Top 10 Pantry Essentials Part II

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Pantry Staples for Easy Healthy Cooking

Let’s be real. If you don’t have the basics on hand, you’re not cooking.

You’re driving through, taking out, or ordering from home on an app. Those options are not your best move when your health begins with what’s on your plate.

A well-stocked pantry isn’t about being fancy, it’s about being ready: Ready to pull a meal together without overthinking it and ready to fill your home with irresistible aromas that say something good is happening in this home. Because your health doesn’t begin with a diet, it begins with putting real, nourishing food on your plate.

Cooking has to stay top of mind. Not just when you’re hungry, but before you even get there. If you’re pantry isn’t stocked, you’re scrambling. And when it’s stocked, you don’t need a recipe. You need confidence and a handful of skills to get started. That’s exactly what I teach in my digital book, No Recipe. No Problem. Master 5 Essential Skills for Fearless Cooking at Home. Because when you have skill, a well-stocked pantry spurs endless possibilities to answer the most important question of every day, “What’s for dinner?”.

The ingredients below round out my Top 10 Pantry Essentials. We’re counting down with the final five, David Letterman style.

#5 Dried pasta and noodles

 Who doesn’t love a good plate of pasta? It’s cheap and quick to prepare. You can simmer a spaghetti sauce in under an hour, make a cream sauce in 15 minutes, or simply toss your pasta with some basil pesto. If you’re gluten-free keep rice noodles or soba noodles on hand.

• Pan-Seared Scallops with a Ginger and Garlic Rice Noodle Salad
• Spicy Ramen-Style Chicken Soup
• Soba Noodle Stir Fry
• Pasta alla Penne
• Homemade Mac and Cheese
• Fettuccine Alfredo
• Orzo Salad + Basil Vinaigrette
• Baked Ziti + Italian Sausage
• Vietnamese Summer Rolls
• Pad Thai
• CousCous + Toasted Almonds

#4 Canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste

Having canned tomatoes on hand is a must. Use them for a super simple spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, or as a base for a casserole.

• The Most Delicious Weeknight Spaghetti Sauce
• Baked Ziti With Italian Sausage
• Go to Town on a Go-to Meal, Try Chili Mac
• Shakshuka
• Homemade Pizza Sauce
• Shrimp Creole
• Simple and Easy Weeknight Chili Recipe
• Italian Pot Roast
• Grilled Branzino
• Roasted Broccolini
• Salsa Fresca
• Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
• Sliced Tomato Salad
• Jalapeño Cream Soup
• Cucumber and Tomato Salad
• Gazpacho

#3 Vinegar

Keep a variety of vinegars on hand for a super quick salad dressing. With a drizzle of olive oil, followed by a splash of vinegar your salads will come alive. And add a splash of vinegar to almost any dish to make it pop. Vinegars you should always have on hand: red wine, balsamic, white wine, apple cider, and white.

• Classic Red Wine Vinaigrette
• Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette
• Cucumber and Tomato Salad
• Bêarnaise Sauce
• Hollandaise Sauce
• Homemade Ricotta Cheese: Easy, Peasy
• Greek Nachos
• Shish Kebabs
• Greek Tempeh Wrap with Cashew Yogurt Tzatziki Sauce
• Shaved Fennel Salad
• Greek Salad Dressing
• Garlic Vinaigrette
• Ranch Salad Dressing
• Korean Chicken Wings (air fryer)
• Lettuce Wraps
• Coleslaw
• Asian Coleslaw
• Crunchy Apple Salad

#2 Oil

Always keep olive oil  and avocado oil in the pantry. Buy cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil and organic avocado oil. Olive oil provides the delicate taste you need for salad dressings. Avocado oil has a higher smoke point and is the perfect oil of choice when for a high-heat kitchen maneuver like pan-searing. If you fry frequently, peanut oil is your better choice.

Smoke Points

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 325˚F – 375˚F
• Refined Avocado Oil – 520˚F
• Peanut Oil – 450˚F

#1 Kosher salt

We hear a lot about salt and its overuse in our diet. But here’s the truth. You NEED salt to live. And your tastebuds need your food to be properly seasoned. The only way you’re going to overdo salt in your diet is if you eat a lot of convenient and pre-prepared foods. Learn to properly season your food. Kosher salt is the choice of professional cooks and should be your choice as well.

Find items 6-10 of Top 10 Pantry Essentials here.