Sometimes transforming leftovers into new and exciting dishes is easy as pie, but other times we have to get creative, like when trying to use up the dregs of jars.
Getting the last sticky morsels out of their glass prisons can be a bit of a chore—unless you wield the jar as a kitchen tool in and of itself. Today, we’re turning three almost-empty tubs into a meal-maker sauce, a vinaigrette, and even a cocktail. Each of these zero-waste recipes is made right in the jar (in under 5 minutes), so you have less to clean up later.
These “recipinis” are as much must-haves for waste-watchers as they are for devoted container savers. Absent an obliging canine who gets to lick jars for being the very-best boy, you gotta find ways to get those vessels clean. Take peanut butter: You’re almost to the bottom, but there’s still a tiny bit left. You can see it! Wrangling it out is annoying, but necessary if you want to reuse the container—or set it up for success at the recycling plant. May as well get dinner out of the deal while you’re at it! Shall we?
Any Nut Butter Sauce
This shake-and-go sauce is a great way to free the bottom-of-the-jar bits. It makes for a splendid (if rich) salad dressing or a simple way to sauce up some noodles. You can even add some cooked noodles or grains right to the container and toss it up for a quick lunch. This mix works with every nut or seed butter—from cashew to tahini—but you may have to adjust the liquids depending on how thick or runny your nut butter is.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons (or 2 parts) nut butter
- 2 tablespoons (or 2 parts) soy sauce or liquid aminos
- 1 tablespoon (or 1 part) maple syrup or honey
- 1 tablespoon (or 1 part) lime juice or apple cider vinegar
- Sriracha, to taste
Procedure:
- Add all ingredients to an almost-empty peanut butter jar and shake to combine. Add water to thin to your desired consistency.
Notes and Substitutions:
- The dregs of a peanut butter jar are generally a couple tablespoons. If you’ve got a bigger or smaller container than average, use the ratios to scale up or down.
Easiest Mustard Vinaigrette
If you aren’t scraping the sides of your mustard jars before tossing them, you’ve been missing out. A few teaspoons are all you need to whip together a quick vinaigrette, which also comes in its own storage container. Plus, mustard is an emulsifier, which means it helps oil and vinegar hang out together without separating. This trick doesn’t stop with mustard, either! You can also turn leftover pickle brine, mayo, or sun-dried tomato oil into a jar’s worth of dressing for your week.
Ingredients:
- 6 tablespoons (or 9 parts) olive oil
- 2 tablespoons (or 3 parts) red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons (or 1 part) Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon (or ½ part) honey
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Procedure:
- Add oil, vinegar, and honey into the almost-empty mustard container. Shake vigorously to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Notes and Substitutions:
- You can use pretty much any type of vinegar here. If you’ve got some extra shallots or soft, leafy herbs, finely chop and throw those in too.
Jammy Gin and Basil Smash
When you don’t even have enough jam in the jar to spread on toast, use it instead of simple syrup to sweeten a cocktail that you can shake right up in the tub. I’m going with gin and berry jam for the base recipe, but if you prefer a different spirit or don’t have the same jam, use what you’ve got. Try whiskeys with peach or apricot jam, or tequila with anything citrusy, like orange preserves. You can also use a bit of any jam to add a little sweetness and dimension to spirit-forward drinks, like an old fashioned.
Ingredients:
- 3 basil or mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon (or 1 part) any berry jam
- 1 tablespoon (or 1 part) lemon juice
- 2 ounces (or 4 parts) gin
Procedure:
- In the jam jar, muddle the basil and jam. Add ½ cup ice, lemon juice, and gin. Shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Drink right from the jar, or pour into a rocks glass.
Notes and Substitutions:
- If your jar is too small to cram in all that ice, you can alternatively use a cocktail shaker to combine the ingredients.
- If you’ve got a few berries you need to use up, muddle them in with the jam and basil.
