Store cupboard recipes: 40 ways to use up potatoes, tins of tomato, tuna and more

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Store cupboard recipes are the key to turning a cupboard full of tins and a freezer full of food into a menu of tasty meals.

Store cupboard recipes are always good to have at hand, but especially at the moment. As people begin changing their weekly shop and turn to stockpiling instead, these store cupboard recipes will ensure none of that tinned food goes to waste.

Cooking with store cupboard staples doesn’t mean you have to eat plain or flavourless meals either. In fact, quite the opposite!

These store cupboard recipes will show you how to cook tasty meals using canned or frozen veg, canned fish like tins of tuna and other basics.

There are so many delicious, healthy and filling dinners you can make with store cupboard ingredients. Most of these recipes include five to eight different ingredients, so they’re really easy to make.

Based on ingredients from your store cupboard, here are the recipes you could make…

Store cupboard recipes: Starters

Potato and corn cakes

A quick starter is just as easily a quick snack. These potato and corn cakes are perfect if you’re looking for a healthy afternoon pick-me-up with a cup of coffee or tea. They also are great to snack on before dinner, to stop you getting too hungry!

Get the recipe: Potato and corn cakes

Tuna and brown rice salad 

A salad can be a great choice for light lunch, or a small starter before dinner. With this tuna and brown rice salad you’ll get all the vitamins you’ll need from the tinned sweetcorn and bottled peppers, while the tuna steaks provide a healthy dose of omega-3 and protein.

Get the recipe: Tuna and brown rice salad

Moroccan chickpea cakes

These moroccan chickpea cakes are a really inventive way to use those stocked cans of chickpeas. Using only store cupboard ingredients (just swap out fresh herbs for dried) and a couple of frozen vegetables from the freezer, you can make this delicious starter.

Get the recipe: Moroccan chickpea cakes

Tomato and chilli soup

This tomato and chilli soup can be adapted to suit whatever you have in your cupboards. Instead of fresh garlic, use powdered and you can swap out the fresh onions for frozen ones.

Get the recipe: Tomato and chilli soup

Lentil and chickpea soup

This is really warming and wholesome starter to any big lunch (or you can just make it on its own). Packed with protein from the legumes, it will keep you fuller for longer and even better, it’s made from all store cupboard ingredients.

Get the recipe: Lentil and chickpea soup

Sweetcorn fritters

These sweetcorn fritters are totally made with cupboard-found ingredients, and could even be turned into a tasty afternoon snack if you’re not quite ready for dinner yet!

Get the recipe: Sweetcorn fritters

Spicy baked chickpeas

A fantastically spicy starter if you’re looking for something to snack on while waiting for the dinner to cook, they make a healthier alternative to crisps – while keeping all the crunch.

Get the recipe: Spicy baked chickpeas

Store cupboard recipes: Main meals

Spicy mixed bean tortillas

Just because you’re using ingredients from your store cupboard doesn’t mean you can’t cook up a storm in your kitchen. These spicy mixed bean tortillas are quick are to make and even easier to eat.

Get the recipe: Spicy mixed bean tortillas

Deliciously Ella’s three bean stew

For a quick lunch or light dinner, try this stew from Deliciously Ella. This recipe uses canned tomatoes and butter beans, black beans and cannellini beans to create a nutritious and filling meal.

Get the recipe: Deliciously Ella’s three bean stew

Quorn sausage bake

To make this quorn sausage bake, a delicious twist on the traditional meaty sausage bake dish, you will need dried spaghetti, chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock, herbs and cooking spray from your store cupboard. The rest you can source from a well-stocked freezer, especially if you’re already a fan of Quorn range of veggie meat-alternatives.

Get the recipe: Quorn sausage bake

Smoky beans on toast 

The bacon gives these homemade baked beans a delicious salty twist and paired with the sourdough bread, this dish is a one-size-fits-all lunch or brunch meal. But the majority of the ingredients come from your store cupboard – swap out fresh garlic for powdered and use frozen onions if you have any.

