5 Days of Pantry Meals {free printable!}

Last week I did a special series on Instagram highlighting meals that lean on pantry staples due to the current circumstances. Here are all five of those meals along with a free printable which includes all of the full recipes! Note: there are affiliate links in this post which means that at no extra cost to you I receive a small commission on items purchased.

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Hello, beautiful. These pancakes were inspired by these scones that I had been set on making (anyone else baking up a storm right now?). Unfortunately I was short on almond flour, so I thought about what else I could “carrot cake” instead.

My favorite Kodiak Cakes Buttermilk Power Cakes Mix made these super simple. I just mixed raisins, chopped nuts, finely grated carrots and coconut flakes into the batter. To really take them over the top I finished them with a mascarpone/maple glaze because I had some on hand. This is totally optional and can be modified!

I love the Kodiak Cakes mix even more than usual right now because it’s so versatile. Besides pancakes and waffles there’s also a muffin recipe on the box and they always turn out great.

Instant Pot Chicken Tacos

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This is a classic slow cooker/instant pot recipe for good reason. With just two ingredients you can make an awesome protein for tacos, burritos, bowls, nachos or quesadillas. Of course I’m partial to using the instant pot because there’s no need to plan ahead. I even used frozen chicken and this was still ready in 30 minutes (it’s not recommended that you put frozen proteins in the slow cooker, just FYI).

Optional but awesome: swirl in cream cheese once shredded (if you have it) for a super silky texture. Pictured above is the shredded chicken in a taco with canned black beans (adding plant protein increases fiber and stretches the chicken to multiple meals), sliced avocado, cilantro and hot sauce.

Anchovy Walnut Pasta

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This anchovy pasta may have been my favorite. Inspired by this Bon Appetit recipe, I can really appreciate the umami power of adding anchovies to tomato sauce. For the version above, I actually used half a jar of leftover marinara sauce instead of the tomatoes but either would work. I have an older version of this food processor (affiliate) and let me tell you, it will take your sauce-making game to the next level! Whirl up your tomatoes/sauce with anchovies, parmesan, garlic, and walnuts until smooth and creamy – that’s it!

The trick to getting the sauce to really stick to the noodles is adding some reserved pasta water when tossing it all together. It’s creamy and comforting and the add-ins also make it a little bit more nutritionally balanced than than your standard noodles and tomato sauce. I’m pretty sure I never want to eat pasta sans anchovies again!

Baked Potato Bar

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How fun is this? Potatoes are a great staple when you aren’t grocery shopping as often because they hold up for a really long time, are economical, nutrient-dense and filling. It’s simple to create your own stuffed potato bar spread with ingredients you probably already (this meal was totally unplanned on my part).

I pulled bacon from the freezer and cooked that up until crispy, heated up some frozen broccoli and offered a few different cheeses/spices/condiments for flavor. Cottage cheese was the main protein. I’m a huge fan of “build-your-own” meals and this one will not disappoint!

Sweet & Spicy Chickpea Salad

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And lastly, the perfect pantry lunch. Chickpeas are something I always stock because I use them in a zillion different ways (seriously). A riff on this salad is often lunch; fast, easy and filling.

For this particular version I went with a sweet and spicy flavor profile and love how it turned out. If you don’t have pickles, sub capers or olives. If you don’t have mayo, try plain Greek yogurt. If you don’t have the Trader Joe’s Italian Bomba, sub sriracha. Use this salad on crackers or stuff it into a sandwich or tortilla.

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Now for the recipes! Grab your free download including all five recipes in one easy-to-read printable using the opt-in box below. If you aren’t following me over on Instagram yet, make sure you do to get more pantry meals on the fly as we navigate this time at home. I hope you are all doing well and staying healthy!