium-high heat.

2. Add diced shallot along with a small pinch of salt and cook while periodically stirring for 3-4 minutes, or until mostly translucent. Add cumin, paprika, and crushed red pepper flakes, and cook for around 30 seconds.

3. Add diced bell pepper and cook for an additional 2 minutes or until mostly soft. Once peppers are soft, add crushed tomatoes and stir. Add water, sugar, and 1 tsp of kosher salt and stir until well combined. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes.

Make the Shakshuka

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add cabbage and a small pinch of salt.

2. Cook cabbage until soft and beginning to slightly caramelize (some pieces of cabbage will be golden brown). Once slightly caramelized, stir in the red pepper-tomato sauce. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until slightly bubbling, then reduce the heat to medium-low.

3. Using the back of a spoon, create 4-5 divots in the sauce. Crack an egg in each divot. Cover the pan and allow the eggs to cook for around 5 minutes (for a firmer yolk, cook for 7-8 minutes).

4. Remove the shakshuka from heat and add ½ of the feta cheese. Cover and allow it to rest for 1-2 minutes.

5. Before serving, add the remaining feta and top with chives and dill.

Photo: Restaurant Dropout

Caramelized Cabbage Pasta With Italian Sausage and Ricotta

Excerpted from Restaurant Dropout by Zoe Barrie Soderstrom

Note: To prepare garlic breadcrumbs, heat 1-2 Tbsp olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Grate in 1 clove of garlic and add ¼ cup of panko breadcrumbs. Stir and cook until breadcrumbs are toasted and golden brown (around 5 minutes). Season with salt to taste.

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients

Olive oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced
Kosher salt
½ head green cabbage, thinly sliced
½ lb (8 oz) mild Italian chicken sausage, casings removed (if applicable)
4-6 oz pasta (your choice!)
2-4 Tbsp pasta water
3 Tbsp ricotta
Parmigiano Reggiano
Optional: Garlic Breadcrumbs (see note at top)

Instructions

Caramelize Cabbage & Shallot

1. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add shallot and a pinch of salt. Saute for 3-4 minutes or until shallots are translucent.

2. Once the shallots are translucent, add cabbage and stir. Cook for 9-10 minutes or until shallots are slightly caramelized and the cabbage is soft (if your pan begins to develop dark bits, you can deglaze it with a few tablespoons of water to prevent burning).

3. Using a spoon, push the cabbage and shallots to the side of the pan. On the now-empty side, drizzle a thin layer of oil and add sausage, broken into 1 ½- to 2-inch pieces. Once the sausage is slightly browned and cooked through, stir it in with the caramelized cabbage and shallots.

Prepare the Pasta

1. Cook your pasta according to the package instructions. Reserve 2 to 4 tablespoons of pasta water before straining.

2. Transfer the cooked pasta and reserved pasta water to the caramelized cabbage and shallots, stirring until thoroughly combined. Grate in Parmigiano Reggiano (to your liking) and season with salt to taste.

3. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together ricotta, 1-2 tablespoons of Parmigiano Reggiano, and a pinch of kosher salt.

4. Plate pasta and top with a dollop of the ricotta mixture. Garnish with additional Parmigiano Reggiano and garlic breadcrumbs.