25 Recipes Made from Pantry Staples

Weeknights with busy families can be hard! Whether you crave comforting classics or aspire to whip up impressive dishes, we’re transforming everyday staples into extraordinary delights. So, bypass the trip to the grocery store and embark on a journey of crafting simple, tasty creations. Let’s dig into that pantry and see what you can create tonight. We even have easy dessert options.

Minestrone Soup

A bowl of soup with carrots, peas and beans. — Gluten Free Minestrone Soup. Photo credit: Seasonal Cravings.

This Easy Minestrone Soup will warm your bones from the inside out. It’s packed with fall seasonal vegetables and beans and has layers of warm Italian spices. It uses quinoa instead of small pasta which adds a little boost of protein.
Get the Recipe: Minestrone Soup

Instant Pot Pumpkin Curry Soup

A satisfying bowl of pumpkin soup - a soup made with few ingredients - served alongside freshly baked bread on a rustic cutting board. — Instant Pot Pumpkin Curry Soup. Photo credit: Seasonal Cravings.

This quick weeknight Instant Pot Curried Pumpkin Soup is packed with fall flavor and spices. It can be made in less than thirty minutes and uses CANNED pumpkin.
Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Pumpkin Curry Soup

Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

A bowl of mexican chicken soup with avocado, lime and tortillas. — Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup. Photo credit: Seasonal Cravings.

This Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup is loaded with spicy flavors and tender shredded chicken. It’s ready in under 30 minutes and tastes great as leftovers the next day. Your family will thank you for this one!
Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Lentil Salad With Tuna

A bowl of chicken and lentil salad with carrots and carrots. — Lentil Salad With Tuna. Photo credit: Seasonal Cravings.

This Lentil Salad with Tuna packs a protein punch that will keep you satisfied until dinner! It’s full of Spring goodies like carrots and kale. Dress it with a simple lemon and olive oil dressing and you are good to go.
Get the Recipe: Lentil Salad With Tuna

Instant Pot Lentil Soup

A bowl of lentil and kale soup with a spoon. — Instant Pot Lentil Soup. Photo credit: Seasonal Cravings.

A hearty and delicious meal, this Instant Pot Lentil Soup is simple enough to serve on busy weeknights and fancy enough for a tasty weekend dinner. This filling, warming, and delicious comfort food comes together quickly in your pressure cooker.
Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Lentil Soup

Corn Casserole

Friends giving pumpkin bread in a glass dish. — Gluten Free Corn Casserole. Photo credit: Seasonal Cravings.

This Corn Casserole is a simple side dish that will be a hit for your party table! It’s delicious on its own or loaded up with some salty butter. It is best served warm but you can eat leftovers of this corn pudding right out of the refrigerator the next day.
Get the Recipe: Corn Casserole

Italian Tuna White Bean Salad

A delicious pork and rhubarb salad recipe using pantry staples. — Italian Tuna White Bean Salad. Photo credit: xoxoBella.

This tasty Italian tuna bean salad, or insalata di tonno e fagioli as it’s known in Italy, features fresh tuna fish steaks and cannellini beans as the main ingredients. Italian fresh tuna salad makes a satisfying lunch, or you can enjoy the Mediterranean flavors by enjoying it as a side dish with a main course or a snack.
Get the Recipe: Italian Tuna White Bean Salad

Easy Shrimp Linguine

A tangy and delightful bowl of pasta with zesty shrimp and vibrant lemons, perfect for quick and easy recipes. — Easy Shrimp Linguine. Photo credit: xoxoBella.

This classic Italian dish pairs linguine noodles with shrimp and a delicious lemon, garlic and herb sauce. Shrimp linguine is light but satisfying and it’s also easy to make. There are only 8 different ingredients in this shrimp linguine recipe, or 9 if you want a parmesan cheese garnish. So, if you’re in the mood for a dinner that’s both comfort food and an elegant treat, you can’t go wrong with this lovely 20 minute shrimp linguine pasta dish.
Get the Recipe: Easy Shrimp Linguine

The Best Italian Penne Rosa Pasta

A delicious and simple recipe for penne pasta with pantry staples like spinach and tomatoes, cooked to perfection in a pan and stirred with a wooden spoon. — The Best Italian Penne Rosa Pasta. Photo credit: xoxoBella.

