• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Plant-Based Cooking
  • Start Here
    • Introduction
    • What is a Plant-Based Diet?
    • Freebies
    • 12 Tips for Starting
    • Got Questions?
    • Meal Planning Myths
    • Nutrition Needs
    • Plant-Based Myths
    • Stock Your Pantry
    • Tools, Tips and Freebies
    • Uncommon Ingredients
    • What to Expect
    • Why Eat Plants?
  • Recipes
    • 12 Most Popular
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Gluten-Free
    • Holiday Recipes
    • Main Dishes
    • Plantricious
    • Recipe Roundups
    • Salads & Dressings
    • Sandwiches
    • Sauces & Condiments
    • Side Dishes
    • Snacks
    • Soups & Stews
  • Articles
    • All Articles
    • Cooking Tips
    • Food Facts
    • Getting Started
    • Interviews
    • Meal Planning
    • Nutrition
    • Reader Questions
    • Staying Motivated
    • Success Stories
  • Resources
    • Complete List
    • Freebies
    • Freebie Login
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Cookbooks/Recipes
    • Kitchen Essentials
    • Meal Delivery
    • Pantry Essentials
  • About
    • About PB Cooking
    • About Diane
    • Coffee Klatch
    • Diane’s Health Journey
    • Subscribe
    • Contact
  • Cookbook
Home » 49 Plant-Based Vegan Recipes Using Canned and Packaged Foods

49 Plant-Based Vegan Recipes Using Canned and Packaged Foods

March 15, 2018 By Diane Smith 4 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Pin
Share
Yum
Tweet
"49 Plant-Based Vegan Recipes from Canned and Packaged Foods Article by Diane Smith of PlantBasedCooking.com"

If you’ve had a busy day at the office or shuffling children, sometimes tackling dinner is the last thing on your mind, but I know you want wholesome plant-based food. What’s a busy cook supposed to do? Pull from your canned and packaged whole food cupboard quickies.

Although you may have time to prepare homemade beans and cook your whole grains, this list is for those days when you just don’t have the energy or willpower to make it happen.

We all have days like this. I think even purists will find these products have all the nutrition that a whole-foods, plant-based cook needs although you might want to watch the sodium content. And, while many canned and packaged items are not whole foods, many do fit the bill for sticking to a plant-based diet.

If you're lucky enough to have one nearby, check out my list of plant-based foods from Trader Joe's to help you fill the pantry.

You might also be interested in what else I recommend for stocking your pantry. This post, "How to Stock Your Plant-Based Pantry" includes everything and also a downloadable list of what I usually purchase every week.

"49 Plant-Based Vegan Recipes from Canned and Packaged Foods Article by Diane Smith of PlantBasedCooking.com"

49 Quick Recipes Using Pantry Staples

Here's your list of items for your pantry and 49 recipes that can be made using them.  Be sure to purchase low sodium versions is you're concerned about salt.

CANNED ORGANIC TOMATOES

Purchase diced, chopped, crushed, stewed, and whole tomatoes and tomato paste. Look for those that are BPA-free if you can find them (Trader Joe's  And Eden Brand).Crushed Tomatoes

1. Classic Marinara Sauce
2. Easy Chana Masala
3. One-Pot Penne Pasta
4. Slow Cooker Italian Soup
5. Bean Chili

JARRED PASTA SAUCE

Trader Joes’ Fat-Free Organic Classic Tomato Pasta Sauce, Whole Foods 365 Brand

6. Pasta Puttanesca with SpinachMarinara Sauce
7. Sweet Potato Veggie Lasagna
8. Pasta with Veggies
9. Stuffed Peppers
10. Chickpea Omelet with Curried Spinach

PRE-MADE RICE AND/OR QUINOA

Seeds of Change has several pre-made styles of rice: quinoa and brown rice, Spanish rice, Caribbean rice, brown & red rice with kale & chia, that can be purchased from several stores: Costco, Target, Whole  Foods, Vitacost, Amazon and more.

11. Pineapple Fried RiceQuinoa-Brown-Rice
12. Curried Chickpea Rice Salad
13. One-Pot Thai Coconut Curry
14. Mexican Rice Salad
15. Mushroom Pilaf (with Quinoa or Rice)

BOXED OR CANNED PRE-MADE LENTILS

Trader Joe’s or Eden canned cooked lentils from Whole Foods or Target. Eden and Trader Joe’s canned products are preferred because they have no BPA lining.

Lentils

16. Lentil Shephard’s Pie
17. Hearty Lentil Kale Soup
18. Curried Coconut Lentil Yam soup
19. Lentil & Oats Power Porridge
20. Lentil Salad with Swiss Chard 

FROZEN ORGANIC VEGETABLES

Vegetables like broccoli, corn, cauliflower, peas, spinach, kale, peppers, mixed veggies, potatoes, green beans, edamame, butternut squash, asparagus, mixed root veggies, mixed mushrooms. I don’t typically use frozen vegetables when I cook so I’m not sure how these will work for you. I’d love to hear what works for you.

21. Cauliflower Sweet Potato MashFrozen-Veggies
22. Cauliflower No-Cheese Sauce
23. Cheezy Veggie Divan
24. Creamy Potato Kale Soup
25. Baked Corn Casserole

ALL WHOLE-GRAIN PASTA

That includes spaghetti, rigatoni, capellini, and more.

