10 Pantry Meals: When the Menu Plan Doesn’t Happen

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Looking for easy pantry meals for nights when you forget about dinner? In this post, I’m sharing 10 easy ideas to help you save money and eat simple and quick dinners at home on busy nights!

Pantry meals are those budget saving meals you have ready to go at all times just in case your meal plan doesn’t work out like you had hoped. 

You can have simple pantry ingredients stocked at all times, to be able to throw together a great meal in no time without having to thaw any meat or needing a special ingredient. 

These meals are great to have in your back pocket when you forget to thaw some meat, don’t have an ingredient you need, or just don’t feel up to making what you had planned for dinner that night. 

Check out this list of quick and easy pantry meals, and think of your own pantry meal ideas to add to this list!

Have you ever had your menu planned out for the week, ready to save some money by not eating out, and then forget to thaw your meat or get all of the ingredients for the meal? And then you wind up ordering pizza or going to Chick Fil A instead?

Yeah, me too.

We had good intentions though, right? We made the menu plan, we bought the groceries, but one step didn’t happen and it all fell apart.

Causing us to spend money we weren’t planning to spend and throwing our menu plan out the window.

I can’t do anything to make those nights not happen. We are all human, and we forget things. It happens.

I don’t know how many times I have gotten to work and realized I forgot to lay the meat out to thaw. And there’s nothing you can do about it then.

10 Pantry Meals: When the Menu Plan Doesn’t Happen

Since those forgetful times aren’t going anywhere, I decided I will have a back up plan at home. Instead of immediately throwing the menu plan and budget out the window, and instead of heading to get a pizza or Chick Fil A, I can have back up “pantry meals”.

Sounds great, but what is a pantry meal??

A pantry meal would be something that you keep the ingredients on hand for all the time. Simple meals with simple ingredients that have a long shelf life.

Meals you don’t need to thaw anything for or have a special ingredient. Simple and cheap back up meals to save our budgets.

So, are you wondering, “What can I make with the food in my pantry?” now?

10 Pantry Meals:

Make one of these quick, easy, and simple dinners with pantry staples you probably already have on hand!

Perfect for those nights when you are left wondering, “What can I eat when there is no food in the house?”.

1. Pasta

   Keep your favorite noodles and jar of sauce on hand to throw together in a pinch. It won’t be your famous homemade spaghetti sauce, but it’ll be great for a back up meal!

2. Quesadillas

   Keep tortillas on hand to make quesadillas when all else fails. I always have some sort of shredded cheese in the fridge, so these are always super easy.

3. Pizza

   Before you head to the nearest pizza place, head to your pantry and see if you can make your own! Keep flatbread and pizza sauce on hand to make individual pizzas in a pinch. You may not get all of your favorite toppings, but it will force you to be creative!

   

4. Macaroni and Cheese

   Keep a few boxes of macaroni and cheese stocked for a quick and easy meal. If you can’t stand the boxed kind, keep some Velveeta cheese and elbow noodles to make your own.

   

5. Chicken or Tuna Salad

   Grab the lunch kits and stock up, or the cans to make your own chicken or tuna salad when you didn’t get the chicken thawed for the other meal you planned.

   

6. Canned Vegetables

   It may not make a full meal, but you could easily warm up a few cans of vegetables and have a veggie night! Or use up all the vegetables you have in your fridge!

   

7. Canned Soup

   Again, not your famous homemade recipe, but perfect for back up meals! If you have bread, make a grilled cheese for a heartier meal.

8. Sandwiches

   Probably not the exciting meal you had planned, but when that doesn’t work out, sandwiches can come to the rescue. Make a grilled sandwich or panini so it doesn’t taste like your lunch. You could even set up a little make your own sandwich bar, which seems totally thought out and not a backup meal at all. 😉

9. Nachos

   Keep tortilla chips on hand and you make nachos for a fun (and super easy) dinner. Just melt some cheese on top and add whatever toppings you have. If you happen to have some Velveeta and Rotel, you can make a quick queso dip! Perfect for game or movie night!

   

10. Snack dinner

    Make a snack dinner out of mixed nuts, cut up fruit, popcorn, veggies with dip, and maybe some crackers and cheese. It won’t be the most glamorous meal, but it’ll do if your meal plan falls through.

These meals aren’t fancy, super nutritious, or anything award winning. But, when your menu plan doesn’t happen as you had planned, these meals can be your saving grace.

When you forgot to thaw the meat or you are missing an ingredient, just whip up one of these easy pantry meals.

Getting a little creative, instead of heading straight to get pizza or Chick Fil A, can save your budget.

Print this list out and tape it inside your pantry when your menu plan fails, and you can’t think of anything to make with what you’ve got on hand. I’m sure you will find something to whip up and save you a trip and the money pizza would cost.

Here are some more cheap meal ideas to help you make your own frugal weekly meal plan:

20 Things to Eat on a Tight Budget

12 Cheap Meals: $2 Meal Ideas

Cheap Dinner Ideas for 2

Easy Two Week Rotating Meal Plan on a Budget

15 Ideas of 10 Minute Meals

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