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My best tip for quick and easy dinners is to keep a well-stocked pantry. And in the summertime, that’s even more essential. We want to spend our time soaking up the sun, not standing over the stove or grocery shopping!
Here are the 10 pantry staples I always keep on hand for effortless summer meals, along with ideas for how you can use them to create delicious dinners with the best seasonal ingredients.
1. Bronze Die Cut Pasta
Am I picky about my pasta? Yes! Because once you switch to bronze die cut pasta, you’ll never go back. (And it’s not absurdly expensive either—Target sells it under their Good & Gather label!) It has a “grabbier” texture to it from the bronze dies, so it holds onto sauces better. Use it to make pasta salads and easy dinners like my Creamy Tomato Pasta all summer long.
Use It In: Summer Pasta Salad
2. Good Olives
I’m not knocking the canned sliced black olives, which are always a solid addition to Taco Salad. But I love keeping Kalamata and briny green olives stocked in the pantry because they’re a simple addition that adds SO much flavor to a dish. One of my favorite summer sides is cubes of watermelon tossed with quartered Kalamata olives, crumbled feta, fresh basil leaves, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. I make a simple pasta salad with olives, cherry tomatoes, basil, shaved Parmesan, and red wine vinaigrette too.
Use Them In: Italian Pasta Salad
3. Canned Beans
Keep some cans of beans stocked in your pantry and the world is your oyster! I love using chickpeas and black beans to make no-cook summer salads with tomatoes, cilantro, fresh corn, and other in-season veggies. They’re the perfect side with my Easy Marinated Grilled Chicken Tenders. I also love tossing drained and rinsed white beans into my Creamy Tomato and Basil Penne Pasta for a protein boost.
Use Them In: Black Bean and Corn Salsa
4. Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Like olives, sun-dried tomatoes are an easy way to add big flavor to any dish. And although fresh tomatoes are in season, they don’t have the same concentrated flavor as sun-dried. I often use the two together—I’ll add chopped sun-dried tomatoes to Instant Pot Spaghetti, or make the sun-dried tomatoes into a pesto by blending them with oil and almonds, then spread this onto a sandwich with sliced tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. They’re also great added to any salad for sweetness and texture!
Use Them In: Tortellini Pasta Salad
5. Balsamic Vinegar
This is a multitasker you can use to make salad dressings, marinades, and a glaze to drizzle over Margherita Pizza and caprese salad. If you buy a good, aged balsamic vinegar, it should be syrupy straight out of the bottle, but you can also buy an inexpensive bottle and boil it until it thickens into a glaze.
Use It In: Tomato Bruschetta Recipe
6. Canned Tuna
High-quality canned tuna in olive oil is a protein-packed staple for quick salads, sandwiches, or pasta dishes. And Tuna Salad layered onto a bed of crisp lettuce leaves is the classic no-cook summer lunch!
Use It In: Tuna Melt Sandwich
7. Rice
Often when I go to the farmers’ market and buy more produce than I know what to do with, I end up using it in a stir fry. So stir fries are on the menu a lot during the summer months, which means so is rice! It’s also great to keep on hand for meal bowls and serving with Grilled Chicken Kabobs.
Use It In: Fried Rice
8. Polenta (Dry and Ready-to-Eat)
I keep tubes of polenta and dry polenta on hand in the pantry. I’ll cook the dry polenta, add butter and Parmesan, then top it with grilled vegetables and Italian sausage for a rustic dinner. Or I’ll slice up the polenta that comes in tubes, coat it in oil, and grill that with the veggies and sausage. This is excellent with a drizzle of balsamic glaze or on top!
Use It With: Grilled Vegetables
9. Chicken Broth
It might not be soup season, but I use broth year round. I do a lot of batch cooking in the summer months so I don’t have to heat up my kitchen ever single day, and I’ll often make an Instant Pot Whole Chicken. To reheat it during the week while keeping it moist, I warm it up with a splash of chicken broth. I also like using broth to cook rice to make it extra flavorful.
Use It In: Crock Pot BBQ Chicken
10. Pasta Sauce
I’ve always got a few jars of pasta sauce in the pantry and one of my favorite ways to use them in the summer is to grill chicken and zucchini, toss them with pasta and jarred sauce, then garnish with Parmesan and fresh basil from the garden. It’s a simple, summery dinner that always gets rave reviews! It’s also excellent for dump-and-cook slow cooker dinners, which don’t heat up the kitchen.
Use It In: Crock Pot Ravioli Lasagna
More Summer Meal Ideas
- This Corn Pasta is a different way to enjoy sweet summer corn!
- My recipe for Grilled Shrimp Tacos has become a summertime tradition around here.
- Grilling aficionados will also love this Chicken Marinade for the juiciest, most flavorful chicken EVER!
- Southern Tomato Pie is a down-home classic that’s perfect for using up your summer harvest.