26 Pasta PrimaveraOrganic-Pasta
27. Pasta with Spinach Pesto
28. Baked Macaroni & Cheese
29. Macaroni Salad
30. Mushroom Stroganoff

BPA-FREE CANNED BEANS

Try Eden or Trader Joe's brands or see this list of BPA-free cans. Aduki, black, black-eyed peas, black soybeans butter, cannellini, garbanzo, kidney, navy, pinto, and small red beans. Also, refried beans.

31. BBQ Baked BeansCannellini Beans
32, Broccoli Waldorf Salad
33. Tamale Pie
34. Black Bean Soup with Sweet Potatoes
35. Low-Fat Hummus

VEGETABLE BROTH

There are many brands, but Imagine won the taste test at thekitchn.com

36. Vegetable Soup with RavioliVegetable-Stock
37. Easy Fat-Free Vegan Gravy
38. Lentil Pea Soup
39. Beefless Stew
40. Vegan Creamed Spinach

WHOLE GRAIN FLOUR AND CORN TORTILLAS

Corn tortillas are made with very few ingredients, usually corn and water. Look for non-GMO. Flour tortillas are made with wheat and some oil. Some are more nutritious than others so read labels carefully.

Corn-Tortillas41. Vegan Huevos Rancheros Casserole
42. Oil-Free Chips
43. Black Bean Sweet Potato Quesadilla
44. Lightly Curried Vegetable Wraps
45. Veggie Tacos 

CHIA SEEDS

A great source of omega 3s and for use as a thickener, egg replacer, or added nutrition.

46. Blueberry Lemon BarsChia-Seeds
47. Cherry Chocolate Smoothie
48. Overnight Chia Oats
49. Pumpkin Chia Pudding

Soy-Curls-AmazonSOY CURLS FROM BUTLER FOODS

These are high in protein and are a great substitute for meat. They're made from select, non-GMO, whole soybeans and grown without chemical pesticides. Amazon Link: Soy Curls

Here's my two recipes with soy curls. (new addition)

Vegetable Chicken Noodle Soup with Soy Curls
Vegan Tetrazzini with Soy Curls

These are made from select, non-GMO whole soybeans grown without chemical pesticides. Re-hydrate them with water or warm vegetable stock and use them in any recipe you want a meaty texture.

Jackfruit

GREEN JACK FRUIT

Green jackfruit is not sweet and is a good substitute for shredded meat. You can purchase it at Amazon*, Whole Foods, and other stores.

There are certainly more cupboard staples that can be used in your whole-foods, plant-based recipes and I'd love to hear what you've made with the items you keep in your cupboard. Please share in the comments below.

Add to the List

Help us out. If you know of a store-bought food item that lends itself to use in a plant-based recipe, please add it to the comments below! 👍


Want more of Plant-Based Cooking?
Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram.

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means if you click a link, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Read my full disclosure.
Pin
Share
Yum
Tweet

Filed Under: All Articles, Articles, Cooking Tips, Food Facts, Meal Planning, Plant-Based Tips, Recipe Roundups

Previous Post: « Plant-Based Runners Rick and Laura Bruess
Next Post: How to Deal with Non-Plant-Based Vegan Family and Friends »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sharon R

    March 22, 2018 at 12:55 pm

    This sounds great and I have used many of these products myself. My only caution would be that many of these are high in sodium so read labels carefully!

    Reply
    • Diane Smith

      March 22, 2018 at 12:57 pm

      You are so right. Check those labels for sodium! Thanks.

      Reply
  2. Maryanne

    April 6, 2018 at 12:23 pm

    So what about the sodium? Is there an amount that’s good or non at all. I want to do the plant based bit really don’t know a whole lot about it.

    Reply
    • Diane Smith

      April 7, 2018 at 12:32 pm

      All of the plant-based advocates I follow do not recommend using salt. That said, I know it can be difficult at first so I recommend cutting back. You’ll find your taste buds changing over time. Since you’ll be eating more whole foods and less processed and packed items on a plant-based diet, that should help because that’s where we get a lot of salt in our diets. Here’s a great article that may help you from plantplate.com that gives you ideas on how to replace the salt so you can reduce your chances of disease. Good luck on starting a plant-based diet. You’ve made a great choice! ????????

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Get Social

            Plant Based Cooking on YouTube
Top 50 Vegan Blogs Of 2021

Meet Diane

Meet Diane

I help you discover the steps, tools and actions you need to eat a plant-based diet for disease reversal, weight loss and renewed vitality with recipes, health tips and inspiration to make the journey easier.

Join me on Facebook

Plant-Based Cooking on Facebook Like Sign Up Plant-Based CoOoking on Facebook

Food over Medicine

Graduate Badge

Sign up intro

Join my list and get your free checklist, “8 Plant-Based Meal Planning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them” plus a helpful bonus meal planning worksheet.

Leadpages signup button

 

Popular Posts

Whole Foods vs Meat

Is Red and Processed Meat Really OK? Debunking the Latest Hype

Cool Off Recipe Roundup

Chill Out: 19 Cooling Plant-Based Summer Recipes

Gazpacho with tomatoes

Tomatoes for Health

Footer

Instagram

Pinterest

            Plant Based Cooking on YouTube

Disclosure and Privacy Policy

Recent Articles

20 Vegan Plant-Based Casserole Recipes

Plant-Based Vegan Casserole Recipes

Chickpea Bowl

12 Common Mistakes Plant-Based Beginners Make and How to Fix Them

Healthy Carbs

Reader Question: Will All These Carbs Make Me Gain Weight?

Contact: diane@plantbasedcooking.com

Copyright © 2021 Plant Based Cooking