Kitchen 101: Pantry Staples

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I love to cook. I enjoy the satisfaction of following a recipe and experiencing the end result – a (hopefully) beautiful and delicious meal. More than that, though, I love throwing something together from my pantry staples and having it turn out awesome!

There’s something wonderful about having a well-stocked pantry and knowing you can put together a delicious meal without making another trip to the grocery store. Whether you’re trying to stick to a grocery budget, simplify meal planning, or just make more home-cooked meals, having a few versatile ingredients on hand makes life so much easier.

Now I know everyone has their staple go-to recipes, but I also know that there are some people who are still feeling their way through those aspects of cooking. If you are one of those people, I hope this article will help you get started.

You don’t need an overflowing pantry or a collection of fancy ingredients. These basic pantry staples are the building blocks for all kinds of easy, satisfying meals.

Pantry Staples

Here are things I always have on hand in my pantry, fridge, and freezer (you can also grab the free printable here):

Here are some things you can do with these staples

The best thing about this pantry staples list is how many different meals you can create with just a handful of ingredients.

You can mix and match what you have, use up fresh produce before it goes bad, and make substitutions depending on what’s available. It’s an easy way to save money and avoid buying a bunch of ingredients for a recipe you’ll only make once.

Cans of chicken broth or bouillon cubes

I always cook my rice in chicken broth. It adds such a nice flavor! In fact, just about anything that you would cook in water can be cooked in chicken broth instead, especially if you aren’t going to drain the liquid.

It can also add some nice flavor to mashed potatoes, soups, and sauces.

If you’re doing a little meal prep for the week, try making a big batch of rice with chicken broth. You can use it as a side dish one night and turn the leftovers into rice bowls with vegetables and whatever protein you have on hand.

Throw in a bay leaf or two while cooking rice or soup for some extra flavor. Just remember to remove the bay leaves before serving.

Onions, Carrots, Celery, Garlic

These are SUCH versatile veggies and last a long time when stored properly. They add nutrition and flavor to so many dishes!

All of these, or a combination of them, taste great in soups, roasted, steamed, or baked underneath a chicken or pot roast.

If you have a fresh garlic clove, chop it up and add it to your sautéed vegetables. You can also experiment with whole spices and dried herbs to change the flavor depending on what you’re making.

Flavorful tip: Very finely chop equal amounts of onion, celery, and carrot. Sauté in a little bit of olive oil or butter and then mix it into your already cooked rice. It is a great way to get in extra veggies and it tastes SO good. This combination is actually one of the classic building blocks of cooking, and it’s a great place to start when you don’t know what to make for dinner.

Potatoes

“Boil ’em, mash ’em, put ’em in a stew.”

Potatoes are awesome! Bake them and load them with whatever you have on hand. A little sour cream, cheese, leftover meat, or chopped vegetables can turn a baked potato into an entire meal.

Roast them with onions and they complement almost any meat dish. Boil them in chicken broth and blend together for a soup. Bake a bunch, chop them up, and then pan-fry them with onions for yummy breakfast potatoes.

Mash them (duh).

You can also sprinkle roasted potatoes with chili powder, garlic, and a pinch of red pepper flakes if you like a little heat.

Bottom line, if you have potatoes in your pantry, you have some kind of meal to eat. They’re a nice neutral base for a variety of things, and they’ll last a long time when stored in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place. There’s a reason they’re so popular in the United Kingdom, where everything is dark and cool!

Lemons

Lemons go great with a lot of things.

Use the juice for salads. Bake lemons with various meats to give them a nice flavor (you cannot mess up the glorious combination of lemon and rosemary on meat, chicken especially).

Put them in your tea, your water, your soda.

One of my favorite things about lemons is how easy it is to make a homemade salad dressing. Just whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. You can add a little maple syrup for sweetness if the dressing is too tart.

Hungry but don’t want a full meal? A warm mug of lemon water can be refreshing. Sick and fighting a cold? Lemon, warm water, and honey make a soothing drink.

