Something from Nothing: A Cookbook

by Alison Roman

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Something from Nothing is Alison Roman’s latest book featuring over 100 deceptively simple, casually stylish, impossibly delicious recipes that make the most of your pantry.

A BEST BOOK OF THE NPR, THE ECONOMIST, LIT HUB • A BON APPÉTIT BEST COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR

In Something from Nothing, bestselling author Alison Roman gives you a collection of simple, smart, timeless recipes that rely on a home cook's best kept a well-stocked pantry. Making the most of your shelf-stable bottles, bags, jars and cans, Alison shows you how to cook as she does–loosely, intuitively, and with maximum flavor. With each recipe you’ll fall deeper in love with the magic of pantry cooking by using flavorful, hardworking ingredients, leaving you to ask, “How did something so wonderful come from basically nothing?”. In this book, you’ll find warm, opinionated writing coupled with classic recipes, both with signature Alison flair, such Snacks and Things to Start Herbed Artichoke Dip; Spanish Tortilla & Friends; and Labne with Caramelized HarissaSoups & Kimchi-Tomato Soup with Rice & a Soft Egg; Golden Mushroom Soup with Orzo & a Pat of Butter; and Ginger & Greens Noodle SoupVegetables & How to Make Them Taste Even Forever-Roasted Squash with Browned Butter Dates; Wine-Braised Romano Beans with Anchovy; and Spiced, Butter-Roasted Carrots with WalnutsPasta & Saucy Roasted Eggplant Pasta; Bolognese with Fennel; and Carbonara for TwoBeans & Crispy Baked Beans with Mushrooms & Parmesan; Buttered Polenta with Fresh Corn; Caramelized Beans with Tomato & CabbageMeats & Crushed-Olive Chicken with Turmeric; Steak Like Tartare; Crispy Fish with Dill & Fried Capers
Whether you’re feeding yourself on a busy weeknight or hosting a last-minute dinner party, this book has just what you need. For easy, straightforward recipes that still impress, Something from Nothing has you covered, showing you how to turn every bag of beans, tin of anchovies and jar of olives into a meal worth celebrating.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Food and Drink, Culinary, Foodie

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 11, 2025

About the author

ALISON ROMAN is the author of the bestselling cookbook Dining In, a bi-weekly columnist for the Cooking section of The New York Times and a monthly contributor at Bon Appétit Magazine. Creator of #thestew and #thecookies, her highly cookable recipes frequently achieve massive popularity in both home kitchens and on the internet. A native of Los Angeles, she lives in Brooklyn until she moves upstate like everyone else.

(source: Amazon)

Reviews

[Michaela Zadow · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5: Now I do not usually count recipe books as official ‘books’ unless they warrant it, and wow does this pass the test. I may be biased as Alison is my dream dinner party guest, but I actually laughed out loud in parts as she shares odes to crisps, dried beans and anchovies. I honestly have no ‘skip recipes’ and every recipe has a ‘mini essay’ which I loved. Now time to cook!!!

[Heather Alderman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great cookbook! I love the format and the relatable stories with each recipe. Although I wouldn't call many of these ingredients as "pantry items", I like the way the author describes alternate ingredients to fit your kitchen and tastes and that they don't have to be at their peak freshness (use up that wilted spinach!). I am looking forward to trying a lot of these recipes, particularly using anchovies more.

[Luke Hillier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm an Alison Roman loyalist so I always knew I was gonna pick this up but was sort of on the fence about how excited to be when I first heard about it. On one hand, "pantry cooking" is very much how I cook so that was appealing, but I also wondered if it might make for a more boring cookbook. After reading, I feel like both of those were confirmed, but the latter concern about "boring" mostly evolved into "approachable" and "accessible." I've had this for just a month and I've already made 6 recipes –– and they were all great! While other cookbooks (including Roman's prior) have plenty of recipes I'd love to make, they also often feature some combination of time-intensive technique/hard to find ingredient/need for a crowd that has me constantly postponing them. Not here, with 6 down and honestly like at least 25 more that I feel confident about making in the next few months. The practicality is ultimately its greatest asset, with just enough Roman flair to imbue some excitement and intrigue. And, as an aside, this is also an especially wonderful cookbook for winter months when produce is lackluster and it helps warm your house to simmer soup for an hour. While some of these are pretty on the nose, I'm also new enough in my life as a cook that it's nice to have some recipes for classic staples alongside more creative or innovative dishes. I can easily seeing this becoming the cookbook I end up reaching for and recommending most often.

