Cooking in Quarantine: Delicious Dishes with Pantry Staples
From grains to pickles, let’s learn to cook creatively with what we have in our pantries
The inspiration from this post came from a phone call I had with my dad the other day. He was complaining about how all he had were basic pantry staples and a small assortment of vegetables. Not wanting to go out to the grocery store to pick up one or two things - he wasn’t sure how to turn his large can of crushed tomatoes and big bag of whole wheat flour into a tasty meal.
I’m sure many of you at home are experiencing a very similar dilemma. Here are some helpful recipe ideas to get you through the next few weeks. Start by looking at what you’ve got in your fridge and….let’s get cooking!
Stove-top Flatbread: Making a flatbread is incredibly easy and satisfying. Top it with cheese, veggies, and/or eat it with oil or a dip!
Pupusas: If you’ve got any masa (corn flour) lying around, these stuffed Salvadoran pockets are a perfect meal or snack. Stuff them with beans, cheese, veggies, meat, whatever you’ve got!
Curried Lentils: All you need is some spices and tomato sauce to turn lentils into a hearty, nutritious meal.
Dahl: A simple yet flavorful stew with very few ingredients. Time to pull out all those spices!
Crispy Chickpeas: Turn a boring canned food into a delicious snack. Play around with different spices. My favorite: sesame seeds and a dash of soy sauce!
Black Bean Patties: While these make a great filling for a sandwich or burger, they can also be enjoyed by themselves, with a simple sauce, or a side salad!
Grain salad: Grain + veggies & herbs + seasonings = delicious, nutritious salad that will keep all week!
Risotto: We may be biased here with our love of Italian food, but risotto is a simple staple that everyone can benefit from. Throw in beans, mushrooms, veggies, seafood, sausage, or whatever else you’ve got. Otherwise, a little cheese will do!
Sauces: Mastering a few simple pasta sauces will go a long way. Pasta is cheap, keeps well, and is very filling!
Canned veggies will be best as an addition to an otherwise lacking dish. Add olives to your stove-top flatbread, use canned tomatoes in your pasta sauce or curried lentils, or use pickles to make a potato salad!
Frittata: Using eggs as your base, turn any collection of simple veggies into a satisfying dinner.
Caramelized Onions: If some of your onions are starting to look funky or old, caramelize them! They’ll be delicious on toast, with eggs, in soup, on mashed potatoes, and more.
Fried Rice: A great way to use up rice and those frozen peas/carrots/green beans you’ve have sitting in your freezer.
Fruit Pie: Armed with flour, butter, sugar, and frozen fruit, you can make a comforting dessert that everyone will love! Once you master a simple pie dough, you’ll be making sweet and savory pies to your hearts content.
Thank you for reading! Follow us on social media for more delicious recipe, fun cooking tips, and updates. If you’re looking for something to do during quarantine, check out our selection of online classes for kids, families, and adults.