If your lemon is a bit hard, pop it in the microwave for about 10–15 seconds, let it cool enough to handle, and then roll it on the counter before squeezing. You may be able to get a little more juice out of it!

Life gives you lemons? Cut ’em in half and tuck ’em in your bra…couldn’t hurt, might help ;)

Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar

This flavor combination is my absolute favorite for salads.

Plus, a nice balsamic reduction can add some flair to any meat or roasted veggie dish.

Olive oil is just good to have on hand for sautéing, salads, pasta, soups, and breads. It’s just yummy!

If you want to branch out from balsamic, red wine vinegar and rice vinegar are both great additions to a well stocked pantry.

Red wine vinegar works beautifully in a simple vinaigrette with olive oil, while rice vinegar is especially good in Asian-inspired dressings and sauces.

And if you happen to have sesame oil and soy sauce on hand, you can whip up a delicious dressing for cold noodles, vegetables, or rice bowls.

I love ingredients that can do double or triple duty in the kitchen. Olive oil is also a source of unsaturated fatty acids, making it a useful ingredient for everyday cooking.

Frozen Chicken Breasts or Thighs, Whole Chicken, Pork Chops, Pot Roast

It’s great to keep meat in your freezer because you know you can always pull something out for dinner.

Here are a few easy things I like to do with my meat…

Take a whole average-sized chicken, put it in a baking dish, season it with salt, pepper, garlic, and rosemary, and roast it in the oven at 350 degrees. I also throw in a few potatoes to bake, too.

The cooking time will depend on the size of your chicken, so use a meat thermometer to make sure the thickest part reaches 165°F.

For a pot roast, find a nice chuck roast and put it in a Dutch oven with some whole potatoes, carrots, an onion (halved), a little broth, and salt and pepper. Cover and cook it low and slow at around 300°F until the meat is fork-tender. Depending on the size of the roast, this can take several hours.

These are the kinds of home-cooked meals I love because most of the work is done up front.

You can also use leftover chicken or roast for sandwiches, soups, tacos, or rice bowls later in the week. It’s one of the best ways to stretch your grocery budget and make meal planning a little easier

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Cream of mushroom soup is very versatile.

You can mix it with leftover mashed potatoes and some milk and have a nice potato soup.

I also enjoy throwing a few chicken breasts or pork chops in the skillet, browning them for a few minutes, adding a can of soup, and letting everything simmer until the meat is fully cooked.

For chicken, that means an internal temperature of 165°F, and for pork chops, 145°F followed by a three-minute rest.

Always delicious, simple, and looks nice on the plate (especially if you garnish with a bit of parsley or chives – anything green).

You can even add some fresh produce like sliced mushrooms, onions, or spinach to make the dish a little heartier.

Serve it over rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes and dinner is done!

Dried Onion Soup packets

Throw a packet of this into some soup (it’s great in a pinch if you don’t have real onions).

You can also use it to season the outside of a chicken or roast. It makes a great addition to gravies.

My favorite thing to do with dried onion soup mix is to put some chopped potatoes in a large Ziploc bag, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and the soup mix, and shake until covered.

Spread the potatoes on a baking sheet and roast at 400°F for about 25–35 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces, until they’re tender and nicely browned.

I also like to use sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes.

You can even stir some of the soup mix into sour cream for an easy dip. It’s perfect with chips or fresh vegetables!

Spaghetti Sauce

I feel like it goes without saying that spaghetti is always great to have stocked and ready to bust out on a busy night.

Keeping a jar of spaghetti sauce around is one of the easiest ways to get dinner on the table without a lot of effort.

Of course, if you don’t have a jar of sauce, you can make a simple version with canned tomato sauce or whole tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and Italian seasonings.

Just simmer everything together until the flavors come together.

Add some ground meat, vegetables, or red pepper flakes if you want to change things up.

A basic tomato sauce can also be used for homemade pizza, baked pasta, or as a dipping sauce for breadsticks.

Salsa Verde

Ever since I tried this recipe for Salsa Verde Chicken, it has been a regular in my pantry.

