If you are like me right now you are probably sitting on quite a lot of canned goods in your pantry. Whether you already had a really good food storage supply, or you have built up your food supply in the last few months, there is a good chance you have a lot of canned goods, so I wanted to share some ideas today of lots of different ways to use those canned goods. 

I know I have been sharing a lot of ideas and thoughts on casseroles lately, but for those of you that aren’t the biggest fan of casseroles, this article is for you.

I feel like in the canned department, there are a few basic categories that we all probably have plenty of: beans, tomato products, canned meats and veggies/fruits. I’m mostly going to share some general recipe ideas and you can get online or look in your cookbooks for some specific recipes for these ideas.

CANNED BEAN AND TOMATO  IDEAS:

• Black bean omelet. Omelets with cheesy black beans, and covered in fresh cilantro, chopped onion and your favorite salsa and/or sauce like La Chalula would be the perfect way to start any day!
• Black bean and sweet potato tacos. This is a perfect meatless meal idea. Saute small chunks of sweet potatoes in oil with black beans, garlic, onion and plenty of spices. Top with lime juice, cilantro, chopped onion, and some cojita cheese and you have yourself one delicious taco!


• All the chilis. How could we have a list about canned food and not mention all the different chili recipes you could make? Typically they use beans, corn, tomatoes and even cans of chiles, like green chiles. You can make hearty beef chili or even white chicken chili. I even saw a couple of delicious looking soups and chilis with a can of pumpkin in them. There are so many amazing possibilities!
• Curry. You should add curry to your list of recipes to try because with just a can of coconut milk and some curry powder, in less than 30 minutes you will have a delicious meal that tastes like it has been simmering low and slow all day. I have seen several curry recipes that also call for a can of garbanzo beans and a can of diced tomatoes as well. A great recipe to potentially use 3 cans for a meal. 

CANNED MEATS:

• Tuna melts. My husband’s favorite all-time comfort meal is a nice, gooey tuna melt. I have seen a really cool Italian spin-off version full of red onions, green olives, capers, jarred pesto, and tomatoes all topped in a blanket of mozzarella cheese. How’s that for a tuna melt?! Boom!
• Chicken pastas. I really love using cans of chicken and cans of tomatoes to make different pasta dishes. The canned chicken tastes delicious and it is a great way to use up tomato products and the canned chicken.

DESSERTS


I absolutely love canned fruit to make things like dump cakes, cobblers and pies. Basically you can make any of these delicious fruity desserts that taste amazing with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Do you have any recipe ideas to use up canned foods that are not casserole recipes? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!