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
Berry Baked Oatmeal Slow Cooker Cinnamon Apple Breakfast Rice Biscuits and Gravy Casserole 
Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes 
Cinnamon Sugar French Toast Sticks High Protein Cottage Cheese Pancakes Bean and Cheese Breakfast Tacos 
Ham and Egg Cups
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
Mexican Casserole 
Homemade Hamburger Helper Beer Can Chicken Taco Pasta Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Cheese Enchiladas Cheeseburger Pasta Skillet 
Creamy Potato Soup Ground Beef Stroganoff Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup One Pot Pizza Pasta Skillet Beef Pot Pie Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup 
Tuna Melt Sandwich Homemade Ground Beef Taco Meat Easy Shrimp Ramen Soup Easy Ground Beef and Broccoli Easy Taco Soup Sweet Rub for Chicken Chile Con Queso Mac and Cheese Spicy Chicken Tacos Homemade Pizza Dough Chili Dog Tater Tot Casserole Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce One Pot Chicken Broccoli and Rice Homemade Cheese Pizza Homemade Sloppy Joes Slow Cooker Chili Mac Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Chicken One Pot Hamburger Stroganoff Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuit Topping 30 minute White Chicken Chili Beef and Bean Sloppy Joes Slow Cooker Bacon Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole
Sides
Honey Wheat Rolls Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad 
Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits 
Homemade Applesauce Homemade Buttermilk Cornbread 
Rice Pilaf Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes Beer Bread Easy Spanish Rice Easy “Refried” Beans Roasted Parmesan Potatoes Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon Glaze Traditional Irish Soda Bread
Snacks and Desserts
Easy Banana Bread Lemon Muffins Banana Muffins Cinnamon Roll Muffins Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins All Butter Pie Crust Rice Krispie Treats 
Apple Crumb Cake No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars No Chill Chocolate Chip Cookies Homemade Graham Cracker Crust Homemade Chewy Brownies Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Cookies 
Creamy Rice Pudding
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