[Miss✧Pickypants ᓚᘏᗢ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this wonderful cook's cookbook! It is filled with recipes that rely on the ingredients typically on hand in your pantry (right now!) that you can use to whip up something tasty. This is one of those rare cookbooks that works for all cooks regardless of level of experience.

Recipes are extremely well-written and easy to follow. The book is beautifully designed with an almost retro feel and loaded with gorgeous photos. There is no dessert chapter in this book and while there are recipes with meat as the primary ingredient, there are more without. Nice touches are the inclusion of swaps to make a dish vegetarian and the permission to include or omit certain ingredients based on your own preferences without compromising the quality of the dish. Add those red pepper flakes and fish sauce, or don't!

What I really enjoyed was the author's relatable, self-assured writing style. In the intro she describes this book as mature and having a quiet confidence, I agree it feels more mature than her other books but calling the confidence level quiet is laughable given how opinionated and prescriptive she is, but in the best possible way. This author knows what she likes and happily shares her experience to guide us so we achieve the best results for a delicious meal.

[Nadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

well, we may have found our favorite cookbook of 2025! so many delicious recipes that I can't wait to make accompanied by gorgeous photographs that really bring the dishes to life. love this beautiful book

[Elli Woodley · Rating 4 out of 5]

reading this book poolside was a great decision. excited to go home and start cooking! 4 stars since I haven’t actually tried them yet but am confident they will all be lovely

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot recommend this book highly enough! I who have never made soup from scratch made my own stock, chicken soup and matzo ball soup while reading this. The recipes are fun and rewarding. Even if you don’t cook, the book has an old school charm to it that makes reading it feel wonderfully unplugged.

[Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many gems in here! The recipes are simple yet delicious, and good for a variety of occasions.

[Molly Goulet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Think this will be my fave one yet.

[Carol Irvin]

Another anchovy cookbook 🤮

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the layout and font size. The recipes sound amazing. I can't wait to try these out.

[Emily Sorensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been following Alison Roman for almost a decade, and over time I’ve realized I’ve basically modeled my pantry after hers. Because of that, this cookbook feels especially cookable to me. I can flip to almost any page on a random weeknight and already have most of what I need to get started. I love it!!!

[Christina Karvounis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Alison Roman's cookbook style and this one was good. Love the idea, what you have on hand, and the recipes do not disappoint.

[Luke Hartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Alison's best work. Her magnum opus.

Not only did every recipe make me go - YUM - I cant wait to cook this, in her usual writing style, I found myself giggling and smiling and just feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

I cant wait for her memoir in approximately 15-20 years.

[Rachel P · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s unlike me to consider reading a cookbook as “reading a book” in the same way I do reading, say, a novel or a memoir. I am cheating the system and doing that here, though, as reading this one cover to cover brought so much joy. It is thoughtfully written, and sweet without being cloying, and reminded me why I love cooking for people I love as much as I do. It sparked creativity and made me want get in the kitchen and work with what I had, and do better about how much waste I kick out while I work. One of the best cookbooks I’ve found, and such a delight to read (especially while working through 2666)…

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

As mentioned in the publisher’s blurb, this book’s premise is all about whipping up a more than respectable dinner with what you have on hand. That being said, Roman’s pantry is very well stocked with some expensive tins like caviar for her potato chips (24) and LOTS of good anchovies. This girl is an anchovy feast fiend. She does rationalize her caviar inclusion in the pantry items as “absurd” but because since everything else in the book is practical and moderately priced, she felt “empowered to sneak in a little caviar” (24).

