Chef Ben Kiely is the senior education administrator and lead chef instructor at Vancouver’s Pacific Institute for Culinary Arts (PICA). Born and raised in Richmond, England, Chef Ben got his start at a culinary school. He moved to Vancouver in 2009, where he held positions as executive sous chef at the Sutton Place Hotel and as head chef at Caffé dé Medici, a DiRoNA award winner.
Back-to-school season brings mixed emotions. Some families look forward to returning to routine after a busy summer, while others try to hold onto those carefree days for as long as possible. Either way, the school year arrives, and suddenly weeknight dinners, packed lunches and busy schedules all compete for your attention.
With the cost of groceries continuing to be top of mind, making the most of every meal has never been more important. One of the easiest ways to stretch your food budget isn’t by buying different ingredients it’s by thinking about tomorrow while you’re making dinner today.
This one-tray meal celebrates some of British Columbia’s best seasonal ingredients: salmon, sweet corn, tomatoes, zucchini and sweet potatoes. Everything roasts together on a single sheet pan, making dinner simple and keeping cleanup to a minimum. But the real secret comes after dinner.
Instead of finishing every last bite, intentionally save some of the salmon and roasted vegetables. They become the foundation for tomorrow’s lunch: a fresh salmon pasta or orzo salad that’s ready in just minutes.
One trick I use at home is to cook the pasta or orzo the evening before while the salmon is roasting. Once it’s cooled, refrigerate it overnight. In the morning, all that’s left to do is combine the chilled pasta with the leftover salmon, roasted vegetables and the remaining lemon and herb vinaigrette. A handful of fresh basil brings everything back to life. It turns the morning rush into a five-minute job instead of another meal to prepare.
Recipes are useful, but learning how to make one ingredient work twice is an even more valuable kitchen skill. Once you understand the idea, this doesn’t have to be a salmon recipe. The same approach works with chicken, roasted vegetables, grains and countless other weeknight dinners and lunches the next day. Cooking at home becomes easier when we stop thinking in individual recipes and start thinking one meal ahead.
That doesn’t mean spending an entire Sunday cooking for the week or filling the refrigerator with containers. It can be much simpler than that. When you’re making dinner, ask yourself one question: What could part of this become tomorrow?
Roast a little more chicken and it can become a sandwich or salad. Cook extra vegetables and they can go into pasta, a frittata or a grain bowl. Make a little more rice or another grain and you already have the beginning of tomorrow’s lunch. It’s not really about eating the same meal twice—it’s about doing some of tomorrow’s cooking today.
This technique can save both time and money. Start with ingredients that are in season, when they’re often at their best, and think about how you prepare them so as little as possible is wasted. Broccoli stalks, herb stems and perfectly good vegetable trimmings don’t always need to end up in the compost. Sometimes it’s simply about changing how we cut, cook and use an ingredient so we get more from what we’ve bought.
The vinaigrette is another easy way to adapt the idea to what your family enjoys. Lemon and fresh herbs work beautifully here, but you could just as easily go in a different direction with lime, sambal and cilantro. The flavours can change; the principle stays the same. Keep it simple, use what you have, create as little washing up as possible and make sure the ingredients you buy actually get eaten.
That flexibility is particularly useful for families because not everyone likes the same flavours. A recipe should be a guide rather than something that makes you feel you need to buy another six ingredients. If there’s parsley in the fridge, use parsley. If you have basil, use basil. If there’s half a zucchini that needs using, put it on the tray. Learning to substitute and adapt is one of the most useful skills we can have in the kitchen.
Back-to-school is also a great opportunity to get everyone involved. Younger children can husk corn, stir the vinaigrette or tear fresh basil, while older kids can help chop vegetables under supervision or assemble the pasta salad for the next day.
Cooking together not only shares the workload but also teaches valuable life skills and encourages children to take pride in the meals they help prepare. We often bring children into the kitchen for the fun things—cookies, cakes or special occasions but there’s just as much value in involving them in an ordinary Tuesday-night dinner.
They begin to understand where meals come from, how ingredients can be used in different ways and, importantly, that food shouldn’t automatically be thrown away just because dinner is over.
Sometimes the best recipe isn’t just about what you serve for dinner. It’s about making tomorrow a little easier, wasting a little less and getting the most from every ingredient you bring home.
Chef Ben Kiely prepares salmon for the one-pan dinner dish, with leftovers going into lunch the next day. Photo courtesy of Pacific Institute for the Culinary Arts (PICA) in Vancouver.
One-Tray BC Salmon with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Corn, Zucchini & Tomatoes
with Lemon & Herb Vinaigrette
Serves 4
Ingredients
Salmon & Vegetables
4 BC salmon fillets (170–200 g / 6–7 oz each)
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 cm (¾-inch) cubes
2 ears BC corn, kernels removed
2 small zucchini, cut into thick half-moons
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 small red onion, cut into wedges
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Lemon & Herb Vinaigrette
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp honey
1 garlic clove, finely grated
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
To Finish
½ cup fresh basil leaves, torn
Fresh dill and parsley
Lemon wedges
Method
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
Place the sweet potatoes, corn, cherry tomatoes and red onion onto a large parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly.
Roast for 10 minutes. Add the zucchini, toss gently and return the tray to the oven for another 5 minutes.
While the vegetables roast, whisk together the olive oil, Dijon mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, garlic, parsley and dill. Season with salt and pepper.
Remove the tray from the oven and gently move the vegetables aside. Place the salmon fillets skin-side down on the tray.
Spoon about half of the vinaigrette over the salmon and drizzle a little over the vegetables.
Return the tray to the oven and roast for 10–12 minutes, or until the salmon flakes easily with a fork and the sweet potatoes are tender.
Spoon some of the remaining vinaigrette over the salmon just before serving, making sure to reserve enough for tomorrow’s pasta or orzo salad. Finish with torn fresh basil, dill, parsley and lemon wedges.
Back-to-School Salmon Pasta or Orzo Salad
Serves 4
Ingredients
Reserved cooked salmon, flaked into large pieces
Reserved roasted sweet potatoes, corn, zucchini, tomatoes and onions
350 g short pasta (fusilli, gemelli or penne) or 350 g orzo, cooked until al dente and cooled
2 handfuls baby spinach or arugula
¼ cup crumbled feta (optional)
Remaining Lemon & Herb Vinaigrette
½ cup fresh basil leaves, torn
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
Freshly ground black pepper
Lemon wedges
Method
Cook the pasta or orzo according to the package directions until al dente. Drain and cool under cold running water. Better still, cook it the evening before while dinner is in the oven, cool it and refrigerate overnight.
In a large bowl, combine the pasta or orzo, roasted vegetables, spinach, basil and fresh herbs.
Gently fold in the flaked salmon, being careful not to break it up too much.
Toss with the remaining Lemon & Herb Vinaigrette until everything is lightly coated.
Finish with crumbled feta if desired, a squeeze of fresh lemon and a few grinds of black pepper.
Serve chilled or at room temperature.
One tray can become two meals with very little extra effort. By cooking a little more salmon and vegetables at dinner, tomorrow’s lunch is almost ready saving time, reducing food waste and making homemade meals an easier option during the busy back-to-school season.
More importantly, the lesson can go well beyond this particular recipe. Learn to look at what you’re cooking tonight and ask what it could become tomorrow. A tray of roasted vegetables, a few pieces of salmon or chicken, or a pot of grains can be the beginning of another meal rather than the end of this one.
Less waste, less washing up and one less meal to worry about tomorrow that’s a kitchen lesson worth learning.
