21 Pantry Food Storage Dinner Recipes
Almost a year ago I shared some of my favorite pantry food storage recipes – recipes that can be made entirely with pantry items. Since then my wonderful friend Marti has shared some of her favorite recipes with me and has agreed to let me share them here. She is the queen of food storage and an amazing resource. She cans her own meat for these recipes (see, she is amazing), and as Marti will tell you it is cheaper and tastes better if you do it yourself. But if you are scared of canning, don’t worry. Baby steps. You can still make these recipes using canned meat you buy at the store.
Marti uses the 19×19 system where she plans 19 meals and buys enough food to make them 19 times. This gives her 361 meals, almost an entire year’s worth of food. I only store three months of pantry items, so I plan for 7 meals that I will make 12 times.
Remember, the key to any food storage system is to get organized. Figure out exactly what you need, how you are going to use it, and how you are going to rotate it. If you are still organizing your food storage, be sure to check out the posts below to find out how to figure out what to buy and how to rotate it.
Other helpful posts:
- Pantry Food Storage Recipes
- An Easy Guide to How Much Food Storage I Need
- How to Rotate Food Storage Like a Boss
Pantry Food Storage Dinner Recipes
#1 White Chile
1 pint chicken, 1 TB oil, 1 onion chopped (1/2 c. dehydrated onion), 3 cloves garlic clopped (1 t. onion powder), 1 t. cumin, 3 cans Northern white beans (1 lb. = 2 1/2 dry beans = 3 cups cooked), 1 can garbanzo beans, 1 can white corn, 1 can chopped green chiles, 2 t. chicken bouillon
Simmer till heated through
#2 Stuffing Casserole
(I love this dinner, but the boxes of stuffing are bulky and difficult to store. I want to learn how to make my own stuffing from bread crumbs, but I’m not there yet. For now, I take the stuffing out of the box and poke a hole and vacuum seal it.)
4 c. stuffing, 1 c. melted butter Mix and press 1/2 of the crumbs in a casserole. 1 can Cream of Chicken soup, 1 can Cream of Celery soup, 3 c. diced, cooked chicken, 2 TB dry onions, 1 1/2 c. peas.
Mix and pour over stuffing. Top with remaining stuffing. Bake 375 for 30 min.
#3 Chicken Tetrazzini
2 lb. chicken cut in cubes and browned, 2 (4 1/2-oz.) jars mushrooms, 1 16-oz. jar Alfredo sauce, 1/4 t. pepper, 1/4 t. nutmeg. Simmer till heated through.
1 lb. linguini (cooked).
Serve sauce over noodles.
2/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese.
Top with freeze-dried cheese.
#4 Chile
1 pint ground beef, 1/4 c. chopped onions, 1 large can pinto beans, 1 can tomato soup, 1 can diced tomatoes
Simmer till heated through
#5 Beef Ragu
2 large carrots (1/2 c. dehydrated), 2 large celery stalks (1/4 c. dehydrated), 1 onion chopped fine, 4 cloves garlic, 2 lbs. ground beef, browned and drained, 2 14-oz cans diced tomatoes undrained, 2 (14- oz) cans beef broth, 1 15-oz can garbonzo beans, rinsed and drained, 3 TB tomato paste, 2 t. sugar, (1 1/2) t. salt, 1 1/2 t. Italian Seasoning, 1 t. crushed red pepper.
Mix and simmer in the crock pot 6 hours. (Can simmer on the stove top 3 – 4 hours.)
2 lb. rigatoni cooked.
Serve over rigatoni and top with grated parmesan cheese 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
This recipe makes a ton of food.
#6 Pasta Primavera
6 oz dry spaghetti – Cook. 1/2 c. dehydrated broccoli – add to the spaghetti for the last 3 minutes. Drain. 1 14-oz can stewed tomatoes undrained, 1 14-oz can green beans. Mix in skillet. Bring to boil. Reduce to simmer 2 minutes. 1 pint chicken – Add and heat. Serve chicken over pasta and broccoli.
#7 Spaghetti
1 jar spaghetti sauce, 1 lb. spaghetti pasta, 1 pint hamburger
#8 FarmHouse Soup
2 TB dry minced onions, 2 TB dry parsley flakes, 2 t. salt, 1/2 t. lemon pepper, 2 TB beef bouillon , 1/2 c. barley, 1/2 c. dry split peas, 1/2 c. rice, 1/2 c. lentils, 1/2 c. ABC pasta, 1 c. spiral macaroni, 1/2 c. dehydrated carrots, 1/2 c. dehydrated celery, 1 c. dehydrated tomatoes, 1/4 c. dehydrated cabbage, 3 TB tomato powder.
Add to 3 quarts of water. Bring to boil. Reduce to simmer 50 minutes.
