Five tins, five dinners, no heroic shopping trip

There is a particular kind of late dinner where the cupboard has ingredients but nothing looks like a meal. A tin of tomatoes is useful because it can become sauce, broth or the thing that holds beans and vegetables together. It does not need a grand plan. I have made these after work with one cutting board, one pan and the last useful things in the fridge. The trick is to decide whether the tomatoes are carrying the main ingredient, coating it, or cooking it. Once that job is clear, the rest of dinner becomes a short list rather than a search through every shelf. The best route is often decided by texture: chickpeas want a thick stew, eggs need a sauce that can hold a well, and fish needs a quiet poaching liquid. A tin does not force you into one cuisine. It gives the dinner a place to start.

All five dinners below start with one 400 g tin. The first is the one I make most often. The others use the same base in different ways, so you can choose by the food already in your kitchen.

1. Red pepper and chickpea stew

Cook sliced onion and red pepper in olive oil, add smoked paprika and garlic, then tip in the tomatoes and two tins of chickpeas. Simmer for 25 minutes until the sauce clings to the beans. Finish with lemon and serve with bread. The full red pepper chickpea stew follows this route. I make this when the fridge contains one tired pepper and the cupboard contains more beans than anyone meant to buy. The pepper does not need to be perfect. Give it time in the oil, scrape the browned edges into the tomato and the stew gains more depth than a rushed sauté. Bread is part of the plan because it catches the sauce and makes a small pot feel generous.

The failure mode is adding too much water. Chickpeas release a little liquid and the tomatoes already bring plenty. Start with none, then loosen the pot only if it looks dry. A spoon of yogurt or tahini at the table gives the stew a softer edge.

2. Eggs poached in tomato and peppers

Soften one onion and one pepper, add garlic and the tin, then simmer uncovered until thick enough to hold two wells. Crack in four eggs, cover the pan and cook until the whites set while the yolks stay soft. Eat with toast.

Use a wide pan so the eggs sit in one layer. If the sauce is thin, the whites spread and disappear. If it is too thick, the bottom can catch before the eggs are ready. Keep the heat low once the eggs go in and lift the lid only when you need to check the whites. I slide the pan off the strongest part of the burner once the lid goes on, because trapped steam cooks the tops quickly. The yolks continue to firm after the pan leaves the heat, so stop when they look slightly less done than you want to eat. Toast is the tool that turns the sauce into the meal.

3. Twenty-minute tomato pasta

Fry garlic and chilli in olive oil, add crushed tomatoes and simmer while the pasta cooks. Reserve a mug of pasta water. Toss the drained pasta through the reduced sauce, adding water a tablespoon at a time until the sauce turns glossy and coats the strands. I take the pan off the heat before the final toss, especially if the pasta is thin. The residual heat is enough to bring the sauce together and keeps the garlic from turning bitter. A handful of breadcrumbs, tuna or grated cheese can then make the bowl feel complete without another trip to the shop.

The order matters. Pasta water is useful after the sauce has reduced, not before. Add it early and you are asking the pan to cook off the water twice. Parmesan, toasted breadcrumbs or a tin of tuna can finish the bowl without another shopping trip.

4. Tomato fish with olives

Simmer tomatoes with garlic, fennel seeds and olives for ten minutes. Nestle in thick white fish fillets, cover and cook gently until the centre flakes. Add lemon and parsley at the end. Cod, hake and pollock all work; choose pieces of similar thickness so one does not dry out while another stays raw.

Do not boil the fish hard. The sauce should bubble at the edges, not throw the fillets around. If you are using frozen fish, thaw it safely first and pat it dry. The tomato sauce is forgiving, but a wet fillet will dilute it.

5. Tomato rice with beans

Cook onion and garlic, stir in a cup of long-grain rice, then add the tomatoes, two cups of stock and a drained tin of beans. Cover and simmer until the rice is tender. Rest it off the heat for ten minutes before fluffing. The rest is not optional; it lets the grains finish without turning the bottom to paste.

Use a wide, heavy pot and check the liquid once. Stirring repeatedly releases starch and makes the rice gluey. Add spinach, frozen peas or leftover roast vegetables in the final minutes. A fried egg on top turns the same pot into a proper dinner.

The five-minute base behind all of them

For every dinner here, start by giving the onion time to soften. Add garlic later so it does not burn. Tip in the tomatoes, salt lightly and simmer uncovered. Once the sauce tastes like tomato rather than raw tin, add the main ingredient and adjust the texture.

If you have passata instead, use the guide to choose between tinned tomatoes and passata. Passata will make these dinners smoother, but it may need less water and a shorter reduction.

Source: Maren Ashby's kitchen timings, 2026-08-27

What to do with half a tin

Use it in a small pan of beans, freeze it in a labelled 150 g portion, or make a quick sauce for toast. Move it out of the opened can into a covered container. The storage guide for leftover tinned tomatoes has the timings and portion sizes I use.

These dinners are not five versions of the same red bowl. The tomato changes jobs: glue for chickpeas, broth for eggs, coating for pasta, poaching liquid for fish and cooking liquid for rice. That is why one tin earns its cupboard space.