Pantry Staples and Easy Sides

Friday I posted my list of protein staples.  I thought for sure once I hit "publish" that my mind would flood with proteins I had forgotten.  Fortunately that didn't happen.

When it comes to quick dinners there are a few items I always try to keep on the pantry shelf, here they are:

Pasta -  I like to keep a wide assortment of pasta on hand.  It's inexpensive even if you splurge on whole grain or gluten free it's usually an economic choice.  It cooks quickly and is incredibly versatile.

Rice - While I always have some long grain or wild rice available I also like to keep minute rice or even rice-a-roni on hand.

Bisquick - Obviously a choice for biscuits (although I don't think I've ever used it for that). I like using it for pot pie crusts, quick and easy dumplings or waffles for dinner.

Sauces - Spaghetti sauce, alfredo sauce, cheese sauce, whatever suits your families needs.

Canned Veggies - I like our meals to be balanced.  Canned, frozen or fresh veggies are a necessity.  Choosing fresh is healthiest but in the off season frozen and canned may be your only choices.

Soups - Cream soups are an ingredient in many recipes and an inexpensive item to keep on hand. Hearty soups can be a meal in themselves in a pinch or a nice accompaniment to a sandwich.

Broth - This is one staple that doesn't seem to matter how much I buy it's never enough.  I buy cartons of it by the case at Costco, cans at Walmart and I keep Better than Bullion on hand when I run out of the others or only need a cup of broth.

Mac and Cheese - If you're a household with children this is almost a necessity 😊

Gravy - Powdered mix or canned if you're a gravy loving family and don't mind these options.

Taco Seasoning - Either mix up a big batch from scratch or stock up on the envelopes.

Potatoes - Instant, real or both.  My family likes instant.....and real...., ok, we like potatoes.  I also use instant in a pinch for breading and also for thickening soups.

Corn Bread Mix - This item deserves mentioning, how can we eat chili without it.

Tomatoes - Stewed, sauce, diced, paste.

Quinoa - Love this stuff, if you haven't tried it yet you should.

Now that you've got your protein list and pantry staple list let's talk about sides.  Veggie side dishes always seem to make me struggle, which is probably why I'm such a fan of casseroles and one pot meals.  I like my meals to be balanced, so usually, for us that looks like a protein, grain and one or two veggies or fruit and veggies in the summer time.  I love it when fresh melons are local and in season.  We are almost ready for yummy strawberries.

Salad, salad, salad - Salad is my go to, especially in the summer time.  A side salad makes an easy side dish when you're tired of canned green beans.  I also love how well salad seems to compliment Italian and Mexican cuisines.

Broccoli - Steams super quick, in way less time than any of the dishes that we'll be making. 

Asparagus - Especially if you're going to grill.

Spinach/Kale - Now, my family won't eat a serving of wilted spinach but they do eat it if I throw the same spinach or kale into a pot of alfredo, so it gets it in there.

Brussel Sprouts - My family loves them but we don't eat them often because the preferred method of cooking is to be pan fried with bacon.

Seasonal Fruits - Whatever fruit is in season from late spring through early fall, I love putting fruit on the table.

Squash - Summer squash cooks quick and can be seasoned to go with anything.  Winter Squash takes longer to cook but tends to be a little hardier.