If you feel like dinnertime turns you into a short order cook for your family, you are not alone.

One kid is a vegetarian, another hates spicy foods, someone else is just plain picky. Sometimes we feel like we have to make multiple dinners to keep the whole crowd happy (or reluctantly reach for the box of mac and cheese).

Annoying, right?

The solution: Find “Fork in the Road” dishes that let you cook one meal, but adapt it in different ways to suit multiple palates.

What is a fork-in-the-road dish?

I came up with the idea for “fork in the road” meals when my kids were young, and I was looking to prepare meals that we could all eat together. I didn’t want to be a short order cook, making different things for different people. And even beyond the time factor, I liked the idea that we would all be eating basically the same thing.

However, not everyone was in the same place in terms of love of spice, vegetables, spiciness, and so on. I realized that with a few tweaks during the cooking process we could get to a harmonious family dinner (well, as harmonious as it gets when you’re eating with children!).

The idea behind these meals is that you can prepare your meal as usual up to the point when you’d start adding extra flavorings. At this point, scoop out a portion and set it aside for people with simpler palates. Then continue on cooking the main dish, gussying it up for grownups and adventurous eaters with herbs, seasonings, and so forth.

For instance, maybe you’re making a pasta sauce, but your kids really like their tomato sauce on the plainer side. Make a straightforward tomato sauce, and then separate some out into a bowl or another pot. Then you can add capers, chopped olives, anchovies, herbs to the remaining sauce—whatever you and the other more intrepid eaters like.

A Flexible Meal Makes Everyone Happy!

The result is that you essentially are making one dish for the entire family, with some tweaks that allow everyone to be happy—including you, by the way.

And it’s not about dumbing down the food for the “more selective” eaters in the house. This approach addresses the reality that if you drizzle a certain child’s salmon with sauce and that’s a no-go, they might not eat the salmon. Here, you might be better off serving their salmon with just a touch of the sauce on the side, and letting them investigate it at their own pace. But drizzle your own salmon at will!

SOME “FORK IN THE ROAD” IDEAS TO TRY!

Ready to see this idea in action? Take a look at some of the ideas below and see what might work for your family!

Herbed Turkey Burgers

Burgers

Start with your burger meat, whether it’s beef or pork or turkey or lamb, and give it a nice seasoning of salt and pepper. You can then pull out enough for one or two (or however many) plain patties, and then continue adding other seasonings for those who want more interest in their burgers.

Keep in mind, however, that you’ll want to reduce the amount of seasonings called for in the recipe if you are separating a significant amount of meat out for plain burgers. You can eyeball this, though, because seasonings are subjective anyway.

Green Eggs and Ham Sandwich

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a plain grilled cheese, one of the most perfect foods on earth. But it’s also fun to layer in all kinds of extras.

Change things by adding in different types of cheeses; make sure you have at least one really good melting cheese such as havarti or gouda or fontina, so you get a cohesive sandwich with a promising cheese pull when you cut it or bite into it.

You can also add extras like leftover deli meat or roasted vegetables from another meal.

Grilled cheese sandwiches are easy to make Fork-in-the-Road style: just assemble each one individually.

Black Eyed Pea Salsa with Cheese Quesadillas

Quesadillas

Similar to grilled cheese, quesadillas are easily made to order. You can vary the cheeses, the fillings, and also the toppings according to individual preference.

A fun family dinner or gathering might entail you putting out a spread of grated cheeses and potential fillings such as sliced roasted peppers, shredded chicken, chopped sautéed vegetables and so forth.

Offering a few different salsas helps each person customize the spice level. And then you just let everyone assemble their own!

This is also a great way to get kids to try new things—Fork-in-the-Road doesn’t mean keeping things plain or dumbed down, it also means offering them the chance to expand their palates in a fun way.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Soups

There are so many things to add to a soup, and I always find this to be a fun way to work through some of the different condiments in my pantry and fridge. Separate out some to keep it plain, and then have at it with all sorts of seasonings and add-ins and toppings—just keep in mind the basic flavor profile of the soup.

For the adults or the more adventurous? Consider anything from harissa sauce to black beans with garlic to those last few chopped artichoke hearts to a final sprinkle of sunflower seeds. All of these items can add interest to a soup.

Shrimp Scampi with Peas and Shrimp

Pasta

As mentioned above, sauces can stop at plain and simple (tomato sauces, cream sauces) or be embellished with fresh herbs, spices, anchovy paste and so on.

You can also add more things to the pastas themselves, such as diced roasted vegetables or leftover shredded roast meat. Or finish the pasta with a sprinkle of breadcrumbs for a nice textural surprise. Just remember to pull out some of the sauce or pasta before you take it past the desired level of the whole gang.

Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Chili

Chili

With chili, the Fork-in-the-Road often comes with the level of desired heat. Separating out part of the chili when it is just mildly spicy, and then adding more heat to the rest by way of red pepper flakes, hot sauce, fresh or dried hot peppers, or chipotles in adobo is a good way to make sure everyone is happy.

Also, it’s easy to make a vegetarian chili and divide it in two, then add meat to one of the pots. I make this kind of two-way chili all the time; it’s an easy way to entertain a crowd.

