Pantry Upgrade: Shop & Stock Up on a Budget

A well-stocked pantry is your secret weapon for quick, healthy meals on a budget. With the right essentials (and a few indulgent extras), you'll always have what you need to whip up something delicious and nutritious, making it easier to skip the takeout temptation or processed foods.

WINTER SQUASH SOUP BASE
Serves 6-8

For easy weeknight dinners, cook up the base recipe below on a Sunday and store it in the fridge. During the rest of the week, simply heat up the base and add the ingredients from one of the many combinations below or come up with your own. With a well stocked pantry, you’ll savor a variety of soups throughout the week in about 15 minutes. (That’s less time than it takes to get take-out!) Add your favorite beans or other protein to make it more filling. For more nutrients (and texture), add a handful of chopped dark leafy greens and they will wilt from the heat of the soup.

In this base recipe, we’re using winter squash, but this will work equally well with cauliflower, carrots, or other winter vegetables. Those ingredients can be cooked in the oven or in the pot with the leek and the carrot, until softened.

1 small winter squash (around 3 pounds), like Kabocha
2 Tablespoons avocado oil or other neutral tasting oil
1 leek, white and light-green parts only, halved lengthwise, washed well, and thinly sliced (or 1 medium onion of any color)
1 large or two small carrots, roughly chopped
1 quart low-sodium vegetable broth (or water)
Sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the whole squash on the baking sheet (or in an cast iron skillet without parchment paper) and cook until very tender and it is easily pierced with a knife, around an hour. Remove from oven, take off and discard or compost the stem, and slice the squash in half to let the steam release and to let cool.

2. While the squash is cooking, prepare the rest of the ingredients. In a large heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the leek, carrot, and a generous pinch of salt, and cook stirring frequently until the vegetables soften but do not brown, around 8-10 minutes. Set aside.

3. Once the squash is cool enough to handle, roughly chop or tear it into 3 to 4-inch pieces. Transfer 1/3 to 1/2 of the squash pieces to a blender, depending on how big your blender container is. (If you have a high-speed blender, the skin can be blended right into the soup. If not, you may need to scoop the flesh from the skin, as the skin could be too tough for the blender to integrate into the soup.) Add the leek and carrot to the blender along with 1-2 cups of broth or water, making sure that the blender is not filled more than 2/3 of the way. Blend until smooth then transfer to the pot.

4. Blend the remaining squash with 1-2 cups broth or water and then transfer to the pot. You may need to do this in multiple batches, depending on the size of your blender.

5. Stir well to combine, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water or more stock if needed to thin soup to desired consistency and add salt to taste.

VARIATIONS TO FINISH:

Spanish inspired:
Stir in 1-2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika and 2 teaspoons lime juice. Garnish each serving with a dollop of plain yogurt, roughly chopped cilantro, and toasted pepitas.
Protein suggestions: chickpeas, lentils, cod

Japanese inspired:
Stir in 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, 2 teaspoons tamari or white/blonde miso, and 2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar. (minced fresh ginger too, if you wish.) Garnish each serving with thinly sliced green onion and toasted sesame seeds.
Protein suggestions: cubed tofu, shrimp, edamame

Indian inspired:
Stir in 1 tablespoon curry powder, ¼ cup coconut milk, and 2 teaspoons lime juice. Garnish each serving with a dollop of plain yogurt, roughly chopped cilantro, and toasted brown mustard seeds. (To toast mustard seeds: Place small skillet over medium-low heat, add mustard seeds and toast until they start to pop and turn grey.)
Protein suggestions: chickpeas, lentils, paneer

Italian inspired:
Stir in 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and garnish each serving with toasted walnuts and *pan-fried fresh rosemary or fresh sage.
Protein suggestions: cannellini beans, lentils, chicken

* To pan-fry rosemary or sage: De-stem herbs. Place a small plate lined with paper towel next to the stove, but not too close – be safe. Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the herbs of the leaves and submerge in the oil with tongs or a fork, flipping over so they become evenly browned and crispy. Transfer to the plate.)

 The Benefits of a Well-Stocked Pantry (i.e. - less of a need for meal planning)

A well-stocked pantry (plus some cooking skills and know-how) is the key to throwing together a healthy meal on the fly and it comes to the rescue when you haven’t meal planned. You can always come up with a meal with what you have on hand if you have a pantry with various ingredients that you like so it’s less stressful when you don’t know what’s for dinner and it’s more difficult to justify a last minute decision to get take out or a run to the store. Having a variety of ingredients at your fingertips allows for creativity and will save you time and money.

I think of a pantry not only as the dry goods in the cabinets, but as the fridge (often the ingredients stored in the inside of the fridge door) and freezer. If you have a garden or any food you are growing, that’s your living pantry.

A word on splurging - that amazing condiment you love or are curious about and is pricey? Think of it this way - it will make many meals better and therefore may sway you to cook. If you have a few ingredients in your pantry that inspire you to cook and that you can build a meal around, it’s well worth it.

