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Empty-Your-Pantry Casserole

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Struggling with what to make for dinner when you have an empty pantry? The answer is empty your pantry casserole of course!!

When I am falling short on groceries the first thing I think to make is an easy casserole. Typically, you’ll already have the ingredients on hand and what is easier than throwing some ingredients into a pan!?

Empty Pantry Recipes

I love this casserole recipe. It is so versatile. You can make it with almost anything. This is a great way to use your leftovers and a great easy dinner recipe for beginners!

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Empty Pantry Recipes

Empty Your Pantry Casserole

This recipe is adapted from the Mix and Match Casserole Recipe. via CDKitchen

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup water
  • 1-2 Tablespoons of oil (bacon grease, olive oil, or sour cream, etc.)
  • Pinch of salt
  • Pepper or spices to taste

Now pick one option from each category below to add to your casserole:

Pick a Sauce:

  • Can of cream of mushroom soup, condensed — undiluted
  • Can of ounces cream of celery soup, condensed — undiluted
  • Can of ounces cream of chicken soup, condensed — undiluted
  • Can of ounces cheddar cheese soup — undiluted
  • Can of diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano — undrained
  • Caramelized onions or mushrooms in beef broth
  • 1 Cup of Sour Cream

Empty Pantry Recipes

…and then your vegetable (2-3 cups worth):

Green beans, sweet peas or corn, Asparagus tips, chopped spinach, frozen veggies, even kale or cabbage will work.

Pick a meat or protein source (about 2 cups worth):

  • Canned white tuna in spring water — drained and flaked
  • Chopped cooked chicken
  • Diced cooked ham
  • Chopped cooked turkey
  • 1 pound ground beef — browned and drained

Empty Pantry Recipes

Add a starch of your choice:

Or… cover with mashed potatoes, hash browns, biscuits, or a pie crust for a meat pie variation.

Extras:

  • 3 ounces canned mushroom slices — drained
  • 1/4 cup sliced black olives
  • 4 1/2 ounces chopped green chiles
  • 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper — or green
  • 2 cloves garlic — minced
  • 1 1/4 ounce taco seasoning mix
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion or scallions
  • 1/4 cup chopped celery

Empty Pantry Recipes

Top it off with:

  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup herb-seasoned stuffing mix
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • Gravy
  • 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
  • 1 cup round buttery crackers — crushed
  • 1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs

Now let’s put it all together!

Combine sour cream, milk, water, salt and pepper with your sauce choice (omit sour cream and milk when using tomatoes). Stir in vegetable, starch, protein, and, if desired, extras. Spoon into a lightly greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish.

Bake, covered, at 350 degrees F for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with toppings; bake 10 more minutes.

Empty-Your-Pantry Casserole

Empty-Your-Pantry Casserole

This recipe is adapted from the Mix and Match Casserole from CDKitchen

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

Sauce Starter:

  • 8 ounces sour cream
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

Choose 1 Sauce:

  • can of cream of mushroom soup, condensed -- undiluted
  • can of cream of celery soup, condensed -- undiluted
  • can of cream of chicken soup, condensed -- undiluted
  • can of cheddar cheese soup -- undiluted
  • can of diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano -- undrained
  • caramelized onions or mushrooms in beef broth

Choose Vegetable (2-3 cups worth):

  • green beans
  • sweet peas
  • corn
  • asparagus tips
  • chopped spinach
  • frozen veggies
  • kale or cabbage

Choose a Protein

  • canned white tuna in spring water -- drained and flaked
  • chopped cooked chicken
  • diced cooked ham
  • chopped cooked turkey
  • 1 pound ground beef -- browned and drained

Choose a Starch (skip if choosing a starch-based topping):

  • 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
  • 1 cup uncooked regular rice
  • 4 cups uncooked wide egg noodles
  • 3 cups uncooked small pasta shells

Choose 1 or 2 Extras:

  • 3 ounces canned mushroom slices -- drained
  • 1/4 cup sliced black olives
  • 4 1/2 ounces chopped green chiles
  • 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper -- or green
  • 2 cloves garlic -- minced
  • 1 1/4 ounce taco seasoning mix
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion or scallions
  • 1/4 cup chopped celery

Choose a Topping:

  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup herb-seasoned stuffing mix
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
  • 1 cup round buttery crackers -- crushed
  • 1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
  • gravy
  • mashed potatoes
  • hash browns
  • biscuits
  • pie crust

Instructions

    1. Combine sour cream, milk, water, salt and pepper with your sauce choice (omit sour cream and milk when using tomatoes).
    2. Stir in vegetable, starch, protein, and, if desired, extras.
    3. Spoon into a lightly greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish. If using a starch-based topping, add it now.
    4. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees F for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
    5. Uncover and sprinkle with toppings; bake 10 more minutes.
© Arena

Here is another empty pantry dinner idea… 

King Ranch Chicken Casserole – yum!

Want some more delicious, easy dinner ideas? We’ve got you covered…

Leave a comment: What did you add to your casserole? We’d love to hear! 

About Quirky Momma

Behind Kids Activities Blog is a team of Quirky Mommas who are passionate about helping moms homeschool preschool,, find fun things to do with their kids, and survive motherhood each day!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Erin

    This sounds so good! My husband is a vegetarian, has anyone tried it with black beans or chickpeas instead of the proteins listed? I think I’ll try it this week!

  4. Nichole

    I found you through WFMW 🙂 This recipe looks delicious and is right up my alley! I have a tendency to find a recipe I love, be out of different ingredients and so I start replacing here and there so it’s nice to find a recipe that encourages that 🙂

  7. 'Becca

    My former housemate made casserole almost every time it was her turn to make dinner, yet they were all different. Now I understand how she did it! 🙂 It is possible to choose a bad combination of ingredients, but most of the time her creations were delicious…and she rarely had to go shopping to get dinner on the table; sneaky!

  11. Miz Helen

    My friend and I were looking at your recipe yesterday, it is an awesome recipe! My friend said ” if you can’t make a meal from this recipe then you just can’t cook”, I agree! Hope you are having a great week end and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

  12. Gina

    This sounds frugal, fun, and delish and is very similar to what I did last night. Fro the protein i used cut up chicken breasts, for the sauce I used a can of cream of broccoli soup and some milk, for the vveggie I used some thawed broccoli florets, and for the topping I used prepared stovetop stuffing. i also added about a cup of grated cheddar for an “extra” and baked it about an hour. So good!

  13. Debmom4ca

    This is the kind of recipe to put inside the cupboard door for the times you need to pull supper together quick.

  14. Jackie

    This is completely awesome! I skipped grocery shopping yesterday so guess what my family will be eating… for like the next week? 🙂

  17. aira

    WOW!.. This is another deliciously-looking recipe. It’s more healthy because it’s veggie. Thanks for sharing it.

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