Readers share their favorite 'pandemic pantry' recipes

Food shopping, planning and eating has moved to the head of the line lately as one of the few things we can still enjoy together.

As therapy for social isolation, nothing beats watching family members savoring your home cooking, no matter how humble the ingredients or simple the preparation.

“I love to watch my husband eat what I create,” said Francesca Vrattos of Santa Rosa, co-owner of Yanni’s Sausages. “It’s kind of like watching a fan appreciate a piece of art.”

To get an idea of the ingenious ways people have been cooking during the stay-at-home order, we asked readers to share some of their favorite recipes from their pandemic pantries.

Whether baking bread from scratch or throwing together a pasta dish with canned tuna, the common threads among these recipes are comfort, ease and economy.

Yes, the recipes tend to be carb-loaded, providing the comfort we crave right now. But they also are accompanied by a healthy array of plant-based foods like carrots and squash and protein-rich additions like beans and cheese.

Most can be made in less than 30 minutes, with the help of frozen and canned foods that most everyone already has at home or can pick up easily at the store.

So the next time someone asks, “What’s for dinner?” you don’t have to open a can of Spam, à la Andy Warhol. You can create your own delicious canvas of good taste and originality.

Francesca Vrattos of Santa Rosa shared her recipe for Tsoureki, a Greek Easter twist bread that is slightly sweet with a lovely texture. “It is even better toasted with butter slathered on a slice,” she said

Tsoureki (Greek Easter Twist Bread)

Makes 3 loaves

2 1/2 packages active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup all-purpose flour and 2 1/2 pounds sifted flour, or more as needed

1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons salt

6 eggs, plus 1 egg beaten for topping

1 cup of milk, scalded and cooled

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

- Sesame seeds for topping

Mix the yeast with water, then add the 1/2 cup flour, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir and set in a warm place to bubble. It will take about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl beat ?6 eggs, add the 1 1/2 cups of sugar, milk, melted butter, vanilla and 2 teaspoons salt. Add the yeast mixture to this, then add the ?2 1/2 pounds of sifted flour.

This will be a very stiff dough. If kneading by hand, knead the dough for 5 minutes. You can also use a large mixer and, with the dough hook, knead the dough until it forms a ball and pulls from the sides of the bowl.

Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a damp towel and let it rise until it has doubled. This could take 1 to 2 hours or more.

Punch the dough down and turn it over in the bowl, then cover with plastic wrap and the damp towel and let rise again until it has doubled in size.

Preheat your oven to ?350 degrees.

Remove the dough from the bowl and, using a bench scraper or a knife, divide the dough into 9 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a rope 12 to ?14 inches long.

This will give you ?9 ropes. Braid 3 ropes at a time, then place the braided dough on a greased cookie sheet. This will give you ?3 loaves. Cover and let rise until doubled in size.

This should take about an hour. Brush the loaves with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden.

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Tim Polk of Santa Rosa and his wife have been enjoying this bean stew. “It’s very tasty, easy to make, pantry-friendly and inexpensive,” he said. “Plus, this can easily be ‘tweaked’ to keep it fresh.”

Bean Stew

Makes 4 servings

- Olive oil

2 15.5-ounce cans cannellini beans

- Dried herbs, to taste

1 small cup diced/stewed tomatoes

1/2 cup high-quality chicken stock

- Sausage or chicken, cooked and cubed

Warm a large pot on the stove. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil and heat for one minute.

Add both cans of beans, juice and all. Mix well and cook 5 minutes.

Add chicken stock, diced tomatoes and dried herbs (to taste). Stir well, then cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add cooked sausage or chicken and cook another five minutes.

Serve garnished with drizzle of olive oil.

Note: Can add spinach if desired at the end and/or 1 to 2 handfuls of cooked, day-old rice.

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Carol Castillo of Petaluma has been making this recipe over and over again. “It is tasty and very adaptable, which is handy when we are not able to go to the store as frequently as we used to,” she said.

Easy Italian Wedding Soup

Makes 6 servings

8 cups chicken broth

12 ounces small meatballs, such as the frozen “party”-sized meatballs from Trader Joe’s

3/4 cups small pasta, preferably orzo

1 cup carrots, sliced, diced or large grated pieces

10 ounces greens (spinach or mustard greens or whatever else you have on hand)

- Parmesan, for garnish

Bring broth to a simmer and add meatballs, pasta and carrots. When these ingredients are tender (which depends on size of each ingredient), add the greens and stir to mix. Cook a minute or two until the greens are wilted.

Serve with grated Parmesan on top.

