Here Are 11 Weeks’ Worth of Meals You Can Make with Pantry Staples
There are so many really interesting and delicious ways to lean on your pantry. When we talk about your pantry, we mean shelf-stable dry goods, like beans and lentils, pasta, rice, and canned goods, as well as frozen foods and some fresh food items that aren’t quick to spoil. The key to cooking with your stock is having some inspiration on your side.
Remember the basics: 10 Essentials to Have in Your Pantry for Better Meal Planning
Each of these 11 weekly plans includes recipes and helpful tips for prepping pantry meals. Follow the plans as written or mix-and-match recipes for a plan that fits your needs.
1. A Week of Easy Pantry Meals from Nik Sharma
In this one-week meal plan, Nik Sharma leans on pantry ingredients to get dinner on the table, and encourages swapping in new-to-you spices or flavor boosters like a spicy mustard oil or chili oil to rework a familiar landscape (like, a baked sweet potato) into something new and marvelous. From spicy eggplant with ground lamb to “samosa pie”, most of these recipes can be tweaked to work with what’s in stock in your kitchen.
Get the plan: A Week of Easy Pantry Meals from Nik Sharma
2. How I am Prepping 25+ Family Meals from My Pantry
You’ll get three meals a day plus two snacks for five days with leftovers for a family of four in this 2 1/2 hours meal prep session. The best part is it all starts from what’s inside you dry pantry and freezer.
Get the plan: How I am Prepping 25+ Family Meals from My Pantry
3. A Week of Simple, Feel-Good Pantry Dinners
This plan is all about cooking meals that are equal parts familiar and feel-good. Tacos, pasta, and pizza most definitely all make an appearance.
Get the plan: A Week of Simple, Feel-Good Pantry Dinners
4. 5 Easy Pantry Dinners Our Food Stylist is Eating This Week
This meal plan, filled with things like cacio e pepe and black bean soup, is perfect for individuals who are cooking through their pantry and trying to feed a small family food that is comforting and easy.
Get the plan: 5 Easy Pantry Dinners Our Food Stylist is Eating This Week
5. This Pantry-Friendly Keto Meal-Prep Plan Will Get You Back on Track
Cooking from your pantry looks a little different when you follow the ketogenic diet. Instead of rice, beans, and pasta, grocery staples are eggs, meats, and cheeses. This meal plan relies on a short list of keto-friendly groceries that you’ve probably already picked up at the store.
Get the plan: This Pantry-Friendly Keto Meal-Prep Plan Will Get You Back on Track
6. The Big-Batch, Pantry-Friendly Dinners Our Studio Food Editor Is Making This Week
This meal plan starts the week by making pantry-friendly, big-batch dinners that could also be lunch for the next couple days. Then, for the end-of-the-week push, it includes a few dishes that require less preparation.
Get the plan: The Big-Batch, Pantry-Friendly Dinners Our Studio Food Editor Is Making This Week
7. 5 Cheap and Easy Dinners from the Pantry
These family-friendly dinners all start with dry goods like lentils, beans, pasta, rice, and broth plus some fresh staples, like chicken sausage, eggs, tortillas, and broccoli that keep well in the fridge for a while. From a hearty lentil and chicken sausage stew to creamy veggie pasta, they’re easy on your wallet and also really easy to pull together.
Get the plan: 5 Cheap and Easy Dinners from the Pantry
8. A Week of Easy Pantry Dinners
A bowl of bang bang shrimp pasta (yes, just like the one from Bonefish Grill) pictured above, is the most delicious reminder that keeping a bag of shrimp in the freezer (along with plenty of frozen veggies!) is a really, really good idea. As for that bag of broccoli that’s hanging out in the back of the freezer, try roasting, then blending it into a creamy soup for dinner.
Get the plan: A Week of Easy Pantry Dinners
9. 5 Budget-Saving Meals from Pantry Staples
If you’re keeping a close eye on your food budget, this meal plan will show you some fun ways to use up leftover meat with cauliflower rice burrito bowls and a creamy casserole, plus a kid-approved tortellini dinner on skewers.
Get the plan: 5 Budget-Saving Meals from Pantry Staples
10. 5 Weeknight Dinners Featuring Dry Pantry Ingredients
Ready to embrace multiple pasta nights in the same week? Dinners like Mexican skillet lasagna with black beans and a tuna orzo casserole with broccoli offer up some really fun twists on traditional classics.
Get the recipe: 5 Weeknight Dinners Featuring Dry Pantry Ingredients
11. 5 Weeknight Dinners Featuring Fresh Pantry Ingredients
This plan features smart meals like migas and braised cauliflower that are great examples of how to treat your fridge like the pantry with long-lasting ingredients.
Get the plan: 5 Weeknight Dinners Featuring Fresh Pantry Ingredients