Easy, Frugal Pantry Meals to Save You Money
Pantry meals are a great way to save money and eliminate food waste. Here are 30+ pantry recipes to empty your pantry and stay on budget!
What is a pantry meal?
Pantry meals are recipe ideas you can make with canned goods like tomato sauce, beans or canned veggies or dried goods like pasta or rice. These are pantry staples that last a long time and you can easily stock up on so you always have some handy ingredients to pull from.
Using pantry meals help save a ton of money on your grocery bill. It doesn’t just have to be pantry staples either. Be sure to check your fridges and freezers as well!
Pantry Meals:
Minestrone Soup
This classic minestrone soup is filled with an assortment of vegetables, beans and pasta, all simmered together in a hearty tomato broth. An easy vegetarian meal that’s perfect for a cold day!
Potato Soup (Vegan)
This quick and easy creamy potato soup recipe is just like grandma used to make! Healthy, dairy-free, gluten-free, and allergy-free, this simple and budget-friendly potato soup is just 8 ingredients and made in 15 minutes!
Bean Salad
This fresh and delicious Bean Salad Recipe comes together in less than 15 minutes and is super easy to make!
Tomato Soup (Vegan)
The best homemade tomato soup that’s made in one pot, ready in 10 minutes, and naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and low-carb.
Instant Pot Salsa Chicken
This easy 4 ingredient instant pot salsa chicken checks all the boxes! Budget friendly, ready in less than 30 minutes, low calorie, low fat, keto, low carb and most importantly, delicious!
Silly Chili Macaroni
Looking for an easy dinner recipe that children will love? Give this simple Silly Chili Macaroni a try! It’s a favorite of kids and adults alike, and it’s easy to customize! It’s also a perfect pantry meal.
Chicken Burrito Bowl
Chicken Burrito Bowls are a perfect make-ahead meal that tastes amazing, keeps you full, and is full of nutrient dense ingredients.
Instant Pot Spaghetti
Instant Pot Spaghetti is a 15-minute one-pot meal made with seasoned ground beef, a flavorful marinara sauce, and tender spaghetti noodles. No draining required!
Tuna Noodle Casserole
This delicious tuna noodle casserole is a cheap and easy dinner for a frugal family on a budget. It’s a quick meal that uses pantry staples and tastes great!
Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup made in the Instant Pot is perfect for a weeknight meal. Full of flavors with very little effort.
Pasta e Ceci
Pasta e ceci is simply Italian pasta with chick peas. Similar to pasta e fagioli, but instead of beans, garbanzo beans are used. It’s an inexpensive, nutritious, delicious, and comforting meal.
Easy Cheesy Hamburger Casserole
Whip up a crowd-pleaser with our easy cheesy hamburger casserole – a comforting blend of beef, pasta, & cheese, perfect for any occasion.
Ground Beef Burrito Skillet
Ground beef burrito skillet has all of the flavors of a ground beef burrito in an easy, one-skillet dinner that’s ready in just 30 minutes.
Easy Jiffy Corn Casserole
Jiffy Corn Casserole goes from prep to oven in just 5 minutes! Enjoy a delicious combination of flavors and textures in one savory dish. This easy cornbread casserole recipe is SO easy to make with Jiffy corn bread mix!
Slow Cooker Taco Soup
Slow Cooker Taco Soup is a delicious and easy alternative to taco night while still enjoying all your favorite flavors.
Smoky Mediterranean Chickpea Soup
Elevate your weeknight dinners with this mouthwatering Mediterranean-inspired chickpea soup, crafted from convenient pantry staples to burst with flavor in every spoonful!
Lemon Chickpea And Rice Casserole (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Allergy-Free)
A super easy dump-and-bake meatless meal for the family! This Lemon Chickpea and Rice Casserole is a healthy, hearty, vegan, gluten-free, and allergy-free dinner idea!
Mexican Baked Penne
This ridiculously easy casserole uses pantry ingredients to make a delicious, weeknight dinner ready in a snap.
Chicken Noodle Casserole
Chicken noodle casserole is loaded with tender meat, veggies, cheese, and a delicious cream sauce. Make this recipe tonight in under an hour!
Pasta e Fagioli
Pasta e fagioli is a quick and easy, inexpensive, nutritious, and delicious meal that the entire family will enjoy. Children especially love pasta e fagioli soup.
Chicken and Rice with Peas and Carrots
A classic and hearty meal that is made in one pot and done in less than an hour. This is sure to become a family favorite.
Taco Casserole
This flavorful casserole is made with pantry staples and the recipe includes vegetarian and freezer meal directions.
Sweet Potato and Bean Stew (Vegan)
This Vegan Sweet Potato and Black Bean Stew is so delicious, comforting and easy to make.
Easy Chana Masala (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
This Easy Chana Masala recipe is so simple and quick to make! Hearty meatless and allergy-free, it’s healthy, veggie-packed, and satisfying for everyone!
Chicken Bouillon Rice
This chicken bouillon rice is a hassle free side for your weeknight meals. With chicken bouillon and a few staple ingredients, it takes ordinary rice to a whole new level of deliciousness.
Pasta with Lentils
Pasta e Lenticchie is a one-pot Italian dish made with pasta, lentils, and a few other ingredients. This Italian pasta dish is high in protein and can be a great meal for a meatless dinner.
Easy Vegetable Quesadillas
Easy vegetable quesadillas RE a flavorful dish loaded with vegetables and cheese. This Mexican inspired cheesy quesadilla is quick to make and perfect to serve as dinner, snack or lunch.
Mexican Garbanzo Bean Soup (Vegan and Gluten-Free)
Warm up on a cold day with this super tasty Mexican Garbanzo Soup! Made with chickpeas, quinoa and plenty of vegetables, this healthy soup is meatless, hearty, and such a simple recipe to make. Perfect for soup season!
Red Lentil Dal (Vegan)
This vegan Red Lentil Dal is an easy and delicious spiced red lentil dish. It can be served alone as a soup or as a side dish along with rice.
Mexican Spaghetti
If you’ve been searching for an easy, creamy, spicy, hearty meal to breathe some life into your weeknight dinner, this creamy Mexican Spaghetti has you covered.
Air Fryer Criss Cross Potatoes
These air fryer criss cross potatoes are quick to cut, easy to season and come out of the air fryer looking golden and crispy. The fun shape makes them a hit with the kids and they taste so good that adults love them too!
Banana Bread (Vegan)
This vegan banana bread is delicious, super easy to make, and requires only a few pantry-friendly ingredients and one mixing bowl.
Air Fryer Chili Con Carne
Delicious air fryer chili con carne. An easy comforting meal to cook in the air fryer, requires no extra oil and is perfect for busy weeknights.
There you have it! 30+ pantry meals to clear out your pantry and save money on your grocery bill!
These recipes are helpful. I always need quick healthy recipes on hand. Thanks for sharing.
I’m glad you found it helpful!