30 'Grab From Your Pantry' Meals During COVID-19

This certainly is a post I never imagined writing.  Like everyone, our lives have been turned a bit upside down with the developments of the COVID-19 virus.  With most of us now practicing social distancing and staying home, I've had many requests for easy pantry meals.  I hope this post brings you comfort and ease when taking care of your family.

I am not going to lie.  I could not sleep much at all two nights ago when we got the notice that school was canceled for the next 4 weeks.  After tossing and turning much of the night I got up at 4 a.m. and worked on this blog post.

So many of you started requested simple, easy, pantry meals....items we can dig out of the black hole of our cupboards and freezers and magically turn into a meal.  Here's to hoping I can help you.  I browsed ALL of my recipes and grabbed 30 that use simple ingredients, ones we have on hand and that are most importantly....tasty.

Please share this with your friends and family.  My blog has been affected {pageviews are tanking - just like everyone else} and I could use all the love you can muster.  Thank you!

I know this one isn't a "meal" but everyone has been asking for my 1 Month Refrigerator Muffins.  The reason why?  It makes a HUGE batch - allowing you to keep the batter in the fridge for up to 30 days.  This lets you bake off a few at a time, whenever you need them.  Need a quick breakfast for the kids?  Bake off just six.  Simple as that!

I always and forever have canned tomatoes in my cupboard and garlic in my fridge.  This 10 Minute Tomato and Garlic Whole Wheat Spaghetti comes together super quick!  Serve with a side salad and a big chunk of French bread and dinner is solved.  Kids love this one!

To date, the best homemade burritos I've ever made.  I copied a fast food restaurant's version and added fried potatoes to the filling and it was a genius move.  If you make a big batch of these Beef and Potato Burritos we often eat half for dinner that night, then wrap them up and freeze the remaining for quick lunches later.

Run out of spaghetti or pizza sauce?  No problem!  Whipping up my 30 Minute Marinara is incredibly easy.  I could drink this stuff....but in all seriousness I save it for homemade pizzas, calzones or as a quick topper on pasta.

We always have corn in the cupboard {or freezer} and potatoes in the pantry.  And since we are still in Winter technically, I'm still making soups!  This Corn, Bacon and Potato Chowder is creamy and comforting and with the addition of bacon, if you have it on hand, well it's pretty much the best soup ever.

All the things in the pot on this one!  Kids love spaghetti and my Baked Florentine Spaghetti jazzes it up and they won't even notice the extra pantry additions.  It feeds a crowd and is also awesome as leftovers.

I don't know about you but I always have frozen bananas in my freezer.  I throw those bad boys in there whole and then use them in my famous banana bread!  Earlier this year I even sold a fun heirloom kitchen towel with this recipe on it {check that out here].  Once you make this recipe it will become the only banana bread recipe you'll ever use.  No joke.

Rice is a pantry staple and my family gobbles it up - however I make it.  This Cheesy Alfredo Chicken Casserole is loaded with all the favorites...seasoned chicken, alfredo sauce, cheeses, fluffy rice, a vegetable {for good measure} and let's not forget the crunchy topping!

Sometimes you want pizza but are too lazy to make your own.  Am I right?  Well this Baked Pizza Pasta comes in at a close second.  It has all your favorite pizza toppings and sauce combined into one dish.  Always rave reviews with this one.

This Cheese Tortellini Minestrone Soup has to win the award for the MOST pantry ingredients used.  In fact you might clear off a whole shelf!  Plus it's healthy and tasty so you kill two birds with one stone on this one.

Never underestimate a big old batch of homemade granola.  My Crunchy Peanut Butter Granola is great topped on yogurt or eaten plain as cereal.  It makes a big batch!  Feel free to leave a bag on your neighbor's doorstep.

I like this One Dish Baked Chicken Parmesan because of how EASY it is to put together.  You literally lay the ingredients on one by one and throw it in the oven.  Serve with fresh fruit or salad and your family will be happy.

Here's another burrito recipe {because I know you love them}.  These Chicken and Rice Burritos are filling and full of mexi-flavor.  They freeze well too!  If you have enough ingredients on hand double the batch, you won't be disappointed.