“Snacks & Things” includes some pretty impressive appetizers that, honestly, if you followed instructions on stocking your pantry, you could whip right up (if you had anchovies). Guests at your door? Skewer some anchovies with olives and pickles (peppers or cucumbers) (16). Toss some jarred artichoke hearts with parm, anchovies, and some fresh parsley (Artichoke Hearts with Anchovies & Parmesan–19). Make Lupini Beans with Garlic & Parsley (from jarred lupinis) (23). And, yes, top some Ruffles with creme fraiche and caviar!

She also maintains that butter is a great snack, too, especially on radishes, so she includes snail butter, Calabrian chile butter, and (surprise) anchovy butter.

“Soups & Stews” are great recipes to clean out your pantry. Hers seem a bit more elevated than my “pantry and freezer” cleanout concoctions. She starts with a good chicken broth recipe and follows with a beautiful and clear Chicken Noodle Soup with Lots of Lemon (52). Chicken Soup for Summer Colds “has all the restorative properties of chicken soup but is tangier, spicier, herbier” (57). For another healing soup, she includes Matzo Ball Soup (77). Most all of these soups are light and could be served during any season. Others that sound delicious are Kimchi-Tomato Soup with Rice & a Soft Egg (60) and Golden Mushroom Soup with Orzo & a Pat of Butter (88) just to name a few.

The Vegetable section includes salads along with sides. Surprise again with the Wine-Braised Romano Beans with Anchovy (96) along with a great Caesar Salad (more anchovies) are here. I was most taken with Browned Butter Potato Salad (140). This salad is served on labneh with lots of fresh herbs. She includes a few thoughts on vinegars and how to make perfect jammy eggs.

What speaks pantry more than “Beans & Grains”. These recipes use both dried and canned. Spiced Chickpeas & Greens (165) is a recipe I marked. This dish is served on labneh with lots of fresh herbs and I would almost call it a salad. But, I actually made Toasted Rice Pilaf with Crushed Walnuts & Dates (191). Totally worth the price of this book. More about that later.

“Pasta and Noodles” uses mostly dried pasta (remember, it’s a pantry thing). The recipes are simple but totally guest worthy. Lemon Pepper pasta with Browned Butter (199) and Caramelized Shallot Pasta (213) look restaurant worthy. Roman includes a recipe in this section for Shallot Paste which is just slow cooked shallots, some garlic cloves and olive oil. Cook until deeply caramelized and then throw in a (wait for it) tin of anchovies and one can of tomato paste. She says:

I think this recipe became so popular because people either really love anchovies or they really love using the whole can of tomato paste. (214)

I may try this. Sounds like a great topping for a goat cheese appetizer.

I found another recipe keeper in “Meats and Fishes”: Crushed-Olive Chicken with Turmeric (266). More about that one in a bit. There are a lot of good braises and sheet pan recipes in this section for chicken, lamb, short ribs, pork, brisket, and fish.

There are not any desserts in this book but that is OK. All of her practical and delicious recipes make up for that. Remember, that if you are an anchovy lover, you must have this book. Roman is your kindred spirit. She may have swayed me to try more anchovies.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

from the intro I react: Of course she opened her own little grocery store in upstate New York. I mean, there are probably better sources for a lot of things there than here in the suburbs of OKC, but it's not NYC after all. With her own store, she can source whatever she likes.

Apparently a lot of stuff I can't get or afford (because I'd have to pay shipping for something that I don't know if I'd like). And not only your pantry but your fridge has to be well-stocked with interesting ingredients.

Still, the book is worth paging through if it's at your library.

Well anyway I'm not far in, maybe more will be more apt later.
---
Done.
There's actually not much in here that I'd be interested in eating even if someone else made it for me, tbh. Lots of caramelized alliums, lots of capers, anchovies, and spicy peppers, lots of cream and butter (and olive oil). So if that sounds good, def. take a look.