Get the recipe: Smoky beans with bacon on toast

Soy-cured tuna noodles 

Make this dish with instant or fresh noodles, it’s up to you. But with some frozen vegetables, you’ll be able to make this twist on a classic stir-fry with just the ingredients in your store cupboard.

Get the recipe: Soy-cured tuna noodles

Crispy Jacket potato with cheesy beans

This is a great one if you’ve got lot of potatoes to use up as you can make jacket potatoes all in one go, for the whole family. Use your favourite brand of baked beans from the cupboard and any cheese you have in the fridge.

Get the recipe: Crispy jacket potato with cheesy topped beans

Tuna, lemon and chilli linguine

This linguine is traditionally made with crab, but it can easily be swapped out for tuna in a versatile recipe like this one. Using a sprinkle of chilli and some herbs, grown on your windowsill or picked up at the local supermarket. It’s a refreshing meal with tastes of the summer.

Get the recipe: Tuna, lemon and chilli linguine

Spinach and sweetcorn lasagne 

If the only pasta you’ve managed to get is lasagne sheets, then this recipe will work perfectly for you. With tinned sweetcorn, canned tomatoes and a couple of other ingredients from your fridge or freezer, you can make this healthy and comforting lasagne.

Get the recipe:  Spinach and sweetcorn lasagne

Spaghetti with broccoli 

Using store-bought or homemade sauce if you feel like it, you can create this simple Italian dish with the ingredients in your store cupboard.

Get the recipe: Spaghetti with broccoli

Bean burgers 

A store cupboard staple recipe if ever there was one. Using just the ingredients you probably already have in your cupboard, you can make these delicious, healthy and super filling bean burgers for a fraction of the cost of regular burgers.

Get the recipe: Bean burgers

Homemade pot noodle

Pot noodle is often a favourite of kids’ but with all those additives, it’s not the healthiest of meals. So why not make your own? Using instant noodles, canned or frozen vegetables, this homemade pot noodle would be a great go-to for lunch.

Get the recipe: Homemade pot noodle

Tuna pasta bake

Tuna is a great store cupboard essential as it’s packed with protein and omega-3. This is a classic family recipe – containing mostly tinned foods like sweetcorn and cupboard-stocked ingredients like pasta, as well as fresher vegetables for an extra dose of vitamins.

Get the recipe: Tuna pasta bake

Sage and onion veggie burger 

Using kidney beans and sweetcorn from your cupboards, combined with some frozen vegetables, you can make these delicious sage and onion veggie burgers – perfect for whipping up in a hurry when there are hungry mouths to feed.

Get the recipe: Sage and onion veggie burger

Jambalaya

With only 6 ingredients, this homemade jambalaya recipe will be a one to whip up in a flash. Swap the chorizo for sausages, which you can buy and freeze for a while. Instead of fresh ones, the next time you’re at the shops pick up some frozen onions, or chop up your own and freeze them.

Get the recipe: Jambalaya

Macaroni cheese with broccoli

Using pasta from the cupboard, cheese (that you can freeze if you want it to last longer) and frozen broccoli, you can make this macaroni cheese with broccoli.

Get the recipe: Macaroni cheese with broccoli

Sausage and bean casserole

Another one of our simple recipes, this casserole only has 5 ingredients – all of which can be found in your cupboard, with a little help from the freezer.

Get the recipe: Sausage and bean casserole

Tuna and potato layer

If you’ve stocked up on some fresh ingredients too, this tuna and potato layer might be for you. While you can get some frozen potato, this recipe is a little better with fresh ones. Luckily if stored correctly, potatoes can last for a while in a cupboard.

Get the recipe: Tuna and potato layer

Cheesy smoked haddock pie with veg mash

Frozen fish is a great product to stock up on in the supermarket. Often coming in larger bags, they’re normally better priced than fresh fish – and contain the same amount of protein.  You can swap the fresh veg out for frozen and opt for a packet cheese sauce, rather than a fresh cheese sauce.

Get the recipe: Cheesy smoked haddock pie with veg mash

Jamie Oliver’s harissa chicken traybake

With only five ingredients, Jamie Oliver’s Harissa chicken tray bake is one of the easiest recipes on our list. It also takes less than an hour to make, and any fresh ingredients can easily be swapped out for frozen or tinned alternatives.

