If you’re feeling overwhelmed by coronavirus updates, you’re not alone. In Portland, COVID-19 responses are at full-throttle: The other night, our governor announced that all schools in Oregon would close for the remainder of the month. Restaurants and shops are closing, and grocery stores are zoos. My boss told us to work from home starting next week, so I’m gearing up for at least a week basically house-bound. And to top it all off, Portlanders woke up to snow this morning.
But that means more time for cooking, am I right? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with stocking up on frozen meals or pre-made soups, but it’s nice – and often cheaper – to have the raw materials to cook some delicious meals as well. This list of coronavirus pantry essentials (and a few extras) will focus on budget-friendly ingredients that, for the most part, will last close to a month in your fridge or pantry and will allow you to keep on cooking through the coronavirus craziness.
I’ve separated this list of coronavirus pantry essentials into five sections: canned goods; pickled/fermented foods; meat, cheese and dairy; fruits and vegetables; and flavor enhancers. I hope this is helpful. I’m gluten-free and I eat meat, so it reflects that. It’s a long list (you likely already have a number of these things), so feel free to ignore what doesn’t appeal to you.
What are your coronavirus pantry essentials? Tell me in the comments!
Jump to the full coronavirus pantry essentials list
Canned goods
These can serve as the base for so many good recipes, and they’re typically very cheap.
- Diced tomatoes, tomato puree, tomato paste
- Artichokes
- Beans (refried, kidney, cannellini, black – the world is your oyster!)
- Tuna
Recipe ideas: Smoky Tuna Mac and Cheese, Sweet Potato Chipotle Chili, Bacon Artichoke Spinach Salad
Pickled/fermented foods
Pickled and fermented foods are a great vehicle for nutritious veggies.
- Kimchi
- Beets
- Olives
- Pickles
Recipe ideas: Spicy Kimchi Noodle Soup, ABC salad (Artichokes, Beets and Chevre), Dad’s Potato Salad, Antipasto Salad
Meat, cheese and dairy
Not all meat is created equal. While just about everything freezes just fine, some types are more versatile and are better suited to freezing than others:
- Bacon
- Mexican chorizo
- Spicy Italian sausage
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
Recipe ideas: Spicy Sausage Tuscan Soup, Chorizo Breakfast Casserole, Bacon Brussels Salad, Grilled Chicken Sun-Dried Tomato and Avocado Spinach Salad
The same goes for cheeses, which also freeze well. I prefer to stick to a couple in my fridge. With an exception of the super-processed (but very versatile) cream cheese, opt for hard, aged cheeses, which have a longer shelf life.
- Parmesan
- Cheddar
- Cream cheese (It unopened)
Recipe ideas: Bacon Apple Kale Salad, Creamy Macaroni and Cheese, Chicken Enchiladas
Now for the rest:
- Eggs
- Heavy cream (keeps much longer than milk)
- Unsalted butter
Recipe ideas: Chorizo Breakfast Tacos, White Cheddar Omelette, Breakfast Bagel Sandwiches with Herbed Cream Cheese
Fruits and vegetables
Stocking up does not mean getting scurvy! Many fruits and veggies have a looong shelf life in your fridge or stored in a cool, dry place. And frozen veggies are always better than none at all. For certain recipes, they’re better than fresh.
For a cool, dry pantry:
- Potatoes (russets, golds, sweet, anything goes!)
- Onions
- Garlic
- Squash
Recipe ideas: Butternut Squash Salad, Roasted Garlic Potato Soup, Sweet Potato Avocado Salad, Potato Poblano Leek Soup
For your fridge or a cold, damp cellar:
- Apples
- Lemons (Incredibly versatile: Use the juice for tea and salad dressings, the zest in baking and the rind in cocktails)
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Brussels sprouts
Recipe ideas: Chicken Piccata, Ginger Hot Toddy, Classic Memphis-Style Coleslaw
Frozen:
- Peas
- Corn
- Spinach
- Berries
Recipe ideas: Bacon Pea Parm Pasta, Ultimate Salmon Chowder, Palak Paneer, Raspberry Peach Smoothie
Dry goods
This is where I tend to over-do it. It can be easy to want to buy everything you see, but I try to stick to a few staples I can use in a lot of different ways.
- Rice (basmati and arborio are my go-tos)
- Pasta (I like to grab a couple different types: spaghetti and macaroni, or shells and penne)
- Rice noodles (dry or fresh)
- Corn meal (for polenta)
- Lentils
- Peanuts
- Oats
- Coffee/tea
Recipe ideas: Crockpot Beef Ragú with Polenta, Pumpkin Risotto with Mushrooms and Sausage, Lentil Soup, Bangkok Pad Thai
Flavor enhancers
This is where things can get fun, but also a little pricey. That’s why I’ve split this category into two parts: essentials and extras.
Essentials
- Salt and pepper
- Cooking oil (coconut, canola, olive, ghee)
- Vinegar (white wine and rice vinegars are the most versatile)
- Sugar
- Stock base (I swear by Better than Bouillon – less waste than cans or cartons of stock, and more bang for your buck. Also keeps in your fridge for months.)
Extras
- Spices (cumin, oregano, thyme and cayenne are my go-tos)
- Wine (grab a bottle or two of cheap-ish wine that you wouldn’t mind drinking)
- Miso (keeps in the fridge possibly forever)
- Hot sauce (sriracha, Frank’s Red Hot and Cholula are my favorites)
- Anchovies/anchovy paste
- Soy sauce
- Mustard
Recipe ideas: Veggie Sandwich with Miso Cream Cheese, Slow Cooker French Wine and Mustard Chicken, Chicken Adobo, Baked Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks
Coronavirus pantry essentials (plus a few extras)
Fresh produce
- Potatoes
- Onions
- Garlic
- Squash
- Apples
- Lemons
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Brussels sprouts
Dry goods
- Rice
- Pasta
- Rice noodles
- Corn meal
- Lentils
- Peanuts
- Oats
- Coffee
- Tea
- Sugar
Canned and jarred goods
- Diced tomatoes
- Tomato puree
- Tomato paste
- Artichokes
- Beans
- Tuna
- Kimchi
- Pickled beets
- Olives
- Pickles
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- White wine vinegar
- Jarred chicken stock base
- Spices: cumin, oregano, thyme, cayenne
- Wine
- White miso
- Hot sauce
- Anchovy paste
- Soy sauce
- Mustard
Frozen foods
- Peas
- Corn
- Spinach
- Berries
Refrigerated foods
- Bacon
- Mexican chorizo
- Spicy Italian sausage
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Parmesan
- Cheddar
- Cream cheese
- Eggs
- Heavy cream
- Unsalted butter