#9 Pasta Fagiole Soup
1 pint hamburger (or chicken), 1/3 c. dry onions, 1/3 c. dehydrated carrots, 1/3 c. dehydrated celery Soak onions, carrots and celery in 2 c. hot water for 15 minutes. Drain. Saute the onions, carrots and celery in 2 TB oil. Add 2 t. oregano, 1/2 t. pepper, 1 TB parsley, 1 t. garlic powder. Add spices to the onions, carrots and celery. Saute 3 – 5 minutes. Add 2 14-oz cans diced tomatoes, 1 can kidney beans drained and rinsed, 1 can white beans, 4 t. beef bouillon, 1 26-oz can spaghetti sauce, 1/2 c. dry pasta, 1/4 t. red pepper flakes, 1/4 t. salt.
Bring all to boil, reduce to simmer for 20 minutes.
#10 Beefy Rice
1 c. rice, 2 c. water, 1 t. salt. Bring water to boil. Add rice. Turn heat very low. Simmer 20 minutes until rice is fluffy. 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup, 1 TB beef bouillon, 2 TB dry onion, 1/2 t. pepper, 1 pint ground beef.
#11 Southwest Beef Stew
1 pint beef, 1 16-oz can corn, 1 can black beans – rinsed and drained, 1 can diced tomatoes with chiles – drained, 1 c. salsa, 3/4 c. water, 1 t. cumin, 1/2 t. garlic salt, 1 1/2 t. chile powder, 2 c. tomato juice
Heat 20 minutes and serve over pasta or rice.
#12 Beef and Bean Burritos
tortillas: 2 c. flour, 2 TB shortening, 1 t. salt, 2 t. baking powder, 1/2 c. water
filling: 1 c. refried bean flakes, 1 1/2 c. water, 1/2 pint beef, 1/8 t. crushed red pepper, 1/2 TB dry onion, 1/4 t. cumin, 1/4 c. tomato sauce (made from powdered tomatoes)
#13 Minestrone
1 c. macaroni, 1 can corn undrained, 1 can green beans undrained, 1 can diced tomatoes, 2 TB dry onions, 2 t. salt, 1 t. pepper, 1 t. garlic powder, 1 t. thyme, 2 TB parsley, 1 c. water, 1 pint beef.
Simmer until macaroni is cooked.
#14 Shepherd’s Pie
1 pint ground beef, 2 TB onion, salt and pepper. Saute for 5 min. or so. Put in bottom of baking pan. 1 can corn drained, 1 can green beans drained. Layer corn and beans on beef. 2 c. potato pearls, 4 c. water. Heat water to boiling. Add potatoes and let expand. Layer potatoes over beef. Can top with cheese. Bake 350 degrees for 30 min till heated through and cheese melted. NOTE: I like to add 1 8-oz. can tomato sauce to mine although that is not in the recipe.
#15 Wheat Chile
1 1/2 c. wheat, 3 c. water, 3 t. beef bouillon. Simmer wheat for 1 hour or more. 1/2 jar ground beef, 1/2 package of chile mix, 1 can chopped tomatoes.
Heat through.
#16 Taco Pot Pie
1 pint beef, 1 package taco seasoning, 1/4 c. water, 1 can kidney beans, 8 oz. chopped tomatoes, 3/4 c. dehydrated corn, 3/4 c. dehydrated peas. Simmer and layer in baking dish.
Serve with cornbread: 3 eggs, 1 can cream corn, 1/2 c. butter, 2/3 c. cup sugar, 3 TB baking powder, 1 c. flour, 1 c. cornmeal, 1 c. grated cheese
#17 Chicken Pot Pie
1 pint chicken, 1 can corn drained, 1 can beans or peas drained, 1 can potatoes drained. Mix and place in baking dish. (Thicken some chicken broth with flour for a gravy. Season with salt and pepper). Crust: 3 c. flour, 1 c. shortening. Cut shortening into flour. 1 egg, 3/4 c. milk, 1 t. salt, 1 1/2 t. baking powder. Mix and roll out. Place over chicken mix. Bake 350 degrees 30 min. until crust is lightly brown.
#18 Tuna Casserole
8 oz. macaroni cooked. 1 can tuna, 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup. Mix and serve.
#19 Split Pea Soup
16 oz split peas. Rinse well. 7 c. water, 1 pint ham, 1/4 c. dry onion flakes, 1/2 c. dehydrated carrots, 1/2 c. dehydrated celery, 3/4 t. salt, 1 bay leaf, 1 clove garlic
#20 Creamy Ham Fettucini
1 1/2 TB butter, 1 1/2 TB dehydrated onions. Saute onions in butter. 4 1/2 t. flour, 1 1/2 c. evaporated milk. Add flour first. Stir to mix. Add milk. 1 c. dehydrated broccoli. Add and simmer 7 – 10 minutes. 1
c. ham, 1/4 c. parmesan cheese, 1/4 t. garlic salt, 1/8 t. pepper, 1/8 t. oregano, 1/8 t. nutmeg. Add and simmer. Serve over fettucini noodles
#21 Cheeseburger Helper
2 1/2 c. powdered cheese, 1 1/2 t. garlic powder, 1 TB onion powder, 2 t. black pepper, 1/2 t. nutmeg. Mix in large baggie. Use 1/2 c. mix to 2 c. uncooked macaroni. In saucepan combine 1 c. water, 1 1/2 c. milk, 1/2 c. cheese mix, 2 c. macaroni, 1 pint ground beef. Simmer till macaroni is done.