Get the recipe: Jamie Oliver’s 5 ingredient harissa chicken traybake

Cheese and tomato bake

This is a great recipe for using up any leftover bread, or you can make it with frozen bread. Cheesy and a go-to staple, it’s bound to be a winner with the whole family.

Get the recipe: Cheese and tomato bake

Crushed potatoes with tuna

Not only is this recipe super speedy, but it only costs 59p per serving and you can use up any leftover potato too! Great as a quick fix dinner in minutes, use with frozen veg and tinned tuna.

Get the recipe: Crushed potatoes with tuna

Tuna and tomato salsa pasta

A can of chopped tomatoes, a bag of pasta and a tin of tuna is all you really need to create this tasty, quick and hearty meal. Full of warmth, you can choose to add capers if they take your fancy and you have them stocked in the cupboard – if not, why not try some black olives?

Get the recipe: Tuna and tomato salsa pasta

Salmon fishcakes

There’s only 5 ingredients in this recipe for delicious salmon fishcakes, if you take out the parsley – which can only really be bought fresh. They’re a great source of protein and omega-3, using frozen fish and any leftover potatoes you have.

Get the recipe: Smoked salmon fishcakes

Squash and pepper risotto

You can swap the fresh vegetables in this squash and pepper risotto for frozen vegetables. It’s one of those dishes that you can also make it batches and store in the fridge for a couple of days – as long as you give it a proper zap in the microwave to heat up again. Perfect if you’re looking for a punch of vitamins, with red peppers in particular high in vitamin C.

Get the recipe: Squash and pepper risotto

Store cupboard recipes: Desserts

Chocolate brownies

With only two fresh ingredients needed to create these wonderful chocolatey, gooey brownies, they’re one of the easiest and most store cupboard-friendly recipes out there.

Get the recipe: Easy chocolate brownies

Rocky Road 

This chocolatey delight is the perfect weekend treat. Made with all the sweet treats you’ll likely have in your cupboard, plus a little butter.

Get the recipe: Rocky road

Mary Berry’s Iced Fairy Cakes

The queen of the kitchen, Mary Berry does fairy cakes like no one else. If you’re a keen baker, you’re bound to have the ingredients already for these cute little cakes. On an afternoon when the whole family is in the house, why not get the kids involved? They’ll love the decorating part especially!

Get the recipe: Mary Berry’s iced fairy cakes

Three-ingredient chocolate mousse

These indulgent chocolate mousses are a real treat. Not only are they deliciously chocolatey, but they’re so easy to make you’ll be tempted at all times of the day.

Get the recipe: Three ingredient chocolate mousse

Homemade hobnobs 

While you might need a spoonful of butter for these delicious cookies, all the other ingredients come straight from your store cupboard. It’s the perfect recipe if you’ve got lots of porridge oats lying around and love the crunch of McVities HobNobs.

Get the recipe: Homemade HobNobs 

Chocolate biscuit cake 

Although there may seem to be lots of ingredients in this chocolate biscuit cake, they can (almost) all be found in your store cupboard. No need to settle for boring dessert again with this recipe!

Get the recipe: Chocolate biscuit cake

Bread pudding bites

These moorish bread pudding bites are the perfect remedy for any bad day. Using any stale bread you have around, sugar and dried fruit from the cupboard, condensed or coconut milk if you don’t have fresh milk and an egg (or olive oil if you’ve run out – 50ml of olive oil per egg).

Get the recipe: Bread pudding bites

Mary Berry’s flapjacks

Why not bake a big batch of these moorish flapjacks for the whole family to enjoy?

Get the recipe: Mary Berry’s delicious flapjacks

Jamie Oliver’s five-ingredient chocolate orange shortbread recipe

This five-ingredient recipe is another great one for whipping up with limited ingredients. Chocolate fans are bound to have all the ingredients you need, and who knows…you might even have a Terry’s Chocolate Orange hidden away to use up? We can dream.

Get the recipe: Jamie Oliver’s 5 ingredient chocolate orange shortbread

You can find other great recipes on our site, using the recipe finder.

Enjoy!