Nourish | Make-ahead simmer sauce is your shortcut to a flavor-charged meal

Whenever I get takeout Indian food, I don’t just see that evening’s meal in front of me, I envision a future meal, too. That’s because I’m a card-carrying sauce saver.

It started years ago when I couldn’t bring myself to throw away the cups of mouthwatering sauce that remained after we ate all the shrimp from my daughter’s favorite Indian curry. Instead, I froze it, and weeks later used it to create another meal. Simmering the leftover sauce with sautéed shrimp and handfuls of spinach, and serving it over rice made for such a quick, easy, and tasty dinner it became one of my all-time favorite hacks.

In fact, it’s such a handy trick, that rather than wait for leftovers I created this recipe to have a meal-making simmer sauce at my fingertips anytime.

The tomatoey, coconut-creamy curry sauce is simple to make and, according to my daughter, tastes just like her go-to dish. Just sauté some onion, garlic, and ginger, stir in yellow curry powder, paprika, salt, and pepper, and warm the spices through. Add a can of tomatoes, coconut milk, and a touch of cayenne pepper, if you like some heat, and simmer it until the sauce thickens a bit and the flavors meld. Once the mixture cools, you blend it until it’s smooth and creamy — what you get is so good, you might want to double the recipe so you have some for a meal now, and some for one later.

This brightly-hued sauce adds richness, color, and fragrant flavor to just about any protein — shrimp, chunks of fish, chicken, pork, or tofu — and can be used right away if you’d like, or refrigerated or frozen for on-demand meals. Choose a protein, brown it in the pan, then simmer it in the sauce, with quick-cooking greens — such as spinach, baby kale, or Swiss chard — tossed in at the end.

Served over rice or whatever grain you like, this make-ahead sauce is your hack to a fast, tasty meal your future self will thank your past self for.

4 servings (makes about 4 cups)

Active time: 30 mins; Total time: 45 mins

This creamy and aromatic spiced sauce can be prepared in advance and kept on hand for a fast, flavor-packed rush-hour dinner. Here, it’s paired with shrimp and baby spinach, but you can use just about any quick-cooking protein and greens to create a luscious, saucy meal. It’s so good, you might want to double the recipe so you have some for a meal now, and some for one later.

Storage: The sauce can be prepared and refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator, or in a small, lidded pot over low heat, until warmed through.

Ingredients

For the sauce:

1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as avocado, grapeseed, or canola

1 small yellow onion (5 ounces), diced

2 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon yellow curry powder

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 (14-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, with their juices

3/4 cup light coconut milk

pinch cayenne pepper, plus more to taste (optional)

For the dish:

1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as avocado, grapeseed, or canola, plus more as needed

1 pound cleaned, deveined large shrimp, tails on or removed (see Substitutions)

4 cups (4 ounces) lightly packed baby spinach or baby kale

4 cups cooked rice or other grain

Steps

Make the sauce: In a large (12-inch) skillet over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Stir in the curry powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper to coat the onions and warm the spices, about 30 seconds more.

Add the tomatoes and coconut milk, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching on the bottom, until the sauce thickens slightly and the flavors meld, about 10 minutes. Taste, and season with cayenne pepper, if desired. Remove from the heat and let cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. (Alternatively, transfer the sauce to a deep container and use an immersion blender to process until smooth.) You should have about 2 cups; use right away or refrigerate until needed.

Finish the dish: In a large (12-inch), high-sided skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Working in batches, add the shrimp and cook until it turns pink and is lightly browned and nearly cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer the browned shrimp to a plate and repeat with the remaining shrimp, adding more oil to the pan, if it looks dry.

Return the shrimp to the pan, then add the sauce and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook at a gentle simmer until the sauce is warmed through and the shrimp are cooked through and opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the spinach or kale, adding in batches if needed, and cook until just wilted, 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Divide the rice among individual bowls, top with the shrimp mixture and serve hot.

Substitutions: Shrimp >> 1/2-inch-thick pork tenderloin medallions, diced boneless, skinless chicken breast, or diced firm or extra-firm tofu. Light coconut milk >> full-fat coconut milk. Yellow onion >> white onion or shallots.

Nutrition per serving (1 cup rice and about 1 cup shrimp mixture): 475 calories, 61g carbohydrates, 183mg cholesterol, 12g fat, 6g fiber, 31g protein, 4g saturated fat, 463mg sodium, 5g sugar

This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.

Ellie Krieger is a registered dietitian nutritionist and cookbook author who hosts public television’s “Ellie’s Real Good Food.” Learn more at www.elliekrieger.com.