cook once produce twice

Marlene’s popular show Cook Once, Produce Twice has captured the attention of many viewers who are struggling to find innovative ways to make nutritious meals for their families while sticking to a tight grocery budget. Her unique cooking concept is not batch cooking but a more creative way to make three different meals by starting with a common ingredient—and it can work two ways.

The first is to start with an ingredient, like small pumpkins. They are cleaned and seasoned, then baked. The flesh is then removed and used to make pumpkin penne while the shells are used to serve baked applesauce for dessert! Even the seeds are used in our roasted pumpkin seeds recipe.

The second way to use the Cook Once, Produce Twice concept is to look for three ways to prepare a particular ingredient, like asparagus. Start by buying more when it’s in season and then prepare three different recipes—asparagus quiche, grilled asparagus wraps, and asparagus salad! The key is to remember that good things come in threes!