Penne rosa pasta is an easy pasta dish with a creamy sauce. You can make the whole penne rosa recipe in one pot. This quick and simple Italian pasta with tomato cream sauce is ideal for a busy weeknight supper. It’s tasty, comforting and filling.
Get the Recipe: The Best Italian Penne Rosa Pasta

Slow Cooker Red Beans And Rice Recipe

A simple and nourishing recipe featuring a combination of beans and corn, accompanied by a piece of bread. This dish is perfect for utilizing pantry staples to create a delicious and wholesome meal. — Slow Cooker Red Beans And Rice Recipe. Photo credit: PinkWhen.

With a few pantry staples like canned beans, rice, and a can of diced tomatoes, you can have this easy yet delicious red beans and rice meal ready with very little effort. This makes a perfect weeknight meal that you can save for leftovers!
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Red Beans And Rice Recipe

Peanut Butter And Jelly Granola Bars

Peanut Butter And Jelly Granola Bars. Photo credit: PinkWhen.

These peanut butter and jelly granola bars are reminiscent of everyone’s favorite sandwich, but is protein and fiber-packed with healthy oats and natural peanut butter. It is even more portable than a sandwich because you don’t have to worry about leaking squishy jelly.
Get the Recipe: Peanut Butter And Jelly Granola Bars

3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut butter cookies on a cooling rack. — 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies. Photo credit: Healy Eats Real.

With simple pantry staples like peanut butter, sugar, and eggs, you can make these delicious flourless peanut butter cookies in no time! They’re sweet and crunchy with a rich peanut butter flavor.
Get the Recipe: 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

Sprouted Lentils

Sprouts in a bowl next to carrots, perfect for pantry staples. — Sprouted Lentils. Photo credit: Healy Eats Real.

Sprouting lentils is a great way to increase this healthy legume’s nutritional benefits, protein content, and digestibility! Learn how to sprout lentils at home easily and affordably.
Get the Recipe: Sprouted Lentils

Tuna Mushroom Egg Bake

A quiche with spinach and mushrooms on a plate. — Tuna Mushroom Egg Bake . Photo credit: Healy Eats Real.

This Tuna Mushroom Egg Bake recipe is sure to put a pep in your step! You’ll love it because it is lusciously loaded with veggies, protein, and healthy fats.
Get the Recipe: Tuna Mushroom Egg Bake

Dump Cake Recipe

Delicious strawberry cobbler recipe served in a white bowl with a scoop of creamy ice cream. — Dump Cake Recipe. Photo credit: Vintage Kitchen Notes.

Also known as a cobbler with cake mix, this effortless fruit dessert recipe is the classic, original dump cake with a layer of canned pie filling and a biscuit topping. It’s delicious, crowd-pleasing, freezes well, and you can mix and match different fillings with cake mix flavors.
Get the Recipe: Dump Cake Recipe

Cake Mix Cookies

A stack of cookies, a perfect result from following your favorite recipe using pantry staples. — Cake Mix Cookies. Photo credit: Vintage Kitchen Notes.

Cake mix cookies are the ultimate shortcut to sweet, chewy, and delicious cookies that are ready in under 30 minutes. These homemade cookies are incredibly easy to make and require only a handful of ingredients, most of which you might already have in your pantry. It’s a versatile, no-fuss recipe perfect for picnics, barbecues, potlucks, and bake sales.
Get the Recipe: Cake Mix Cookies

Easy Greek Rice

A delicious recipe for rice cooked with pantry staples such as olives and tomatoes in a pan. — Easy Greek Rice. Photo credit: Recipes From A Pantry.

