Plant Focused Pantry Staples

In order to help get a quick plant focused dinner on the table each night, it is important to keep pantry staples on hand. I want to share with you a list of the staples that I like to keep on hand in order to create the meals my family enjoys every day.

What are pantry staples?

Pantry staples are basic ingredients that can easily be adapted to fit many different meals. They are often shelf stable or can be stored in the freezer. This allows you to keep them on hand so that they can be ready at a moment’s notice.

There are several meals and recipes that can be made alone with these pantry staples, but often you use other ingredients that you have on hand in conjunction with pantry staples in order to make something both simple and delicious.

What staples should I keep in my pantry to eat plant focused?

When you are filling your pantry, you want to keep food on hand that you use frequently. This way you have what you need to quickly throw together healthy meals. It is also important to choose foods that you will go through before the food goes bad. I try to use as much fresh food and produce as possible but I also keep several shelf staple items on hand in order to always have ingredients for select meals in case for whatever reason I don’t have fresh options on hand.

Below is a list of the things I most often keep on hand and some ideas of how I use them in my every day cooking. I try to keep my cooking plant focused so you will notice that a lot of the things I keep on hand are plant focused as well. I also like to have plenty of ingredients to make things like breads and deserts from scratch.

Most of the meals I make on a daily basis use at least a few of these staples, but they also frequently use fresh ingredients. This means that most of the meals I cook cannot be made solely from my staples (although there are some that can be). I go shopping weekly to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables according to what is in season and what is on sale.

Produce pantry staples

• Potatoes
• Onions
• Carrots
• Bananas
• Apples
• In season fruit
• In season vegetables
• Avocados
• Some type of green
• Tomatoes
• Lemons

Having a plant focused diet means that the start of most of my meals is produce, and this shows in the staples in my pantry. Potatoes, onions and carrots are a great start to several different types of soups, casseroles, or a easy sheet pan dinner. They are especially nice to keep on hand because they are fairly shelf stable. You can usually just keep them on a hand and they won’t go bad.

I love keeping bananas, apples, and fruit on hand because they are a perfect for a healthy snack. They can also be used as a great topping for breakfast and salads. I also love having bananas that are over ripe to add to my baking (banana apple muffins).

Using produce that is in season helps add variety to the meals that we eat throughout the year. I love making lots of salads in the spring with fresh lettuce, and in the summer I enjoy making tomato based sauces with fresh tomatoes. One of my favorite times of year is when squashes come into season in the fall. Making meals with seasonal food not only helps give you an assortment of recipes but also saves you money.

I love having avocados on hand to top any Mexican inspired dish. They are also a great addition to sandwiches and salads. Speaking of salads, I love a good salad so having some greens on hand is a requirement especially in the summer months. Spinach and kale are also great for adding a nutritional boost to soups and pastas. Tomatoes are another great addition to salads and sandwiches, as well as so many other meals.

Lemons are honestly something I try to keep on hand but often forget to use. The juice from lemons is a great addition to boost the flavor of soups, sauces, dressings, and dips. I love to use the extras for a nice lemonade on a special occasion as well.

Dry pantry staples

• All purpose flour
• Whole wheat flour (or wheat berries)
• Sugar
• Oats
• Baking ingredients
• Pasta
• White rice
• Brown rice
• Beans
• Quinoa
• Nuts
• Peanut butter
• Cornstarch
• Spices

Having large quantities of flour is a requirement for me, especially since making my own sourdough starter this last year. Aside from my sourdough I bake quite regularly so keeping baking soda, powder, and many other baking ingredients on hand is preferred.

Pasta or rice are the base to many of our meals. Either can be put into a casserole or topped with a variety of different sauces. This makes them an essential pantry staple in my kitchen.

I use quinoa and nuts as toppings for salads. Nuts are also a great addition to breakfasts and sweets. We go through peanut butter like crazy in our household. I make all of our peanut butter at home in our food processor. We use it to top cereals and pancakes, mix it into smoothies, top ice-cream with it, and of course make our favorite peanut butter cookies.

Cornstarch I use most often to thicken sauces, but I also like to season it and use it to batter chicken or other meats before air-frying them. The main seasonings I like to keep on hand are salt, pepper, garlic powder, cinnamon, and Italian seasoning, although these are just a few of the seasonings I keep on hand. I will have to do a post about the seasoning I keep in my kitchen in the future.

