Last week, a reader named Emily wrote to us…

Emily had read this Brooklyn house tour, in which author Emma Straub had talked about go-to family meals. “Our #1 most cooked dish,” said Straub, “is this sheet pan red onion tomato feta broccoli situation. That is always what we cook when we can’t possibly think about it.”

“It made me think,” wrote Emily, “that I’d really like to hear other people’s simple meals to cook in a pinch.”

We’re glad you asked! My go-tos are constantly changing and usually egg-based — empty-the-fridge frittatas, migas, egg-and-cheese tortillas, scrambled eggs on toast — but another one that has been around forever is spicy chickpeas with yogurt.

I simply fry drained and dried chickpeas in olive oil; spike them with cayenne, onion powder, and a little smoked paprika; then serve with rice or store-bought naan, plain yogurt, and whatever herb I have around (cilantro, mint, etc). Finally, I add a drizzle of the Maggi tamarind sauce that I learned about from Priya Krishna and that is so good it’s drinkable. (If I have spinach, and I usually do, I’ll chuck that in at the end, too.)

What about you? What is your no-energy-left dinner in pinch?

P.S. Family dinners we’ve loved to death and reader’s best kitchen hacks.

(Top photo by Chelsea Cavanaugh for How to Celebrate Everything.)