7. Rice
Whether you’re making a rice-based dish like fried rice, or just need a side dish- rice is your friend. It’s perfect for stir fry, mixing in with chicken and veggies and pretty much fills in any other gaps in your meal. If you don’t eat rice, keep quinoa on hand. You won’t regret it.
8. Chicken Broth
I don’t buy many food items in bulk because there’s just three of us in our family, and we can usually never eat everything before it goes bad. But chicken broth is one thing I regularly buy at Costco, and it never goes to waste. If you aren’t a regular cook yet, you’ll be surprised at how often you need chicken broth. It’s not just for soups- it’s for casseroles, pasta dishes and sauces and so much more. Chicken broth adds flavor where you never knew it existed and is a required ingredient in so many meals it’s worth buying in large quantities! Don’t let your pantry go without.
9. Frozen Meat
Ok, this last one technically isn’t in your “pantry” (at least I hope not!) but having some frozen chicken or ground beef or turkey can be a lifesaver. I personally only use it as my backup or when I’m doing a casserole style dish, because I don’t feel the meat is as tender once it’s been frozen. However, you can turn a boring meal into something substantial if you keep some frozen meat on hand. Turn your pasta sauce into a hearty meat sauce, and add some diced chicken to a pasta dish. Keep burger patties for easy meals during the summer, and toss them on the grill for hamburgers. You can’t go wrong with frozen meat!