We have very eclectic tastes in our cooking, so having a well-stocked pantry is key for making a lot of our favorite meals! We thought we’d give you a glimpse into what our pantry situation looks like. If you’re a foodie like us, and love making a lot of ethnic dishes, this is a great list of pantry essentials you’ll always want to have on hand.
We love trying different ethnic cuisines, but the bulk of our meals tend to be Latin, Asian, Italian, or Mediterranean inspired. This list reflects that, for sure. We’ve left off some obvious pantry essentials like sugar, flour, oils and vinegars, as we assume most people will already have these stocked regardless of their food preferences!
Canned Goods:
-Canned beans: Perfect for last minute soups, stews, or as a side dish for Mexican dishes. Garbanzo beans are great to have on hand for a quick hummus.
-Coconut milk: For Indian and Thai curry dishes and soups like one of our favorites – curried butternut squash and carrot soup.
-Tomato Paste (Squeeze tube): We love having tomato pasta saved in a squeeze tube in the fridge so the whole can doesn’t go bad! We use little bits at a time for sauces and marinades.
-Ginger (Squeeze tube): Great for stir fries, Thai dishes, marinades. Again, love that it’s in a squeeze tube, so it doesn’t go bad!
Dried Goods:
-Kosher Salt: Everyone has salt in their pantries, BUT not all salt is created equal! We prefer using kosher salt over traditional iodized salt for seasoning foods. For a list of reasons why check out this article.
-Soba Noodles: We love having these noodles on hand because they are super fast to cook and work great in warm and cold dishes. We use them in our tofu bowls or for a heartier salad.
-Brown Rice: Brown rice used to take us a long time to prepare, but with our Instant Pot, we can now make it so much faster! We like using Brown rice over white rice to get more fiber in our diet! Perfect pairing with stir fries or alongside some seared fish and broccoli.
-Pasta: Enough said right? We love making homemade pasta, but for a quick weeknight dinner, nothing beats the ease of having a box of dried pasta in the pantry. Our favorites are angel hair, rotini, and shells.
Sauces/Condiments:
-Soy Sauce: You really can’t make any stir fry dish without soy sauce! We also use it for marinades for fish, pork, and chicken! We love this Salmon Teriyaki recipe from Bon Appetit for a quick weeknight meal.
-Fish Sauce: This stuff is VERY pungent, but it’s a flavor bomb! It’s made from fish that’s been coated in salt and fermented, delicious I know. It’s a staple in a lot of Vietnamese and Thai dishes.
-Sambal Oelek: This Indonesian chili paste is another favorite for stir fries and marinades. While we also love Sriracha, we prefer this chili paste for its versatility in cooking and it’s slightly tangier taste and thinner consistency.
-Balsamic Glaze: A must have to top off almost all pasta dishes! The glaze lends the perfect amount of sweetness and acidity to balance tomato based sauces. It’s also great for crostinis and appetizers.
-Chicken Broth: Rather than keeping cartons of chicken broth in the pantry and then half using them and going bad – we use Better than Bullion. This stuff is SO handy when you need a small amount of broth. This happens often in sauces, marinades, or even for stews or chili.
-Calabrian Chilies: We love spicy food and like to have a little hint of spice on a lot of our dishes. These Italian jarred chilies are especially tasty for topping off pizzas or pastas. Our Spicy Seafood Pasta with Vodka Sauce isn’t complete without some calabrian chilies on top!
-Whole Grain Mustard: Our favorite type of mustard! Another versatile pantry staple useful for sandwiches, cheese plates, or dipping for sausages. We use it often to make our favorite salad dressing – a mustard vinaigrette.
-Tahini: A must-have for hummus, but also great for marinating meats or for salad dressings!
We hope you find this list of pantry essentials handy! You should be able to tackle most of our recipes with this arsenal of ingredients. Happy cooking!