18 Comfort Food Dinners You Can Make with Pantry Ingredients

By

Published on February 5, 2022

Chicken & Stuffing Casserole

These dinners rely on pantry staples, like canned beans, rice and frozen veggies, for a cozy meal that won't require a trip to the grocery store. Use eggs to make a luscious, saucy casserole or doctor up canned tomato soup for a hearty dinner that packs in lots of veggies. With recipes like our Chicken & Stuffing Casserole and Baked Beans with Ground Beef on the menu, your dinner routine will never be the same.

01 of 18

Baked Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Kale

You can make these three-ingredient tomato-simmered eggs with things you probably already have on hand in your freezer and pantry. To make these baked eggs more like eggs in purgatory, look for a spicy tomato sauce and don't forget some whole-wheat bread for dipping.

02 of 18

Chicken & Stuffing Casserole

Chicken & Stuffing Casserole

Stuffing is not just for Thanksgiving with this easy chicken and stuffing casserole. And speaking of Thanksgiving, if you have leftover turkey, feel free to substitute it for the chicken in this comforting and healthy recipe. It's also a great use for extra carrots, celery, onions and day-old bread you might have on hand around the holidays. There's no boxed stuffing mix or canned soup in this lighter take on the comfort-food casserole, but it's still super-easy to make. Poultry seasoning helps humble bread to taste like stuffing, while thickened chicken broth takes the place of canned soup. There are plenty of veggies in this one, too, making this a healthy casserole you can feel good about serving year-round.

03 of 18

Baked Beans with Ground Beef

Upgrade baked beans from classic side dish to a meaty main meal by adding lean ground beef. The final result, a superfast hearty casserole, is an easy and fast dinner option. Ground turkey or even sausage would work nicely in this dish. Just watch the sodium.

04 of 18

Skillet Chicken Potpie

A store-bought pie crust, frozen veggies and precooked chicken simplify the prep for this easy potpie. This healthy dinner recipe is comfort food at its best.

05 of 18

Broccoli & Quinoa Casserole

Broccoli & Quinoa Casserole — Photography / Antonis Achilleos, Styling / Christine Keely, Ali Ramee

This broccoli-quinoa casserole makes a hearty vegetarian main dish. As the quinoa absorbs water and cooks, it creates the perfect amount of steam for cooking the broccoli. Swap in tricolor quinoa, if you prefer.

06 of 18

Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Chickpeas & Spinach

Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Chickpeas & Spinach

Simmer eggs in a rich tomatoey cream sauce studded with chickpeas and silky spinach for a super-fast vegetarian dinner. Serve with a piece of crusty bread to soak up the sauce. Be sure to use heavy cream; a lower-fat option might curdle when mixed with acidic tomatoes.

07 of 18

Quick King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Quick King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Usually made by layering creamy chicken and tortillas (lasagna-style), this classic Tex-Mex chicken casserole gets speedier for an easy weeknight dinner when we mix everything together in a skillet, then pop the whole pan under the broiler to make the cheese topping gooey.

08 of 18

Vegetarian Quinoa & Squash Casserole

An aromatic mixture of garlic, paprika, cumin, coriander, allspice and cayenne flavors this vegetarian quinoa and squash casserole recipe. Frozen squash is a super-easy topping.

09 of 18

Hearty Tomato Soup with Beans & Greens

Garlicky kale and creamy white beans elevate simple canned tomato soup into a 10-minute lunch or dinner that really satisfies. Use a soup with tomato pieces for a heartier texture. Look for a brand that's low- or reduced-sodium, with no more than 450 mg sodium per serving.

10 of 18

Creamy White Chili with Cream Cheese

creamy white chili in a bowl

This rich, yet healthy, white chicken chili comes together in a flash thanks to quick-cooking chicken thighs and canned white beans. Mashing some of the beans acts as a fast thickener when your soups don't have a long time to simmer. Cream cheese adds the final bit of richness and a hint of sweet tang.

11 of 18

Bean & Bacon Breakfast Tacos

Bean & Bacon Breakfast Tacos

Get a serving of vegetables from kale, and protein and fiber from beans, in this healthy breakfast taco recipe. Other types of beans (pinto, black, kidney) or chickpeas also work well.

