So you’re crunched for time or perhaps you’re just not a whiz in the kitchen. With this easy cooking idea you can take basic, pre-made foods and give them some flair by adding simple yet tasty ingredients. Let me show you what I mean.

Easy Cooking Idea for Salads

Pre-made bagged salads were voted the best new invention thanks to their convenience but let’s face it—they’re pretty bland. So how do you add some “zing” to a plain old bagged salad? Try adding some of these ingredients to make a salad masterpiece.

To a plain iceberg lettuce bagged salad add:

-fresh chopped basil
- a tomato, cubed
- a simple dressing make up of 1 parts vinegar to 3 parts olive oil

To a mixed greens or spring mixture add:

-1/4 cup olive oil mixed with 1 tsp balsamic vinegar as a dressing
-Pine nuts

To a bagged fresh spinach leaves (my favorite!) add:

-1 shaved carrot (after peeling use the vegetable peeler to shave the carrot down to nothing and use the “shavings”)
-½ cup fresh raspberries
-Pre-made raspberry vinaigrette as a dressing

Easy Cooking Ideas for Pasta Sauces:

Making your own homemade pasta sauce takes time. A great cheater method that we often use in a pinch is to take a jar of ready made pasta sauce and bring it up a notch with our own ingredients.

To any pre-made pasta sauce add a ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Sounds strange but this little ingredient adds a unique flavor to pasta sauces that will have you and your family/guests raving about.

To add a smoky/spicy flavor to pre-made pasta sauce dice one small chipotle chili and add that to your sauce and let simmer on low for 10 to 15 minutes. We’re a big fan of chipotle chilies because they add subtle heat and a smoky flavor that just can’t be beat.

There you have it—some easy cooking ideas to improve bagged salads and jarred pasta sauces. Don’t be afraid to experiment by adding new things to make your own “homemade” creations.

Next time I’ll show you how to instantly spice up store bought pizzas, frozen vegetables and rice.