Stocked up? How to Turn Boring Pantry Staples into Extra-Ordinary Meals

Remember that classic 90s slasher film, “I Know What You Did Last Summer”? Well judging from the empty shelves at the grocery stores I frequent, I Know What You Bought Last Trip! Your pantries are full of some great ingredients and I bet I know what they are. So now the question is, what does one do with these ingredients? Fortunately, they’re perfect for your slow cooker and tonight’s meal. Here are some recipe suggestions for frequently bought staples that are probably stocked in your pantry.

Beans

While I noticed that all types of beans were missing from grocery store shelves, the scarcest was baked beans. Here’s our jazzed up baked bean recipe, or if you just want to heat up the can, here are two slow cooker recipes that are excellent to serve with beans.

1. Slow Cooker Baked Beans with Bacon
2. Slow Cooker Chipotle Turkey Barbecue
3. Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers

Tip: if using canned ingredients are common in your cooking, an electric can opener is a game changer.

Rice

As a versatile pantry staple, rice can be a main dish or the bed to hold a stellar entrée. It’s also easy to reheat for leftovers.

1. Slow Cooker Spinach Risotto
2. Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli
3. Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken with Vegetables and Rice

Pasta

Sure, pouring a jar of spaghetti sauce over the top of cooked macaroni is convenient, but so is putting all the ingredients in the slow cooker and letting it do the work for you. Here are a few easy slow cooker pasta dishes that are just as simple and don’t skimp on flavor.

1. Slow Cooker Stuffed Pasta Shells
2. Slow Cooker Goulash
3. Slow Cooker Minestrone with Kale and Kielbasa

Ramen

The staple from our college days is fun to have around for a grown-up recipe or use the dried noodles in our slow cooker Chicken Pho.

1. Slow Cooker Ramen Soup with Pork
2. Slow Cooker Chicken Pho

Eggs

Here is one staple from the refrigerator section that was in short supply, so many of you may have an abundance on hand. Always good for breakfast, but eggs make a great dinner too. When you are looking for something different, try these egg casseroles and have “brinner” — breakfast for dinner.

1. Slow Cooker Breakfast Sausage Casserole
2. Slow Cooker Hash Brown Casserole

These are a few of the staple foods that tend to sell quickly as folks stock up for an anticipated lengthy stay at home. What other ingredients do you like to have on hand to carry you through? Let us know in the comments section below.

You might also like:

6 Slow Cooker Pantry Staple Recipes for Hunkering Down at Home with Kids.