Yes, food costs are rising across the board. But if you are surprised by the cost of tinned fish, for example - this can be worked into a dish that will feed 4 people. If you divide the cost by four it’s not that much, definitely less than ordering in. And if it’s a great product that is ethically sourced and made with care, it’s worth the money.

Know your options for purchasing food and where the deals are. Sales, coupons, different grocery stores - Grocery Outlet (I buy dates, cocoa or cacao powder, hemp seeds, soy milk), Trader Joe’s (apples, lemons and limes, nuts and dried fruit), Farmer’s Markets where there’s an abundance of in-season produce that is sometimes less expensive than grocery stores, global markets, online

Pantry Reboot - do this at least a few times per year. If you do it often then it becomes part of your routine that you value because you’ll reap the benefits. And it’s one of those chores that once you actually do it, it’s not a big deal.

• Take inventory of each zone and declutter as go - keep, toss, donate, compost
  When was the last time I used this? Realistically, will I ever use this? I say goodbye if it’s been 9 months.
  Can I/will I make a meal with this sometime this week?Do I enjoy eating this?

• Clean - wipe down inside of cabinets, freezer, fridge etc along with their contents.

• Organize
  We eat with our eyes - make an appetizing meal and also make your kitchen an appealing place to be
  Clear airtight containers with labels for bulk
  Designated areas - group like items together
  Use larger clear food containers to hold groups of small items like extracts or dried chiles
  Display ingredients on multiple levels if you can’t see past the first row
  Medications out of sight - ideally out of the kitchen
  (While we are on the topic of organizing - give yourself as much counter space as you can. Clutter overwhelms the brain. If you have a knife block on the counter, consider storing your knives on a magnetic strip on the wall or in a drawer. That jar of miscellaneous pens and stuff - find a new home for it and also that pile of papers.)

• Consider making an inventory list with dates so you know what’s in the bottom/back of the freezer and cabinets. If you know what you actually have on hand you’ll find there are so many opportunities. For example, had I known there was bulgur in the back of my cabinet, I would have riffed on winter tabouleh for the last few months. Or if I had a list of spices, I wouldn’t have bought cumin again when I have 3 containers of it already. You’ll save money by using more of what you have.

• Restock with ingredients - see suggestions below. This is a loooong list and keep in mind these are just suggestions!

Dry Goods

Legumes (beans, peas, lentils)

• Dry beans (I love beans from Rancho Gordo)– make a big batch and work it into dishes throughout the week – black, garbanzo, cannellini, etc

• Canned beans

• Lentils and split peas – quick cooking, no soaking necessary, also to sauté for crunch

• Brami Lupini Beans - great for snacking or adding to your meals last minute

• A Dozen Cousins - bagged beans that are seasoned, no weird ingredients just alliums, spices, herbs… mix that w bulghur and leafy greens and you have a meal in ten minutes.

Whole Grains (and other grainy staples) – many options for sweet or savory dishes, breakfast, lunch, dinner

• Rice (short and long grain brown, jasmine, sweet brown wild rice – actually a grass)

• Polenta – great soft, baked or grilled

• Quinoa – ancient seed with high protein, gluten free. Great in salads, with fresh or cooked veggies. Cook and then toss with olive oil and salt and crisp in the oven in an even layer on a sheet tray at 375 degrees or in a skillet stovetop

• Millet – gluten free, nice in salad, breakfast cereals, stuffing vegetables, absorbs whatever flavors are added to it. For a crunchy addition, simply dry toast in a skillet until fragrant and golden brown

• Amaranth – higher protein than quinoa. Pop and mix into bars, sprinkle on soup, in salads, cook like porridge

• Oats – Quick, rolled, steel cut - whatever your favorite. Steel cut oats have a bit more fiber and are lower on the glycemic index than quick and rolled, but take longer to cook. But you can always let them soak in liquid overnight for overnight oats! Make a big batch as they’ll keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. I like having rolled oats on hand to grind to flour and make milk.

• Popcorn – high fiber snack, worth buying air popper for $25. Toss w all sorts of spices

• Noodles – rice noodles, pasta

• Rice papers for salad rolls

• Shelf stable gnocchi found near pasta and polenta; frozen also available - Trader Joe’s makes frozen cauliflower gnocchi

• Panko breadcrumbs

Canned Fish - sardines, anchovies, tuna, salmon etc

Dried Fruit and Vegetables

• I typically have unsweetened coconut flakes, dried cherries, apricots, dates and prunes in the pantry. Sometimes dried blueberries, mango, currants, golden raisins. Soak in just boiled water and blend into sauces and dressings for added natural sweetener. Add into grains, vegetables, salads etc.

• Sun-dried tomatoes, dried mushrooms and chilies

• Tamarind paste

• Jarred roasted red peppers, capers, tomato paste

• Seaweeds- nori, kombu, arame

• Canned – tomatoes, tomato paste, coconut milk (with no guar gum or other ingredients - Trader Joe’s carries and also the brand Native Forest which is more expensive)

Liquids and pastes

Tamari/Coconut Aminos
Mirin (check label to make sure no corn syrup. Eden brand is good) 
Sherry wine
Honey
Vanilla extract (make your own to save $)
Dark pure maple syrup
Alt milks – Oat, almond, rice, soy, hemp – good to switch them up for variety. Even better to make your own.
Nut and seed butters – tahini (I love Soom), almond butter, peanut butter
Oils

• Avocado – neutral and high heat cooking

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – one for cooking, one for finishing. I love Corto - I develop content and recipes for them and love the Truly Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the Agrumato style olive oils - pressed with yuzu citrus and Calabrian chiles!

