Buzz
I’m a fan of pantry meals. There’s no need to worry about whether you’ll use everything before it spoils or making a special trip for that one ingredient you always seem to be missing. It's just a fast, healthy meal you can grab at any time. These are the kinds of meals we're focusing on today—simple, cheap, and nutritious.
Everyone’s pantry is unique, so you might not have all the ingredients for every meal here. However, each recipe relies on pantry or freezer staples that last for ages, or on items you’re likely to have already. With that in mind, let’s check out some quick-to-make ideas from the Eat Cheap and Healthy subreddit.
Whip up a fast breakfast burrito
I never thought to freeze tortillas before, but it turns out you definitely can. (Tortillas also keep for a while in the fridge, too.)
To make a breakfast burrito, toss any veggies you have into a skillet with some oil or butter—leftovers or frozen veggies work perfectly here—add two eggs, scramble everything together, then wrap it all in one of those tortillas you previously froze (just defrost it with a quick microwave zap) and add cheese, hot sauce, or any other toppings you prefer.
Roast some frozen vegetables
Several redditors recently discovered that you can roast frozen vegetables directly in the oven without thawing them, which is a total game changer for fast and healthy meals. If you’re unsure how to season them, a simple mix of olive oil and garlic salt is a great starting point.
Next, follow this redditor’s advice and combine the veggies with rice. (You can set the rice cooker to “flash rice” while preparing the veggies, and freeze any leftover rice for future meals.) They recommend buying frozen veggies and chicken strips in bulk, or adding another protein of your choice. The thread doesn’t mention seasoning, but I’d suggest experimenting with our own Allie Chanthorn Reinmann’s five flavorful Asian sauce picks.
Here are the five magical sauces mentioned earlier:
Squid Brand Fish Sauce
Mae Krua Oyster Sauce
Healthy Boy Brand Mushroom Soy Sauce
Pearl River Bridge Mushroom-Flavored Superior Black Soy Sauce
Golden Mountain Sauce
Add some chicken tenders to your salad
Breaded chicken tenders don’t just have to be dunked in ketchup and eaten on their own (though that’s a totally valid option for a quick, effortless meal). This redditor suggests placing the tenders on top of a bagged or homemade salad of your choice. (While bagged salad may not stay fresh for long, salad dressing lasts much longer, so this can be a treat for those who regularly buy fresh greens.)
You can also recreate popular fast-casual meals like chicken finger wraps or buffalo wraps by folding the chicken tenders and salad—plus dressing and any other toppings you like—into one of the tortillas you’ve kept in your freezer stash.
