Pantry Gourmet: 9 Impressive Recipes for On-Hand Ingredients

Pantry ingredient: crackers

Use whatever crackers or chips you have on hand to create the crust for a hearty (and easy-to-make!) ham and cheese quiche.

Recipe: Double Cheese and Ham Quiche

Pantry ingredient: canned tuna

Canned tuna doesn't have to mean sandwiches; instead, toss it with ribbons of zucchini, pappardelle, and a lemony cream sauce.

Recipe: Zucchini and Tuna Pappardelle

Pantry ingredient: canned black beans

Slow-roasted beans make a savory, crunchy topping for these vegetable tacos. And save any you have left over to be served solo as a cocktail snack.

Recipe: Vegetable Tacos with Chipotle Sour Cream and Smoky Black Beans

Pantry ingredient: baguette

Got leftover baguette from last night's dinner? Turn the remains into zesty croutons for this healthful Caesar salad.

Recipe: Cristina's Caesar Salad

Pantry ingredients: canned tomatoes, roasted red peppers, walnuts

Canned tomatoes, roasted red peppers, walnuts, and spices create a spicy Eastern Mediterranean sauce that perfectly complements pan-seared lamb chops.

Recipe: Pan-Seared Lamb Chops with Middle Eastern Tomato Sauce

Pantry ingredient: rice

Stuffed with either a savory tempeh filling and rolled in toasted sesame seeds, or stuffed with a date and coated with toasted almonds, these little rice balls make a lovely lunchbox treat or snack.

Recipe: Savory Stuffed Rice Balls

Pantry ingredient: quinoa

Quinoa, a grain both high in protein and fiber, is a healthy substitute for white rice in salads, soups, and stir-fries.

Recipe: Quinoa Salad with Sugar Snap Peas, Tofu, and Ginger Vinaigrette

Pantry ingredient: rice

There's no need to make a special trip to the store to make a special dessert — just look to your cupboard! Rice is the foundation for coconut pudding squares, which use up any dried fruit or nuts you may have.

Recipe: Baked Coconut and Lime Rice Pudding

Pantry ingredient: oatmeal

Get a delicious taste of dessert any time of day once you've mastered this easy recipe for oatmeal, which evokes the sweet, summery flavor of blackberry pie.

Recipe: Blackberry Pie Oatmeal

For more healthy, inexpensive recipes, check out Oprah.com:

Healthy Recipes for Less from Tyler Florence

Fresh, Frugal Meals from Cat Cora

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