Recipes for Pantry Staples and Shelf Cooking

Looking for some recipes to use up your pantry staples you have an abundance of? Here is a round-up of several recipes for breakfast, main dishes, sides, snacks, and desserts to get you started shelf cooking!

If you’re needing easy recipes to make homemade, delicious, and nutritious meals with pantry staples…….I’ve got you covered.

Cooking from what you already have on hand may be new to some of you but it’s been around for years. It’s how my grandma and mom cooked and it’s called shelf cooking by some.

Breakfast

Baked oatmeal in a bowl topped with fresh blueberries and a splash of milk. — Berry Baked Oatmeal

Keep in mind you can substitute many ingredients if you don’t have exactly what is called for in the recipe. It’s time to get creative and improvise!

If the recipe is calling for chili beans in chili sauce but all you have are black beans or pinto beans then by all means use those. Just add in extra seasonings that would otherwise come from the chili sauce. Like chili powder, cumin, onion, and garlic powder.

If your recipe is calling for canned chicken but all you have is frozen then cook a chicken breast and shred it yourself instead.

Fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables can usually be interchangeable depending on the cooking situation. Obviously, fresh will require a longer cooking time because canned and frozen have already been cooked and just need to be reheated so keep that in mind when making recipes.

Main Dishes

A slice of Mexican Casserole on a white plate with a fork. — Mexican Casserole

Sides

Melted butter being brushed on freshly baked dinner rolls. — Honey Wheat Rolls

Large bowl of slow cooker mashed potatoes with pools of melted butter and chopped parsley for garnish. — Honey Wheat Rolls

Snacks and Desserts

This Easy Banana Bread is the BEST banana bread!! It's perfectly moist, not gummy, and the perfect canvas for any additions!! #easyrecipe #bananabread #quickbread — Easy Banana Bread

These light and airy Lemon Muffins are a great breakfast or snack! They are drizzled with a bright lemon glaze and the muffin has a bright lemon flavor! — Easy Banana Bread

What to stock my pantry with?

You can prepare basic meals with little planning ahead if you keep these essentials in your kitchen. These are the basics needed to stock a pantry/refrigerator/freezer and are the foundation of many meals found on Countryside Cravings.

Baking:

All purpose flour
Baking soda
Baking powder
Cornstarch
Sugar: white and brown
Semi sweet chocolate chips
Pure vanilla extract
Cocoa powder

Seasonings:

Salt
Seasoned salt
Pepper
Chili powder
Ground cumin
Dried oregano
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Cayenne powder
Paprika
Ground Cinnamon

Oils/Vinegars:

Extra virgin olive oil
Cooking spray
White vinegar
Apple cider vinegar
Balsamic vinegar

Condiments:

Ketchup
Mustard: regular, dijon
Soy sauce
Worcestershire sauce

Canned goods:

Broths/stocks: chicken, beef, vegetable
Beans: pinto, chili, black
Salsa
Tomatoes: diced, crushed, sauce, paste
Tuna
Pasta sauce
Peanut butter
Jam/jelly
Syrup
Honey

Starches:

Rice: Long grain white rice, brown rice (or if you prefer- minute rice)
Pasta: macaroni, spaghetti, egg noodles
Old fashioned oats

Refrigerator:

Cheese: cheddar, mozzarella, Parmesan
Eggs
Butter
Milk
Buttermilk

Freezer:

Chicken: breasts, thighs or whole
Ground beef or turkey
Packaged vegetables of choice
Packaged fruit of choice

Fresh Produce:

Onion
Potatoes
Garlic
Packaged salad greens
Some fresh fruit such as: bananas, apples, and oranges