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Run out of a regular ingredient or what you might consider grocery staples? In many cases that pantry staple may be one you can make yourself! Try one of these pantry staples recipes to save time, money, and another trip to the store.
Whether you Make Brown Sugar or whip up a batch of Cocoa Brownies without a mix (gasp!), you’re sure to find some pantry staples substitutes that will please you just as well, if not more!
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Jump to:
- Why Do This
- Baking Ingredients
- Beverages
- Breads
- Breakfast Items
- Dairy Substitutes
- Dinner Ingredients
- Snacks
- Soups
Once in awhile you may find yourself running out of ingredients that you normally keep on hand, the pantry staples that you use on a regular basis. You could run to the store, but what if you really want to stick to your grocery budget this month or just don’t have the time or inclination to go shopping?
You’ll be happy to know that there are a number of traditional pantry staples that you can make yourself. Spaghetti sauce? Enchilada sauce? Chicken stock? Yep. All those pantry staples — and more! — can be made easily (and often better and more cheaply) at home.
Why Do This
You’ll save money making your own pantry staples. There’s a lot of mark-up on commercially produced foods versus raw ingredients. You can save more than a few pennies if you learn to make your own pantry staples.
You can make it tastier. While I still love a boxed mac and cheese on occasion, I’ve realized that making this pantry staple myself with real cheese is so much more delicious!
Making your own pantry staples can save you time. If running to the store becomes a big production, hauling the kids out in the weather or simply spending time waiting in line, you can cut that out by mixing the thing up yourself at home.
Not only that, but when we make things ourselves, we gain a sense of satisfaction and appreciation for the process in prepping pantry staples. Plus, we get a little independence from Big Food.
Whether you make it from scratch for economical reasons or just for fun, it doesn’t matter. Prepping pantry staples can be a delicious way to enjoy great food at home.
Consider these delicious pantry staples you can make yourself:
Baking Ingredients
There’s scratch baking and then there’s assembly baking. There’s a time and place for both, but if you find that you’ve run out of eggs, breadcrumbs, frosting, pie crust, or even different sugars, rest assured you can easily and cheaply make these pantry staples yourself.
Homemade Graham Cracker Pie Crust
You don't need to rely on commercial pie crusts this season. You can make your own Homemade Graham Cracker Pie Crust, as easy as pie.
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Homemade Pie Crust Recipe
This easy homemade pie crust recipe comes together quickly and easily, resulting in a light and flaky crust for all your homemade pies.
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Flaxseed Meal Egg Substitute
Dealing with an egg allergy or a shortage of eggs? You can bake without eggs. Follow this tip for making a flaxseed meal egg substitute.
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Homemade Breadcrumbs
Save money and avoid waste by turning dry bread into fresh homemade breadcrumbs. They work just as well as dry breadcrumbs in your meatballs, meatloaves, and casseroles.
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Homemade Buttercream Frosting
Learn the easy way to make homemade vanilla buttercream frosting. This recipe is super simple, you’ll never buy the canned frosting again.
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Easy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Butter, cocoa powder, and sugar easily combine into a delicious chocolate buttercream frosting.
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Homemade Powdered Sugar
Making powdered sugar is a pretty simple process. Just grind together granulated sugar and cornstarch to make a homemade alternative.
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How to Make Brown Sugar
This simple mixture of molasses and white sugar approximates real brown sugar, serving as a baking substitute for when you run out of the real thing.
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Beverages
It’s so easy to fall into the trap that we need to buy our drinks at the store. Turns out you can make a lot of tasty beverages at home!
Stovetop Hot Cocoa
Homemade Hot Cocoa takes just five minutes and only five ingredients. Enjoy a hot cup of this easy, affordable hot chocolate any day!
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Malted Hot Chocolate Mix
Baby, it’s cold outside. Stir up a batch of this Malted Hot Chocolate Mix, reminiscent of a chocolate malt, but perfect for those cold days and nights.
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Chocolate Syrup Recipe
Make as much or as little chocolate syrup as you need! This homemade Chocolate Syrup recipe comes together with just 4 ingredients in about 10 minutes.
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French Press Cold Brew Coffee
Making French press cold brew coffee is an easy way to enjoy a cold brew concentrate. All you need are ground coffee beans and cold water.
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Cold Brew Concentrate
Save money and time when you make your own coffee drinks at home with homemade cold brew concentrate. It's easy and quick to make!
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Lemonade like Chick-Fil-A Makes
Homemade lemonade tastes so much better than the frozen concentrate. This recipe is super simple and delicious, just like what chick-fil-a makes
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Cherry Limeade Recipe
Cherry Limeade is a fun and refreshing drink. Make it with lime and tart cherry juices instead of dyed syrups and artificial flavors for a real food treat.
