Creating a delicious, healthy meal does not require a daily visit to the farmer’s market or grocery store. Stock your pantry, freezer and fridge with these 20 long-lasting staples, and you’ll always be prepared to throw together a great meal – for family, for company, or just for yourself.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Canola Oil
These two heart-healthy oils are also among the most versatile. Great for light sautéing, either can be emulsified with balsamic and Dijon mustard for a quick salad dressing. Combine olive oil with chopped garlic and dried oregano as a bread dip or pasta finisher. Canola oil imparts no flavor and works well for sautéing fish and chicken, tossing with vegetables for roasting and for all baking that calls for oil.
Canned Beans
A great source of protein, canned beans make an almost instant meal. Used right out of the can, black beans work well in tacos, nachos and quesadillas, in chilis and as a salad topper. Quickly reheat them with bacon, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, coriander and star anise and serve over rice for a quick and complete dinner. White cannellini beans taste great in stews, and become elegant when paired with pasta and tomatoes. Toss up a curry with canned chickpeas, garam masala, canned diced tomatoes – serve over rice with mango chutney or whip together quickly into delicious hummus for impromptu guests.
Canned, Diced Tomatoes
Create homemade pasta dishes, chilis, stews and braises. Add to soups, sautés – the possibilities are limitless.
Chicken Broth
Make a quick soup with chicken breasts and frozen vegetables and pasta. Add to stews, use it to deepen the flavor of sauces or boil rice, quinoa or cous cous in it.
Spices
Dry oregano, ground cumin and chili powder – toss sweet and white potato wedges in chili powder and olive oil and roast. Dust chicken or fish with chili powder and salt for a quick grill. Oregano works well in Italian, Mexican and Greek dishes.
Dry Pasta
An instant for side dishes, toss pasta with vegetables or cheese. Use whole-grain pasta with jarred or homemade sauce, pesto and frozen peas or with bacon bits, Parmesan and butter.
Rice
Choose brown to benefit from the whole grain. Make it a meal by adding black beans, dress it up with peas and parmesan or use as a base for a chick pea or coconut curry
Soy sauce
Use it to make a quick marinade for steaks along with lime and garlic. Add to meatloaf or burgers. Season a quick vegetable and chicken stir-fry with it. Go for low-sodium to keep salt in check.
Wine (both white and red)
Keep an inexpensive, but drinkable bottle of each on hand to make quick sauces for meat and chicken or to add depth to stews, braises and pasta sauces.
Vinegars
Stock up on balsamic, white wine, red wine and rice wine vinegars. Use them for marinades and quick salad dressings.
Dijon Mustard
Stir it into salad dressings, mix with honey and spread on chicken breasts before roasting or mix with mayonnaise to add a zip to sandwiches
Honey
Use honey as a sweet element in marinades and dressings. Boil carrots in a small amount of water and when the water is reduced, add a bit of salt and a drizzle of honey to create a sweet-glaze.
Fish Sauce
Incorporate it into Thai dishes. Mix with rice wine vinegar, shredded carrots and napa cabbage for a quick Asian slaw.
Onions and Garlic
Keep red and white onions on hand to use as a base for stews and sauces. Enhance marinades with garlic and onion. Braise or roast shallots as a side dish – grill onions to serve on sandwiches. Let onions caramelize and serve with black bean tacos.
Frozen Vegetables
Vegetables without sauce, especially corn, spinach and green peas can be used in a multitude of recipes. Corn works with rice and beans, or as a topping for salads or in a relish. Spinach becomes a dip, bakes into pasta dishes and adds color to curries and soups. Green peas can be added to Thai-style curries, Italian pasta dishes or lemon and white wine sauces.
Parmesan Cheese
Keep a wedge of high quality Parmesan on hand for salads. Grate Parmesan over vegetables or pasta. Throw the rind into your next stew (remove before serving) to enhance flavor.
Lemons and Limes
Use lemons in salad dressings or for a quick sauce for chicken or shrimp made with sautéed garlic, butter and white wine. Use limes in Mexican and Thai meals. Squeeze the juice over plain steamed vegetables.
Butter
Just a small amount of butter adds that velvet finish to sauces. Use butter blended with fresh herbs to make a quick topping for steaks, chicken or fish.
Carrots and Celery
These vegetables last a long time in the refrigerator and should be part of every stew or braise. Use them in meatloaf, soups or as a side dish of their own.
Eggs
Whip up a quick dinner omelets or frittatas with leftover vegetables and cheese. Eggs bind meatloaf and meat balls. Hardboiled eggs add quick protein to a salad.
Andrea Cespedes - Andrea Cespedes is a personal trainer, group fitness instructor and freelance writer living in Colorado Springs.
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