Cooking With Pantry Staples

Stock up on the basics to save money, cook more at home and learn to be more creative in the kitchen.

Canned Goodness

For ease and flexibility, include some canned goods in your pantry. Make room for canned tomatoes – whole, chopped, paste or pureed. Tomato paste, with its dense umami essence, is a stand-out. A dollop of tomato paste will also thicken up a thin soup or stew.

Coconut milk and coconut cream also add flavor to a straightforward dish. Other canned items to include are tuna, salmon, sardines and anchovies. Anchovies are fantastic to add whole to salads.  Or mash them up in your salad dressing for a super savory flavor.

Stock up on lots of beans: garbanzos, black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, cannellini. Dried beans are fine, especially if you have an instant pot to prepare them quickly. If you don’t have time to simmer up a big pot, go for cans of organic beans and work them into breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Further Enhancements

For grains, rice is a must. Add a range of other grains like farro, barley and quinoa to vary texture and cuisine choices. Use noodles – wheat pasta or gluten-free noodles are a great place to start – to whip up a dish loaded with cooked vegetables and dressed with a nice olive oil.

Sweeteners should include alternatives to refined sugar. Honey and maple syrup are great choices, partly because honey supports immunity. Try to have a jar of local honey on hand for when you get a sore throat. It's fantastic in hot tea or water, with some lemon juice and slices of ginger.

Bone broth comes frozen or in cartons and is good to have on hand. You can add some chicken broth, miso, vegetable or seafood stock to your mix. All can be the basis of delicious soups.

Oils are key elements to flavorful healthy meals. Olive oil and avocado oil are good, and don’t forget vinegars. Even a bit of mirin, the Japanese sweetened wine vinegar, is useful. You may not use it a lot, but it can last for more than a year and make a big difference to a salad dressing.

Nut butters like peanut, almond cashew are important and versatile.  Condiments, especially hot sauce, mayo, Dijon mustard, ketchup, are helpful to have around. Look for versions without additives, especially sugar or preservatives. And flours – wheat or gluten-free – are must-have basics, especially for bakers.

Get Fresh or Frozen

Eggs are a great source of protein, and they can be part of many meals. Butter and milk can be frozen, so trips to the store don’t need to be frequent. Cheese and yogurt don’t freeze well, but they tend to be in constant use and keep for a while. Having some grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese in the fridge can make a difference to the taste of some meals.

Proteins besides eggs include sausage, chicken (thighs, breasts and drumsticks are easy to store in the freezer), ground beef, ground turkey, ground pork or, if you have a slow cooker, pork shoulder. If you have a lot left over, you can use it in meals like tacos. Shrimp, salmon and other fish are easy to freeze.

Vegetables are essential. Fresh is great, but you can always work with frozen vegetables. Leafy greens include kale, lettuces, spinach and Swiss chard. You can buy them in big bags, mixes or single varieties. They’re great to have in the fridge because you can reach in and add handfuls to soup, casseroles or stews.

Root vegetables like beets, carrots and jicama are great, as well as squashes and all kinds of potatoes. Roast a pan full and add them to everything.

The cruciferous vegetables are hardy and will last quite a while in your fridge. Try them all: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, cabbage. Keep artichokes, asparagus and mushrooms and don’t forget peppers, which add such a wonderful vibrant color.

Garlic, onions, and shallots have strong flavors last for a long time. Don't forget the ginger. You can add it to many dishes and use it for tea with honey and lemon.

Winter isn’t a great time to find fruit in season, but frozen berries are handy. Citrus fruits are great – mandarins, oranges, limes, lemons, grapefruits. I use lemons constantly to squeeze or zest into meals for added pep and deliciousness. Apples and bananas can satisfy a sweet tooth.

Put a Spin on It

Spices are essentials, and not just for flavor. Many are anti-inflammatory or helpful for overall health. Stock up on cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, chili flakes, curry – and don’t forget the salt and pepper. Smoked paprika is great for adding a bit of smoky bacon flavor. Experiment with flavors, textures and colors.