12 of 18

Easy Vegetarian Chili

Canned beans and tomatoes make this quick vegetarian chili recipe ready to go in just 30 minutes. Serve over rice or couscous, or with tortilla chips for added crunch, and add extra toppings as you see fit--sliced scallions, chopped fresh cilantro, diced avocado and sliced jalapeños are all tasty choices.

13 of 18

One-Pot Beans & Rice with Corn & Salsa

This one-pot dinner is like a deconstructed burrito bowl--especially when topped with salsa, sliced avocado or a dollop of Greek yogurt for a cool, creamy accent. You can also enjoy it as a meal on its own, or as a vegetarian taco or burrito filling or a side dish on taco night.

14 of 18

Black Bean Fajita Skillet

Black Bean Fajita Skillet

You can often find presliced and ready-to-cook fresh vegetables in your grocer's produce section. Use these to your advantage to cut down on dinnertime prep. Here, presliced fajita vegetables are sautéed with canned black beans and Southwest seasoning for a quick and easy Tex Mex-inspired meal. Plus, this recipe requires just three ingredients, not including basics like salt, pepper and oil. You can easily take your bowl up a notch by adding some cheese, sour cream or another tasty topping.

15 of 18

Hearty Chickpea & Spinach Stew

This satisfying stew comes together in a snap. Mashed chickpeas add body to the broth, and tomato paste adds a savory note without piling on the sodium. To simplify the prep, look for chopped fresh onion and shredded carrot or a soup starter mix in the produce section.

16 of 18

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili

Make a double batch of this quick vegetarian chili, full of black beans and sweet potatoes, and eat it for lunch the next day or freeze the extras for another night. We love the smoky heat from the ground chipotle, but omit it if you prefer a mild chili. Serve with tortilla chips or cornbread and coleslaw.

17 of 18

One-Pot Pasta with Tuna

Joy Howard

Use the one-pot pasta cooking method to make this tuna pasta recipe that calls for just 5 ingredients and is ready in just over half an hour. For extra crunch and a tuna noodle casserole feel, sprinkle this speedy pasta dish with toasted whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs.

18 of 18

Ravioli & Vegetable Soup

Fresh or frozen ravioli cook in minutes and turn this light vegetable soup into a main course. Look for whole-wheat or whole-grain ravioli in the refrigerated or frozen section of the supermarket. Tortellini can be used instead of ravioli as well. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Tell us why!

Related Articles

20 Easy Comfort Food Dinners That Are Like a Warm Hug

EatingWell's Eggplant Parmesan

30 Comfort Food Recipes for a Delicious Sunday Dinner

Kale & White Bean Potpie with Chive Biscuits

19 Comfort-Food Dinners Our Editors Make on Repeat

Kale & White Bean Potpie with Chive Biscuits

I'm a Dietitian & These Are My Favorite Comfort Food Dinners

One-Pot Arroz con Pollo

21 Comforting Dinners for the Mediterranean Diet

Three-Bean Chili

19 Comforting Dinners That Support Gut Health

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

25 Comfort Food Recipes For When You Need a Giant Hug

Cast-Iron Skillet Pizza with Red Peppers, Chicken & Spinach

24 Comfort Food Recipes You Can Make in Your Cast-Iron Skillet

One-Skillet Bourbon Chicken

20 Cozy & Comforting Chicken Dinners in 20 Minutes

Egg, Hash Brown & Bacon Breakfast Skillet

23 Comfort-Food Breakfast Recipes for the Weekend

Boost your meatloaf with oats

16 Vintage Recipes Just Like Grandma Used to Make

Creamy-Chicken-Noodle

The Top 20 Comfort Food Recipes of 2020

a photo of Stanley Tucci

This Is the Comforting Skillet Dish That Stanley Tucci's Whole Family Loves

Strawberry Crumble Bars

31 Comfort Food Recipes for Spring

a photo of Giada De Laurentiis

Giada De Laurentiis' Favorite Childhood Meal Has Just 4 Ingredients—Here's How Her Mom Makes It

Baked Cheesy Potatoes

Baked Cheesy Potatoes