Pantry dinner ideas

[Anonymous]

I often fail at getting a good dinner to the table for lack of proper ingredients. I'd like to have a few backup meals for which I always have the ingredients. I am looking for things that don't require anything refrigerated (except milk/butter/eggs) so I can keep the ingredients as a backup for as long as a year if need be.

[Anonymous]

Some of these things require a LITTLE forethought, but I tend to buy the produce anyway so YMMV

-veggie chilli: canned tomatoes, canned beans, you can do canned corn, chilis, ect. But I like to add fresh cut peppers and zucchini. Easily purchased frozen.

-bean quesadillas: refried beans, tortillas, cheese

-pasta and sauce (nuff said)

-if you're willing to use your freezer, frozen spinach mixed with eggs and baked is very good (add cheese if you have it)

-canned chick peas have lots of uses such as roasted them and serving with a box of rice pilaf and canned tomatoes

[Anonymous]

Pasta Salad:
pasta
black and green olives
roasted peppers
sun dried tomatoes
canned or jarred artichokes
white beans
possible canned peas or asparagus or some other veg?
dressing or oil and vinegar

Mushroom Marinara:
Mushroom and/or cheese ravioli/tortellini
jarred sauce
canned mushrooms
spices, etc...

Beans and Rice, I guess, but I'd have a hard time with that with no sour cream, fresh veggies, or guac or cheese!

If you have freeze back-up, try:

Frozen chicken breast thrown in the oven with soy sauce, white vingear, a little sugar, some spices that you like
White rice
Frozen green beans

Pasta and sauce
frozen broccoli roasted with olive oil and balsamic
frozen baguette (these keep a few months...just pop in the oven for 15 minutes)

[Anonymous]

Tuna noodle casserole.

[Anonymous]

some stores sell shelf stable gnocci as well

[Anonymous]

shelf stable polenta - top with pasta sauce and whatever veg you happen to have around.

also, this:
http://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2010/07/summer-2010-travel-blog-shakshuka/

just use jarred tomato sauce

[Anonymous]

Canned salmon to make salmon cakes (like crab cakes).

Couscous for a quick side dish, which you can toss together with any veggies on hand (frozen, fresh, canned)

The following are good to keep on hand to toss with pasta dishes or the aforementioned couscous:
Canned black olives
Canned artichokes - Trader Joe's has really good ones
Capers
Jarred marinated artichokes
Jarred roasted red peppers

[Anonymous]

i always have a large box of costco frozen breaded fish (20 min in the toaster oven) and bags of trader joes frozen french cut grean beans. Add rice/quinoa/bread/potatoes or whatever is on hand and it's a nice meal in 20 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Get this cookbook:

http://www.amazon.com/Monday-Friday-Cookbook-Simms-Taback/dp/1563057484

There's a great pantry list and recipes.

[Anonymous]

Chana masala and rice, shakshuka, mujadara. I add some fresh veg side dish.

[Anonymous]

Beef stew over rice

Black beans, salsa, brown rice (there are little microwavable containers of brown rice out now - quick/easy), cheese, tortilla. Or canned beans, rice, canned chicken.

Pouches of seasoned lentils with potatoes and veggies.

Baked potato stuffed with chili w/side of canned green beans.

[Anonymous]

Canned chili (TJs chicken chili) over pasta, with TJs cornbread mix is our pantry standby, especially if we've just gotten back from vacation and haven't shopped yet. We usually also have a good amount of stuff in the freezer we can use too though.

[Anonymous]

Vegitarian chili: 1 can corn, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 can black beans, 1 can kidney beans, 1 can garbanzo beans: drain (except for tomatoes) mix, heat and season with chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper and anything else that looks good. Serve with cheese (tip: I keep a bag of shredded cheddar in the freezer. It can thaw a few minutes while you get wverything else ready and it will melt onto a hot dish pretty easily) and sour cream if you have it, and a box of jiffy corn muffins.

Ouevos rancheros: 2 large cans diced tomatoes, cilantro (dry isn't great, so I use freeze-dried or the paste they sell in the refridgerated section of the produce aisle), salt and minced garlic (can be kept forever, or buy jar of pre-minced), some onion (I keep pearl onions on hand because I only need to cut enough for that night's dinner, but you can also chop like 5 big onions and freeze in ziplocs for future use). Pour a little oil into a pot, cook onions and garlic, add tomatoes and cilantro, bring to a simmer and poach 1-2 eggs per person in the salsa, serve with tortilla chips and sour cream and cheese.

Kale chip soup (I made this one up): whenever I have kale that is starting to wilt, I chop it finely and freeze covered in some water. Then I make this soup:
1 cup stock or broth, 2 large cans tomatoes, freeze-dried basil, salt: puree, then add frozen block of kale, bring to a simmer and simmer kale 20 minutes, then add frozen gnocchi and boil 10 min with lid on. Kids love it!

Also, never underestimate the power of brinner.

[Anonymous]

Spaghetti carbonara

[Anonymous]

Taco salad: drain/rinse can of black beans, boil instant brown rice, put tortillas in 350 oven over ball of foil (makes bowl)for 10 minutes. Shredded cheese, cherry tomatoes, preshredded greens on top. I walked in the door at 5pm and we wee eating at 5:25, including setting the table, calling kids to the table.