"It’s always a good idea to have some pantry meals in your back pocket. Whether you’re stuck inside due to weather, can’t shop or order out because of finances, or are cooking with pantry basics for any other reason, there are only so many cans of soup or frozen dinners one person can eat.
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Luckily, there are truly so many things that you can make from shelf-stable, frozen, or foods that stay fresher for a longer period of time that can actually put you in a position to look forward to dinner. Everyone’s list of pantry staples is different, so sometimes you may have to substitute an ingredient or leave it out if you don’t have it on hand (or maybe you’re like me, and regularly forget to put pantry staples on your list because you assume you always have them). That’s OK. Will it be as good as if you had that fresh herb to put on top? Maybe not, but it’ll definitely work in a pinch. Here, we rounded up some of our favorites to serve as a little bit of dining in inspo for those nights when you really need to cook with what you’ve got.
1. Chicken Soup
Source: Ambitious Kitchen
2. Whole30 Chinese Chicken and Broccoli
Source: Rachl Mansfield
3. Lentil Bolognese
Source: The Toasted Pine Nut
4. Creamy Golden Rice with Spiced Chickpeas
Source: Half Baked Harvest
5. Dairy-Free Spinach Quiche
Source: Eating Bird Food
6. Cheesy Taco Pasta
Source: What’s Gaby Cooking
7. Minestrone Soup
Source: Foodie Crush
8. Creamy Thai Sweet Potato Curry
Source: Pinch of Yum
9. Oven-Roasted Chicken Thighs
Source: Midwest Foodie
10. Black Bean Soup
Source: Two Peas and Their Pod
11. Instant Pot Lentil Soup
Source: By Erin Clarke of Well Plated
12. Thai Carrot Soup
Source: Abra’s Kitchen
13. Quinoa Enchilada Casserole
Source: The Rustic Foodie
14. Fried Rice
Source: Chelsea’s Messy Apron
15. Chicken Piccata
Source: Chungah Rhee | Damn Delicious
16. Blackened Pan-Seared Salmon
Source: The Defined Dish
17. Cacio e Pepe
Source: What’s Gaby Cooking
18. Salmon Patties
Source: Fox and Briar