It’s a good time to take a look at what’s sitting in your pantry. Between snowstorms, power outages, and days when you just don’t feel like making another trip to the grocery store, having a few extra cans of food can make life a whole lot easier.
Here are 10 canned foods worth keeping a little extra of before winter arrives.
Ready-to-Eat Canned Soup
Canned soup is one of the easiest things to keep in your pantry for cold winter days when you need something quick and filling. Look for ready-to-eat varieties that don’t require additional water or milk, especially if you’re also stocking up for possible power outages.
Canned Beans
Black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, and white beans are worth stocking up on because you can use them in so many different meals. Add them to chili, soups, rice bowls, or salads, or season them for a quick side dish without having to soak and cook dried beans.
Canned Tomatoes
Diced, crushed, and whole canned tomatoes are some of the most useful ingredients to keep in the pantry, especially during soup and stew season. You can use them to make pasta sauce, chili, homemade soup, or a simple dinner with whatever vegetables and beans you have on hand.
Canned Tuna
Canned light tuna is an easy protein to keep around because you can make a meal with it without cooking anything. Use it for tuna sandwiches, pasta salad, or a quick lunch with crackers, and consider buying smaller cans if you won’t have a way to refrigerate leftovers during a power outage.
Canned Chicken
Canned chicken is handy for making chicken salad sandwiches, casseroles, soups, and quick meals when you don’t have fresh meat available. Since commercially canned, shelf-stable chicken is already cooked, you can also use it straight from the can when cooking isn’t an option.
Related: 27 Finger-Lickin’ Good Chicken Wing Recipes
Canned Salmon
Canned salmon is another good protein to keep on hand, especially if you want something different from tuna or chicken. You can make salmon patties, mix it into a salad, or serve it with crackers for a simple meal that doesn’t require much preparation.
Canned Corn
Canned corn works well in chili, soups, casseroles, tacos, and just about any meal that needs an extra vegetable. It’s also fully cooked, so you can drain it and eat it without heating if the power goes out.
Canned Green Beans
Green beans are an easy side dish to serve with dinner, and they’re useful in soups, casseroles, and other one-pot meals. Keeping a few extra cans means you can still put vegetables on the table when fresh produce runs low, or you can’t get to the grocery store.
Canned Peaches
Canned peaches are worth keeping around for breakfast, snacks, and desserts, especially when fresh fruit is expensive or out of season. Choose peaches packed in juice or water when possible, and you’ll have fruit that’s ready to eat without washing, peeling, or cooking.
Canned Potatoes
Canned potatoes don’t always get much attention, but they’re surprisingly convenient when you need to put together a meal quickly. They’re already cooked, so you can add them to soup, fry them in a skillet, or season and serve them as a side dish without peeling or boiling fresh potatoes.
