How many times have you asked yourself at four o'clock in the afternoon what should I make for dinner? Or how many times have you opened your pantry and thought we have nothing to eat and head for a drive thru? I know I have done both of these things before. Although I do try to prevent that from happening often. I am going to share some ways on how to turn pantry staples into meals.
Pantry staple meals can be made for any meal of the day. In my example I am going to share ideas to use particularly for our dinner meals.
Not having a meal plan can end up causing us to spend a lot of extra money than we need to. Having some staple meals to turn to especially when the day is getting away from us can save us both time and money.
It is also a good idea to keep some staple foods on hand in case of some type of an emergency, such as during a long power outage.
Turning Pantry Staples into Meals
- What are staple food items?
- What's in a well stocked pantry?
- What to make for dinner with pantry items.
What are staple food items?
Staple food items are items that can have a long shelf life. They are an alternative to fresh foods. That does not mean that you have to skip good nutrition. There are many options that provide good nutrition as well. The use of staple foods can very.
Examples of views on staple foods.
- Items we enjoy.
Some staples are simply items we enjoy and want to keep on hand. For example, if you like crackers, they may be a personal food staple that you and your family make sure you always have. Although crackers may not have as long of a shelf life as other food items do, they can still be a personal staple item that you enjoy and want to keep on hand. They do not have to always be items that are for a meal either but rather for a snack.
- Items to build meals with.
There are also staples that we keep on hand to help build meals with. These may include side dishes we love to make so we want to make sure we have the ingredients for them. They could also be items that we want to have on hand when we do not feel like meal planning. Instead we can just grab what we have and make our meal. An example may be Spaghetti and pasta sauce and some type of boxed bread for a side.
- Items in case of an emergency.
Having some food set aside during a time of emergency can be very helpful and reassuring. We may not be able to go to the store to get items that we need during this time. Some examples would be during a bad storm and we are advised to stay in. Another example of an emergency may be our power going out for very long periods of time.
An important thing to remember is that depending on what type of emergency it may be, your running water may not be available. Thinking of foods that you can prepare that does not call for using water would be important then. Also keeping bottled water stocked up for these situations can be very beneficial.
There are some important questions also to consider when purchasing emergency staple food items. If the power were to go out, is there another source of energy you could use? Should you choose only items that do not require water and that you do not mind not heating up?
What's in a well stocked pantry?
When you are going to stock your pantry, it is important to consider a few things first.
We want to include items we know that our family enjoys. We don't want to just start filling it up with whatever may be on sale, simply because it is on sale. That does not always mean we will like those items and they could go to waste. We want to make sure that we are choosing what our family likes and will eat.
Are there favorite meals you and your family like to have? Make a list of them. Ask your family if there are any things they would like to add to it. Decide on a certain number to make.
If it is in your budget, consider picking up an extra one or two of each item. This would be for the emergency staples. Another thing to take into consideration is if there is a birthday or other special occasion coming up. Don't forget items for any special treats to have for these occasions.
Items that you may consider stocking your pantry with.
- Canned goods such as a variety of fruits, vegetables, beans, soups and broth.
- Pasta and sauce.
- Macaroni and cheese.
- Rice.
- Salsa, vinegars, oil, salad dressing and assorted sauces.
- Flour, sugar and other baking items.
- Spices.
- Oats, peanut butter and other spreads.
- Bottled water, boxed milk, coffee and tea.

What to make for dinner with pantry staples.
Quick pantry meals can really help us when we are pressed for time. Whether they are planned out or not, a quick open of the pantry door and pulling out what we need is nice. If the meals are planned, then the items should be there and ready.
But what if there is not a plan? What if we open up the door and are faced with just staring at a bunch of different items? It can leave us feeling overwhelmed and even may want to make a call for takeout dinner. Does this sound familiar to you?
With the dinner ideas I've shared, we may not have every single item needed to make them exactly how we may usually make them. The idea is to come up with nutritious, filling meals the best that we can with what we have in our pantry for quick meals for dinner.
Meal ideas to make for dinner using pantry staples.
- Chili
This is a meatless version of chili. Depending on the ingredients you would have on hand, you could customize it to be just how you like it. There are so many ways you can make it. Do you like spicy chili or mild? Do you like many kinds of beans in your chili or just a couple? Kidney beans, garbanzo beans and pinto beans just to name a few.
There are a variety of sauces to choose from as well. You can choose multiple or just one. Some include tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, stewed tomatoes and tomato paste. Add some vegetable stock to this dish. Also add in some salt and pepper to taste. Some other things to add can be some jarred minced garlic and chili powder.
- Tuna noodle casserole.
Tuna noodle casserole is a meal that can be easy to whip up from the staples in your pantry as well. To pull this meal together you can use some canned tuna and egg noodles, boxed milk, flour, salt and pepper to taste. There is also boxed tuna casserole as another choice if you have it.
- Macaroni and cheese.
There is boxed macaroni and cheese you can make. There is also the option of using macaroni noodles along with both boxed milk and boxed cheese with salt and pepper to taste.
- Tacos and rice.
There are several types of tacos that can be made. But when it comes to choosing a kind that is pantry staple friendly, meatless is a great option. Although there are canned meat options as well such as canned chicken for chicken tacos.
It depends on what you have and what your preferences are. You could have chicken tacos or refried beans as the main ingredient of your taco. You could add rice with it or have it as a side. Tortilla chips and salsa as an appetizer or side would round out this meal wonderfully.
- Vegetable soup.
A nice warm bowl of vegetable soup is a nice and hearty dish especially in the colder months. To make this dish a little different than you may usually make it, you could add beans to it for a vegetable and bean soup. You can add some minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste, vegetable broth, a variety of canned vegetables and canned beans if you would like to add them. If you have some seasonings on hand that you like, you can add them as well. A side of crackers could make this a simple yet satisfying meal on a busy night.
Conclusion
In conclusion, don't forget to pull out everything one shelf at a time to see what you have. You may find things that you forgot that you had. This is a great time to clean out this space too and declutter it. Get rid of items that are expired. Consider donating items that have not yet expired but that you no longer want. It will feel good to tidy your pantry and to help others in the process.
Do you have a favorite go to pantry staple meal that you like to make? Please share with us in the comment section.
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