Pantry Staples for Great Family Meals

Updated: July 19, 2024

By Kelly Wannier, Guest Blogger 

Planning meals for the whole family can be challenging at times, right?

That’s why making the most of what you already have in your pantry can come in handy!

While we can still make the trek to the grocery store each time we need one item, it’s even better to get creative with food you’ve got at home by building up pantry staples of kid-friendly items. This way, you’ve got ingredients on hand so that you don’t need to go to the store as often. 

Here are 4 categories of items I suggest to stock your pantry for family meals:

Grains and Dried Goods

• Oats
• Brown rice 
• Whole-grain pasta
• Dried or canned beans

Vegetables and Fresh Goods

• Diced tomatoes
• Onions
• Potatoes / sweet potatoes
• Vegetable broth
• Frozen broccoli

Meat and Dairy (you can freeze all of these!)

• Chicken thighs
• Ground beef or turkey
• Cheese 

Other Pantry Staples

• Peanut butter (or other nut butters)
• Little Pickins (Ahem…)
• Wine (need I explain?)

Once you are stocked up on the basics, reference the 5 recipes below for some yummy go-tos that don’t require a lot of ingredients, include pantry items that are easily swappable, and are nutritionally packed. 

1. Black bean burgers

If you happen to have lots of cans of beans on hand, you’ve in luck! There’s a workaround for these beans and it only requires five ingredients. Check out black bean burgers. They are indulgent yet pack a punch of nutrition. They are also kid craveable, and if you don’t have lime juice, skip it! 

2. One sheet pan chicken

At the end of a day of parenting and working full-time, I don’t want to do dishes.

While I want my kids to eat a complete meal full of protein, veggies and healthy carbs, I don’t want to do a hundred dishes at the end of it. That’s one of the many reasons I love this one sheet pan chicken. The last time I made this I didn’t have broccoli and used carrots instead! 

3. Simple pasta

Ahh, everyone loves spaghetti!

I am all about the simple dish: pasta sauce and noodles. Everyone likes it. Everyone eats it. All are satisfied.

4. No bake peanut butter balls

I need recipes that allow for flexibility; it’s an everyday occurrence in my household where I’ve forgotten at least one ingredient that a recipe calls for. [Side note: let us all join together in a movement to pick one kind of oil to be used in all recipes and call it a day!] 

This recipe for No bake Peanut Butter Balls, or as I call them, please-stop-me-from-eating-all-of-them balls, is so easy to modify with whatever you have in your pantry. The basics you need are oats and a nut-butter. I’ve used flaxseed in lieu of chia seeds, cranberries instead of raisins, and I’ve even skipped the honey if I want a truly no sugar option for the kiddos. Bonus: Enlist your kids to help roll out the peanut butter balls. A truly messy, fun affair!

5. Fried rice 

Why not cook up some fried rice?

I cannot count the number of times my brothers and I requested fried rice growing up. In hindsight, it was probably the MSG we were craving (it was a different time!), but some broccoli managed to get into the dish as well. 

This Fried Rice with Vegetables is a healthier version of the classic takeout and I love that it uses so many pantry staples. Use this recipe as a starting point and modify as needed. You can use a different high heat oil (sunflower, peanut, safflower) in lieu of coconut oil or use olive oil – it’ll still be delicious. Don’t worry about the vegetables the recipe calls for. Throw in whatever veggies you have on hand and have your own homemade feast! 

Let’s Get Cooking! 

If I can save a trip to the grocery store, clear out the pantry, and provide my family with nutritious food, I count that as a huge victory. 

Here’s hoping that some of these kid-friendly, healthy recipes make their way into your home and take a little burden off your plate!