All the Ingredient Substitutions You Need to Make Michael Symon's Daily Dinners

Cook along with him on the Food Network Kitchen Facebook page! His flexible recipes mean you probably already have all the ingredients you need.

March 25, 2020

Have you caught Michael Symon's Daily Dinners on the Food Network Kitchen Facebook page? If you haven't, now is the perfect time to join in the fun! Each day at 5 p.m. EST, Michael is going LIVE on Facebook to cook dinner along with you.

The goal is demonstate how easy (and delicious!) it can be to cook straight from whatever you have in the pantry. The best part about #SymonDinners is their flexibility — Michael is here to make you feel more confident in making quick swaps in his super-adaptable recipes (take a look at some of them below!). Don't have chicken breasts? Nearly any other meat will often do. No kale? We bet you've got frozen spinach somwhere! And you just might never look at a can of tomatoes the same way ever again — they're so interchangeable!

Michael just revealed the names of the recipes he'll be cooking for the next 10 days — check out the Food Network Kitchen instagram to get the full recipe the day before each new class.

But in the meantime, we've got proof that your pantry is ready to tackle any task. Here is Michael's list for all of the substitutions you can make in any of his Daily Dinner recipes. The options are quite literally nearly endless.

Pasta

  • any shape!
  • gluten-free
  • couscous
  • barley
  • farro
  • orzo

Beans

  • any type!
  • canned
  • dried
  • frozen
  • lentils
  • split peas

Rice

  • any type!
  • canned
  • dry
  • farro
  • couscous
  • orzo
  • oatmeal
  • wheat berries
  • bulgur

Leafy Vegetables

  • spinach
  • kale
  • collards
  • swiss chard
  • beet greens
  • mustard greens

Root Vegetables

  • carrots
  • turnips
  • beets
  • parsnips
  • celery root
  • radishes
  • potatoes
  • sweet potatoes

Broccoli and Friends 😊

  • cauliflower
  • Brussels sprouts
  • cabbage (all kinds)
  • broccoli rabe
  • fennel

Onions

  • red
  • yellow
  • white
  • spanish
  • shallot
  • leeks
  • pearl
  • green
  • onion powder (for flavor)

Celery

  • white cabbage
  • fennel
  • celery salt or seed (for flavor)

Potatoes

  • any kind!
  • sweet potatoes
  • cauliflower
  • turnips
  • celery root
  • parsnips
  • radishes

Tomato Product

  • whole peeled tomatoes
  • tomato puree
  • salsa
  • bbq sauce
  • tomato sauce
  • tomatillo puree
  • tomato paste
  • ketchup

Cooking Fats

  • any oil
  • butter
  • butter substitute
  • animal fats
  • reserved fats (like from cooking bacon!)

Lunch Meats

  • any sandwich meat
  • hot dogs
  • smoked sausages
  • bacon (all types)
  • jerky

Milks

  • any type!
  • dairy
  • nut
  • other

Ground Meats

  • any type!
  • any fresh sausage

Sweetners

  • sugar (all types)
  • honey
  • maple syrup
  • agave

Stew Meats

(chuck, short rib, bottom sirloin, oxtail, fatty brisket, shanks, rounds, belly, ground)

  • beef
  • pork
  • venison
  • bison
  • lamb
  • veal
  • poultry (leg or thighs)

Roasting Meats

(loin, tenderloin, top sirloin, porterhouse, rounds, rib steak)

  • beef
  • pork
  • venison
  • bison
  • lamb
  • veal
  • poultry (leg, thigh, breast)

Grilling Meats

(skirt, flank, hanger, filet, ribeye, porterhouse, strip)

  • beef
  • pork
  • venison
  • bison
  • lamb
  • veal
  • poultry (leg, thigh, breast)

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