Go and make it immediately.

I have found it to be versatile, delicious, and super forgiving.

Use it with chicken for tacos, spoon it over rice bowls, or add it to soups for extra flavor.

It’s also delicious poured over shredded chicken and topped with cheese for a quick dinner.

If you’re trying to use up leftovers during the week, salsa verde can make yesterday’s chicken taste like an entirely different meal!

Tortillas

You can put almost anything savory in a tortilla, which is why I always keep them on hand.

Quesadillas, tacos, burritos (breakfast and otherwise), meat and cheese, butter and honey – the possibilities are endless.

Tortillas are awesome. You can even use the whole wheat ones, but I prefer flour.

They also make meal prep easier because you can turn leftover meat, rice, and vegetables into a quick wrap.

For something a little different, brush a tortilla with olive oil, sprinkle on some spices, and bake until crispy for homemade tortilla chips.

Brown Rice

Hearty, nutritious, and cheap. Brown rice is one of those whole grains that makes a great base for so many different meals.

You can serve it alongside meat and vegetables, add it to soup, or use it for rice bowls with whatever leftovers are hanging around in the fridge. I especially love how easily you can change the flavor with different seasonings.

Try cooking it in chicken broth, or add a little soy sauce and sesame oil after cooking for an Asian-inspired side dish.

It’s also great for meal planning because you can cook a batch ahead of time, refrigerate it promptly, and use it for different meals over the next few days. Reheat it until steaming hot.

Pasta 

To me, pasta and potatoes share the same awesome qualities. You can put almost anything on them and it will be delicious.

We always have some kind of pasta handy. Even tossed with garlic, butter, and Parmesan cheese, you have a meal. You can also add olive oil, lemon juice, vegetables, or leftover meat to create something completely different.

Pasta is another one of those versatile ingredients that makes cooking from your pantry so much easier.

If you like whole grains, whole wheat pasta is another option to keep around. But honestly, any pasta you enjoy and will actually use deserves a spot in your pantry!

Dried Beans

I LOVE beans!

Dried beans are affordable, filling, and an inexpensive source of protein and fiber.

For most varieties, rinse and sort them, cover with plenty of water, and soak overnight. Drain the soaking water, add fresh water or broth, and cook until tender. Depending on the variety, this may take anywhere from about an hour to several hours.

You can also cook many varieties in a slow cooker, but dried kidney beans should be boiled vigorously for at least 10 minutes before slow cooking to destroy a naturally occurring toxin. Follow variety-specific cooking instructions.

This is such a forgiving dish once you get the basic cooking method down. Throw in some meat, spices, and veggies and you can create lots of fun combinations.

Here are some variations I like:

• Ham hock, chopped onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and your favorite beans
• Spinach, curry powder, onions, carrots, and lentils
• Sausage, Cajun spices, veggies, and red beans

You can also add bay leaves, chili powder, or red pepper flakes for even more flavor.

Basically, add something salty, a variety of veggies, and enough liquid to keep everything cooking nicely, and you have the beginnings of a delicious meal. Serve with cornbread or rice.

Love the one-pot dishes!

Vario​​​​us nuts

Toasted, most nuts make great complements as toppings to dishes. They add a bit of extra protein and some great texture and flavor. They’re especially nice over rice.

I also love adding chopped nuts to salads, oatmeal, and roasted vegetables.

Nut butters are another handy option if your household enjoys them. A spoonful of peanut or almond butter can be used in smoothies, oatmeal, or even a simple sauce for noodles.

My pantry basics

This has worked well for my family over the years, and I hope it gives you a place to start.

There is something so satisfying about knowing that I can make some form of delicious and nutritious meal when grocery money is low or I haven’t had time to go to the store.

Whether you’re just learning to cook or you’ve been making home-cooked meals for years, having ingredients you know how to use can make all the difference.

I’d be interested to know, what are your pantry staples?

Share in the comments section. I’m always looking for new and exciting ways to liven things up!