• Coconut

• Chili Oil (favorite local brand)

• Toasted sesame

• Roasted nut - (walnut, hazelnut) for finishing, for salads

Vinegars - balsamic (I love this one, it is thick, almost like reduced), red wine, sherry, apple cider, champagne, rice 

Seasonings

Favorite brands: Diaspora Co., Rumi Spice, Burlap & Barrel, Boonville Barn Collective

Salt: I like Diamond Crystal kosher salt as every day salt. It’s used by many restaurants and is the standard for many recipes. Sometimes I use sea salt. For flake salt I like Jacobsen Salt Co. (started in Netarts, OR and HQ in Portland!). I also love smoked salt.

Black peppercorns (in a grinder or grind in coffee/spice grinder)

Spices: coriander seed, cumin seed, sweet smoked paprika, turmeric, fenugreek, fennel seed, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, cinnamon sticks, whole nutmeg, brown mustard seed, whole cloves, cardamom pods, sumac, za’atar, nutritional yeast.

Dried herbs: thyme, oregano, rosemary, bay leaf

Some favorite combos:

cumin and coriander (plus smoked paprika, or brown mustard seeds, or cardamom)

za'atar on its own (plus mint and oregano)

sumac, citrus, fennel seed

curry powder, turmeric, fenugreek

parsley, mint, dill, sweet basil

oregano, sage, thyme, rosemary

Spices and dried herbs keep well for around 6 months. When their color and fragrance has faded they’ve lost their flavor and potency, though they won’t harm you. Great to buy spices you don’t use frequently in small amounts in bulk so they don’t go to waste. Store in a cool, dry, dark place.They keep longer in the freezer. Ideally purchase whole spices so they stay vibrant longer, and grind them using a small coffee/spice grinder. Clean your spice grinder with a damp paper towel or grind uncooked rice and then wipe it out.

Baking

Cacao and/or cocoa powder
Pearl tapioca - for puddings and can grind into flour for a thickener
Arrowroot
Baking powder
Flour (all purpose or gluten-free blend) (store in freezer if you won’t go through it quickly)
(plus maple syrup, honey, and ingredients in other categories)

Frozen
Make good use of your freezer. Start with a frozen base - pizza, dumpling, ravioli - and augment with fresh or frozen vegetables

Fruit for smoothies, desserts, pancakes, hot cereal (berries, stone fruit – ideally pick over the summer, buy at farm stand or farmers market)
Leftover cooked grains and beans
Leftover soups, stews, chilis
Makrut lime leaves, curry leaves
Curry paste
Citrus zest
Garlic and ginger paste cubes that you make or buy - Trader Joe’s carries them and they are flash-frozen so they retain the potency, flavor, and nutrients of fresh.
Pesto
Butter
Peas
Spinach
Gyoza and ravioli
Pizza
Nuts and Seeds - for salads, snacks, breakfast cereal (oatmeal), baked goods. Buy whole and raw so you have the option to have them whole or chopped; raw or toasted. If you go through them quickly, no need to freeze them.

• Raw cashews, pecans, walnuts, pine nuts, peanuts, almonds pistachio nuts, hazelnuts

• Flax seeds, chia seeds, pepitas (green pumpkin seeds), sunflower seeds, sesame seeds (white and black)

Refrigerated

Miso
Dijon mustard
Baking soda
Hot sauce
Chili Crisp
Thai and True curry paste
Tillamook Butter and Miyoko’s vegan butter
Tofu - (I’m not sure if Ota Tofu is available in WA. It’s a Portland brand, oldest tofu factory in the US! 1911! There’s probably local tofu up in WA)
Tempeh
Castelvetrano or Kalamata olives
Plain yogurt
Butter
Eggs
Parmesan cheese or Pecorino Romano
Kimchee or Sauerkraut

Refrigerated produce:
Lemons and limes
Seasonal fruit and veg
Dark leafy greens
I pretty much always have a cabbage in my fridge. Cabbage lasts a really long time and is so versatile and good for you. If I have cabbage and my pantry and/or freezer, I can make a variety of meals. (Other hard vegetables that last - carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash and pumpkins, beets, radish, onion)
At least one herb - basil, cilantro, flat-leaf parsley, mint, Thai basil

Storing herbs- Basil doesn’t like cold. Best to trim the bottoms of the stems and keep in a jar of water with a plastic bag loosely over the leaves. Change the water and trim the stems daily. Other herbs with delicate leaves like cilantro, mint, and parsley do well with the same jar treatment, stored in the door of the fridge.
Fresh herbs

Room temp produce
I always have some kind of onion on hand - red, yellow or white onion or shallot. (Or green onion/scallion in the fridge.)