You’re stuck at home because of the coronavirus. After a while, you might get tired of the food you have. If you don’t feel like venturing out to the store, there are ways to make the most of what you might have in your pantry. 

1. Ramen noodles

These cheap, quick and easy noodles come in handy for college kids, especially during this time. But if you’re sick of plain old ramen, you can spice it up in various ways. Put a little (or a lot) of hot sauce on top of your noodles for a kick. Have chicken, eggs, or some other type of protein in your fridge? Cook it and add it to the noodles. You can add vegetables too, if you desire. These simple additions can take your ramen from boring to restaurant-worthy. 

2. Rice

You can do pretty much the same thing with rice. Add proteins or vegetables, spices and butter to make plain rice more exciting. Try adding beans for a quick rice and beans recipe. You can even make fried rice if you have oil!

3. Eggs and bread

You can do various things with these ingredients. Try scrambled or fried eggs with a side of toast, or put the eggs on top of the toast. If you happen to have bacon or cheese, make your own breakfast sandwich! It’s perfect for any time of the day. 

4. Pasta 

Try cooking some pasta and mixing beans or vegetables with it. You can even melt cheese over the top. If you have plain chicken broth, you can add that in for flavor or to make it more like a soup. 

5. Canned soup 

Want to spice up your chicken noodle soup? Go ahead and add some crushed tortilla chips if you have them, add frozen corn and some spices like cumin. Now you have easy chicken tortilla soup! You can also look up recipes for simple casseroles using canned soup. 

Pro-tip: Try using a website like MyFridgeFood or Supercook to see what recipes you can use. Simply check off all the ingredients you have, and it will generate easy recipes.

Features reporter Kelley Holland can be reached at 270-745-6291 and [email protected].