Meatloaf never photographs well, but this one isn't too shabby, right?  My Healthy Hidden Veggie Meatloaf is loaded with the goods and tastes even better!  I used ground turkey in this recipe, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand - ground beef or pork.  It all works!

If you're like me and buy oodles of Pillsbury crescent rolls at a time, then this recipe is for you!  This Dorito Burrito Bake is kinda like a Mexican pizza, but better.  Top with whatever your family loves and you have on hand.

I'm a firm believer in double or even triple batching pancakes.  They freeze beautifully and kids always want them for breakfast or a snack.  This Healthy Greek Yogurt Oatmeal Pancake version {you can never tell they are healthy} is fluffy and tasty.

Back when I had three babies in five years {yes, you read that right} I would often make these Homemade Frozen Pizzas right before the baby came.  That way my freezer was STOCKED for when we needed a quick meal that required no work.

One of my highest traffic recipes in the past few years, this Lasagna Soup.  It's everything you love about lasagna but in a bowl without all the work.  We often double batch it {because everyone has seconds} and we want a little leftover for lunch the next day.

I'm fairly certain we all have a can of tuna in our pantry!  These Mini Tuna Melt Sliders are perfect for quick lunches.  They are great hot fresh out of the oven, warm or even chilled and eaten later.  Also great for those still working out of the home to take with them!

I just had to share these Healthy Peanut Butter Banana Bars with you - they are a recipe that can easily be put together by your kids!  They pretty much rocked the internet back in January and so many of you continue to make a batch each week for healthy snacks.

Break out your Instant Pot!  This pantry filled Chicken Enchilada Soup is like your favorite batch of the originals but in soup form.  Load each bowl up with green onions, chips, cheese and sour cream.  Dinner is served!

Let us continue on the Instant Pot bandwagon with this Hawaiian Fried Rice.  Officially I now only make rice in the IP....it's so easy!  Throw in all the veggies on the verge of death in your fridge in this one and they'll come back to life.

If you love a savory breakfast this Mexican Taco Egg Bake is for you.  Filled with roasted potatoes, chorizo sausage, seasonings, fresh eggs, chives and mexican crumbled cheese, it's filling and oh so tasty.

Remember that Lasagna Soup?  Well I also make my One Pot Skillet Lasagna!  Again, it's a lazy lasagna, but oh so delicious.  This one uses pantry and fridge ingredients and cooks right on the stove.  An easy one pot meal that the family will love.

Have canned pineapple in your pantry?  If so, you'll need to put my Oven Baked Hawaiian Chicken on your meal plan.  It's like the famous pizza topping but in casserole form.  Great flavor and easy on the hips too.

These Pulled Buffalo Chicken Sliders come together in the crock pot and are perfect for quick dinners.  If you have a bottle of buffalo wing sauce in your cupboard and chicken in the freezer you are pretty much set!

I love how this chili has pumpkin in it and you'd never even know.  Another great way to get in some fiber and use up those cans of pumpkin leftover from the Fall.  This Pumpkin and Black Bean Chili is filling and delicious!

With kids at home and extra time in the mornings I love to let this Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oatmeal cook overnight.  Your house will smell amazing {go ahead and add some extra cinnamon and nutmeg you won't be disappointed}.  Keep it in the fridge for up to a week and just heat up as needed.

Making homemade mac-n-cheese is very easy in the Instant Pot and this Triple Cheddar Mac has become our favorite.  Grab all the cheese!  It's super creamy and filling and will make your kids beg for another batch.

This great one pot cast iron meal is tasty!  My Classic Skillet Carbonara uses items from the freezer, fridge and pantry and takes less than 30 minutes to come together.  Serve with salad and crusty bread and you'll be satisfied.

I sincerely hope this post has helped you, or in the very least brought you some comfort.  I'm the first to say this is uncharted territory for me {homeschooling 3 kids while trying to work?}.  Just know you aren't alone.

Please share and pass along to your friends - we are all stuck in the same situation!  Let's hope this passes quickly and we can all get back to regularly scheduled programming.