Canned pantry staples

• Diced tomatoes
• Tomato sauce
• Beans
• Olives
• Coconut milk
• Chicken broth

I use diced tomatoes in soups and sauces. Tomato sauce can be used as a base for marinara or pizza sauce, as well as sauce for my homemade enchiladas. I use canned beans in the enchiladas, as well as in soups, and to top salads. Another great topping for salads are olives.

I keep coconut milk on hand for Indian inspired dishes, but it is also a great addition to soups to make them creamier. Chicken broth is an essential ingredient in the kitchen to start soups, make flavorful sauces, and tasty rice dishes. I am trying to make more of my broths from scratch, but I like to keep containers of it on hand just in case.

Refrigerated pantry staples

• Milk
• Almond milk
• Home made yogurt
• Butter
• Eggs
• Sourdough starter
• Yeast
• Cheese
• Cream cheese
• Sour cream
• Minced garlic
• Cottage cheese
• Homemade applesauce
• Pickles

In our fridge we keep both milk and almond milk mainly for preference rather than nutrition. I find real whole milk to be best for baking and in recipes like soups, but sometimes prefer almond milk in cereal and drinks. When I have too much milk to use before its expiration date I will usually turn it into homemade yogurt for snacks and baking. I also experiment with making homemade cheeses on occasion.

Butter and eggs are necessary for baking, as well as sourdough starter and/or yeast. I like keeping both starter and yeast on hand, although my preference for most things is to use sourdough starter.

I use a variety of cheeses as topping on dinners such as casseroles or pizza. Cheese is also great to have on hand to snack on. Sour cream is a flavorful add-on to soups and sauces. We also love using sour cream to top any Mexican dishes, and my husband loves it on his spaghetti.

Having minced garlic on hand is another preference. Because jarred garlic contains citric acid to keep it fresh, it does add a sometimes noticeable acidity to your food. I usually find the extra effort to use fresh cloves not to be worth it, so instead I used jarred garlic, or garlic powder.

Applesauce, cottage cheese, and pickles are good snacks, but I also use them occasionally in different dinners or desserts, so I like to keep them on hand.

Frozen pantry staples

• Tortillas
• Crispy chicken/chicken nuggets
• Sausage
• Beef
• Pork roast
• Chicken breasts/whole chicken
• Thick cut bacon
• Frozen peas
• Frozen corn

I like to keep frozen tortillas on hand. This way I can pull them out whenever I want for enchiladas, wraps, or burritos. I like keeping crispy chicken in my freezer for wraps and chicken nuggets for quick lunch if we don’t have anything else on hand. These are both things I would love to learn to make at home, but haven’t got there yet.

Although I strive to serve a plant focused meals, I do like to keep these cuts of meat as pantry staples in my freezer for some of our family favorites. I love using sausage in soups and casseroles, and thinly sliced beef for stir-fries. we love to make Costa Vida type sweet pork salads with the pork roast.

Chicken breasts can be used in so many different recipes, but I have gotten into the habit of buying a whole chicken when I find it for a good deal. After cooking the chicken whole I can use the meat in meals. Then I boil the bones to make a delicious and nutritious bone broth, to use in soups or other recipes.

I love having bacon to go with breakfast, as well as to put on salads and sandwiches.

Frozen peas and corn are great to keep on hand to quickly add to casseroles or other meals to add another quick vegetable.

Condiments

• Balsamic vinegar
• Apple cider vinegar
• Brown mustard
• Honey
• Maple syrup
• Ketchup
• Mayo
• BBQ sauce
• Ranch
• Soy sauce
• Jam
• Olive oil

I like to keep some pre-made condiments on hand such as BBQ sauce and ketchup, but some I prefer to make at home. Mainly I like to keep the ingredients on hand to make homemade dressing and vinaigrette for my salads. These ingredients include a variety of vinegar and sweeteners.

I also love having convenient toppings for the fresh bread that I make almost weekly as well as to top our breakfast pancakes.

How pantry staples help me stay plant focused

By keeping all these items on hand I find it significantly easier to focus on what fruits and vegetables I am going to use to make a complete meal. When I go to the grocery store I am able to buy whatever fruits and vegetables I see on sale and combine them with the staples I already have at home to whip together a nutritious dinner in no time.