8 store cupboard recipes that you probably already have the ingredients for

If coronavirus means you’re limiting your visits to the supermarket, you might be looking for some recipes using ingredients you already have at home. From grains to frozen vegetables, there are some things we always have in our kitchen. Here are 8 delicious recipes for when you can't make it to the shops.

Trusty soup

You can make literally anything into a soup. And we mean anything. This delicious potato soup uses things you probably have knocking around in the veg draw and can be made for next to no money. If you have some veg in the fridge that looks like it might be going off, don’t waste it at a time like this. Instead, fry up some onions, before adding some stock and boiling up any veg you fancy. Then use a hand blender to smooth it out. Batch cook it and leave it in the fridge, or you can even freeze it. 

 

Good old spag bol

If you’ve got some mince meat in the freezer, then by all means dig it out, but if you haven’t got any, don’t let that put you off creating a delicious spa bol. This vegetarian spaghetti uses ingredients you’re likely to have at home and you can add to it if you fancy. Dried mushrooms and green lentils give the dish a unique twist. 

 

Hearty chilli

Using beans that you already have in the cupboard and a carton of tinned tomatoes, you can create this delicious chilli. Serve with rice, or even wait till it’s cold and put it in a burrito, and any add-ons you have lying around: hot sauce or salsa, jalapeños, sour cream or Greek yoghurt, fresh green leaves or grated cheddar. Another dish that’s worth batch cooking and you can freeze it for a rainy day. Or send it round to a neighbour to brighten up their day. 

 

Healthy lentil burgers

This recipe for green lentil burgers features white miso and a specific mushroom, but they’re by no means essential. So cut them out to simplify the dish if you can’t get your hands on things like this. Everything else is likely already in the cupboard like green lentils and garlic. If you haven’t got any bread buns, substitute them for lettuce wraps to make this even healthier. 

 

Quick and easy omelette

Is there any dinner that’s quicker and easier than an omelette? All you need is eggs. Whisk them up with a splash of milk and some salt and pepper before pouring them into a non-stick frying pan. Then comes the fun part. Add anything you fancy. Broccoli? Chuck it in. Ham and cheese? Cut them into strips and pop them in. Even potatoes can be added to make an omelette/frittata hybrid that will you up. 

 

Tasty tuna pasta bake

This is a favourite among students around the world and is the perfect dinner when you only have what’s in the cupboards. That tin of tuna which has been at the back of the shelf since last year can finally come out and be mixed with tinned tomatoes, pasta and cheese if you have it to create a tasty bake. Simply pop the ingredients in a baking dish and put it in the oven for 30 minutes. Eat with a crusty loaf. 

 

Sausage and bean hotpot

Nearly every kitchen cupboard will have some baked beans in, so use this opportunity its to get creative with the store cupboard staple. This hearty sausage and bean hotpot takes under an hour to prepare and cook and will feed a family of four with some to spare. If baked beans aren’t available, you can substitute the baked beans for kidney beans or another lentil and just use some vegetable stock to thicken up the stew. 

 

Flourless chocolate cake

One of the first things to disappear from the shops during a crisis is flour as people stock up on it to make pasta and bread. But if you have no flour at home and didn’t manage to get any at the shops, that doesn’t mean you can’t bake. This flourless chocolate cake uses just three ingredients and is so moorish that you’ll probably end up baking it again and again. It takes very little cooking time and is so easy that you can whip it up at a moment’s notice and enjoy an indulgent dessert.