Using Up Veggies in Bulk

Here is a list of vegetables you can buy in bulk, along with serving suggestions, so you can keep meals varied yet use them up all week. It is a great way to save money.

5-pound bags of potatoes and yams:

The first thing you want to do with these is store them in a dark, cool place. Maybe you have a closed pantry or cabinet, or you can put them in a paper bag. Light is the enemy of potatoes because it turns them green!

One of the things I like to do with huge bags of potatoes and sweet potatoes is to bake a big batch. You can smash them, serve them whole, or stuff them. Chill the extras and then make potato salad the next day. Having them baked ahead of time is key.

For sweet potatoes, bake a big batch. Allow them to rest briefly after coming out of the oven. Squeeze them out of the skin and mash in a bowl. They are good hot the first day and cold with honey the second day. For another way to serve them, cut them into sticks and bake them at 400 degrees until crispy like oven fries.

Whole heads of cabbage

You can slice cabbage thinly so it makes a great slaw but then what? The answer is to make cabbage steak! You simply slice the whole head into 1 inch “steaks” and place on a sheet pan. Season the cabbage steaks with oil, pepper, salt, and hot sauce; bake at 400 degrees until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Serve on a plate with a little salad dressing or hummus.

2-pound bags of carrots

Carrots go great in stew, shakshuka, salads, bowls, and sheet pan dinners. By having fresh ones on hand, you can chop and put them in almost any dish you are making. And by having a grater, you can grate them into bowls and salads. But you can also chop it into sticks and serve it with sticks of veggies and fruits for healthy snacks. For a fun dessert treat, mix grated carrots with yogurt, honey, cinnamon, and raisins for a bakeless carrot cake-style treat.

Broccoli

Broccoli does not have a super long shelf life, but you can buy big heads or bags of it and serve it earlier in the week. Steam it, roast it, put it in salads. When it gets a little past its prime, make a broccoli cream soup.

Cauliflower

A whole head of cauliflower can yield quite a few good dishes. Steamed cauliflower can be zinged up with a squeeze of lemon, but you can always mash it with potatoes or slice and roast it as “steaks”. To make steaks, preheat the oven to 425 degrees (F). Cut the cauliflower into 1-inch slices, slicing the whole head vertically. Place on a sheet tray with a little oil and season it your favorite way. Garlic and pepper, garam masala, steak seasoning, or Italian seasoning are all great.