75+ Recipes Using Fridge, Freezer and Pantry Staples

Raid the fridge, freezer, and pantry to make any of these 75+ recipes! Enjoy soups, crock pot recipes, breakfast, and even dessert without leaving your home.

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How are you? Are you staying healthy? Happy? Sane?

Gosh I don’t even know where to begin. My thoughts are absolutely everywhere, as I’m sure yours are too. Lincoln and Cameron’s spring break began this week and we just found out that schools will be closed through mid-April at the earliest. To say that I, like many parents right now, am feeling overwhelmed is an understatement. As a family we have decided to stay at home as much as possible though I will leave to grocery shop and take care of other necessary errands. Today is Day 1 and this typical homebody is already massively sweating! That said, I’m trying to focus on the positives:

It’s already mid-March and warmer weather IS coming to the Midwest. What if it was the middle of January and it was -10 degrees outside?
Things could be so much worse. I’m reading Beneath a Scarlet Sky right now, based on real life events in Italy during WW2 and, well, ‘nuf said.
This is 2020! The internet, cable, FaceTime, Disney+, and Amazon Prime exist in 2020. For that, I am incredibly thankful.
My family is healthy and we are able to shelter and feed ourselves outside of a work or school environment. We are so lucky.

All that said, it’s still difficult to not feel incredibly anxious about the situation Coronavirus has put us in. Businesses are rapidly closing, and I’m still trying to wrap my mind around not being able to go where I want, when I want – especially with three kids who, like most kids, are not used to being homebound all day! – but, we’re taking it day by day (hell, hour by hour) and know we’ll eventually slip into a routine that doesn’t involve everyone crying before 9am.

Did I mention its Day 1 of social distancing?

What to Stock Up On

All that said, many of us will be cooking at home from fridge, freezer, and pantry staples more now than possibly ever before in our lives. So, I’ve rounded up over 75 recipes you can make using the food you probably already have in your home – I’ve even got you covered with dessert! Stock up on these fridge, freezer, and pantry staples to easily get meals on the table without having to leave your house:

Pantry staples: canned beans, broth, marinara sauce, canned tomato products, dried herbs and spices, canned tuna and/or chicken, dried pasta, rice, gluten free flour, sugar, nuts, and seeds.
Fridge staples: cheeses, meats, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, salsa, butter, and hearty vegetables like carrots, celery, and potatoes.
Freezer staples: seafood, meats, cheeses, frozen vegetables and fruits, bread.
Click here for an extensive list of pantry, fridge, and freezer staples >

Although I’m providing 75+ recipes here, I urge you to not over-complicate meal times right now. I personally will not be! Don’t forget about these easy family favorites which are made from kitchen staples, but no-recipe required:

Meat + veg + starch: ie chicken breasts/burgers/roast pork + frozen vegetables (thawed) + roasted potatoes.
Breakfast for Dinner: scrambled eggs, french toast fingers, and bacon or sausage
Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
Quesadillas
Tacos
Nachos made with chips. Nachos made with fries. Nachos made with tater tots! The theme here is nachos.
Grilled Cheese, Hot Ham and Cheese, Hot Turkey and Cheese
Kitchen Sink Salads
Frozen Pizza
Boxed Macaroni and Cheese (we like Annie’s GF White Cheddar Shells)

Life is getting complicated – no need to add to that feeling every evening!

Helpful Notes

In case you didn’t know, my Recipe Index has a field called “Key Ingredient” in the left hand column where you can type in an ingredient you have on hand, and all recipes containing that ingredient will pop up. This is especially helpful if you have aging fresh food on hand that maybe you can’t freeze or something.
If you don’t have an ingredient on hand to complete a recipe you’re looking at, or the grocery store is out of a particular ingredient, check out this amazing resource – 100+ Recipe Substitutes.
If you have time to cook from scratch, consider stocking up on ingredients like flour, sugar, butter, eggs, milk, heck even popcorn kernels, to leave more convenience type foods at the store for people who need it.
You’ll see notes next to recipe links down below. FFindicates a freezer friendly recipe. FPFindicates a freezer pack friendly recipe, meaning you can add all the raw ingredients into a freezer bag then thaw and cook according to directions in the recipe.

A friend sent me this post from Humans of New York yesterday. It’s a great reminder that we all have a common enemy right now and we are in this together. Take care and be well, my friends! We got this!