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Michele Audrey of Santa Rosa, who subscribes to Tierra Vegetables’ CSA, used their parsnips for this recipe. “I think they really added a nice sweetness,” she said. “At other times I use a small sweet potato and omit and regular potato. Pair with a yummy grilled cheese sandwich, and you won’t be sad.”

Fresh Pea Soup with Mint

Makes 4 to 6 servings

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, diced

3 medium carrots, diced

3 medium parsnips, diced

- Kosher salt, to taste

1 rib celery, diced

1 sprig thyme leaves

- Kosher salt

1 medium potato, diced

1 quart vegetable stock

1 10-ounce package Trader Joe’s peas in refrigerated section (or 1 package of young peas from the freezer)

1-2 tablespoons fresh mint

- Greek yogurt, for optional garnish

In a 5-quart soup pot, melt the butter and saute the first 4 ingredients for 5-8 minutes, on medium, stirring as you go and adding salt along the way.

Add the diced potato and thyme leaves stripped off the stem. Stir for another minute or so, then add the quart of stock plus enough water to be about an inch above ingredients.

Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to a simmer. In 5 to 10 minutes, the potato should be soft. Add peas and several leaves of chopped mint and more salt.

Increase heat and cook for 4 to 5 minutes more.

Use an immersion blender to make either a rough or a smooth texture. If it’s too thick, stir in a bit more water.

Garnish with Greek yogurt.

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Lynn Caruso of Cloverdale adapted this from a recipe she’d copied out of a magazine years ago, using ingredients she had at home. “There’s a lot of leeway in squash/cheese choices, likewise type of onion or mushrooms used,” she said. “I subbed Canadian bacon for crumbled cooked bacon because I had some.”

Healthier Mac and Cheese

Makes 6 to 8 servings

3 cups baked, peeled and cubed butternut squash (about 2 pounds raw)

8 ounces dried macaroni, such as elbow

2 tablespoons butter

8 ounces button, cremini or other mushrooms (cleaned, sliced)

3 green onions, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup fat-free milk

6 ounces provolone or other mild cheese, sliced or grated

- A bit of Canadian bacon, chopped small, or a couple of cooked slices bacon, crumbled

- Salt, pepper

Preheat oven to ?375 degrees.

If whole, cut squash in two and bake covered for one hour, flipping halfway through.

Let squash cool, then peel and cube into 1-inch pieces. Cook macaroni according to package directions in salted water. Drain (saving about 1 cup of pasta water) and toss with olive oil so it doesn’t stick. Melt butter over medium heat; cook mushrooms and green onions (cover after short while). Don’t brown. Sprinkle with flour and stir. Add milk and bring to a gentle boil to thicken and make sauce. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add salt and pepper to taste. Add cheese and stir so it melts, then add the Canadian bacon.

Spray a 9-by-13-inch pan with non-stick spray. Combine macaroni and squash in the pan; add sauce and combine. If needed, use pasta water, thinning a bit to cover. Cover with foil and bake in 350-degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

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This entrée from Sonja Erickson of Healdsburg can be made in less than 30 minutes. “I keep these ingredients on hand,” she said. “So when we need a comfort food, I can prepare this faster than takeout.”

Garlic Lemon Tuna Sauce with Pasta

Makes 8 servings

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

3 tablespoons capers, drained

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ cup dry white wine (or lemon juice)

2 cans of tuna in olive oil

- Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup of fresh parsley, chopped

- Zest from one lemon

1 pound of pasta

- Favorite extras: Meyer lemon, fresh spinach, feta cheese

Start a large pot of water boiling. Salt water.

Prepare mise en place (set all ingredients out and prepare them for cooking).

Put pasta into the boiling water and stir.

Heat oil, add pepper flakes and cook for ?30 seconds. Add garlic. Stir and watch the heat so the garlic doesn’t burn. It should be fragrant but not browned. Add wine and simmer about a minute. Add drained tuna, capers, parsley, lemon zest and butter.

If you have a Meyer lemon, slice it very thin and then chop it, skin and pulp together. Add to the tuna. Turn the heat to a very low simmer. Adjust seasoning with lemon, salt, pepper and butter.

Watch the pasta and drain it when it’s al dente.

For extra deliciousness, add fresh spinach leaves (the more the better) to the boiling pasta - 30 to 60 seconds is enough to wilt the leaves. Drain the pasta and spinach. Toss with feta cheese. Divide the pasta into bowls and top with the lemon tuna pasta sauce.

