My pantry at home is always well-stocked. (Actually most people would probably call it overstocked.) I don't feel right if my cupboards are bare. And once I started working on our new book, EatingWell on a Budget, I realized that my pantry-stocking obsession also had the benefit of helping me save money: when I have key ingredients on hand to make dinner, I'm much less likely to call for delivery or go out. (Plus cooking at home is almost always cheaper than going out.)
Here are five of my favorite ingredients to keep on hand that help stretch my food dollars further.
Potatoes
Cost: about 44¢ apiece
Russet potatoes, which are a good source of fiber, potassium and vitamin C, are a great nutritional bang for your buck. And these babies are truly versatile. Try baking them, then stuffing them with beans, vegetables and salsa; mash them; slice and roast them; or turn them into hash browns for breakfast.
Recipes to Try: 11 Easy Low-Fat Potato Recipes
Beans
Cost: 52¢ or less for a ½-cup serving of canned beans
You just can't go wrong if you bulk up your meal with beans. They're packed with fiber and protein. I always keep cans in the cupboard and whip them out to add to salads, pasta, soups or for an easy dip. Dried beans are even less expensive than canned. Cook a big batch, then freeze extras for when you're ready to use them in a recipe.
Recipes to try: From soups to sautés, 10 budget-friendly dinners in 30 minutes using canned beans
Frozen Vegetables and Fruit
Cost: 30¢ for a ½-cup serving of frozen peas
I always keep frozen vegetables on hand for when the produce drawer is looking a little bare. Frozen fruits and vegetables are nutritious because they're picked at the peak of ripeness and then frozen to seal in their nutrients. And a bonus: most of them don't have added sodium or sugar like canned vegetables and fruits often do. Plus they're relatively inexpensive, especially when compared with their "fresh" counterparts out of season.
Recipes to try: Sauces, smoothies and more recipes starring frozen vegetables and fruit
Pasta or Rice
Cost: 26¢ for 2 ounces of whole-wheat pasta
Got a few vegetables or a little leftover meat? Maybe you have some fixings for a salad or a light soup, but it's not quite dinner. Pasta and rice are cheap, healthy pantry items that let you turn a few leftovers into a meal. Try quickly sautéing peppers and onions and toss them with noodles, herbs and a little cheese, or add rice to a vegetable soup to make it more satisfying.
Recipes to Try: Cheap Recipes with Rice that Serve 4 for $12 or Less
Eggs
Cost: 23¢ for a large egg
Eggs aren't just for breakfast. They're also the greatest last-minute answer for a quick dinner. I like to make huevos rancheros with canned beans, a little salsa and corn tortillas, which I keep in my freezer. A source of high-quality protein, eggs also contain the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which help keep eyes healthy.
Recipes to try: Two Dozen Easy Egg Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner
Ground Beef
Cost: $1.02 per 3-ounce serving of 93%-lean ground beef
Saving money is all about meatloaf. Just kidding. But really, meatloaf's reputation as a budget-friendly food is deserved because its main ingredient, ground beef, is inexpensive. And when you buy a lean grind, it's also healthy. Meatloaf is not the only inexpensive meal to make with ground beef. (I always keep ground beef on hand in my freezer, which I consider to be part of my "pantry.")
Recipe to try: One of my favorite ways to use ground beef is in Taco Salad, which costs $3 per serving (see recipe below).
Taco Salad
Active time: 30 minutes | Total: 30 minutes
A super-quick blend of reduced-fat sour cream and salsa serves double duty as salad dressing and seasoning for the meat in our updated version of Tex-Mex taco salad. Depending on the type of salsa you use, the salad will vary in heat. We keep this version light with lean turkey, but lean ground beef also keeps the nutrition marks reasonable. Just hold the deep-fried tortilla bowl and instead serve this salad with baked tortilla chips and wedges of fresh lime.
1/2 cup prepared salsa
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound 93%-lean ground turkey or beef
2 large plum tomatoes, diced
1 14-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
8 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1. Combine salsa and sour cream in a large bowl.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add turkey or beef and cook, stirring often and crumbling with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans, cumin and chili powder; cook, stirring, until the tomatoes begin to break down, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in cilantro and 1/4 cup of the salsa mixture.
3. Add lettuce to the remaining salsa mixture in the bowl; toss to coat. To serve, divide the lettuce among 4 plates, top with the meat mixture and sprinkle with cheese.
Makes 4 servings (1 cup filling & 2 cups salad each).
Per serving: 361 calories; 16 g fat (6 g sat, 1 g mono); 86 mg cholesterol; 25 g carbohydrate; 33 g protein; 10 g fiber; 583 mg sodium; 718 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (150% daily value), Vitamin C (60% dv), Folate (53% dv), Iron (25% dv), Potassium (22% dv).
What inexpensive pantry ingredients do you keep on hand to save money on your food budget?
By Jessie Price
Jessie Price is the deputy editor of food for EatingWell Media Group, where she directs all food content. Besides her work on nine other EatingWell books, she is the author of EatingWell on a Budget and The Simple Art of EatingWell. She lives in Charlotte, Vermont where she stays busy growing her own vegetables in the summer and tracking down great Vermont food products when she's not working.
Related Links from EatingWell:
- 6 Ways to Save $2,997 a Year on Food
- Creamy Hamburger Noodle Casserole, Meatloaf and 14 more cheap, healthy recipes using ground beef
- 23 Quick Weeknight Dinners for Less than $3 per serving
- Buy EatingWell on a Budget to get 140 recipes that cost less than $3 per serving and tons more great tips on how to eat well for less. Order now and save 10% off the cover price!
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