Milne also likes using capers and pickles, surprisingly versatile flavor bombs commonly found in pantries. Kimchi is another tasty option. And if you’ve got red onions on hand, you can easily quick-pickle them yourself—try this super-simple recipe from Bon Appétit.
4) Don’t wait till the last minute to add beans and lentils into a dish.
“A lot of recipes say to throw them in toward the end,” Milne explains, “but canned [beans and legumes] can really benefit from a bit of a cook when you’re making a soup or stew or sauce.” Letting canned beans and legumes simmer with their fellow ingredients—spices, herbs, onions, garlic, stock, tomatoes—also gives them time to take on those flavors. “You can cook them for a while and they won’t get mushy,” Milne says.
5) Fry up veggie fritters or burgers.
Canned veggies and legumes take on a whole new life when you mix them with egg and flour. One of Milne’s all-time favorite canned goods recipes is corn fritters. “You blitz some of the corn in a food processor and mix it with flour, egg, [whole] corn kernels, and whatever spices you’ve got around—curry, coriander, fennel—and dollop little bits into a pan.”
Livingston does something similar with canned black beans, mixing them with oats, eggs, and seasoning, forming into patties, and baking.
6) Turn to bold spice blends.
If you’re not cooking with much fresh produce or aromatics, take advantage of shelf-stable ingredients that pack a lot of flavor into a little bottle. “[You want] something that adds a load of depth and complex tastiness without having to use [a bunch] of different things,” Milne says. Her favorites are curry powder and harissa. Za’atar is another great option.
7) Puree veggies into a chowder
Not a huge fan of canned veggies? For a silky-smooth bowl of canned goodness, try pureeing veggies with dairy or nondairy milk and aromatics or spices. You get all the flavor and nutrition without the mushy texture that some people find unappealing.
Milne likes making a simple corn chowder using canned corn, stock, milk, a potato, and bay leaves. (You could do something similar with jarred red peppers or canned pumpkin puree.) The Hungry Housewife has a clever recipe for carrot coconut soup made with canned carrots and coconut milk.
8) Make a kitchen-sink soup.
Soups and stews are one of the lowest-effort ways to transform whatever canned (and fresh or frozen) stuff you have on hand into a legit filling and familiar comfort meal. (I also find them ideal for when you might not have every single ingredient listed in the recipe—leaving out or subbing in an ingredient or two is unlikely to mess up the whole thing.) Combine veggie or chicken stock (cans, cartons, or bullion) with any variety of canned beans, legumes, veggies, grains, herbs (dried or fresh), and spices.
Get creative with your ingredient combos here. For instance, use canned tomatoes, black beans, corn, chilies, and chili powder to make a chili, served with tortilla chips or rice. For a rustic minestrone-style soup, try using chickpeas or cannellini beans, green beans, carrots, lentils, spinach (canned or frozen), and barley or pasta.
9) Whip up an all-purpose zingy dressing.
The fail-safe way to banish blahness and blandness from pretty much any canned good? “Basically slather it in a really good dressing,” Milne says. It’s worth taking a little time to make a fantastically flavorful and versatile dressing/sauce/marinade that you can put on salad, pasta, grains, beans, lentils, veggies, et cetera.
