Easy Pantry Cooking for Men

Buying dry goods is a great idea when you live alone, or if you have the night to yourself when your significant other is away and you do not feel like cooking.  If you do not have anyone but yourself to feed and you can pretty much pick what types of flavors you are in the mood for, whether it is Mexican, Italian, and Asian.  The good news is that there is a great verity of dry goods to choose from, without having to prepare a complicated meal.

The organic dry good section of the grocery store is amazing. You can try a pre-made Asian noodle soup by only having to cook the food according to the directions on the box, chop up some green onions, add peanuts, and a fried egg to create your own homemade quality soup.  When using store bought pasta sauce, do not limit yourself to only the flavors in the jar. Dice up some white onions and sauté them in olive oil with garlic, and add them to the sauce with some red pepper flakes. Instead of using typical dry spaghetti noodles, try buying fresh ravioli in the refrigerator section. Add your own touch by sprinkling in some fresh basil and parmesan cheese. The cooking that went into kicking up this dish was minimal, but does make a world of difference that you will notice in flavor.

Boxed macaroni and cheese is in everyone’s pantry but you are probably not using it to its full potential. Boil the noodles in salt water, drain and set aside. Use butter and extra milk when making the powdered cheese sauce in the empty pot. It is important to make the cheese sauce before adding the noodles back in. In the cheese sauce you can add powdered garlic, red pepper flakes, and a few dashes of hot sauce or yellow mustard, and you will have a very creamy and flavorful boxed mac and cheese from the pantry. If you want to go above and beyond, put the prepared mac and cheese in glass baking dish, sprinkle with crushed crackers, and bake for 10 minutes in the oven until you get a nice golden crust on the top.

Take pride in cooking for yourself. The pantry is your friend, and with so many organic, natural, and international items available in your local grocery store, the semi-homemade dinner possibilities really are endless!

Speak Your Mind

*