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Homemade Cranberry Soda
Make your own homemade cranberry soda with tart cranberry juice, honey syrup, and sparkling water. What a fun treat!
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Simple Syrup
Learn how to make simple syrup in this easy recipe tutorial! It’s the ideal concoction to keep on hand in your refrigeratorthis summerto sweeten cold drinks, like tea or coffee.
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Breads
You might not have time to bake all your bread on a regular basis, but if you keep a few regular baking ingredients on hand, you can easily bake up some substitutes yourself. If you find yourself regularly buying tortillas, garlic bread, pita bread, or bread mixes, consider making these pantry staples from scratch:
How to Make Frozen Garlic Bread
Enjoy fresh garlic bread any night or day when you have a stash of this Easy Make-Ahead Frozen Garlic Bread in the freezer. So good and easy!
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Sourdough Rye Bread
You need just five ingredients to make the tastiest, no-fuss sourdough rye bread: sourdough starter, water, bread flour, rye flour, and salt. You're all set, no kneading required.
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Honey Whole Wheat English Muffin Bread
Homemade baked goods are significantly cheaper than store-bought varieties. Try this whole wheat bread that mimics an “English muffin” in texture and taste.
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Milk and Honey Cornbread
Bake up a batch of this Milk and Honey Cornbread. It’s lightly sweetened and delicious for breakfast or the bread basket.
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Honey-Sweetened Raisin Bread in the Bread Machine
This bread machine raisin bread is lightly sweetened with honey, and made with whole wheat flour. It’s a wholesome, nourishing snack and easy for kids to make!
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Easy Garlic Bread Sticks
You’ll be surprised at how simple it is to bake these Easy Garlic Breadsticks yourself! You may want to make a double batch and freeze the extra.
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Homebaked Pita Bread
Pita Bread will take on a whole new identity when you bake it yourself. Print off this recipe for Homebaked Pita Bread and bake someone happy.
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Homemade Corn Tortillas
Homemade corn tortillas are not difficult to make and best thing — they will transform your taco night into something out of this world!
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Best Homemade Pizza Dough
You can make homemade pizza easily and economically with this recipe for homemade pizza crust. It tastes great, better than the pizza parlor.
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Breakfast Items
Commercial foods can save a lot of time at the morning meal, but you can save both time and money when you learn to make pancakes, waffles, oatmeal packets, and biscuits yourself!
Basic Pancakes
This simple pancake recipe is easily to prepare and perfect for feeding a crowd. There are several ways to make it freezer-friendly as well.
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Homemade Buttermilk Waffles
Rich and flavorful, these homemade waffles will make your weekend mornings extra special. Bake up some extras so you can toast them for quick breakfasts mid-week.
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Instant Oatmeal Packets
Instant oatmeal packets are a convenient breakfast on the go. They’re full of whole grains and dried fruit, making for a great breakfast. The best thing is that you can make them yourself!
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Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits
Skip the can of refrigerated biscuits! You can make flaky layers all on your own with this easy recipe for flaky buttermilk biscuits.
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Homemade Muffin Mix Recipe
This easy muffin recipe allows you to make big bakery-style muffins to flavor any way you like. Make several batches of mix and bake all kinds of muffins for weeks to come.
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Dairy Substitutes
Run out of buttermilk, ice cream, yogurt, or flavored cream cheese? Depending on what other dairy products you have on hand, you may be able to make it yourself homemade!
Cultured Buttermilk
Learn how easy it is to make your own cultured buttermilk at home
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Flavored Cream Cheese for Bagels
Enjoy a variety of flavored cream cheeses for bagels, toast, or crackers. These three variations mix up quickly and easily.
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Milk Nog or Eggless Egg Nog Recipe
Create an eggless egg nog with Milk Nog. Spicing up whole milk with cinnamon and nutmeg, sugar and vanilla delivers a refreshing real food drink at home.
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Simple Vanilla Ice Cream
Simple Vanilla Ice Cream is a delight. Made with only four ingredients, it tastes so much better than store-bought.
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Dinner Ingredients
Stocks and broths, canned beans, and boxed rice and pasta dishes can help speed along dinner from time to time, but you’ll up the flavor and clean up the ingredient list if you make some of these pantry staples yourself.
Chicken Stock Recipe
Make something delicious from almost nothing! Learn how to make Chicken Stock for the best tasting soups, gravies, and sauces.
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Homemade Beef Stock
Don't throw away the scraps. You can make your own beef stock with the bones and trimmings from roasts and steaks.
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Turkey Stock
Use turkey leftovers to cook up a pot of stock to use in soups, stews, and rice dishes.
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Slow Cooker Vegetable Broth
Use the following as a guideline. Feel free to mix and match the vegetables according to what you have on hand and what needs using.
