Since we can’t just swing into the grocery store for that random, unique ingredient for a speciality dish – thanks, social distancing – we’re raiding the pantry and fridge for easy to pull together recipes with lots of flexibility.
Pantry Raid One-Pot Meals for Self-Isolation
All of these recipes feature ingredients that you probably already have at home, like canned or frozen veggies or baking mixes. We also included items that you also probably have in your fridge or freezer, like cold cuts, chicken or eggs.
Everything comes together in a snap and uses just one pot, skillet, casserole dish, sheet pan or slow cooker to cook. Some recipes are also leftover-friendly, which means you can repurpose yesterday’s dinner for today!
One-Pot Slow Cooker Meals from Pantry Staples
- Dump Soup: grab a 32 oz. container of any stock or broth; add chopped onion; add 1-3 cans of any beans; add 1 large can of diced tomatoes; add your favorite frozen veggies; serve hot after cooking 3-5 hours on high/6-8 hours in low
- Easy Peasy Chili: combine 2-4 cans beans, 1 large can diced tomatoes, one chopped onion; season with chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper; cook 4 hours on high/6-8 hours on low; serve with shredded cheese, sour cream and salsa
- Chili Remix Potatoes: save some chili; clean enough potatoes for your family and poke them all over with a fork; season with olive oil and salt/pepper; cook 2.5-4 hours on high/6-8 hours on low; top with leftover chili, cheese, sour cream and salsa – inspiration from Passionate Penny Pincher
- Slow Cooker Chicken Dinner: place a whole roasting chicken in your slow cooker, seasoned all over to your preference; cook on high for 4-6 hours/6-8 hours on low; 1-2 hours before your chicken is done add in foil-wrapped packets of potatoes and carrots, all peeled and chopped; finish cooking and serve; save the liquid for soup
- Dump Chicken Soup: add the chicken cooking liquid + 32 oz. chicken broth to a slow cooker; add in shredded cooked chicken, any frozen veggies, any canned veggies; season to taste; cook on high 2-3 hours
We love slow cooker meals because it cooks while you live your life, minimal hands-on time required!
One Skillet Meals You’ll Love
Everything cooks in just one skillet for easy, peasy prep and cleanup!
- Taco remix: use what you have on hand – tortillas, crunchy shells, tortilla chips, rice – it all works; saute onions and garlic in a skillet until soft; add in ground meat and cook until browned; chop tomatoes, shred lettuce; combine your meat, veggies and tortilla/crunchy shell/chips/rice, top with salsa, sour cream and cheese
- Easy Chicken Biscuits: use 1 cup Bisquick, following the recipe on the box for drop biscuits (1c mix + 1 egg + a little milk); preheat the oven to 350; in an oven-safe skillet cook onions and garlic until soft; add in chopped celery; add in chopped fresh or frozen veggies like carrots, corn, peas, beans, etc.; add in leftover cooked chicken; add 1 c broth or 1 c milk; bring to a boil until the liquid slightly thickens; dollop the Bisquick mix in rounded spoonfuls over the top; put the whole skillet into the preheated oven for 10-20 minutes or until the biscuits are slightly browned on top
- Toad in a Hole: butter slices of bread on both sides; use a drinking cup to cut a circle out of the center of each slice; place each buttered slice of bread onto the hot skillet and crack an egg into the hole; cook until egg is done to your preference, adding in the cut-out bread circle and browning it on both sides; after all bread has been used, brown some thick-cut ham in the same skillet; serve hot
- Leftovers Rizzoto: use the rice you have – about 2 cups uncooked regular rice; saute onions and garlic in oil or butter in a skillet; add in rice and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, over medium heat; add in 2 cups of chicken or veggie stock; simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until liquid is reduced; add more chicken broth to just cover rice and reduce again; repeat until rice is tender; add in cooked shredded chicken, peas or other leftovers; serve warm with Parmesan cheese
These meals require a little extra hands-on time, but still only dirty just one skillet.
Dinner on a Single Sheet Pan
Arrange all your dinner ingredients on a single sheet pan, cook in the oven and you’re done! These are super simple to DIY in a pinch.
Pro Tip: use a silicon mat or aluminum foil to really cut cleanup time!
- Sausage & Onions: heat oven to 375º; on a sheet pan or baking sheet, arrange sausages (any kind); in a separate bowl, combine one onion that’s been cut into eighths and then separated, 2-4 peeled and quartered potatoes, 1-3 peeled and chunked carrots; in the veggie bowl, drizzle olive oil, season to your preference; add veggie to sheet pan; cook for 30-40 min or until sausages are cooked through and veggies are roasted
- Fish & Chips: pat dry 3-6 unbreaded fish fillets, like Coleson’s Catch; arrange on one side of a sheet pan; sprinkle with lemon juice, salt, pepper, rosemary; add a very small pat of butter to each fillet; peel and cut into “fries” 2-3 sweet and/or russet potatoes; arrange potatoes on the other side of the pan; bake at 350º for 20-30 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork
- Open Face Custom Sandwiches: divide 1-2 baguettes or French/Italian loaves into sections, enough for 1-2 servings per person; arrange on a sheet pan, crust down; spread butter over the face-up side of the bread; add your preferred cold cuts and cheese to each section; top with banana peppers, roasted tomatoes or peppers, etc. to your taste; season with herbs, salt, and/or pepper to your taste; bake at 350º for 15-20 min or until bread is crispy and cheese is melted; serve hot, with lettuce, tomato, avocado, etc. to your preference
- 1 Pan Chicken Dinner: preheat the oven to 375º; in the middle of a sheet pan, arrange chicken thighs, breasts, or legs; drizzle olive oil over the chicken, season with salt, pepper, herbs or your favorite spices; around the chicken arrange peeled and quartered potatoes, chopped carrots, quartered onions, turnips, whole garlic gloves, etc.; bake for 30-45 min or until chicken is fully cooked
We love dinners that leave us with almost zero cleanup in the end!
