10 Smart Pantry-Friendly Recipes for Lazy Cooks

Sheela Prakash
Sheela PrakashSenior Contributing Food Editor
Sheela is the Senior Contributing Food Editor at Kitchn and the author of Mediterranean Every Day: Simple, Inspired Recipes for Feel-Good Food. She received her master's degree from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy and is also a Registered Dietitian.
updated Sep 5, 2019
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(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

When life is at its busiest, and you’re at your laziest, your pantry (you know, those dry goods and essentials in your fridge and freezer) can be your saving grace. Staples like canned beans, frozen vegetables, and dry pasta just need a little doctoring up to turn them into something much more. These 10 recipes prove it.

1. Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

This pasta is proof that a few of the most basic ingredients — garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes — can join forces to make a dish that’s anything but.

(Image credit: Jerrelle Guy)

2. Roasted Tomato Soup

Roasting a can of tomatoes is the secret to make them taste a whole lot more exciting than canned tomatoes.

(Image credit: Lauren Volo)

3. Pantry Cocoa Brownies

These brownies are the perfect solution when a immediate chocolate craving strikes since they call for cocoa powder rather than that chocolate bar you might not have on hand.

(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

4. Oven-Roasted Frozen Broccoli

This recipe proves that a bag of frozen broccoli should be a pantry staple. Roast the florets on high heat, finish with lots of grated Parm, and they might rival fresh.

(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

5. Marinated White Beans

This is the perfect way to make a can or two of white beans into something much more with minimal effort. Toss the beans with olive oil, lemon, and herbs, and they become something to pile on bread, toss with cooked grains, or simply eat as is.

(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

6. Honey-Garlic Shrimp Stovetop Rice Casserole

Frozen shrimp, frozen broccoli, rice, and a few other pantry staples come together to make a homey yet wholesome casserole that’s cooked on the stove.

(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

7. One-Pot Tomato Chickpeas and Orzo

Orzo is a smart pasta to have on hand because it cooks extra fast. Here it cooks right in the same pot as the tomato sauce so you don’t even have to dirty another pot.

(Image credit: Lauren Volo)

8. How To Make Sugar Buns

If you’re craving a bakery-worthy pastry for breakfast but think you don’t have the resources, you’re in luck: All these buns require are frozen puff pastry, butter, sugar, and cinnamon. That means if frozen puff pastry isn’t already a pantry staple, it should be.

(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

9. Pasta with Hummus, Olive, Feta, and Red Pepper

This colorful pasta takes that tub of hummus that’s tucked in the back of your fridge and turns it into something much more. If you don’t happen to have feta on hand, you can definitely leave it out.

(Image credit: Lauren Volo)

10. 10-Minute Black Bean Tacos

These tacos allow for flexibility based on what you have to work with. The base is simply a spiced-up can of black beans and the toppings can be whatever you want them to be, whether it’s simply jarred salsa or the works.

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