11 Easy Meals You Didn’t Think You Could Make With Items Already in Your Pantry

If anyone can cook 11 meals in ONE HOUR without knowing the ingredients beforehand, it’s chef Richard Blais.

And that, he did!

When he stopped by our show, he took the contents of one viewer’s pantry and whipped up ELEVEN dishes (impressive ones, at that!) throughout the course of the show.

We’re talking Mac n’ Ham n’ Cheese, Chicken Satay and Cacio e Pepe -- to name a few!

Lucky for you, they’re all simpler than they sound:

BREAKFAST

Raw Oat Power Bowl*

Ingredients
- Rolled Oats
- Chia Seeds
- Flax Seeds

Instructions
- Steep rolled oats, chia seeds and flax seeds in hot water
- Top with honey (or cinnamon, vanilla extract)

*Can be made overnight

Pancakes
 

Rachael Ray Show

Ingredients
- Cake mix
- 3 eggs
- Can of chickpeas, drained (reserve the liquid to make a topping -- use the chickpeas in the pozole below!)

Instructions
- Combine cake mix and eggs in bowl
- Cook in skillet
- Top with warm maple syrup, strawberries, and aquafaba*

*Aquafaba may sound crazy but it’s basically just whipped chickpea water. Watch Curtis Stone show you how to make it here.

BRUNCH

Green Chili Ham and Cheese Omelet
 

Rachael Ray Show

Ingredients
- 5 eggs
- Canned green chilies
- Chopped ham
- Cheese
- Tomatoes
- EVOO
- Balsamic vinegar

Instructions
- Whisk eggs; make omelet with chilies, ham and cheese
- Top with sliced tomatoes tossed with EVOO and balsamic vinegar

LUNCH

Spicy Corn Soup

Ingredients
- Canned corn
- Onions
- Splash of milk
- Jalapeno

Instructions
- Saute onions with drained corn until translucent; puree with a splash of milk
- Top with jalapeno

Sweet and Spicy Grilled Carrots
 

Rachael Ray Show

Ingredients
- Carrots
- Store-bought enchilada sauce
- Orange juice
- Chopped cilantro
- Pepperoncini

Instructions
- Grill carrots
- Add a splash of orange juice to store-bought enchilada sauce and use to glaze hot carrots
- Garnish with pepperoncini and chopped cilantro

Jazzed Up Ramen
 

Ingredients
- Instant ramen
- Soy sauce
- Scallions
- Roasted chicken
- Soft-boiled egg

Instructions
- Cook ramen according to package instructions
- Add soy sauce and scallions
- Roast chicken
- Combine in a large bowl
- Top with a soft-boiled egg

Mac n’ Ham n’ Cheese
 

Rachael Ray Show

Ingredients
- Store-bought boxed macaroni and cheese
- Shredded cheese blend
- Parmesan cheese
- Pecorino cheese

Instructions
- Prepare the macaroni and cheese according to package instructions
- Place cooked mac and cheese in casserole dish and stir in shredded cheese blend
- Top with Parmesan and pecorino, dot with pats of butter and broil until browned

Teriyaki Chicken Satay
 

Rachael Ray Show

Ingredients
- Chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

Ingredients for peanut dipping sauce
- Lime juice
- Soy sauce
- Peanut butter
- Sriracha
- Teriyaki sauce

Instructions
- Marinate chicken in teriyaki sauce then skewer
- Grill
- Whisk together dipping sauce ingredients and serve with grilled chicken skewers

DINNER

Cacio e Pepe

Ingredients
- Pasta
- Pecorino cheese
- Black pepper

Instructions
- Cook pasta
- Reserve a bit of pasta water when draining pasta
- Combine cooked pasta, pasta water and cheese and reduce (liquid will come together into a thick, cheesy sauce that coats pasta); season with pepper

Pozole

Ingredients
- Enchilada sauce
- Chicken stock
- Onions
- Chickpeas
- Lime juice
- Celery leaves

Instructions
- Combine ingredients in a pot and cook over heat until warmed through
- Top with lime juice, onions and celery leaves

DESSERT

Fancy Jello
 

Rachael Ray Show

Ingredients
- Jello cups
- Can of chickpeas, drained (reserve the liquid to make a topping—use the chickpeas in the pozole above!)

Instructions
- Place jello from jello cups in a small serving bowl (to make it fancy)
- Top with aquafaba (whipped chickpea water)

If you can’t get enough of all the cooking tricks Richard Blais has up his sleeve, watch him in the video below knock on unsuspecting people’s doors and whip up meals right in front of them!