This simple Greek Rice is easily made with pantry staples and a few minutes of active cooking. With just a few basic ingredients, you can turn this into a delicious Mediterranean Rice into a whole meal!
Get the Recipe: Easy Greek Rice

Easy Pantry Pasta

A delicious pasta dish made with pantry staples, filled with vegetables and presented on a charming wooden table. — Easy Pantry Pasta. Photo credit: Neighborfood Blog.

This Pantry Pasta is an easy creamy pasta you can throw together in under 30 minutes! Grab a can of evaporated milk, Italian seasoning, a block of Parmesan and whatever bits and bobs you can find to make this weeknight staple. This endlessly versatile dish is a life saver!
Get the Recipe: Easy Pantry Pasta

Chinese Egg Tomato Stir Fry

An appetizing recipe featuring a bowl of rice with flavorful chicken and succulent tomatoes, perfect for utilizing pantry staples. — Chinese Egg Tomato Stir Fry. Photo credit: Mikha Eats.

This Chinese Tomato Egg Stir-Fry recipe transforms simple kitchen staples into lusciously fluffy eggs with juicy tender tomatoes that begs to be devoured over hot steamy rice. It’s the cheap and effortless meal that always disappears even faster than it’s made!
Get the Recipe: Chinese Egg Tomato Stir Fry

Chickpea Lentil Curry

Chickpea curry recipe using pantry staples cooked in a skillet on a white background. — Chickpea Lentil Curry. Photo credit: Plant Based Folk.

An easy creamy chickpea and lentil curry with coconut milk that is ready in around 20 minutes using simple ingredients. Enjoy it over rice, potatoes or with flat bread.
Get the Recipe: Chickpea Lentil Curry

Pasta Pomodoro Recipe

A mouthwatering recipe for spaghetti cooked in a pan, generously topped with parmesan cheese and garnished with fresh basil leaves - surely a delightful way to utilize pantry staples. — Pasta Pomodoro Recipe. Photo credit: Dinner at the Zoo.

This pasta pomodoro recipe is spaghetti tossed in a homemade tomato sauce and garnished with plenty of parmesan cheese and fresh basil. A classic Italian dish that’s perfect for entertaining!
Get the Recipe: Pasta Pomodoro Recipe

Homemade Rice-A-Roni

A colorful medley of rice and vegetables cooked to perfection in a pan, making it an ideal dish for utilizing pantry staples and exploring new recipes. — Homemade Rice-A-Roni. Photo credit: Dinner at the Zoo.

This homemade rice-a-roni is a blend of rice and pasta cooked in butter, chicken broth and seasonings until light and fluffy. An easy side dish that tastes WAY better than the store bought kind!
Get the Recipe: Homemade Rice-A-Roni

Taco Casserole

Delicious Mexican dip made in a skillet with tortilla chips, perfect for using pantry staples. Serve with homemade guacamole for extra flavor. — Taco Casserole. Photo credit: I Heart Eating.

This flavorful taco casserole is made with pantry staples, and the recipe includes vegetarian and freezer meal directions. It’s a tasty dish filled with savory beef, cheesy cheddar, black beans, and spices.
Get the Recipe: Taco Casserole

3-Ingredient Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread cookies on a white background, perfect for pantry staples and recipes. — 3-Ingredient Shortbread Cookies. Photo credit: Simply Five Ingredients.

Make melt-in-your-mouth buttery shortbread cookies with only 3 ingredients! These versatile cookies are perfect for holidays, teatime, or anytime you need a sweet treat.
Get the Recipe: 3-Ingredient Shortbread Cookies

Homemade Refried Beans

A delectable recipe for Mexican hummus using pantry staples, served with crispy tortilla chips and zesty salsa. — Homemade Refried Beans. Photo credit: Homan At Home.

Delicious and full of fiber, these “refried” beans are a tasty alternative to the store-bought variety. Only 15 minutes from start to on the table!
Get the Recipe: Homemade Refried Beans