But meanwhile the ingredient lists weren't even all that short. And besides, I cook like this all them time. I get a nice bunch of beets or greens or fish and look in my cabinets, fridge, and freezer for what looks like it would mix or cook up nicely with it.

I did read that oil or fat cuts the acidity of tomato sauce so I'll have to try that - I've been not enjoying spaghetti lately because the tomato sauce doesn't agree with me. Maybe a little butter, or a lot of cheese, or a little fatty hamburger (like from when I was a kid).

This is the second time I've read about using winter squash as a pasta sauce. I do have a can of pumpkin in my pantry....

I do like the idea of "frizzling" firm beans (for this she uses chickpeas) with onions & etc. in the skillet.

Now, she does not soak dried beans but instead simmers them for hours. Very environmentally & budget unfriendly. Even worse, she turns on an oven for one sweet potato. But!...

Most dishes can be baked in a good toaster oven - if you don't have one, get one! I still remember how happy I was when I got one years ago. Pies, meatloaf, supermarket pizza, toasted cheese sandwiches, casseroles, half-size sheet pan bakes, fries, not to mention casseroles and quiches. See toasterovenlove dot com for all sorts of advice & recipes.

[Phyllis · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you like capers and anchovies then you’ll like the recipes in this book. As I do like these ingredients, many of the recipes looked worth trying. And while I liked the concept of this book – cooking “something” with very little ingredients (just what you happen to have on hand in your pantry, fridge, and freezer) – the best part about this book is the writing. Author Alison Roman has a comfortable, confident, and honest style of expressing herself that made this book entertaining and very readable. She anticipated what readers might worry about and was encouraging as she explained why a particular recipe would work out despite how it might seem. And her enthusiastic descriptions of flavors, colors, and what to serve with the dishes also saved this book from being a total loss. Why do I say this? Read the next paragraph.

But what really lowered my rating were the photos. Yes, there were color photos on almost every page to illustrate the recipes, but the majority of the food shots were taken in direct sunlight without fill light which made the images one-dimensional, shadowy, and unappetizing. Plus I wondered about the credentials of the food stylist, because many of the food shots were just brown food that wasn’t very appealing looking. The cover photo is a perfect example of the harshness of sunlight, too much contrast with shadows and half the image is too dark. And this is the cover!!

You might enjoy reading this if you find it at the library (like I did), and you could be inspired by how Alison incorporates various ingredients to put a new twist on something you are already familiar with (like I did). You might also discover some new-to-you recipes incorporating anchovies and capers.

[Leane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cookbook is especially valuable for any cook who just wants to eat at home and use what is on hand in the pantry, the freezer, fridge, and cabinets. Roman gives realistic advice, manages expectations for any level of cook from beginner to expert, and includes vibrant photography for most recipes. And as usual, every entry in this well-documented and entertaining cookbook is a pleasure to read and will make your mouth water. Roman infuses her playful sense of humor and personal experience into her description before each recipe and throughout other parts of this instructive cookbook. Each recipe has very clear directions and an ingredient list plus suggestions for what it should be eaten with, and what you can do ahead, and other notes. I am a champion skimmer; but I found myself lingering and enjoying her prose. She organizes the book by the categories: Snacks, Soups & Stews, Vegetables, Beans & Grains, Pasta & Noodles, and Meats & Fishes. While not a fan of anchovies or celery, I appreciated her championing of them and especially enjoyed reading How to Roast a Chicken, How to make a Very Good Tomato Sauce, her take on Buttered Polenta with Fresh Corn, How to Make a 6-minute Egg, and the simple pleasures of Roasted Sweet Potatoes as she combines simple snack/meal fixes with more complicated and time-consuming ones artfully. Book has a complete Index. Try her previous cookbook if she is new to you: Nothing Fancy and Sweet Enough, and readalikes may be well as others by Sam Holland, Nadiya Hussain, and Emily Ley.

