Some evenings the fridge has nothing useful in it, the shops feel too far away, and dinner needs an answer in twenty minutes. That is the moment a pantry proves its worth. Tins, dried pasta, rice, jars and a freezer drawer with peas and spinach can put a proper meal on the table without a trip to the supermarket.

The fifteen dinners below are less recipes than templates. Amounts are for two hungry people unless stated; scale up or down. Every one of them bends around what you actually have, so treat substitutions as normal rather than a compromise.

A shortlist worth keeping stocked

You do not need a hundred items. These cover most of the meals that follow, and they keep for months.

• Two tins of chopped tomatoes and one of passata
• Chickpeas, butter beans, kidney beans, baked beans, green lentils
• Tuna, sardines, mackerel and salmon, in water, oil or tomato
• Dried pasta in two shapes, long-grain rice, orzo, fine egg noodles
• Red lentils, instant mash, tinned potatoes, tinned sweetcorn
• Stock cubes, curry powder, smoked paprika, chilli flakes, dried oregano
• Garlic (fresh, paste or granules), olive oil, soy sauce, peanut butter
• Mustard, vinegar, honey, lemon juice in a bottle
• Frozen peas, frozen spinach, frozen mixed veg

Pasta and noodles, roughly ten minutes

1. Anchovy, garlic and chilli spaghetti

Four anchovy fillets, three sliced garlic cloves and a pinch of chilli flakes warmed gently in olive oil until the anchovies melt into the oil. Toss through cooked spaghetti with a mugful of the starchy pasta water, then finish with lemon zest and black pepper.

2. Rigatoni with tinned tomatoes and butter beans

Fry an onion if you have one, then add a tin of tomatoes, a drained tin of butter beans and a pinch of sugar or a splash of balsamic. Simmer for fifteen minutes while the pasta cooks. The beans thicken the sauce; mash a few against the pan if you want it creamier.

3. Tuna and sweetcorn pasta

Drain a tin of tuna and a small tin of sweetcorn. Stir through hot pasta with a spoonful of mayonnaise or crème fraîche off the heat, plus lemon juice and plenty of pepper. Heat makes the dressing split, so mix it in last.

4. One-pan orzo with frozen peas

Soften garlic in oil, add 250g orzo and 700ml stock, and simmer until the pasta has drunk the liquid. Tip in two handfuls of frozen peas for the last three minutes. Finish with grated cheese, butter and lemon. It behaves like a risotto without any stirring.

5. Peanut and soy noodles with frozen veg

Boil fine egg noodles. Whisk two tablespoons of peanut butter with one of soy sauce, a teaspoon of honey, a splash of vinegar and hot water until pourable. Stir through the noodles with frozen peas or mixed veg.

Rice, lentils and tins that do the work

6. Egg fried rice

Cold cooked rice works best; hot rice steams and goes gluey. Fry frozen peas and sweetcorn in hot oil, add the rice, then push it aside and scramble two eggs in the same pan. Season with soy sauce and sesame oil if you have it.

7. Chickpea and tomato curry

Fry onion, garlic and a heaped tablespoon of curry powder. Add a tin of tomatoes and a tin of drained chickpeas, then simmer for twenty minutes and finish with yoghurt. Serve with rice or warmed flatbreads.

8. Tinned lentil bolognese

A tin of green lentils, a tin of tomatoes, grated carrot if there is one, dried oregano and a dash of Worcestershire sauce. Fifteen minutes of simmering gives a sauce that sits happily on pasta, in a jacket potato or under mash.

9. Red lentil and tomato soup

Rinse 150g red lentils, then simmer with a tin of tomatoes, a litre of stock and a teaspoon of cumin for twenty minutes until collapsed. Blend or leave coarse. Cheese on toast turns it into dinner.

10. Doctored tinned macaroni cheese

Tinned macaroni cheese is a starting point, not a finished dish. Stir in a teaspoon of mustard and a handful of frozen spinach, tip into a dish, scatter breadcrumbs and cheese, and grill until the top catches.

Toast, potatoes and other speed routes

11. Sardines on toast

A tin of sardines in oil or tomato, warmed in a pan with chilli flakes, spooned over thick toast and finished with lemon. Toast the bread hard so it holds up.

12. Jacket potato with beans and cheese

Prick, microwave for ten to twelve minutes, then blast in a hot oven or air fryer for crisp skin. Warm baked beans with a pinch of smoked paprika and grate cheese over the top.

13. Corned beef hash

Halve tinned potatoes, chop an onion and a tin of corned beef. Fry the potatoes and onion in plenty of oil until browned, add the corned beef, then press everything down and let it crust before turning. Brown sauce or a fried egg on top.

14. Curried beans on toast

Soften an onion, add a teaspoon of curry powder, then a tin of baked beans and a splash of water. Simmer for five minutes and swirl in a spoonful of yoghurt. Spoon over toast.

15. Salmon and instant mash fishcakes

Make 200g of instant mash thickly, then fold in a drained tin of salmon, lemon zest, mustard and chopped spring onion. Shape into cakes, chill for ten minutes if you can, and fry until golden.

Three habits that lift pantry cooking

• Acid at the end. Lemon juice or vinegar wakes up tinned tomatoes, beans and fish. A squeeze is usually enough.
• Toast your spices. A few seconds in hot oil before the wet ingredients go in makes a real difference to curry powder and paprika.
• Keep the pasta water. A splash loosens a sauce and helps it cling instead of sliding off.

A week of pantry dinners

1. Monday: anchovy spaghetti, because it is nearly no effort.
2. Tuesday: chickpea and tomato curry with rice.
3. Wednesday: tinned lentil bolognese; extra sauce goes in the fridge.
4. Thursday: egg fried rice with whatever vegetables need using.
5. Friday: corned beef hash, with the lentil sauce as a fallback.

Keeping the pantry ready

Pantry dinners only work if the shelf is stocked when you need it. Check tins and dried goods once a month, move older items to the front, and keep a running note of anything you have used twice in a row. That note is your real shopping list, and it is far more useful than a vague memory of an empty cupboard.

One practical note: tinned and jarred foods can be salty, so taste before seasoning and rinse beans and pulses if you are watching your intake. If you have specific dietary needs, a doctor or dietitian is the right person to ask.

Photo: rileyroscoe / Pixabay