Keep scrolling to learn how to make this Chickpea Tikka Masala.
We’ve survived another week of bare supermarket shelves, but if you’re struggling to find your everyday groceries, you can whip up some delicious culinary delights with what’s in your pantry.
From Chickpea Tikka Masala to Sweetcorn Potato Cakes, Jordan Moore, Senior Recipe Developer at Gousto is saving you a trip to the shops, as he shows you how to make the most of what’s already in your kitchen cupboards.
Moore explains that it’s not the end of the world if you don’t have all of the right ingredients: “Don’t worry if you haven’t got every single ingredient that a recipe calls for . . . there are many substitutions that can be made using what you already have in your cupboards, including tinned or jarred food.”
Here are some of Moore’s favorite recipes, tips, and hacks for making the most of the ingredients you already have on hand.
Sweet Potato & Spinach Curry with Lemony Rice
What you have: Coconut milk or cream, tinned or fresh tomatoes
What to make: Sweet Potato & Spinach Curry With Lemony Rice
Whip up this super-quick and tasty curry recipe for a serious flavor fix. It works well with whatever rice you’ve got on hand and any frozen veg you fancy. This Indian inspired pantry recipe is perfect for using up any wrinkly tomatoes or sweet potatoes.
Jordan’s Top Tip: If a recipe calls for canned chopped tomatoes and you’ve only got fresh or canned plum tomatoes, simply use scissors or a potato masher to squash the whole tomatoes into smaller pieces.
Chickpea Tikka Masala
What you have: Chickpeas (soaked or canned), canned or fresh tomatoes
What to make: Chickpea Tikka Masala
This hearty pantry recipe is made with easily accessible ingredients, such as canned chickpeas and tomatoes. Chickpea Tikka Masala is vibrant, warm and comforting, and can be on the table in just 30 minutes.
Jordan’s Top Tip: Don’t throw away the liquid from your can of chickpeas. It’s known as aquafaba and is a delicious and nutritious substitute for eggs. The chickpea water is packed full of protein meaning it can be whipped up just like egg whites or used in mayonnaise to bind and emulsify the ingredients together.
Sweetcorn Potato Cakes
What you have in the cupboard: Canned sweetcorn, sweet chilli sauce
What to make: Sweetcorn Potato Cakes
Serve these potato cakes as a main, snack or side; there’s something quite hypnotizing about how these golden, crispy cakes sizzle away in the pan. We serve ours with a dollop of sweet chilli sauce mixed with some creamy mayonnaise.
Jordan’s Top Tip: Press the fritters together firmly to ensure they don’t break up in the pan. You may need to cook them in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan and reduce the temperature too much—you want these fritters to be crispy on the outside and fluffy and soft in the middle.
Zesty Cuban Pork & Black Olive Stew
What you have: Canned or jarred black olives, tomato paste
What to make: Zesty Cuban Pork & Black Olive Stew
Spring’s in full swing, and because there’s still a spritely chill in the air, this citrusy Cuban stew with tangy olives, rich pork and orange juice strikes that perfect balance between hot and healing, yet citrusy and tropical.
Jordan’s Top Tip: Ensure you rinse the canned olives thoroughly to ensure you’ve got rid of all the salty brine or excess olive oil (depending on how they are stored).
Veggie Burrito Bowl
What you have: Kidney beans
What to make: Brilliantly Balanced Veggie Burrito Bowl
Got canned kidney beans? You can turn them into a super easy, delicious and filling burrito bowl in about 30 minutes. This mouth-watering burrito bowl is packed with garlic, lime yogurt, and paprika roasted vegetables.
Jordan’s Top Tip: If you don’t have any kidney beans, you can swap them out for an ordinary can of baked beans just strain off the tomato sauce before adding them into your chilli when you’d usually add your kidney beans.
Easy Banana Bread
What you have: Over ripe bananas, Eggs and Milk
What to make: Super Easy Banana Bread
There are many ‘secrets’ out there for the perfect banana bread, but we believe in the most simple: super ripe bananas. You want to leave them until the skin is dark yellow, covered in brown spots and soft when peeled.
This will give you the sweetest most flavorful banana bread which there just isn’t a substitute for. Luckily banana’s freeze (peeled) very well so you can keep a stash in your freezer ready for when you fancy whipping up this sweet treat.