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Seasoned Rice Pilaf
Boxed rice mixes are a thing of the past, especially when you know how to make a healthier, cheaper, and tastier seasoned rice pilaf yourself. Try this homemade rice-a-roni recipe today.
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Instant Pot Refried Beans
Cook up a pot of healthier refried beans to serve as a side dish, to fill burritos, or to top nachos. The Instant Pot makes it quick and easy, no soaking required.
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Homemade Pinto Beans
Cooking pinto beans from scratch is a great way to enjoy beans as a side dish or as a meatless main dish. They are so much cheaper than canned beans.
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Easy Instant Pot Black Beans
These instant pot black beans are a game changer when it comes to serving beans. No soaking required, you can prepare tastier and cheaper black beans in less than an hour.
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Stovetop Mac and Cheese
Ditch the boxed mac and cheese, you can make your own tastier and better version at home. Use this Stovetop Mac and Cheese and free yourself from mixes!
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Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup is a wonderful, flavorful, healthy alternative to commercial canned cream soups. It’s easy to make and freezes beautifully.
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Homemade Cream Of Celery Soup
Homemade Cream of Celery Soup is so much better than the canned variety. Make a bulk batch this week to have your casserole and eat more healthfully, too.
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Sauces & Spreads
There’s no end to the sauces and spreads you can make yourself! Everything from a white sauce, red sauce, yogurt sauce, tartar sauce, you name it sauce, you can make it!
Easy Gravy Recipe
This easy gravy recipe is the key to life. It comes together quickly and easily on the stove and is delicious on mashed potatoes, in pot pies, or a myriad of other tasty applications.
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How to Make a White Sauce
This basic white sauce is the building block of great recipes like homemade mac and cheese or lasagna. It comes together quickly and easily on the stove in 15 minutes!
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Easy Red EnchiladaSauce Recipe
Just oil, flour, ground chile, spices, and water are needed to make this spicy sauce that comes together in less than 20 minutes!
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Garlic Yogurt Sauce (Tzatziki)
Have a hankering for that delicious garlic yogurt sauce that comes with gyros? You can make your own tzatziki easily at home with this simple Recipe.
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Greek Yogurt Tartar Sauce Recipe
With Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, dill weed, dill relish, and a handful of spices, you can make a fresher-tasting and nutritious tartar sauce for fish and shrimp.
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Basic Homemade Mayonnaise
Making your own mayonnaise isn’t that hard. And it’s a great way to control the ingredients you eat.
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Homemade Chipotle Mayo
Add flavor and texture to sandwiches or use this delicious chipotle mayo as a dip for fries. So tasty!
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Herbed Mayonnaise
Herbed Mayonnaise is a delightful addition to sandwiches, wraps, burgers, and to use as a sauce for artichokes. It’s simple to make, and absolutely delicious.
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Garlic Butter
Garlic butter is simple to make, yet packs a punch in any number of dishes, including garlic bread, cooked meats, fish, and vegetables. Make your own and save!
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Homemade Pizza Sauce
This delicious tomato sauce is great on pizza and pasta. It comes together in just minutes on the stovetop.
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Marinara Sauce for Everyday
Skip the bottled pasta sauce. You can make your own marinara sauce, simple enough for everyday, yet tasty enough for all your favorite dishes.
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Rustic Basil Sauce
This rustic basil sauce is made with just 3 simple ingredients and comes together quickly in your food processor.It's basically a dairy- and nut-free pesto.
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Easy Guacamole Recipe
With just four ingredients this Easy Guacamole recipe is one that you'll have memorized after your first batch! It's so good for dipping and topping tacos, burritos, and salads.
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Easy Homemade Salsa
If you’ve been buying salsa in a jar, it may be time to think about making Homemade Salsa. It’s cheaper and tastier than the commercial varieties. And so easy!
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Small Batch English Pickle Recipe
Jams, jellies, and other spreads offer great flavor to sandwiches, toast, and appetizers. This Small Batch English Pickle recipe is tangy and sweet, a welcome change to the preserves you usually serve. And it’s made with pantry staples, making it easy to whip up a batch anytime.
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Apricot BBQ Sauce
This easy Apricot BBQ sauce is a perfect pantry staple to make yourself. It brings great sweet and smoky flavor to burgers, pulled pork, and other grilled meats.
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Seasoning & Spices
One of the benefits of making your own seasonings and spice blends is that you get control, control of both the ingredients as well as the quantity. No need to buy a big tub of something. Make just as much as you need, as spicy as you like it!
Homemade Chipotle Seasoning Mix for Tacos
This Chipotle Seasoning brings just the right amount of heat and flavor. You can stir up a batch of this smoky homemade taco seasoning in about five minutes!
