My pantry runneth over. How can I plan to use up extra food??

[danner]

You can make beans and rice. Either a nice lentil/rice salad with evo and carrots and zucchini (or whatever), or a Spanish hot dish with smoked paprika.

You can also make stromboli from yeast, fat, flour and cheese, plus veggies or cooked meats.

If you have oats and honey, there's some granola for yogurt or cereal or granola bars for snacking.

If you make a roasted chicken, you can serve it with rice, then you can use the carcass to make a stock from onion, carrot and celery scraps, then make a chicken soup from the leftover rice, chicken breast, carrot, celery and zucchini.

It sounds like it's time to do an inventory and consider donating to a food bank.

[Rdesonia]

I usually see what I feel is in excess. Then I try to find something including what I have and that item. It's amazing how many meals you can cook if you don't buy anything but milk!

To use up old fridge veggies... I make an end of the week soup. (this is also when I use up leftover roast, or the random chicken breast that didn't get cooked, or those 3 slices of bacon. You can add rice, noodles, or make dumplings depending on what you have excess of.)

Casseroles are GREAT for extra pantry items. There are zillions of casserole recipes for rice/pasta. Make Mexican taco rice, Indian Curry, Asian Teriyaki noodle casserole, or just some old fashion favorites.

Randomly "google" recipe and 3 ingredients! You will find all kinds of stuff to cook that you never even thought of!

[Rdesonia]

By google recipe and 3 ingredients ... I mean type ... recipe pasta ranch dressing can corn ( or whatever 3 things you need to get rid of !

[Queen_Celeste]

I would start with what sort of thing you KNOW you have excess in the pantry. And start filling in things for meals

Lots of pasta: Spaghetti, lo mein, mac&cheese, pasta salad
Rice: Most Asian cuisine, spanish rice, fried rice, rice-a-roni, sushi rolls (with or without raw fish or meat at all), risotto, cilantro rice, soups
Canned beans: Taco bar, chili (baked potato bar w leftovers), beans and rice, chickpea salad, many soups, 3 bean salad, etc

If you start with 1 or two areas you will start finding other things you have lots of. Like I found 3 things of bread crumbs in the pantry when I cleaned it out. I made a lot meatballs for the freezer...and then told myself do NOT buy more breadcrumbs. :lol:

Good luck