Foods to Have on Hand for Quick, Healthy Meals

Stock the following foods in your pantry so you always have the ingredients for a quick, healthy meal on hand. For example, you can quickly cook some pasta and add a pesto sauce and some pine nuts or walnuts for a basic meal. Or you can cook couscous and add chickpeas, raisins, and a curry sauce. Add fresh vegetables, such as tomatoes or zucchini to the pasta, or cauliflower and shredded carrots to the couscous, for additional health and enjoyment. 

  • A variety of grains such as millet, buckwheat, oats, barley, brown rice, and quinoa
  • Boxed rice, couscous, risotto 
  • Dried pastas, such rotini, penne, and spaghetti
  • Canned salmon, tuna, and sardines 
  • Olive oil, sesame oil, canola oil, coconut oil
  • Vinegars, such as balsamic and red wine vinegar
  • Jarred olives, artichoke hearts, capers, sun dried tomatoes, and roasted red peppers
  • Black and green olives
  • Canned whole, diced, crushed, and stewed tomatoes and tomato paste
  • Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds 
  • Almonds, pecans, walnuts, and pine nuts
  • Dried herbs, particularly thyme, basil, and oregano
  • Sea salt
  • Tamari, salsa, and other bottled sauces, such as an apricot chipotle, pesto, curry or Asian sauce
  • Canned beans, such as cannelloni, black, pinto, chickpeas, or great northern
  • Cartons and cans of soup
  • Cartons and cans of vegetable and chicken broth and stock 
  • Canned pineapple, jarred applesauce, preserves, and jams
  • Coconut and other dried fruit, such as apricots, plums, and golden raisins 
  • Honey or agave