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Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix
Save money, yet enjoy great flavor with a homemade taco seasoning mix. It’s great for taco fillings, casseroles, marinades, and soups.
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Cajun Spice Blend
Save money on spice blends by making your own. This Cajun-inspired mix features onion, garlic, thyme, oregano, and cayenne.
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Homemade Seasoned Salt
Add a little spice to your life with homemade seasoned salt. You’ll save money by buying spices in bulk and save time by having a multi-purpose seasoning at the ready.
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Warm and Spicy Fish Rub
Enjoy the ease and out-of-this-world taste of home cooked fish when you use this simple warm and spicy fish rub for seasoning.
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Italian Seasoning Mix
This Italian Seasoning Mix is super versatile. Quick to mix up, it's a perfect seasoning for fish, chicken, and vegetables.
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Homemade Herbes de Provence Recipe
Homemade herbes de provence spice blend
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Chili Seasoning
Now that you have this easy homemade chili seasoning recipe, you’ll never need to buy a chili seasoning packet again. DIY spices are healthier, delicious, and simple.
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Homemade Onion Soup Mix
Make your own homemade onion soup mix to keep on hand to flavor dips and main dish recipes.
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Snacks
Snack foods can cost a pretty penny, but you can save on these pantry staples by learning to make your own. Chances are the homemade version will taste better and cost less. That’s a win-win!
Cheddar Coins – Homemade Cheez-Its
Like boxed cheddar crackers? You'll love these homemade cheddar coins that taste exactly like Cheez-Its.
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Homemade Tortilla Chips Recipe
Homemade tortilla chips, fresh from the air fryer, oven, or fry pan, are a delight. You'll wonder why you ever bother buying the bagged variety.
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Homemade Croutons
Homemade croutons come from humble beginnings, but they can make your salad or soup shine with crunch and texture.
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Slow Cooker Applesauce
This delicious, lightly sweetened Slow Cooker Applesauce practically cooks itself, allowing you time to do other things. Load up the slow cooker and in a few hours, come back to warm, comforting applesauce.
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Homemade Chocolate Pudding Recipe
Homemade chocolate pudding comes together in just a few minutes. Rich in chocolatey flavor, it makes a deliciously elegant dessert to serve to friends and family.
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Nut-Free Homemade Trail Mix
Ready to grab a quick snack for the road?This nut-free trail mix is perfect for many food allergies.
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Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels Recipe
Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels are easy to make and so delicious. This recipe takes a little time, but it’s worth it.
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Mamabars (DIY Larabar Recipe)
Make your own dried fruit and nut bars as an inexpensive alternative to Larabars. They are a delicious gluten-free dessert or snack.
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Cocoa Brownies
Ditch the boxed brownie mix! These Cocoa Brownies mix up quickly and taste amazing, full of chocolately flavor without the junk.
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Jalapeno Cream Cheese Dip
This Jalapeno Cream Cheese Dip is packed with flavor from jalapeno, bell pepper, garlic, and onion, as well as creaminess from cream cheese, sour cream, and cheddar. It's perfect for dipping!
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Coconut-Millet Snack Bars
These no-bake cereal bars make for an easy snack. They are a tasty one, too, with millet and coconut to give substance and flavor.
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Wholesome Energy Bars
Enjoy these whole grain, nut- and fruit- filled rolls. They are delicious split and toasted and served with a bit of butter.
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Soups
While canned soups are handy pantry staples to keep on hand, sometimes you want something with a little more flavor and less cost. You can make almost any soup pretty easily at home.
Grandma’s Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
This Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe, just like Grandma used to make, is an easy and economical dish. Stir up a pot of chicken broth with tender egg noodles, chunks of tender chicken, and slivers of fresh vegetables.
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Alphabet Soup Recipe
Have a hankering for that Vegetable Alphabet Soup from your childhood? You can make it yourself, without the help of a can. Just good food.
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Smoky Bean Soup
Reminiscent of canned bean with bacon soup — without the bacon or the can! — this Smoky Bean Soup is economical and filling, without much fuss.
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Chicken Gumbo Soup
Chicken Gumbo Soup, that childhood favorite from the red-labeled can is now within your reach – homemade, tastier, and better for you!
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Split Pea Soup Recipe
Split Pea Soup is super easy to make, hearty and delicious. It’s the perfect dish to warm you up on a cold winter day. Try this one on the stove, in the slow cooker, or in the Instant Pot.
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Spicy No Bean Chili Recipe
Ditch the canned chili. You can make your own bowl of red or topping for a hot dog in just minutes. This spicy no bean chili recipe provides great taste without the wait.
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Quickest Chili in the West
Looking for a quick, hot meal? How about a quick supper to give as a gift? I gotcha covered on both counts with the Quickest Chili in the West.
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This post was originally published on January 8, 2015. It has been updated for content and clarity.
