Groceries are expensive, and I think most of us are looking for ways to make our grocery dollars go a little further.
But saving money on food doesn't have to mean giving up wholesome ingredients or feeding our families meals we don't enjoy. One of the best ways I've found to keep our grocery budget under control is actually very simple: keep versatile pantry staples on hand and learn how to use them in lots of different ways.
That's really what a well-stocked pantry does for us.
When I have basic ingredients in the pantry, freezer and refrigerator, I can usually put together a meal without making another trip to the grocery store. And the fewer extra trips I make, the less I'm tempted to buy things we really don't need!
Here are 15 pantry staples that help me stretch our meals and make simple, homemade food for my family.
1. Rice
Rice is one of the most versatile foods you can keep in your pantry.
I use it as a simple side dish, in casseroles, soups, burrito bowls and rice bowls. Leftover meat and vegetables can suddenly become another complete meal when you add rice.
It's also a great example of why I don't think every meal needs to revolve around a large serving of meat. A little chicken, beef or another protein can go much further when it's combined with rice, beans and vegetables.
2. Beans
Beans are inexpensive, filling and a wonderful pantry staple.
I like keeping different varieties on hand because they can be used in chili, soups, salads, burritos, rice bowls and so many other meals.
I buy dry beans in bulk and also can beans so they're ready when I need them. But you certainly don't have to can your own beans to use this idea. Store-bought canned beans work perfectly well, too.
The important thing is having foods in your pantry that make it easy to put dinner together.
3. Pasta
A box or bag of pasta gives you so many inexpensive dinner possibilities.
Add tomato sauce, vegetables, leftover chicken, ground beef or a simple homemade sauce and you've got dinner.
Pasta is also a good way to stretch smaller amounts of meat and vegetables into enough food for the whole family.
4. Potatoes
I don't think potatoes get enough credit!
They're inexpensive, filling and can become breakfast, lunch or dinner.
We can bake them, mash them, roast them, put them into soups and casseroles or turn a baked potato into the main part of a meal by adding toppings we already have.
5. Oats
Oats aren't just for oatmeal.
Of course, they're an inexpensive breakfast, but I also use oats in baking and other recipes.
They're inexpensive, store well and are one of those basic ingredients I like having available all the time.
6. Flour and Wheat
Flour is one of the workhorses of a from-scratch kitchen.
I use flour and wheat for homemade bread, rolls and other baked goods, as well as for thickening sauces and making all kinds of foods from scratch.
I buy some of my flour and wheat in bulk from Azure Standard. Buying ingredients we regularly use in larger quantities can save money, but only if they're foods your family actually eats.
That's an important part of my approach to stocking a pantry: don't buy something simply because it's a good deal. Buy foods you know you'll use.
7. Canned or Home-Canned Tomatoes
Tomatoes can become the beginning of so many meals.
Think about spaghetti sauce, chili, soups, casseroles and stews.
I grow tomatoes in my garden and preserve some of them, including making chili starter. When I open one of those jars months later, I'm not only using something I already have-I'm also saving myself time.
But again, canned tomatoes from the grocery store accomplish the same thing. Keep the ingredients that work for your kitchen.
8. Broth or Bouillon
Broth is something I hate to waste because even a little bit can be useful.
I use broth for soups, sauces, rice and all kinds of other dishes. I also keep homemade bouillon and soup mixes in my pantry because they make it easy to add flavor without buying lots of individual convenience products.
Recently I had a little chicken broth left from a jar of home-canned chicken. Instead of throwing it away, I saved it.
And it ended up becoming part of another meal!
9. Onions
Onions are inexpensive and add so much flavor to simple food.
When you're cooking from basic ingredients, things like onions, garlic, herbs and seasonings make a tremendous difference.
I use onions in soups, casseroles, chili, sauces, meat dishes and vegetable dishes. They're one of those ingredients I almost always want in my kitchen.
10. Garlic
Garlic is another inexpensive ingredient that makes simple food taste good.
One of the misconceptions about frugal cooking is that inexpensive meals have to be bland or boring.
They don't!
Learning how to season basic foods is one of the easiest ways to make budget-friendly meals that your family actually wants to eat.
11. Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is an easy pantry staple for quick breakfasts, lunches and snacks.
Of course, there's the classic peanut butter sandwich, but it can also be added to oatmeal, toast and other simple snacks.
It's especially helpful to have foods like this available when you need something quickly and don't want to reach for expensive packaged convenience foods.
12. Popcorn
Popcorn is one of my favorite examples of an inexpensive homemade snack.
A bag or container of popcorn kernels goes a long way and costs much less than buying individual bags of prepared snacks.
Sometimes saving money isn't about finding a coupon or a sale. It's simply about going back to basic foods.
13. Cornmeal
Cornmeal is another inexpensive ingredient that stores well.
You can use it for cornbread, muffins, coatings and other recipes. Cornbread is especially good alongside beans, chili or soup, and it can help turn a simple pot of food into a filling meal.
14. Baking Basics
I always like to keep basic baking ingredients on hand, including things like:
- Yeast
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
When you have flour plus a few basic baking ingredients, you can make an incredible number of foods yourself.
This is one of the reasons I enjoy a from-scratch kitchen. I'm not dependent on having a particular boxed mix in the pantry.
15. Herbs, Spices and Homemade Seasoning Mixes
This may be one of the most important categories on the list.
Simple food needs good flavor.
I make a number of my own seasoning and soup mixes, and I keep plenty of basic herbs and spices in my pantry.
Homemade mixes can also save money and allow you to control what's going into your food.
A jar of beans, some rice and vegetables may sound very basic-but season them well and you can make a delicious meal.
A Real-Life Pantry Dinner: Quick Chili
This is a perfect example of why I keep these staples around.
Recently, I needed to get dinner on the table and made chili in my Instant Pot in just a few minutes.
I used:
- Already-cooked ground beef from my freezer
- A jar of homemade chili starter made with tomatoes from our garden
- A jar of home-canned black beans
- Kidney beans
- A little chicken broth I'd saved from a jar of home-canned chicken
Everything went into the Instant Pot, and dinner was practically done.
That little bit of chicken broth might not have seemed worth saving, but I used it in another meal instead of pouring it down the drain.
To me, that's common sense in the kitchen.
Cook once. Save what you can. Preserve food when you're able. Keep versatile staples in the pantry and freezer. Then use all of those things together to make the next meal easier.
You Don't Have to Do Everything From Scratch
I want to emphasize this because it's important.
You don't need to grow tomatoes, can beans, grind wheat or make every ingredient yourself to have a Common Sense Kitchen.
Start where you are.
Maybe that means buying canned beans and tomatoes when they're on sale.
Maybe you make homemade bread but buy your broth.
Maybe you cook a double batch of ground beef and freeze half so it's ready for another meal.
It all counts.
The goal isn't perfection. It's learning how to use our food wisely, waste less, cook more at home and keep good, simple ingredients available.
A Pantry Should Make Your Life Easier
A well-stocked pantry isn't about having hundreds of cans or spending a fortune stocking up.
It's about having the foods your family actually eats and knowing how to turn them into meals.
That's what helps me avoid those last-minute trips to the grocery store-and those nights when we're tired and tempted to pick up something expensive for dinner.
With rice, beans, pasta, tomatoes, broth, flour and a handful of other basics, there are so many meals we can make.
And especially with grocery prices being what they are, I think going back to simple, wholesome ingredients just makes good sense.
What pantry staples do you always keep on hand to help stretch your meals and grocery budget? I'd love to hear your ideas in the comments.
The Common Sense Grandma
Simple ingredients • From-scratch cooking • Frugal living • Feeding our families well
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