[Neil Pasricha · Rating 5 out of 5]

What’s your favorite cookbook? I’m on the hunt! I’m trying to get into making big Sunday night meals! So when I was down at ​Type Books​ on Queen Street in Toronto, I asked if they had an accessible cookbook, with lots of delicious soups and stews, but nothing too fancy or hard. They pointed me to this book by ​Alison Roman,​ who owns and runs ​First Bloom​, a grocery store and café in Bloomville, New York, and it immediately won me over with an early essay about … potato chips.

“I believe that in the same way the best ketchup comes from a bottle, the best potato chips come from a bag. I also believe that potato chips are one of the finest pantry staples you can have when it comes to snacking. They’re salty, sturdy, and satisfying in a way most crackers could never be.” Yes! LOL. And, you know, there’s no recipe in the essay. Just a photo of a potato chip carrying a heap of dip with chopped chives on top. And that’s the vibe here: fancy enough to be delicious, casual enough to be doable. The first recipe I tackled was a “Very Classic Split Pea Soup”.

Suddenly, I was peeling ​rutabaga​ (a cross between a cabbage and a turnip!), crisping bacon, chopping parsley, and squeezing lemon on top. What a finishing move! The writing is literary and breezy, the recipes aren’t too challenging, there’s a lot of substitutions and easy alternatives, and the photos make you drool. What more could you want?

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the interest of full disclosure, I have Alison Roman's first three cookbooks, and while I am not often opening Sweet Nothing, the other two are in regular rotation for me, especially Nothing Fancy, which has a number of salad recipes that are outstanding--they easily scale up for a crowd, allow you to have a varied looking array of vegetable side dishes that are quite easy to make. My most recent child who got married had my spouse and I do the food for both the groom's dinner (130 guests) and the wedding (200+ guests) and I did several of her recipes. The prep can be done ahead of time and the salad assembled right before with surprisingly delicious and beautiful results. So that is a long way around saying I am a big fan.
This cookbook, which is all about assembling a casual yet stylish table of food using mostly things that you have in your "pantry"--which includes refrigerator, shelf, and freezer--things that you should have on hand, not necessarily what you actually have on hand. The recipes are inspired, especially if you like anchovies, and this approach to eating is quite timely what with the rising cost of basic food in the United States. She emphasizes things that are available year round--celery is one of her favorites--and that are not high cost.
Lastly, this is a fun read, and I recommend what I did--read it cover to cover.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

First and foremost I am an Alison Roman fan girl, a groupie, an enthusiast. Her style of cooking is how I cooked before I found her on YouTube. I own all of her books and her recipes have allowed me to expand my culinary vocabulary.

Thank you for the gift of preserved lemons 🍋.

Alison’s new book captures her evolution and where she is in life. Running her business, becoming a wife and mother. This season of life calls for slowing down and making comforting dishes. I can definitely see the influence of her store in the ingredients of the recipes. I too crave a slow down, intentionality in the food I make, how I spend my time.

All of Alison’s charm and wit can be found in the recipe blurbs. I can’t wait to cook many recipes from this book. I love the cozy lighting, the olive cover, the vintage feel of this book. I saw what you did there with the snail salt dish… I saw it and I loved it.

One minor critique is that this book has some of her most famous recipes which, tbh, is a little bit of a let down, it feels recycled. I get it, they’re delicious and new readers will be dazzled. But my guess is many of us found Alison through these recipes and these feel unnecessary.

I hope Alison continues to create her videos and recipes to share with everyone. I, of course, will continue to support her in all things!

[False · Rating 3 out of 5]

I checked this out looking for flavorful yet simple recipes that wouldn't require a lot of time, nor the purchase of expensive side items like spices or specialty items, although I will be buying preserved lemons. The sections are: Snacks, Soups and Stews, Vegetables, Beans & Grains, Pastas and Noodles and Meats & Fishes. What you will not find are breakfast foods or desserts. Things I won't be bothering with--any of the appetizers and anything using too much oil; i.e. greasy.

