Eight pantry staples I always have on hand for easy meals

As someone who, a.) loves to cook, and b.) is a seriously picky eater due to food intolerances and preferences, it’s really important for me to have a well stocked pantry. And since I cook 90% of the meals we eat each week, there are quite a few pantry staples I always have on hand for easy meals.

Here are eight of the pantry staples that I always have on hand:

1. Canned tomatoes: I prefer San Marzano tomatoes, but any whole peeled tomatoes, diced tomatoes, or crushed tomatoes will work for most recipes.
2. Dried pasta or shelf-stable gnocchi: pretty much everyone in my family eats pasta so this is an easy win for us. It’s also something that my husband feels comfortable making, so I make sure that the ingredients are always on hand for a night when we aren’t feeling it or need something quick and easy.
3. Good Seasons Italian salad dressing packets: I eat a lot of salad and this is, hands down, my favorite dressing. It can also be used to make chicken and other dishes, so it’s a great thing to always have on hand.
4. Canned beans: chickpeas, black beans, and kidney are the ones we use most, and can be used for a huge variety of dishes like hummus, bean burgers, soups, and chilis.
5. Rice: this is something we make 3-4 times a week, with our favorites being white jasmine rice and the Near East rice pilaf.
6. Chicken broth or bouillon: It’s amazing how many different recipes call for broth. If I’m making soups or chilis, I try to have the larger boxes on hand. Otherwise, the Better Than Bouillion jars are super easy for 1/2 cup additions that don’t require extra planning or create any extra waste.
7. Old Fashioned oats: My husband eats oatmeal most mornings but we also use rolled oats in things like cookies and pulverized into flour for bean burgers.
8. Nut Butter: We are a peanut butter family, but always have that, almond butter, or sunflower seed butter on hand for recipes.

I also thought it would be fun to include a few recipes that use the above mentioned pantry staples I always have on hand to give you an idea of how they all come together into something quick, easy, and delicious.

Recipes that I make with the pantry staples I always have on hand:

• Pasta with red sauce sauce: 1 box pasta + 1 (24 oz) can San Marzano tomatoes + olive oil + salt
• Sheet Pan Gnocchi: 1 package of shelf-stable gnocchi + cherry tomatoes + onion + garlic + olive oil + salt
• Fire-Roasted Vegetarian Chili: 1 (28 oz) can fire-roasted tomatoes + 1 (15 oz) can chick peas + 1 (15 oz) can kidney beans + chicken broth + spices
• Black Bean Burgers: 2 (15 oz) cans black beans + onion + garlic + oat flour (rolled oats pulverized)
• One Pot Chicken and Rice: 2 boxes chicken broth + rice + chicken + carrots + spices
• Chickpea Bites: Rolled oats + 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas + chocolate chips + nut butter

What about you? What are your the pantry staples you always have on hand? Bonus points if you share what you use them to make!