Fish Tacos

Tacos

Tacos are the ultimate fork-in-the-road meal. Just divide the filling and adjust the level of heat. Or maybe make a taco seasoning mixture, and then sauté the spices with some ground turkey in one pan, and some ground beef in the other, for two options.

One of the most appealing and natural Fork-in-the-Road options for tacos comes in the form of the toppings. Put out salsa, sour cream, grated cheese, chopped tomatoes, avocado or guacamole, and sliced scallions. And then let everyone make the taco of their dreams.

What’s for lunch? With summer vacation behind us (sigh . . .) it’s time to settle into fall routines. These DIY noodle cups are going to rock your re-entry to school and work.

Homemade Noodle Cups Make Lunch Easy!

I eat pretty much the same thing for breakfast every morning with few variations and I don’t mind that. Lunch is another story altogether.

If I’m clever enough to plan ahead, I might just have enough leftovers from last night’s dinner to take for lunch, but believe it or not, meals in our house are often last minute throw-together affairs and the leftover options are often pretty thin. The view inside my fridge is, well, not very inspiring.

But wait! There’s a jar of something in there, after all. It says “Just add (hot) water”! Yes, it’s a homemade noodle cup I cleverly made at the beginning of the week!

Now that’s a lunch I can get excited about. I love to make multiple jars—sometimes all the same, and sometimes each with a different base and flavoring.

Why Make Your Own Cup of Noodles?

Whether you are working at home or taking lunch to work or school (because wouldn’t it be nice to save a few pennies and eat something healthy and delicious?), these homemade noodle cups should be on your meal rotation list.

Sure, you can buy the packages of ramen, but don’t do it! Those packets are loaded with preservatives and salt — these homemade cups are easy and much more delicious.

They’re are not just for lunch, either. At the end of a particularly tiring day, I love to grab a jar and put the kettle on for dinner, and forgo the original meal plan. Feet up! Slurp, slurp!

How to Make Homemade Cup of Noodles

How easy is it to make these noodle cups at home? This easy!

1. Start with a glass pint jar, like those use for canning, and place your broth base on the bottom.
2. Layer in some tasty, spicy seasonings.
3. Add some cooked vegetables and some form of protein, if you like—leftover chicken, beef, or pork are great here.
4. Add the cooked noodles.
5. Put some fresh greens, scallions or herbs on top. Wrap fresh herbs in a piece of plastic wrap to keep them fresh. (You will remove it when you pour in the water and then add it to the soup when it is hot.)
6. Slap a top on the jar and refrigerate it for three to five days.

When you’re ready, just add boiling water and stir!

Photo by Sheryl Julian

THE INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING HOMEMADE NOODLE CUPS

Here are some ideas for the different elements in your noodle cups—the broth base, the protein, the vegetables, the noodles, and the seasonings and garnishes. Use the recipe below as a base, and then use these ideas to vary it to your taste.

There are probably tons more ideas, too; these are just suggestions—scavenge your leftovers and save little special tidbits for your soup. You can see that there are so many variations it will be hard to decide, but that means you don’t have to eat the same thing every day!

Remember that that adding boiling water won’t actually cook anything, so proteins, large chunks of vegetables (such as green beans or sweet potatoes), and all but a few types of noodles need to be cooked before going in your cup.

1. The Broth Base

Be choosy and read the labels to avoid MSG or other potentially undesirable ingredients.

• Reduced sodium vegetable, chicken, or beef bouillon paste
• White, yellow or red miso paste
• Red curry paste
• Unsweetened coconut milk

2. The Protein

There’s lots to choose from here, or you can leave them out for a plain vegetable noodle soup.

• Tofu cubes
• Tempeh
• Shredded cooked chicken, pork, or beef
• Halved hard-boiled eggs
• Cooked shrimp

3. The Noodles

There are so many different kinds of noodles to choose from at most supermarkets! If you’re using cooked noodles, make sure they have cooled before assembling your cups. (You can cool them quickly under running water.)

• Cooked (preservative-free) ramen noodles
• Cooked buckwheat soba
• Cooked spaghetti and other leftover plain cooked pastas
• Cooked rice noodles
• Cooked egg noodles
• Uncooked thin rice vermicelli (Note: this is the only type of pasta that will cook with just boiling water and that doesn’t need to be pre-cooked)

4. The Vegetables

Instant noodle cups are where odds and ends find a home.

• Shredded carrots
• Sliced shiitake, white, or cremini mushrooms
• Spiralized zucchini or squash
• Sliced scallions
• Baby spinach
• Sliced snow peas
• Shredded Napa cabbage
• Frozen peas and corn

5. The Seasonings and Garnishes

Everybody needs some spice in their life, even if it’s just soup.

• Chile-garlic sauce
• Grated fresh ginger
• Grated garlic
• Sesame seeds
• Unseasoned rice vinegar
• Hoisin sauce
• Sriracha
• Fish sauce
• Fresh herbs like cilantro, Thai basil, or mint leaves
• Lime wedges

Make As Many (or as Few) Cup of Noodles as You Like!

You can make as many or few cups as you wish. I give you two of my favorite variations below—but feel free to improvise. Each recipe makes enough for one 2-cup serving, but you can make multiply the ingredients to make multiple servings or to make larger servings in larger jars if you wish.

More Asian Noodle Recipes to Try!