Here is our list of 20+ Pantry Meals that can be prepared easily by cooking from the pantry and making an easy dinner with what you already have on hand. This list even includes 5 easy dessert recipes that you can make with pantry foods.
If you like having a list of easy, healthy things to cook, you can also check out our Quick Healthy Dinner Ideas, Cheap Dinner Ideas, or these Healthy Chicken Recipes.
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Easy Pantry Meals
We came up with over 20 of our favorite recipes that are made from simple pantry foods, or can be easily adapted. These recipes focus on normally stocked pantry items, freezable meat, and freezable vegetables.
This list was originally published right when the COVID 19 lockdowns were starting, but it has since become something that I try to do regularly. Cooking from the pantry is a great way to save money and keep things simple. Many of these pantry recipes can be frozen and used for meal prep later.
Cooking From the Pantry for Breakfast
Mini Quiche
These are what I like to call leftover eggs. Seriously, just add in your leftover stir fry vegetables, lunch meat, or breakfast meat. One variation I tried a few days ago, I added in a big spoonful of blue cheese dressing to the egg mixture—talk about flavor!
Use up your green onions, chives, wilting peppers, or the end of your ham lunch meat. So many flavor options here too.
Egg McMuffin
This copycat Egg McMuffin recipe tastes just like everyone’s favorite fast food breakfast sandwich. Made by stuffing an English muffin with scrambled or fried eggs, bacon, ham, and melted cheese, this is one breakfast you won’t want to skip.
Homemade Waffles
These Homemade Belgian Waffles are super fluffy on the inside, crisp on the outside, and can be ready in no time. Top them with whipped cream, powdered sugar, quick berry syrup or easy coconut syrup, and fresh berries for a true breakfast treat.
Scrambled Eggs
By understanding and following our three main tips below, you will quickly become a scrambled eggs master. You’ll also find out how to make creamy scrambled eggs, what to do with leftovers, and what ingredients work best for mix-ins. There are so many different meals you can make just by using scrambled eggs!
Cinnamon Rolls
Our Best Homemade Cinnamon Roll recipe is light and fluffy, soft and chewy, and made with simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. These step-by-step instructions also include our recipe for a delicious cream cheese icing that is perfect for slathering over your warm cinnamon rolls right out of the oven.
Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes
These light and fluffy Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes are filled with bright lemon flavor and crunchy poppy seeds. They’re delicious topped with most any of your favorite pancake toppings like whipped cream, lemon syrup, fresh fruit, blueberry syrup, and butter.
Pantry Dinner Ideas
Make-Ahead Taco Meat
These crispy Ground Beef Tacos are loaded with juicy seasoned taco meat, melted cheese and all of your favorite toppings. The taco meat can be made ahead of time and frozen for later! I like to freeze it in portioned containers so I have just enough for one meal for my family. This really eliminates waste and also makes dinner time so easy. If I have pre-cooked taco meat ready to go, I can get dinner on the table in under 20 minutes. This one has been a staple at our house for years. Top with homemade guac, fresh salsa, or a side of easy spanish rice for a complete meal.
Salsa Chicken
This recipe has such simple ingredients and is made from common pantry staples. if you don't have cream cheese, cook it without the cream cheese and add a dollop of sour cream after it's all cooked and you have shredded the chicken.
It makes a big batch and is enough for 2 meals for my family of 6. You can make it, eat it for dinner one day and then freeze the rest for another day or use it in enchiladas, quesadillas, or burrito bowls.
Chicken Quesadillas
These crispy, delicious, and easy Chicken Quesadillas are the perfect quick and easy pantry meal for any busy night. They are loaded with Southwest seasoned chicken, melted cheese, salsa and other Mexican-inspired flavors for a dinner that everyone will love. Make these with leftover rotisserie chicken or grilled chicken. Serve with a side of lime rice or roasted broccoli for a complete meal.
Fettuccini Alfredo
This easy alfredo sauce only takes a few ingredients and a few minutes. It's rich and thick and has just a hint of garlic flavor. Toss some chicken on top for a little extra protein if you'd like! There's also another variation on my site for Sun-Dried Tomato Alfred if you have sun-dried tomatoes on hand.
Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken
My family’s favorite way to eat Tuscan Crockpot Chicken is over pasta with cheese. Just add cooked pasta, shredded mozzarella cheese, and a sprinkle of Parmesan over the chicken. Cover and let it warm for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
Oven-Baked Potatoes
Talk about easy peasy! These baked potatoes are so simple to make. Potatoes are so inexpensive and last a long time in a cool, dry place. I keep them in a bin on the floor of my pantry. Be sure to double the amount you need because these baked potatoes work great in casseroles or as hash browns for breakfast.
