How to Stock Up for Last-Minute Cooking by Erica

The other day, I threw in the towel and had Reuben pick up supper for us.

He was already in town, it had been a long day, and we had eaten up all of the meals that I had planned for the week. So takeout sounded pretty good to me. But after indulging in that cheeseburger, I realized, yet again, that fast food is not worth it to me. It sounds enticing, but it leaves a funny taste in my mouth and a funny feeling in my belly.

With a little planning, takeout is usually unnecessary. If you keep a few pantry or freezer items in stock, you can have an easy and delicious meal ready in a flash. Yes, it will require a little hands-on time in the kitchen, but it will be much more satisfying than fast food.

Today I’m sharing my favorite food items for stocking your pantry/freezer for those days when you don’t have the time or energy to cook a fancy meal.

 
 

Tomato products

Canned tomato products are so convenient to have on hand. They’re great for when you don’t have the time to cook down fresh tomatoes. Some of my favorites to keep stocked are spaghetti sauce, diced tomatoes (great for making a quick creamy tomato soup), tomato paste (for thickening sauces), pizza sauce (yes, it’s really easy to make, but some days I just can’t even), ketchup, and salsa.

 
 

Starches

Starches are an easy way to bring your meal together quickly. Boil up some noodles or rice, add a sauce and veggies, and BOOM. Supper is sorted.

I like to have a variety of pastas, rice, ramen noodles, etc. in my pantry. Flour and corn starch or arrowroot are great to have on hand for thickening sauces.

 
 

Oils and vinegars

Oils are wonderful not only for sautéing your veggies, but also for adding flavor. Avocado oil is also handy if you realize you’re out of mayonnaise and need to make your own. Vinegars are great for marinades, sauces, and quick salad dressings. For example, you can mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, ketchup, and a little salt for a super easy homemade French dressing. Or you could mix together olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper, and a few herbs for a vinaigrette.

 
 

Other handy canned goods

Some other canned goods that I like to have on hand are coconut milk (for curries), mayonnaise, black olives, tuna, and beans. To be honest, I don’t cook with beans that often, but they’re good to have if you need to throw together a last-minute chili. Garbanzo beans are wonderful for homemade hummus.

 
 

Refrigerated items

These items are actually best stored in the refrigerator, but I thought I’d include them since they have a very long storage life. They quickly add loads of flavor to a dish. Some of my favorites are soy sauce (or coconut aminos), mustard, some form of hot sauce (this could be Sriracha or gochujang), fish sauce, toasted sesame oil (I like to store mine in the refrigerator since it’s a delicate oil), and Worcestershire sauce.

 
 

Frozen and canned broth

Having broth on hand is a life-saver! I like to keep both homemade frozen and store-bought canned broth stocked. Homemade is almost always going to be 10x better than canned broth, but some days I just don’t have the time to thaw my frozen broth.

 
 

Frozen veggies

I like to cook with fresh vegetables as much as possible. But sometimes I simply do not have the time to wash, peel, and slice all of my veggies. Frozen veggies are already prepared, so all you have to do is throw them into a pan and cook. I like to keep quick cooking ones on hand like peas, broccoli, pre-sliced squash, etc. Of course, fresh homemade hash browns are best, but frozen hash browns are SO convenient.

 
 

Frozen meat and/or seafood

There’s no way a 10-pound roast is going to thaw in 30 minutes. Don’t even think about it. But some meats do thaw quite quickly. Think thin or small, like bacon, small fillets of fish, or shrimp. You can run frozen shrimp under cold water in a colander for about 5–10 minutes to thaw. And you can thaw bacon or fish fillets in a dish of water in about 30 minutes.

Bonus points if you’re organized enough to pre-cook your meat before freezing!

 
 

Miscellaneous

Here are few bonus items that I like to keep stocked, starting with tortillas.

You can actually buy tortillas and freeze them for long-term storage. They thaw very quickly if you pull them apart. I would recommend wrapping the whole package in aluminum foil and/or placing it in a freezer bag if you plan to store them in the freezer for more than a few weeks.

 
 

Spices are another thing to have at the ready for last minute cooking. You can check out my post all about stocking your spice cabinet for inspiration. My two absolute must-have spices are garlic powder and onion powder. Sometimes I don’t even have the time (or energy) to cut up onions and garlic, but they are such important flavors in most savory dishes.

 
 

Lastly, a bottle of lemon juice is also super handy. It lasts quite a while in the refrigerator, and makes it so convenient to add that citrus kick to your dish.

 
 

Here are some ideas for what you can make with these pantry staples:

 
Spaghetti dinner

Boil up some noodles, elevate your can of spaghetti sauce with a few of my secrets [Link: Elevating Canned Spaghetti Sauce], and cook up some frozen veggies (I think broccoli + garlic powder + butter is nice).

 
Curry

Cook up a pot of rice. Make a quick curry sauce by seasoning canned coconut milk with curry powder, dried ginger, onion and garlic powder, fish sauce, a little maple syrup or sugar, and salt. Serve with chicken or another protein and some steamed frozen veggies.

 
Ramen

Cook ramen noodles in chicken broth. Season with soy sauce, dried ginger, garlic powder, onion powder, toasted sesame oil, hot sauce, and a bit of maple syrup. Add frozen peas near the end of the cooking time. Serve with a fried egg. You can get more inspiration on how to fancy it up in my Elevating Instant Ramen post.

 
Bacon, hash browns, veggies, and fruit

Cook up bacon and hash browns and serve with some steamed veggies and/or fruit and a fried egg. This is one of Reuben’s all-time favorite meals.

 
Stir-fry

I love making stir-fry because it’s always a little bit different so we don’t get sick of it! Use whatever veggies you have in the freezer. Sauté them and season with soy sauce, ginger, and garlic powder. Shrimp would be a great protein to go with this. You can check out Joanne’s post about how to stir-fry if you’ve never done it before.

 
Fried rice

Fried rice is similar to stir-fry, but you cook eggs in with the rice and veggies! Use whatever meat you have on hand, and whatever veggies you have in the freezer.

 
Pasta carbonara

If you have bacon, eggs, Parmesan, frozen peas, and spaghetti (or angel hair), you can make carbonara!

 
One-pot Broccoli Alfredo Pasta

Another great pasta that doesn’t require too many ingredients is Julie’s One-Pot Broccoli Alfredo Pasta. You could add some shrimp or bacon if you want more protein.

 
 

So those are my favorite things for stocking my pantry and freezer for those days when you find your hand reaching for the phone to call for takeout. Make sure to share your favorite foods to have on hand in a pinch!