What's for Dinner
The nightly stall isn't a lack of recipes — it's decision fatigue plus a fridge of odd ingredients. This looks at what you actually have, how much effort you have in you tonight, and any diet lines, then gives three real options ranked by effort with just enough method to cook — no 900-word life story, no assuming you'll pop out for five ingredients.
What This Skill Produces
- 3 options ranked by effort — "10-min lazy," "proper but easy," "if you're into it"
- The quick method for each — steps, not an essay; approximate times
- Honest substitutions — what to swap for what you're missing
- The "need one thing" flag — if a great option is one cheap item away, it says so (you decide)
Required Inputs
Ask for these if not provided:
- What you've got — the key fridge/pantry items (rough is fine: "eggs, some veg, pasta, cheese")
- Time & energy — 10 minutes and done, or happy to cook for 40
- Who's eating & limits — number of people, diet (veg/vegan/GF), allergies, hard dislikes
- Equipment, if it matters — no oven? one pan? air fryer?
Framework: Cook What's There, Tonight
- Inventory first. Build from what's on hand; only suggest a purchase as an explicit, optional flag.
- Rank by effort, not fanciness. The tired-Tuesday option comes first.
- Substitutions over shopping. Missing an ingredient usually has a swap — offer it before sending anyone out.
- Respect the lines. Allergies and diets are hard filters, never "you could probably…".
- Just enough recipe. Portions, key steps, times — the reminders a competent-but-tired cook needs, not a blog.
Output Format
Tonight — [N people] · [time/energy] · [diet notes]
🥇 [Dish] — ~[mins], [effort]
Uses: … · Method: 1) … 2) … 3) … · Sub: [if missing X, use Y]
🥈 [Dish] — ~[mins] …
🥉 [Dish] — ~[mins] …
Need one thing? [Only if a standout is one cheap item away] — otherwise skip.
Quality Checks
Anti-Patterns
- Recipes that assume a shopping trip for half the ingredients.
- Ignoring a stated allergy or diet ("just leave out the nuts" for a nut allergy — no).
- The blog-post preamble — get to the cooking.
- Only fancy options when the person said they're exhausted.
Example Trigger Phrases
- "What can I make with eggs, spinach, and some pasta?"
- "Quick dinner idea — 15 minutes, vegetarian."
- "I don't know what to eat tonight, help."
- "What's for dinner? I've got chicken, rice, and whatever's in the door of the fridge."
- "No-oven dinner for two, nothing in the house is fresh."
1---2name: whats-for-dinner3description: Decide what to cook tonight from what you already have and how much time/energy you've got — no shopping trip, no recipe rabbit hole. Use when asked what should I make for dinner, what can I cook with what's in my fridge, quick dinner ideas, or I don't know what to eat. Produces 3 doable options ranked by effort with a quick method for each, honest substitutions, and a 'need one thing' flag if a near-miss is worth a corner-shop run — respecting diets and dislikes.4---5
6# What's for Dinner
7
8The nightly stall isn't a lack of recipes — it's decision fatigue plus a fridge of odd ingredients. This looks at what you actually have, how much effort you have in you tonight, and any diet lines, then gives three real options ranked by effort with just enough method to cook — no 900-word life story, no assuming you'll pop out for five ingredients.
9
10## What This Skill Produces
11
12- **3 options ranked by effort** — "10-min lazy," "proper but easy," "if you're into it"
13- **The quick method** for each — steps, not an essay; approximate times
14- **Honest substitutions** — what to swap for what you're missing
15- **The "need one thing" flag** — if a great option is one cheap item away, it says so (you decide)
16
17## Required Inputs
18
19Ask for these if not provided:
20- **What you've got** — the key fridge/pantry items (rough is fine: "eggs, some veg, pasta, cheese")
21- **Time & energy** — 10 minutes and done, or happy to cook for 40
22- **Who's eating & limits** — number of people, diet (veg/vegan/GF), allergies, hard dislikes
23- **Equipment, if it matters** — no oven? one pan? air fryer?
24
25## Framework: Cook What's There, Tonight
26
271. **Inventory first.** Build from what's on hand; only suggest a purchase as an explicit, optional flag.
282. **Rank by effort, not fanciness.** The tired-Tuesday option comes first.
293. **Substitutions over shopping.** Missing an ingredient usually has a swap — offer it before sending anyone out.
304. **Respect the lines.** Allergies and diets are hard filters, never "you could probably…".
315. **Just enough recipe.** Portions, key steps, times — the reminders a competent-but-tired cook needs, not a blog.
32
33## Output Format
34
35### Tonight — [N people] · [time/energy] · [diet notes]
36
37**🥇 [Dish] — ~[mins], [effort]**
38Uses: … · Method: 1) … 2) … 3) … · Sub: [if missing X, use Y]
39
40**🥈 [Dish] — ~[mins]** …
41
42**🥉 [Dish] — ~[mins]** …
43
44**Need one thing?** [Only if a standout is one cheap item away] — otherwise skip.
45
46## Quality Checks
47- [ ] Options are built from the stated ingredients (purchases only as an optional flag)
48- [ ] At least one genuinely low-effort/low-time option
49- [ ] Allergies and diet limits are treated as hard filters
50- [ ] Substitutions are offered for likely-missing items
51- [ ] Method is concise steps with rough times — not a narrative
52
53## Anti-Patterns
54- **Recipes that assume a shopping trip** for half the ingredients.
55- **Ignoring a stated allergy or diet** ("just leave out the nuts" for a nut allergy — no).
56- **The blog-post preamble** — get to the cooking.
57- **Only fancy options** when the person said they're exhausted.
58
59## Example Trigger Phrases
60- "What can I make with eggs, spinach, and some pasta?"
61- "Quick dinner idea — 15 minutes, vegetarian."
62- "I don't know what to eat tonight, help."
63- "What's for dinner? I've got chicken, rice, and whatever's in the door of the fridge."
64- "No-oven dinner for two, nothing in the house is fresh."
Mohit Aggarwal