I copied quite a few recipes for dinner ideas--seeking new tastes and techniques. I would highly recommend your seeking out her online media sources (Instagram) and others. I do appreciate (for the most part,) the author holding the recipes to one page. It is an elegantly put together book with excellent photography. I look forward to trying out some of these ideas.

[Anne Libera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mostly don't count cookbooks as books read but truly, I have read this cookbook from beginning to end since i got it for Christmas. And I subscribe to Roman's newsletter which means that I have cooked fair number of these recipes before this ever came out. I know Roman's tone isn't for everyone but I really enjoy her point of view on cooking and the recipes chime really strongly with my personal taste (this is not a cookbook for those who hate anchovies as an example). I have made the Roast Chicken with Leeks many times (I like to spatchcock it and cook it for a slightly shorter time frame), the leek salsa verde might be my favorite part. I look forward to coming back to this book many times.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautiful cookbook that focuses on easy, quick recipes using things that you have on hand. It's perfect for weeknight cooks, or when you're looking to stretch the next trip to the grocery store. The chapters that shine for me are the soups and stews and vegetables. Pasta is strong too, with some different combinations. This is an elevated cookbook for people who are cooking during the week (though there are some roasts and weekend-y recipes too).

There are A LOT of tomato recipes (pro) and way too many anchovy recipes (con, for me). But this is a well-crafted resource for everyday cooks. Lost of veggie options, too.

[Joleen Teo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Interesting ideas and combinations, but I’m not sure who the target audience is. So many of the recipes are non-recipes and instead, just steps to assemble. Not that that’s a bad thing, but I could have gotten the same information from a bullet point list of interesting food combinations. Some ingredients are very niche, and I assume that people who already have these ingredients on hand know what to do with them, or don’t require step by step assembly instructions. On the other hand, if these ingredients are new to you, then the title “something from nothing” might not apply. By all means, try the recipes, but they will be pricier than “nothing”.

[Libraryassistant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only add cookbooks to my Read list when they have enough actual storytelling to qualify. Which many do these days.
This has a lot to recommend it, even though it wasn’t exactly the book I thought it would be. It nods towards being that pantry book, but does require actual shopping for most recipes.
One of the things I really loved, besides the fact that there are many things I want to make/eat, are the 1, 2, or even 3 page asides on the joys of particular ingredients, tools or techniques. From anchovies to potato chips to a heavy bottom pot to the perfect egg…Yes, she has a definite point of view, and yes she has specific reasons for much of it.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something from Nothing is a beautifully designed cookbook that delivers on its promise of approachable, flavorful recipes perfect for everyday cooking. Alison Roman's calm, intuitive approach makes even complex dishes feel doable, and the pasta section is particularly outstanding, the carbonara recipe was a standout. While I would have appreciated more variety beyond side dishes (perhaps some breakfast or baking options) and a bit more background storytelling, the recipes I've tested have been consistently delicious. A solid 4-star cookbook that inspires confidence in the kitchen and will have me returning to test more recipes.

[Justina Trisko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes- I read all of Alison’s cookbooks like a long awaited novel. This is the best one yet- a divine commentary on pantry staples paired with recipes that make you instantly starving- recipes you theoretically could make right now- without going to the grocery store because you already have everything. Except maybe heaps of fresh dill.
I don’t buy cookbooks, everything in my cupboard is a family heirloom or a Mead notebook of recipes. But I bought all 4 of this woman’s books and I’d buy them again.

[Abbigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mainly loved three things about this book: 1) focus on pantry staples and the idea of "something from nothing" which I think about all the time already from my own pantry 2) the "eat with" sections on almost every recipe that are both practical and cheeky (a great detail for people who love menus at the end of cookbooks) and 3) how elegant this book is what could be a "make it through the day" sort of cookbook.

Displays Roman's signature humor and tastes, which I love even if hers dont match mine 100 percent (anchovies and dill).