Some nights you open the fridge and there is nothing to cook. That is when pantry staple recipes save the day. With canned beans, pasta, tuna, eggs, broth, a box of baking mix and a well-stocked spice rack, you can make a real meal without a trip to the store.
These 15 easy pantry staple recipes are cheap, quick and family friendly. You will find hearty chili, mac and cheese, pasta salads, egg drop soup, biscuits and homemade seasoning mixes that replace the packets at the store and save you money.
Pantry staple dinners
Hearty, filling meals built on canned goods, pasta, eggs and broth.
1. McCormick Chili (Back-of-the-Packet Recipe)
The classic chili made with a seasoning packet, canned beans and canned tomatoes. The recipe includes crockpot directions and other easy cooking methods.
Get the recipe: McCormick Chili
2. Wendy’s Copycat Chili
Ground beef, canned beans and tomatoes come together in a copycat of the fast-food favorite. Keep the canned ingredients on hand and it is always an option.
Get the recipe: Wendy’s Copycat Chili
3. Copycat Kraft Mac and Cheese
Make the blue-box classic from scratch with pantry pasta and cheese. It is creamy, kid-approved and cheaper than the box.
Get the recipe: Copycat Kraft Mac and Cheese
4. Easy Boxed Mac and Cheese (Kraft, Annie’s and More)
Turn any box of mac and cheese from your pantry into an easy dinner. Stir in canned tuna, frozen peas or leftover chicken to stretch it.
Get the recipe: Easy Boxed Mac and Cheese
5. Chinese Egg Drop Soup
Eggs, broth and a few pantry seasonings make a warm, silky soup in minutes. It is one of the cheapest meals you can make.
Get the recipe: Chinese Egg Drop Soup
6. Easy Crock Pot Frozen Meatballs
A bag of frozen meatballs and a few pantry ingredients make an easy dinner. Serve them over rice, pasta or in sub rolls.
Get the recipe: Easy Crock Pot Frozen Meatballs
Pantry lunches and sides
7. Subway Copycat Tuna
Just two ingredients turn a can of tuna into the sandwich-shop classic. Pile it on bread, crackers or a bed of greens.
Get the recipe: Subway Copycat Tuna
8. Copycat Suddenly Salad Classic
The boxed pasta salad you grew up with, made from pantry pasta and seasonings. It is perfect for lunches and potlucks.
Get the recipe: Copycat Suddenly Salad Classic
9. McCormick Salad Supreme Pasta Salad
A classic pasta salad with a copycat Salad Supreme seasoning you can mix from your spice rack. Add any vegetables you have on hand.
Get the recipe: McCormick Salad Supreme Pasta Salad
10. Bisquick Biscuits
A box of baking mix and a few minutes give you warm, fluffy biscuits. Serve them with chili, soup or eggs.
Get the recipe: Bisquick Biscuits
Homemade seasoning mixes
Stop buying packets. These copycat blends use spices you already have and cost a fraction of the price.
11. Copycat McCormick Taco Seasoning
A homemade taco seasoning that tastes like the packet, ready in about 5 minutes. Use it for tacos, burrito bowls and taco soup.
Get the recipe: Copycat McCormick Taco Seasoning
12. Copycat McCormick Fajita Seasoning
Mix up a batch of fajita seasoning for chicken, steak or veggie fajitas any night of the week.
Get the recipe: Copycat McCormick Fajita Seasoning
13. Copycat McCormick Chili Seasoning Mix
Keep a jar of homemade chili seasoning in the pantry so chili night is always ready.
Get the recipe: Copycat McCormick Chili Seasoning Mix
14. Copycat McCormick White Chicken Chili Seasoning
A homemade blend for creamy white chicken chili, made from pantry spices.
Get the recipe: Copycat McCormick White Chicken Chili Seasoning
15. Old Bay Salmon Seasoning
An easy homemade rub that turns a fillet of salmon into a 20-minute dinner. It works on shrimp and chicken, too.
Get the recipe: Old Bay Salmon Seasoning
Pantry staples to keep on hand
- Canned goods: beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tuna and broth
- Dry goods: pasta, rice, boxed mac and cheese and baking mix
- Spices: chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and oregano
- Freezer: frozen meatballs, frozen vegetables and frozen fish
- Fridge basics: eggs, cheese and butter
Pantry recipe FAQ
What are pantry staple recipes?
Pantry staple recipes are meals made mostly from shelf-stable ingredients you already have, like canned beans, pasta, tuna, broth and spices.
What is the cheapest pantry meal on this list?
Egg drop soup and boxed mac and cheese are two of the cheapest, and both are ready fast.
Why make homemade seasoning mixes?
They cost less than store-bought packets, use spices you already own and let you control the salt.
Cook from your pantry tonight
Before you head to the store, check your cupboard. With a few cans, a box of pasta and your spice rack, one of these pantry staple recipes is probably ready to make tonight.
Save this post to your Pinterest budget meals board so you always have cheap pantry dinner ideas on hand.
