What to do with the last of the green onions
Use the last few strands as a garnish for soups, salads, or rice bowls. The white parts can go into stock.
- How long it keeps
- Green onions keep for up to two weeks in the fridge, standing upright in a jar with a little water, changing the water every few days.
- How to tell it has turned
- They have gone off when the white parts are slimy and the greens are yellowing or wilting badly.
A bunch with a few strands left
Green onion fried rice
When the green onions are down to their last strands, fried rice is the answer. This shelf is nearly bare, so you're cooking from staples and turning rice, eggs, and aromatics into dinner in minutes.
About 870 calories a serving, 19 g protein, 149 g carbohydrate, 19 g fat. From USDA figures for 80% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.
From your shelf
- bunch with a few strands left green onions
Staples
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- Slice the green onions into 2-inch pieces, keeping the white parts separate from the green tops. Mince the 2 cloves of garlic. Beat 2 eggs in a bowl with a pinch of salt.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan or wok over high heat until it shimmers. Pour in the beaten eggs and scramble until cooked through, then push to the side of the pan.
- Add the white parts of the green onions and the minced garlic to the cleared side of the pan, stirring for 30 seconds until fragrant. While this cooks, measure out your 2 cups of cooked rice.
- Break up the cold rice with your fingers and add it to the pan, stirring constantly to coat with oil and break up clumps, about 3 to 4 minutes. The rice should heat through and the edges should just catch some color.
- Fold in the green tops and the scrambled eggs, tossing gently. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot while the green onions are still bright.
Note Swap the green onions for any leftover cooked vegetable or herb at the end. Fried rice keeps in the fridge for three days and reheats well on the stove. Serve with hot sauce or soy sauce on the side, or fold in a splash of either at the end for flavor.
Three or four white parts with wilted greens
Creamed green onions and eggs over toast
When the green onions in your crisper drawer are past their prime, cream them with eggs for a supper that tastes far better than its meagre pantry promises. The wilted greens mellow into the sauce while the white parts turn tender and sweet.
About 440 calories a serving, 17 g protein, 42 g carbohydrate, 23 g fat. From USDA figures for 100% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.
To buy
- 1 cup milk or cream
- 2 slices bread for toasting
From your shelf
- 3 to 4, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces green onions, white and wilted green parts
Staples
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- 3 eggs
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the trimmed green onion pieces and cook, stirring often, until the white parts soften and the green parts wilt, about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour over the green onions and stir to coat. Pour in 1 cup milk or cream, stirring to smooth out lumps, and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Crack 3 eggs into a bowl and beat lightly. While the sauce is at a bare simmer, pour the eggs in a thin stream, stirring gently, until they form soft curds throughout, about 2 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil.
- Toast 2 slices of bread. Pour the creamed green onions and eggs over the toast, season with salt and pepper, and serve at once.
Note Swap the milk for stock if you have it. Leftovers keep in the fridge for one day and can be gently reheated in a low oven. Serve alongside a sharp pickle or with sliced tomato if you have one.
Just the white bottoms
Creamed white onion bases with rice
Use up those white bottoms of green onions in a mild, buttery cream sauce over rice. This is what you cook when your shelf is bare and you want something warm tonight.
About 590 calories a serving, 11 g protein, 86 g carbohydrate, 22 g fat. From USDA figures for 80% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.
To buy
- 1 cup whole milk
From your shelf
- half bunch white bottoms of green onions
Staples
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- 1 cup rice
- Start rice in 2 cups water with a pinch of salt in a small pot; bring to a boil, then cover and set heat to low.
- Slice the white bottoms of the green onions into 1/4-inch rounds while the rice cooks.
- Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a small pan over medium heat. Add the sliced white onion bases and cook, stirring often, until they turn translucent and smell sweet, about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour over the onions, stir to coat, and cook for 1 minute. Pour in 1 cup cold milk, stirring as you go to prevent lumps, until the sauce thickens to coat the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes.
- Season the cream sauce with salt and pepper to taste. The rice should be tender and the water absorbed.
- Divide the rice between two bowls and spoon the creamed white onion bases over the top.
Note Swap the rice for pasta if you have it, stirred into the cream sauce. The sauce keeps in the fridge for three days. Serve alongside a sharp salad or pickled vegetables to cut the richness.