I’ve had an increase in requests for pantry staple recipes over the past week, mostly due to fears over the need for social isolation and possible shortages in the food supply. Whether this situation gets to that level or not, I figured it was a good idea to round up some pantry recipes because they are also useful for people who aren’t able to get to the grocery store often, or those who just prefer to shop less often. Use the printable grocery list below to keep the ingredients stocked for these 15 recipes, and you’ll always have something ready to cook no matter the situation!
What is a Pantry Recipe?
There are a lot of different opinions about what counts as a “pantry recipe” so I’m going to quickly define my criteria here. I’ve chosen to include recipes that call for pantry staples: room temperature stable ingredients and frozen or freezable foods. This allows more variety of ingredients (and vegetables!) while keeping a long storage life for the ingredients. Because of that, this recipe list is most useful for situations where electricity is still running, but fresh ingredients may not be easily accessible.
What Ingredients are Included in This Emergency Plan:
The recipes in this roundup include ingredients in these three categories:
- Shelf stable at room temperature: oils, vinegars, flour, sugar, spices, herbs, rice, pasta, beans, and canned goods
- Frozen goods: frozen vegetables
- Fresh items that can be stored frozen: meat, cheese, butter, onions, ginger, jalapeños, and garlic
Freezing Fresh Pantry Staple Ingredients
Here are some general tips for freezing fresh items to extend their storage life:
Onions: dice the onions, separate them into 1 cup portions (about one onion-worth), and freeze in quart-sized freezer bags. Frozen onions can be added to most recipes straight from the freezer. For green onions, simply slice and place in a freezer bag, or empty jar, then stash in the freezer.
Jalapeños: Slice, freeze flat on a baking sheet covered in parchment, then transfer to a freezer bag once solid.
Garlic: peel and freeze in freezer bags. The garlic’s appearance will change slightly after thawing, but the flavor will still be great.
Ginger: Wash the ginger well, then freeze in a freezer bag. The frozen ginger can be easily grated into your recipe using a small-holed cheese grater, while still frozen, no need to peel. If you prefer to peel your ginger, simply peel before freezing.
Cheese: Cheese can be frozen either in block form or shredded. Make sure to wrap tightly to reduce air exposure.
Meat: I prefer to divide meat into ½ lb. portions before freezing, since most of my recipes use about ½ pound of meat per recipe. Again, make sure to wrap tightly to prevent air exposure, which leads to freezer burn.
And always, always label and date everything you put into the freezer! :)
How Long Will The Ingredients and Recipes Last?
Because these recipes include some frozen goods, the minimum amount of time the ingredients can be stored before using is about 3 months. After that amount of time frozen ingredients slowly dry out, but may remain usable. For a more detailed list of the recommended freezer storage time is for different foods, check out this Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart from the FDA.
This pantry recipe list includes 15 recipes, so depending on how often you cook and how many people you’re feeding, purchasing all the ingredients in the list can last you for two weeks or more. For a single person who may only need to cook once every few days, stocking these ingredients can feed you for a month or more.
Notes About the Recipes
Next to each recipe, I’ll include notes about what ingredients, if any, to substitute in order to make this a “pantry recipe”. I’ll also indicate recipes that make freezer-friendly leftovers with an asterisk, so you can further stock your freezer and delay your next shopping trip.
Pantry Staple Recipes:
>>Click here to download the grocery list<<
One Pot Chili Pasta
One Pot Chili Pasta* or Cheesy Vegetarian Chili Mac* – These two recipes are essentially the same, one containing beef, the other containing extra beans. They meal prep well and freeze well for later!
Poor Man's Burrito Bowls
Poor Man’s Burrito Bowls* – Rice, beans, salsa, and cheese is one of my favorite pantry meals. It’s so incredibly simple, yet it never gets old. There is a lot of room for customization here, as well. So check the post for a list of other ingredients you can add, if you have them on hand.
Red Lentil and Pumpkin Soup
Curried Red Lentil and Pumpkin Soup* – This incredibly simple soup only requires a few ingredients, yet it still has big flavor. Serve with crackers or homemade bread (recipe below).
One Pot Cheeseburger Pasta
Skillet Cheeseburger Pasta* – Stretch a half pound of ground beef over four servings of this classic American comfort food.
Skillet Pineapple BBQ Chicken
Skillet Pineapple BBQ Chicken – Serve over a bed of rice for an easy and quick meal. If you want more green, you can also serve it up with a size of oven roasted frozen broccoli.
The Best Weeknight Pasta Sauce
Weeknight Pasta Sauce* + Spaghetti – Nothing is more comforting than a big plate of pasta, and this simple sauce is incredibly easy. If you’re looking for a vegetarian version, check out my 5-Ingredient Butter Tomato Sauce.
Homemade Chili Recipe
Simple Homemade Chili* – A lot of options for variations listed in the blog post. You can either make your own homemade chili seasoning (included in this recipe) or use a packet of store-bought seasoning if you don’t have a well stocked spiced cabinet.
Sweet Chili Chicken Stir Fry Bowls
Sweet Chili Chicken Stir Fry Bowls – Use frozen broccoli florets in place of fresh. You can use regular white rice in place of jasmine, if you prefer. Use either a store-bought sweet chili sauce, or make a homemade sweet chili sauce.
Cauliflower and Chickpea Masala
Cauliflower and Chickpea Masala – Substitute the heavy cream with full-fat canned coconut milk, and serve over rice.
One Pot Teriyaki Chicken and Rice
One Pot Teriyaki Chicken and Rice* – Frozen stir fry vegetables make this recipe not only easy, but totally pantry ready!
Easy Rosemary Garlic White Bean Soup
Easy Rosemary Garlic White Bean Soup* – Canned beans for the win! Serve with homemade focaccia rolls listed below.
Garlic Noodles with Beef and Broccoli
Garlic Noodles with Beef and Broccoli – If you can’t get out to pick up your favorite take out, make it at home! This easy and indulgent noodle stir fry will give you your fix.
Easy Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili* – If you don’t have a slow cooker, let the chili simmer over low heat for one hour on the stove top, or until the chicken is shreddable.
Turkey Taco Skillet
Turkey Taco Skillet* – Serve witch corn tortillas (freezable) and shredded cheese.
And in case you want some bread to serve with your soups or chilis:
No-Knead Focaccia Rolls
No Knead Focaccia Rolls – the overnight fermentation means you don’t have to spend a lot of time or effort kneading this dough by hand!
If you enjoyed this list of recipes with the pre-made grocery list, make sure to check out the Budget Bytes Meal Plans!
I just love your website. Delicious meals for less. I’ve been trying to cut my grocery bill, but still be able to cook a flavorful meal….And you are the answer . Many thanks, Good job
I love the choices on a regular basis. Trying things I would never had thought of. Thank you!
All of them!!! Not just survival food!!!!
I’m a single man and need all the help I can get. Thank you very much.
Love the chilli pasta recipe!
Looking fwd to weekly newsletters
I love when I receive your recIpes! This is the best website for good nutritious and econominal recipes, I have encountered so far! Keep posting them to me , please!
I downloaded this pantry plan when you posted it. In November, I shopped for it, prepped any produce for the freezer as you suggest, and also added any sides, snacks and breakfasts and am all set for any emergency! (We always have leftovers for lunch.) everything is stored separately from other pantry/freezer food so we don’t accidentally eat it. We could be snowed in for 2 weeks and we would be fine! We have a snowstorm coming which could keep us home for a while and I love that I didn’t have to panic and run to the grocery store and yet we will be eating amazingly well! If I don’t need to use this by March I plan on eating from it, and then replenishing before next winter. This has been a huge peace of mind for us! Thank you!
I have printed and included all the above recipes in our meal plan. We are half way thru and our favourites so far are: Skillet BBQ Chicken and Curried Red Lentil Pumpkin Soup. We added bacon bits to the soup. Looking forward to cooking and eating the remaining recipes. Thanks for creating these recipes!
These pantry recipe/staple posts have been so helpful! I did also really like the freezer-friendly options to save meals for later so they won’t go bad and also really liked the post for breakfast burritos but was also kind of hoping for more suggestions for pantry recipes for breakfast. I know the bulk of the recipes you post are geared towards lunch and dinner but some of the breakfast ones you’ve also posted are really great. And I do really love the breakfast burrito recipe but in terms of buying in bulk/pantry items, it’s kind of difficult because it requires so many eggs; I live in an area that relies on public transit so I don’t have a car, and it’s hard to stock up on everything on my infrequent grocery trips while also stocking up on two dozen eggs… which are at risk of breaking while I transport them home! Any other suggestions for pantry-type breakfast recipes would definitely be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!
Maybe lots of grain based pantry staples might help. Think Baked Oatmeals (Pumpkin, Apple, Blueberry or Banana) or Pancakes (Sweet Potato, Pineapple/Coconut, Berry). Also, quick breads or muffins. There are so many different possibilities. Add a protein or a healthy shake and you’ve got yummy filling breakfasts. I always freeze leftover portions (my favorite is apple/pecan baked oatmeal with a couple slices of bacon). I hope this helps?
Maybe you could use an egg substitute? It may not be as practical as fresh eggs but I think it would be just as nutritional.
Thank you so much for this! It has brought me peace of mind during an otherwise stressful time. So far we’ve tried 4 of these recipes and loved them all. Looking forward to trying the rest!
Thank you very much for the tips and recipes.
Thank you Beth. You really helped out my family with this post, actually staying quarantined with no grocery runs.
I just wanted to give a late thank-you for this post and the pdf grocery list. I used it to make a grocery run the first week of March – when the shelter-at-home orders were just beginning around the US. The timing of the post was crucial because I didn’t want to panic-purchase at the grocery store, but I wanted to be sure I had a plan for at least two weeks. This was perfect b/c I just shopped against the list first in my pantry, then at the store. It allowed me to make responsible purchases and feel assured I did the best I could, in limited time. There was so much going on that week that I really didn’t have time to plan out meals for two weeks and make a list AND shop it… at least, mentally.
I want you to know that I have now referred back to the list in my grocery stores purchases since – the items are good for a lot of meals and recipes, more than the 15 recipes listed. It’s a good ‘base’ to go off of, and in some ways it’s comforting to me to know I have this tool to return to, when I feel a little overwhelmed with everything.
Thank you Beth!
At the beginning of quarantine, we found these 15 meals and bought all we needed to go with them. Today, we made the 15th meal which was the weeknight pasta sauce. They were all East and delicious!
Heartfelt thanks from the Middle East! I really appreciate the ingredients that will be fast and easy to find during lockdown. My kiddos will be so comforted by some familiar foods right now. Longtime fan . . . with even more reasons to love BB today! Bless you!
Thank you very much for all the tips and recipes.
Hey – thanks so much for this – another tool in the box! Quick question, though – is there an easy way to print ALL the RECIPES in the meal plan? I tend to work from printed recipes when actually cooking, so a PDF of the recipes could be super-helpful. Thank so much!!
Never mind… I’m a dork and wasn’t paying good attention. (face palm) Thanks are still meant, but I found the printable!
Happy you found it Nancy!
Thank you so much for sharing the meal plan! I bought plan 1 and LOVED it!! looking forward to this one :o) I use MANY of your recipes OFTEN :o) Love your website.. Great food..
LoveFromFL
I so often look to BudgetBytes when I need dinner ideas or know what I want and need a recipe.. and you do not disappoint! This resourceful is no exception to how amazing BudgetBytes is, whether in times of “I’m sitting in the grocery store parking lot but I haven’t planned my meals yet” or “I need to work off of pantry staples to practice social distancing and save the world!” Thank you, Beth.
Thanks for this! I’ve been a long time follower and have used many recipes to save money or keep life simple. Thanks for helping us all get creative during a difficult time.
Beth and the Budget Bytes team: thank you for putting together this list. I hope you are all safe and well.
I have some BB Red Beans and Rice going on the stove right now. Being able to plan out our meals for the next couple weeks when we’re not sure if we will be able to make it out to the grocery store has saved a lot of stress. My wife isn’t being paid while she’s at home looking after our kids so being able to save a few bucks here and there is a wonderful thing.
Best wishes from New York, and thank you again.
Beth,
I want to thank you for making my life so much easier during this crazy time! We are all stressed, and having to come up with two weeks worth of pantry friendly recipes would have been a challenge. I have used your site several times, and love it! Keep doing what you do best. Be safe and stay healthy!!
I so appreciate your website. I have used it so much and have recommended it tons of times. I even printed off recipes and left them in the food pantry libraries we have around our city. Thank you again.
Beth, I have used your site extensively over the last seven years to feed my family. I recommend it to everyone whenever cooking comes up. I adore this site, and you.
I must let you know that this particular post has the potential to LITERALLY SAVE LIVES. I’ve already shared it twice, emailed it to my extended family, and used the shopping list myself. The service that you have performed here is exceptional. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, and be well. ❤️
Thank you, Paige. This means a lot to me! I think it’s so important to look out for each other, especially during rough times like these, so I’m doing the only things I know how to do. :)
Thank you! Thank you. I’m sharing on Facebook. You are a wonderful life saver.
Thank you for this list! I’ve just realized my biggest problem now is that all my frozen meat is in too-large packages…1 lb instead of half pound burger, whole roasts instead of half roasts.. There are just two of us and we eat way too much meat! lol! Do you think it would be okay to thaw, then re-freeze in smaller portions? I’m not sure how else I’m going to stretch the meat the way I want to…
Hi Melanie! Yes the “U. S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) advises: Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost through thawing.” Thaw the roast in your refrigerator until you can safely cut it. Then refreeze what you don’t use. :)
Thank you Beth. This is a great list. I love your recipes.
Beth, you and your team just plain ROCK! Thanks for list. This goes SO nicely next to my 4 Budget Bytes meal plans :-)
I can’t tell you how much this post helped me! I have three kids and when it was announced that their school was going to be closed for three weeks, I panicked. Until I remembered your blog post. I quickly printed out your grocery list and was able to get everything! While others at the grocery store where getting frozen pizza and butter, I was organized and getting all that we needed. Everything I have ever made on your site has been delicious, so I am positive we will be happy for the two weeks with these meals. You are a life safer!!
Your Pork and Peanut Dragon Noodles are our main pantry staple. We ALWAYS keep those ingredients on hand!
This list is awesome. Thanks very much :)
THANK YOU for this GREAT post in these crazy times!!!
You are brilliant
Beth, I’m a long time reader (since 2009, I think!!!!) and we love your recipes. You’ve kept us eating well since our poor years of grad school and now with 4 kids, but I’ve never commented before. This is such an important post and I wanted to thank you for making this meal plan and grocery list available to everyone for free! Keep up the good work. People think I’m a good cook, but it’s only because I follow your recipes every time! Cheers!
I think most of us also have some freezer space, plus fridge and pantry room for long life vegetables such as onions, carrots, and potatoes. I don’t have a separate freezer, but my fridge has a relatively large one. We are a family of 2, and a couple of weeks ago I bought large packages of boneless chicken breast–$1.69 a lb–and froze them in single breast packages. About the same time, I picked up a whole pork loin and trimmed and cut that, too, freezing in single meal portions. Likewise I purchased a pack of 6 when I saw sirloin strip steaks in family packs for $5.99–too lean to be great if fried up for a steak dinner, but really nice for stir fries, soups, etc.–one of them made one of the best Chinese stir fried pepper steak I have ever made–tender and delicious. That steak is going to show up again in Beth’s Garlic Noodles with Beef and Broccoli. I also stocked up on a few extra bags of frozen veggies and fruits, and put bacon and some sandwich buns in the freezer. Our recent “pantry” meals have included Chicken Parmesan, Chinese Pepper steak, bean soup ( dried beans are a lead pipe cinch with a pressure cooker), and Chicken Tikka Masala. Some additional pantry items include yeast, extra flour and sugar, a box of raisins, shelf stable milk (expensive) and oatmeal.
good tips! Also, MILK (as in regular cow’s milk) can be frozen, too. I have never had a problem with paper cartons ripping in the freezer and it is exactly the same when it’s thawed out; there’s no change in flavor or texture.
Thank you for this list. I always try to have things on hand, especially living up north in the winter, but hadn’t thought of freezing things like cheese and jalapenos. I am planning freezer and canned food meals now. A bulk buy at the store maybe a rough price to swallow but considering the benefit..it is worth it. Best part is that even if things don’t get to bad you still have plenty in the freezer and less prep later on :)
Thanks for this wonderful compilation post.
Also, I am compelled to point out this excellent typo:
“Turkey Taco Skillet* – Serve witch corn tortillas (freezable) and shredded cheese.”
I want to try WITCH CORN tortillas! Sounds dangerous!
Me too !!!
LOL
Thank you so much for this! :) When I realize it would be wise to have some extra pantry staples around I automatically picked up extra beans for your chili and crushed tomatoes/tomato paste for your herb tomato soup! I love that there are some recipes I haven’t tried in here-I’ll be picking them up!
Thank for the great list. You’re so kind and wise
Thank you! This is truly helpful!
