Cooking big today, whether it’s a slow-roasted pork shoulder or a baked ham, means I’ve already cooked (and paid for) my main-dish protein for another day. When I serve up Chicken and Dumplings or Chicken Udon Soup —both of which are the delectable spinoffs of an original roast chicken meal—I get the rush of feeling I’ve gotten something for nothing. Having some cooked meat or a prepped dish stashed away in the freezer is really like finding a hidden treasure.

These main courses offer up brand-new meals to serve later in the week or stash in the freezer. Cook the Big Bang on day 1, then relay the leftovers into a whole series of main-dish spinoffs. Having an extra freezer in the house comes in handy for this kind of cooking, not just for stashing the leftovers, but also for stocking up when good deals hit your markets on turkeys or roasts.

This brings us back to the “free meals a day” concept. Whether you’re storing an uncooked roast, portioned cooked meat, or a completely prepped dish, you will already have covered the bulk of that meal’s cost. Just add a few veggies, herbs, or sides and you have a real meal deal.

With these essentials at your fingertips, you can always cook something up. It’s a pretty big list, so I’m not suggesting that you go out and buy everything all at once. But if you decide to try some of the recipes on this website or in the book, you’ll build your pantry and before you know it, you’ll have everything on the list!

Just a reminder: Don’t be afraid to make substitutions. So a recipe calls for currants and all you have are raisins. Sub them in. Same goes for beans, oils, and vinegars—nine times out of ten, compliments will come your way.

Beans, bread, flours, grains, pastas
All-purpose flour
Bread** (burger buns, sandwich bread, sliced baguette, or country bread)
Bread crumbs (dried, panko, or fresh**)
Brown lentils
Canned and dried beans (pinto, black, cannellini, and/or chickpeas)
Cornmeal
Crackers (graham, saltines, or wheat crackers)
Leaveners and thickeners (baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch)
Noodles and pasta (egg, no-boil lasagna, orzo, rotini, or spaghetti)
Oats (old fashioned and quick)
Rice (basmati, brown, or long-grain white)
Tortillas*

Quick flavor add-ins
Capers*
Chili sauce or hot sauce
Garlic
Ketchup*
Mustard* (Dijon, grainy, or yellow)
Olives*
Pickles* (cornichon, dill, or relish)
Soy sauce

Dried fruits, nuts, and sweeteners
Chocolate chips
Dried fruit (apples, apricots, cranberries, currants, figs, or raisins)
Nuts and seeds (almonds, peanuts, pecans, sesame seeds, or walnuts)
Peanut butter
Sugar (corn syrup, dark or light brown, granulated white, honey, maple syrup)

Dairy and eggs
Butter*
Cheese (Cheddar* or Monterey Jack*, Parmesan*)
Citrus* (lemons or limes)
Dried buttermilk powder*
Dried milk powder
Eggs*
Mayonnaise*
Milk*

Canned goods
Low-sodium chicken broth
Tomatoes (diced, paste)
Tuna

Herbs, oils, spices, vinegars
Dried spices and spice blends: basil, bay leaves, black peppercorns, cayenne, chili powder, ground ginger, herbes de Provence, oregano, red-pepper flakes, sweet paprika, turmeric)
Oil (vegetable oil such as canola or corn, extra-virgin or pure olive)
Salt (kosher and table)
Vinegar (balsamic, cider, red wine vinegar, rice, or white wine)

* refrigerator item
** freezer item