Not Quite from My Cookbook…Dave’s Pantry Cleanout Stew
Cleaning out our pantry can be a delicious occasion! Here’s how to combine common pantry items into a delicious meal. As a bonus, you can adjust the quantity to match what you need to clean out and have leftovers for the week!
There are over 300 recipes in my recently published cookbook, Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us (Click on the link in Note 1 to get your own copy). Even in these inflationary times, we can prepare delicious meals for our family and do so in a way that does not break the budget. And it’s all in the cookbook!
Introduction
This is a recipe I developed recently when I needed to clean out my pantry. For that reason, it’s not in my cookbook. But I still want to share it with you!
We’ve all gone to our pantry and found an item that was, as we say, getting a little old. No one wants to discard perfectly good food. Instead of tossing it, here’s how to transform it into something delicious.
David Giustozzi’s Pantry Cleanout Stew
As you know, over time, ingredients accumulate in our pantry, and at some point, unless we are intentional, we either forget them or they expire. And as anyone who knows me, I really despise wasting time, food or effort in the kitchen.
Then, there may be another thing that happens. The world is a crazy place, so since the Pandemic in 2020, I’ve begun stocking more pantry staples (and other staples like toilet paper and paper towels) in case we have something like this happen again. Of course, if you are of a certain age (like I am), you will remember taking part in nuclear attack drills where we were drilling on what to do in case of nuclear attack. Yeah, it was a bit scary for an elementary school-aged child. But it’s what we did, because, you know, just in case.
So, whether you’ve stocked up your pantry or just forgot you had certain pantry staples, at some time you will want to use them and not waste them. Which is where this recipe came from. What I did was look in my pantry and try to figure out what I could do with what turns out to be pantry staples that many of us have on hand. In my case, I had to buy a few things, but because of our eating habits, we had most of them. There are no hard and fast rules here; the point is to cause you to think about what you have and make the best use of it so you don’t waste anything. And, oh, before you ask, yes, most of these were past their “use by” date…
Ingredients
Yellow onion (optional, but adds an extra layer of flavor)
20-25 oz. of canned chicken, drained (Note 1)
1 1 ¼ oz. white chicken chili mix
1 15 oz. can white beans, drained and rinsed (Note 2)
1 15 oz. can red beans, drained and rinsed (Note 3)
1 15 oz. can creamed or whole kernel corn, drained (Note 4)
1 10 oz can green enchilada sauce (Note 5)
1 4 oz. can chopped green chilies, undrained
1 10.5 oz. can cream of chicken soup (Note 5)
1 cup water
Optional garnishes: Avocado slices, guacamole, sour cream
cilantro, jalapeno peppers, sliced radish, Fritos, tortilla chips
Directions
If using onion, sauté in pure olive oil a large Dutch oven or stock pot until translucent and just browning.
Increase the heat to medium-low. Add water, chili mix, enchilada sauce, chopped green chilis and chicken soup to Dutch oven. Whisk until well combined. Add remaining ingredients except garnishes. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and simmer for 30 minutes or so, with the lid cracked, until heated through and flavors “marry”. If desired, add a little water to thin, but the stew should be thick and creamy.
Serve, passing garnishes to diners. This will be enough for about 6 people.
Refrigerate leftovers. Stew will likely thicken in the refrigerator, so thin with a little water if needed. Best if reheated gently on the stove.
Notes
Canned chicken comes in various sizes, starting at about 4.5 oz. I had some larger, 12.5-oz cans I got from Costco. Again, it’s not hard and fast that the quantity be exact; we’re cleaning out the pantry, after all! Alternatively, you can always use leftover rotisserie chicken. If you do this, use about 2 ½-3 cups.
Use what you have. Cannellini, Navy, Great Northern. We’re cleaning out the pantry!
Use what you have. Kidney, red, chili beans, whatever. Just make them go away!
I think creamed is better. But OK to use frozen. Cleaning out the freezer is a good thing, too!
Things get salty quickly with this recipe, so use low-sodium if you can find it.
Let’s help our friends and loved ones, shall we?
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Dave’s Pantry Cleanout Stew
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What’s in it for me?
Good eats, that’s what!
Call to Action
Show someone how much you love them by preparing a delicious meal for them. Later, enjoy the time and money you save by relishing your leftovers, either for lunch at work or dinner at home. Take comfort in knowing you are eating hearty food you prepared. All because you made a good decision to follow the recipes and tips in the cookbook I developed just for you.
Besides getting a copy of the cookbook for yourself, it makes an excellent gift for those you love and care for, especially for those with a young family who are looking to save time and money in the kitchen. And learn a few things in the process! What a great idea!
Recommended Resources
Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us by David Giustozzi (Note 1).
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Notes
Please note that as an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a small commission on the sale of any of these recommended resources.
Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/437OhVQ
Achieve Your Dreams: A Complete Guide to Live Your Best Life by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/3IxEFgy