35+ Ideas for Healthy Pantry Meals

Need some ideas for healthy meals to make from pantry items? This roundup features recipes with pantry staples like chickpeas, beans, lentils, canned vegetables, pasta, canned tuna, and oats. Whether you need a budget-friendly meal or a meal you can make with items on hand, pantry meals will be your BFF!

As I write this, we’re in the midst of a pretty scary and uncertain time. Coronavirus was officially been declared a pandemic and (most) people are hunkering down. If you’ve been to the store in the last week, you’ve probably seen empty shelves in the canned food aisle, the frozen food aisle, AND the toilet paper section… (WTF people!?)

If you’re planning on spending an extended time at home, you probably have some of those canned and frozen foods on hand. Now… what to do with them?

I enlisted the help of my RD colleagues to gather up the best healthy recipes that use items from your pantry and freezer. I hope that you find them as helpful and nourishing as I do!

Recipes with Chickpeas

1. Chickpea Salad Sandwiches

Pantry/freezer items used: canned chickpeas

2. Chickpea Meatballs from Dishing Out Health

Pantry/freezer items used: canned chickpeas

chickpea meatballs and pasta with red sauce

3. Chocolate Chip Vegan Pumpkin Blondies from Bucket List Tummy

Pantry/freezer items used: canned chickpeas, oats, canned pumpkin, sunflower seed butter

4. Spiced Healthy Roasted Chickpeas from Amy Gorin Nutrition

Pantry/freezer items used: canned chickpeas

5. Instant Pot Chickpea Curry with Cashews

Pantry/freezer items used: canned chickpeas, cashews, coconut milk

Chelsea Dishes - curry with cashew yogurt

6. Vegan Chickpea Salad Recipe from Fad Free Nutrition

Pantry/freezer items used: chickpeas

7. Green Bean Medley with Tuna Salad from Sarah Koszyk

Pantry/freezer items used: chickpeas, canned green beans, canned tuna

Recipes with Beans

8. Black Bean Veggie Tacos from Nourish Nutrition

Pantry/freezer items used: tortillas, brown rice, black beans

9. White Bean Soup from Lindsay O’Reilly Nutrition

Pantry/freezer items used: vegetable broth, white beans,

10. Vegetarian Kebab Recipe from Desi~licious RD

Pantry/freezer items used: dry black beans

11. Slow Cooker Black Beans with Scallions from It’s a Veg World After All

Pantry/freezer items used: black beans

12. Creamy Broccoli Soup Makeover from Liz’s Healthy Table

Pantry/freezer items used: canned beans, frozen broccoli, frozen peas

13. One Pan Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quesadillas

Pantry/freezer items used: canned black beans, canned corn, tortillas

14. Spicy Harissa Bean Soup from Rachael Hartley Nutrition

Pantry/freezer items used: dried beans, canned tomatoes, vegetable broth

15. Quick Bean Burger from Jenna Braddock RD

Pantry/freezer items used: black or pinto beans, quinoa, canned corn, canned carrots

16. Vegetarian Rice & Bean Casserole from Jenna Braddock RD

Pantry/freezer items used: rice, beans, corn

17. No Flour Brownie from KeyVion Miller Nutrition

Pantry/freezer items used: pinto beans

Recipes with Lentils

18. Red Lentil Soup

Pantry/freezer items used: dry red lentils, vegetable broth

19. Coconut Green Lentil Curry from Nourish Nutrition

Pantry/freezer items used: lentils, canned tomatoes, rice, frozen vegetables

20. Vegan Shepherd’s Pie with Lentils and Sweet Potato from Lettuce Veg Out

Pantry/freezer items used: canned lentils, frozen corn, frozen peas

piece of shepherd's pie with sweet potato topping

21. Lemon Tahini Lentil Hummus from Bucket List Tummy

Pantry/freezer items used: lentils

22. Vegan Lentil Shepherd’s Pie with Mashed Cauliflower from Kara Lydon

Pantry/freezer items used: lentils

23. Lentil Taco Burgers from Kelly Jones Nutrition

Pantry/freezer items used: lentils, diced tomatoes, diced green chiles

24. Luscious Lentil Soup from Foods with Judes

Pantry/freezer items used: lentils

Canned Vegetables

25. Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili from The Oregon Dietitian

Pantry/freezer items used: canned diced tomatoes, canned black beans, canned kidney beans, vegetable broth

26. Shakshuka for One from Laurel Ann Nutrition

Pantry/freezer items used: canned tomatoes

Recipes with Pasta

27. Vegan Spaghetti Sauce Recipe with Lentils from Lettuce Veg Out

Pantry/freezer items used: canned lentils, tomato puree, pasta

28. Instant Pot Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese from Kara Lydon

Pantry/freezer items used: pasta, frozen butternut squash

29. Garlicky Spinach and White Bean Pasta Recipe from Rachael Hartley Nutrition

Pantry/freezer items used: pasta, anchovies, white beans

30. Black Bean Pasta Salad with Spicy Cashew Romesco from Kelly Jones Nutrition

Pantry/freezer items used: pasta, black beans, frozen spinach, roasted red peppers, cashews

Recipes with Canned Tuna

31. Tuna Cakes from Desi~licious RD

Pantry/freezer items used: canned tuna

32. Classic Tuna Noodle Casserole Revamped from Sarah Koszyk

Pantry/freezer items used: pasta, frozen broccoli, canned tuna

Recipes with Oats

33. No-Bake Healthy Energy Bars with Prunes from Amy Gorin Nutrition

Pantry/freezer items used: oats, nuts, nut butter, dried fruit

homemade snack bars in mold tray with prunes

34. Easy Overnight Oats with Protein

Pantry/freezer items used: oats, protein powder, nuts, nut butter, frozen fruit

35. Heart Healthy Banana Bread with Flax & Walnuts

Pantry/freezer items used: applesauce, whole wheat flour, walnuts

36. Chocolate Almond Butter Protein Balls from Amy Gorin Nutrition

Pantry/freezer items used: oats, nuts, nut butter

37. Pumpkin Spice Granola from KeyVion Miller Nutrition

Pantry/freezer items used: oats

FYI: If you’d like some more ideas, here is another great list of pantry meals! 6 Dietitian Approved Recipes to Make with Pantry Staples from Rebecca Bitzer & Associates (Author: Kaitlin Williams Eckstein MPH, RD, LD)