Guide
15 Cheap Pantry Recipes for When Money Is Tight
Rice, beans, pasta, eggs, canned tomatoes, and frozen vegetables are the backbone of a frugal kitchen. Here are fifteen filling meals that cost little but still taste like dinner.
Cook cheap without the guesswork
Type whatever is in your cupboard into your pantry and Pantry Kaki will show every recipe you can make right now — including smart swaps so one missing ingredient does not stop dinner.
1. Rice and Beans Bowl
Ready in 25 min
Ingredients: rice, canned black beans, onion, garlic, cumin, hot sauce
Sauté onion and garlic, add cumin and drained beans, mash lightly, and simmer with a splash of water. Serve over rice with hot sauce.
Tip: Add a fried egg on top for extra protein when eggs are cheap.
2. Pasta with Canned Tomatoes
Ready in 20 min
Ingredients: pasta, canned tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, chili flakes
Simmer canned tomatoes with garlic and chili flakes while the pasta boils. Toss together with a splash of pasta water.
3. Egg Fried Rice
Ready in 10 min
Ingredients: cooked rice, eggs, soy sauce, frozen peas, oil
Scramble eggs in a hot pan, add cold rice and peas, splash in soy sauce, and fry until heated through.
Tip: Day-old rice fries best.
4. Lentil Soup
Ready in 35 min
Ingredients: red lentils, onion, carrot, stock cube, cumin
Sweat diced onion and carrot, add rinsed lentils, stock, and cumin. Simmer 25 minutes until lentils collapse.
5. Chickpea Curry
Ready in 25 min
Ingredients: canned chickpeas, canned tomatoes, onion, curry powder, coconut milk or water
Cook onion until soft, add curry powder, tip in tomatoes and chickpeas, simmer 10 minutes, and finish with coconut milk or a little water.
6. Tuna Pasta
Ready in 15 min
Ingredients: pasta, canned tuna, canned tomatoes, garlic, olive oil
Boil pasta. Warm garlic, tuna, and tomatoes in a pan. Toss with pasta and a splash of cooking water.
7. Vegetable Fried Noodles
Ready in 12 min
Ingredients: instant noodles, frozen mixed vegetables, soy sauce, garlic, oil
Cook noodles, stir-fry frozen vegetables and garlic in oil, add noodles and soy sauce, and toss over high heat.
8. Bean Quesadillas
Ready in 12 min
Ingredients: tortillas, canned beans, cheese, cumin, hot sauce
Mash beans with cumin and hot sauce, spread on a tortilla, top with cheese, fold, and toast in a dry pan until crisp.
9. Omelette with Frozen Vegetables
Ready in 10 min
Ingredients: eggs, frozen vegetables, cheese, butter or oil, salt
Whisk eggs, pour into a heated pan, add thawed vegetables and cheese, fold, and cook until set.
10. Tomato Egg Stir-Fry
Ready in 15 min
Ingredients: eggs, tomatoes, ketchup or sugar, soy sauce, oil
Scramble eggs and set aside. Cook chopped tomatoes until soft, add a touch of ketchup or sugar and soy sauce, then fold eggs back in.
11. Peanut Butter Noodles
Ready in 12 min
Ingredients: noodles, peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic, lime or vinegar
Whisk peanut butter, soy sauce, grated garlic, and lime or vinegar with a splash of hot water into a sauce. Toss with cooked noodles.
12. Cabbage and Egg Stir-Fry
Ready in 12 min
Ingredients: cabbage, eggs, soy sauce, garlic, oil
Shred cabbage and stir-fry with garlic until wilted. Push to the side, scramble eggs, then mix everything with soy sauce.
13. Potato and Bean Hash
Ready in 30 min
Ingredients: potatoes, canned beans, onion, paprika, oil
Dice potatoes and pan-fry until golden. Add onion, paprika, and drained beans. Cook until everything is crisp and hot.
14. Canned Fish Rice Porridge
Ready in 25 min
Ingredients: rice, canned sardines or mackerel, ginger, soy sauce, water
Simmer rice in plenty of water until porridge-like. Add flaked fish, ginger, and a splash of soy sauce.
15. Baked Beans on Toast with Cheese
Ready in 10 min
Ingredients: baked beans, bread, cheddar or any cheese, black pepper
Warm beans, pile on toast, top with grated cheese, and grill or microwave until the cheese melts. Crack over black pepper.