5 Takeout Recipes You Can Make at Home

The fact is that eating out can be pricey. Eating at home on the other hand is an affordable way to eat well. So, be a dinner rockstar! Serve up those favorite takeout dishes for your family, homestyle.

What's for dinner? Sometimes—or more likely, usually—the kids want that answer to be takeout.

The unfortunate truth of the matter, though, is that eating out can be pricey—not to mention unhealthy. But you want to treat them from time to time, right? So, be a dinner rockstar! Serve up those favorite takeout dishes for your family—homestyle.

These recipes will help you trade the “can I take your order?" for homemade goodness.

Italian Restaurant-Style Garlic Bread

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 head garlic
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 loaf Italian bread
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the top 1/4-inch off the head of garlic, exposing the cloves. Place the garlic head in the center of a square of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil. Fold the aluminum foil around the head to form a packet. Slide into the oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the cloves are softened. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.
2. Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees. Cut the Italian bread open, separating the top and bottom. Place on a baking sheet.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, parmesan cheese and parsley. Remove the garlic from the foil packet and squeeze the soft cloves into the bowl. Stir and mash well with a fork to combine.
4. Divide the butter mixture evenly among the two bread halves, spreading it all along the inside.
5. Slide the baking sheet into the oven, and bake for 6 to 7 minutes until the butter is melted. Turn off the oven and turn on the broiler. Broil the bread for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, watching closely, until it's lightly browned.
6. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

Chinese Restaurant-inspired Veggie Fried Rice

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup Jasmine rice, prepared
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet (or a wok) over medium heat on the stove. Add the garlic, onion and carrots and saute, stirring frequently, until softened and lightly browned — about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the peas.
2. Add the rice to the skillet and stir with the veggies to combine. Add the sesame oil and season with salt and pepper. Stir well.
3. Push the rice mixture to one side of the skillet, leaving an open space for cooking. Pour the lightly beaten eggs into the skillet and cook, without disturbing, for 2 to 3 minutes, until mostly firm. Break apart with a spatula and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes more, until fully cooked. Stir the eggs together with the rice mixture, taking care to scrape the bottom of the pan well.
4. Remove from heat and drizzle with soy sauce. Stir well. Taste, and season with additional soy sauce to desired flavor.

Olive Garden-inspired Zuppa Toscana

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or stock
• 3 large Yukon potatoes, sliced about ¼ inch thick
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 lb spicy Italian sausage, browned and crumbled
• ½ lb bacon, browned and crumbled
• 2 cups kale, rinsed well and finely chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a dutch oven, stir together the water, chicken broth, garlic and onions. Set over medium-high heat and cook until the potatoes are fork tender (about 15 to 20 minutes).
2. Stir the cooked and crumbled sausage and bacon into the dutch oven. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add the kale and heavy cream to the pot. Stir well. Taste, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

Chipotle-inspired Cilantro Lime Rice

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Jasmine rice, prepared according to package directions
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 limes, juiced
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the rice, cilantro and lime juice.
2. Season with salt and pepper. Taste, and adjust seasonings as desired.

New York Deli-inspired Italian Sub

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 sub rolls (grinder rolls, hoagie rolls, etc)
• 1/2 lb deli sliced provolone cheese
• 1/2 lb deli sliced Genoa salami
• 1/2 lb deli sliced ham
• 1/2 lb deli sliced mortadella
• 1/2 lb deli sliced capicola or thinly sliced prosciutto
• 1 cup thinly shredded iceberg lettuce
• 1 tomato, thinly sliced
• 1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced
• red wine vinegar
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Slice open the sub rolls. Top each with 1/4 of the provolone, Genoa salami, ham, mortadella and capicola (or prosciutto).
2. Divide the shredded lettuce, tomato and onion evenly among them.
3. Drizzle with red wine vinegar and olive oil — not too much! Season with salt and pepper.