Homemade Pizza
This will make (2) 14” pizzas or 1 large baking sheet. You can turn the dough into focaccia bread, breadsticks (brush with butter, garlic salt, and parmesan cheese), or pizza dough—just add your favorite sauce and toppings. Note: Shredded cheese freezes really well. Throw some in the freezer for another day. You can also easily make a stuffed crust pizza or a french bread pizza when you need a quick recipe.
Pantry Meal Soup Recipes
Beef Chili
This homemade chili recipe makes a big batch. It's enough for at least 3 meals for my family. Our favorite way to eat it is with chili cheese Fritos, shredded cheese, sour cream, and green onions. Just add whatever you have on hand or whip up a batch of cornbread.
Taco Soup
This makes a huge pot and enough food for my family for 2-3 meals. We love to eat this at least twice, once for dinner and again for lunch. Freeze the rest and pull it out on a busy night when you don't want to cook. If you have leftover chicken, you can also make a Chicken Taco Soup.
Chicken Noodle Soup
You're gonna want to keep this on rotation. It's so good. I love that I can make this with ingredients in my pantry and freezer. I try to always have these ingredients on hand. It makes the best creamy chicken noodle soup recipe. We also have a chicken broth and egg noodle recipe if you're looking to use up some basic ingredients.
You can use fresh or frozen vegetables. You can use leftover chicken or bake a couple breasts in the oven before assembling this recipe. Easy peasy!
Potato Soup
If your potatoes are looking a little sad, this is the perfect recipe. Just cut away any rotten or soft spots on the potatoes and use the rest. This potato soup recipe is pretty versatile too. If you don't have heavy cream, no worries, you can use a can of evaporated milk, regular milk, or mix up some powdered milk. It will even have a lot of flavor without any milk.
You can add in some broccoli about halfway through cooking the potatoes or any other vegetable you want. A big handful of cheese is also a great idea. We also love topping this with shredded cheese, sliced green onions and homemade bacon bits if we have bacon on hand.
Ground Beef Pasta Bake
This easy cheesy Ground Beef Pasta Bake is a hearty, comfort food classic that the whole family will love. It’s got ground beef and pasta coated in a cheesy tomato sauce, topped with cheese and baked to golden brown perfection.
Mississippi Pot Roast
This Mississippi Pot Roast is a sirloin tip roast crock pot recipe that is loaded with flavor and comes out tender and juicy every time. Cooked with butter, pepperoncini, and an au jus ranch gravy, this is the best pot roast recipe to pile onto a mini slider bun or atop mashed potatoes.
Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy
This Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy uses just 4 ingredients to turn plain chicken into a delicious, kid-friendly meal. The juicy shredded chicken smothered in a smooth cream cheese gravy tastes great served over rice, egg noodles, mashed potatoes, and more.
Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowls
This Easy Chicken Burrito Bowl is an easy dump and go recipe, it's expensive and can be made right at home. Burrito bowls are the perfect solution for simple lunches, meal prep and picky eaters.
Easy Desserts With Pantry Foods
No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
This easy recipe for No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies is so quick and easy, and it's something that everyone loves. Each cookie is filled with pantry ingredients like peanut butter, gooey marshmallows, and chewy oats for a simple and satisfying treat.
No-Bake Nutella Cookies
These No Bake Nutella Cookies are an easy cornflake cookie recipe loaded with chewy marshmallow covered Nutella cornflakes. They're buttery, sweet, chewy, and a quick no bake recipe that can be whipped up in about 10 minutes.
Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
What makes the best chocolate chip cookie? You'll get a different response from each baker but personally, I'm looking for crispy edges and a soft inner cookie.
This recipe is all about the chewy and soft chocolate chip cookie recipe and not a cakey cookie. And best of all, you probably always have the ingredients to make them in your pantry.
Homemade Caramel Popcorn
This Easy Caramel Popcorn is sweet, salty, buttery, crisp, blows away any store-bought caramel corn, and is so simple to make. It's made with freshly air-popped popcorn with a simple caramel made with sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, sugar, butter, and Karo syrup.
Pound Cake
Rather than sour cream, this is a cream cheese Pound Cake recipe. The cream cheese keeps this pound cake super moist yet dense and I absolutely love the flavor that it adds. Feel free to flavor the pound cake batter with lemon zest, orange zest, or different extracts that you have on hand.
More Pantry Dinner Ideas
- Slow Cooker Rice and Beans
- Pizza Sliders
- Chicken Tacos
- Simple Oven Baked Drumsticks
- Veggie Pizza
- More Dinner Ideas
- More Easy Weeknight Meals
These pantry recipes are perfect for pulling out when you haven't been to the store in a while, or when you just want to make something simple that you can almost guarantee you already have in your pantry or freezer.
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