I don’t think I’m a great impromptu cook. Sometimes I look in the fridge and make a great meal with very little planning, but that has more to do with the fact that I overstock my fridge to have a lot of options.

I would never do well on an episode of “Chopped,” where contestants have to create the best dish from surprise ingredients that at first glance barely seem edible. Occasionally, the show features contestants who aren’t professional cooks, and instead of weird or exotic ingredients like black licorice in the appetizer round, the basket will have basic items like salad greens and a piece of salmon. Contestants invariably react with a far-off stare, saying “This is a really hard basket.”

This is me, looking in my fridge at 6 p.m. on a Tuesday night.

Sure, I could organize a little better. I have friends who plan out their dinners for the week — heck, they even prep parts of dinners ahead of time. This baffles me. How does anyone know what they want to eat for dinner two days from now?

So, when I’m looking at the ingredients in my fridge and have no time to spare, I usually end up making some version of eggs. Granted, there are more than a dozen ways to make eggs, but I can’t serve them Tuesday night, then Wednesday night, then Thursday night, can I?

Thankfully, I’ve got a few more ideas. When I started writing this column, I shared a recipe for semi-homemade ramen — a few extra ingredients added to instant ramen noodles. My kids are happy to have that meal once a week.

Today’s recipe is a spin on that for a quick pho, and it’s one you can pull off even when you don’t have noodles. (If you do want rice noodles in the bowl, give them a 10 minute-soak before adding to the hot broth at the end.) Use vegetables you have on hand. Admittedly, this broth can’t compare to a rich and complex base simmered for hours — nor will it win you any cooking shows — but it’s enough to serve tonight, and in 30 minutes.

QUICK NO-NOODLE PHO

By Mariko Jackson

• 6 cups beef broth (Better than Bouillon brand preferable)
• Half an onion, sliced lengthwise in thick pieces
• 1 cup kabocha, cubed
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1/4-inch slice ginger
• 1 cup cabbage, chopped
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 1/4 teaspoon five-spice powder
• 1-1/2 cups zucchini, julienned or spiralized
• 3 green onions, cut into long strips
• 1-1/2 cups basil
• Cilantro sprigs
• Beef, thinly sliced (shabu-shabu style preferred; substitute with small piece steak, fried quickly on hot griddle and sliced thinly)
• 3-4 hard-boiled eggs
• For serving: Lime wedges and Sriracha sauce

Over medium-high, simmer beef broth. Add onions, kabocha, fish sauce and ginger, and return to simmer. After 2 minutes, add cabbage.

When kabocha is cooked through, add bean sprouts and five-spice powder; stir.

Divide broth and veggies among separate bowls and quickly plunge portions of zucchini, green onions, basil and cilantro sprigs, beef and eggs into each bowl. Thinly sliced meat should cook through quickly.

Squeeze lime into soup and add hot sauce if desired; serve immediately. Serves 3 to 4.

Nutritional information unavailable.

Mariko Jackson blogs about family and food at thelittlefoodie.com. Her column runs on the last Wednesday of the month. Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.