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This recipe from Marie Costello of Petaluma can be made quickly with pantry items, chicken and cheese. “I adapted it from a Better Homes and Gardens recipe over 20 years ago,” she said. “My family loves it, and I have shared the recipe many times.”

Chicken Tamale ?Casserole

Makes 6 servings

1 cup shredded Mexican 4-cheese blend

1/3 cup milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 14-ounce can creamed corn

1 8.5-ounce box Jiffy corn muffin mix

1 4-ounce can diced green chiles, drained

1 10-ounce can red enchilada sauce such as Old El Paso

2 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast

- Sour cream, for garnish

Preheat oven to ?400 degrees.

Combine ¼ cup of the cheese and the next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring until just moist. Pour mixture into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Bake for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork. Pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining ¾ cup cheese. Bake for another 15 minutes or until cheese melts.

Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes.

Cut into 6 servings. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

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Cindy Holst of Santa Rosa shared this updated version of her mother’s recipe for Joe’s Special, a San Francisco creation dating back to the 1920s. “This isn’t haute cuisine, and unfortunately it doesn’t look like much, but it is a great one-pan dinner that has a lot of flexibility. You can put in a little or a lot of beef, substitute the beef with ground turkey, add more eggs for a frittata texture and add mushrooms, red peppers or other vegetables to dress it up.”

Joe’s Special

Makes 6 servings.

1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil

1-2 pounds ground beef or ground turkey

2 medium onions, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ pounds mushrooms, sliced and/or one red pepper, diced (optional)

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon dried oregano (or 2 teaspoons fresh oregano)

¼ teaspoon ground pepper

10 ounces frozen spinach or 4-5 cups fresh spinach

6 large eggs, lightly beaten

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Crumble in meat and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until browned. Drain excess fat.

Add onions, garlic and mushrooms/red pepper (if using) and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add salt, nutmeg, oregano and ground pepper and stir to ensure vegetables, meat and seasonings are well blended.

Add spinach and cook, stirring until wilted (if frozen, cook for about ?5 minutes). Make sure spinach is well blended with other ingredients. Spread the ingredients evenly in the pan.

Add eggs. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring gently, until eggs are just set.

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Tonia Bellow of Sebastopol shared this recipe for a family favorite, shepherd’s pie. “It’s also a great one when camping outdoors,” she said. “I am a volunteer firefighter, and it is a firehouse favorite as well.”?

Shepherd’s Pie

Serves 6 to 8

2 pounds ground beef or a substitute of your choice

1 onion, diced

1 bag of frozen mix veggies (carrot, peas, green beans) or your choice of fresh vegetables

3 cloves garlic, chopped

- Salt and pepper (to taste)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

¾ cup barbecue sauce

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

2 packages Honest Earth Creamy Mash Potatoes, prepared per instructions (or use your own recipe for mashed potatoes)

2 cups grated cheddar cheese or any type of cheese you like

Preheat the oven to ?350 degrees.

Best made in a cast iron skillet. Sauté ground beef until cooked. Add the seasonings, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and barbecue sauce.

In a separate skillet, sauté onion and vegetables.

Mix vegetables with burger in cast iron skillet.

Prepare mashed potatoes. Bellow said she likes the Honest Earth brand because it’s simple, just pure dehydrated potatoes and salt. Spread the potatoes on top of the meat/veggie mixture and top with grated cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes and serve.

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This recipe is from Kathryn Henderson of Healdsburg.

Cheese Souffle

Makes 4 servings

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1 cup whole milk

- Pinch of salt

1 cup shredded cheese (sharp Cheddar, Swiss or Gruyere)

4 eggs separated (separate eggs cold, then let them come to room temperature)

Preheat oven to ?350 degrees; set rack to the middle.

Butter 1 1/2-quart soufflé dish and coat with bread crumbs.

In a 1-quart pan over medium heat, melt butter and add flour. Let this bubble and gradually add 1 cup of milk. Stir in cheese and cook to melting point. Remove from heat and stir in the egg yolks. Set aside

Beat egg whites until they form short peaks. Fold half into the yolk mixture, then the other half.

Pour into prepared baking dish. Bake for 35 minutes.

Serve immediately.

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Erin Rath of Santa Rosa whipped up this main dish using pantry staples. “I used potatoes as the base of my meal which maximizes savings,” she said. “Serve with your favorite canned soup and a salad for a complete meal.”

Loaded Home Fries

Serves 4

2 pounds medium russet potatoes, about 6

1/3 package bacon (freeze the rest for later)

½-2/3 cup vegetable oil

- Shredded taco cheese, about 1 1/2 cups

- Small container sour cream

- