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!
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.