Great post! I just wanted to share that I live in the Seattle area and two weeks ago I saw this coming at us like a freight train. It felt like I only had one night to prepare (which is not true of course!). I visited this site and wrote down a week’s worth of recipes that my family eats pretty regularly with the intention of repeating it for several weeks. I wrote a master grocery list and braved three grocery stores in a day (including Costco).. but that’s not all.. when I got home I had to trim, cut and package the meats for quick and easy storage in a chest freezer we bought just for the occasion. It was a lot of work, but it’s made the last week SO. MUCH. EASIER. The hardest step is to remember to look at my menu and move the appropriate bag of beef/chicken/pork from the freezer to the fridge. The recipes I picked are: weeknight enchiladas (BudgetBytes), pizza for the kids made from naan (BudgetBytes)/pasta puttanesca for adults (BudgetBytes), chili garlic tofu bowls (Budget Bytes), Beef burrito casserole (BudgetBytes), orange chicken (BudgetBytes), Teriyaki salmon (Natasha’s Kitchen), blackberry sage pork (BudgetBytes). One of my kids is picky with “comprehensive” dishes so I make less the all-in-one-pot meals and more rice bowls. I also offer a smoothie each day and fill it with mixed greens and protein powder. It’s been a hard time with lots of moving pieces and I’m thankful for this website that allows me to continue to care of a very important part of our lives with a much reduced mental bandwidth. I hope others find a similar comfort here.
thanks for sharing this, SJ!
Great post! One of the sure fire ways to reduce anxiety is to take steps to prepare for the unexpected. These recipes and simple prep are reassuring (and tasty).
Oh man, where’s the crying emoji :) This is such a blessing and thank you so much for putting this together!!!
Wow, Beth, you and the Budget Bytes team are super! This is a terrific list of easy-to-make pantry meals. Don’t forget to add the bean soup recipe you published recently. We already bought the items for that. I “think” we’re fully stocked, but I go back to the store every other day to replenish what we consumed and add items here and there. I just found out within the last 45 minutes that our college-age son will be here indefinitely, as his school just closed and is transitioning to online classes. So I need to rethink and add a little. Your list will definitely help!
This is amazing, thank you!!
There isn’t a single recipe on this list I wouldn’t be delighted to serve my family!
Beth, well done. What an appropriate, timely , comforting and substantial post. In this time of heightened anxiety your recommendations are like some Xanax (or other anti anxiety med. ) for our soul. Your posts are such a gift. Thank you. Stay safe out there. And wash those hands.
With all the news you tend to get a bit flustered and can’t always remember what to have on hand. Your list was not only good for what we’re experiencing now, but to always have on hand for whatever situation might pop up in the future. This list took away a lot of THAT part of the stress knowing at least you had control in that area, and for you to also include the monetary listing is just incredibly thoughtful. Thank you for reminding me of what to get, and helping out as you always do. You’re the best! Stay safe and well.
This is great — thanks for sharing! My husband is a huge fan of yours and for years it’s been a joke in the family that when he’s excited about dinner, the kids say “Oh wait, let me guess… Budget Bytes?” Lol. Looks like some things won’t change even in the midst of a pandemic.
You One Pot Chilli Pasta and Hamburger Pasta are two of my favorite recipes of yours. I’m glad to see that they made the list!
Thanks, Budget Bytes team! I always love that your recipes call for real ingredients, can easily be tweaked to suit different dietary needs, and are reliably good. Stay healthy and eat well!
Thanks for this timely list! Unless I missed it, you left out one truly great pantry recipe, the tuna & red pepper pasta. We may have stocked up on some tuna this weekend, just in case.
This is a great article with lots of good suggestions. There is a similar discussion over at https://www.hungryonion.org/t/coronavirus-what-to-stock-up-on/20811 . There are a lot of second order issues that should be taken into consideration. Beth got the big one with continuity of electrical power. If utility workers are sick or otherwise quarantined getting power back could easily take three to five times longer than you are used to. All those adjacent state utility workers who roll trucks to help in winter storms and other natural disasters are likely to have their own problems. Those of us on wells should remember that losing power means losing water also.
Beth talks about shelf stable and that’s really important. You can dehydrate things like mushrooms that would not otherwise last more than a few days. Home canning for those so inclined takes a lot of pressure (ha!) off the freezer.
The personal impact of coronavirus depends on where you live but thinking through the implications is useful for winter storms, earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes.
Thank you for a great list! I was pretty excited to see that more than half of the shopping list was already in my pantry (: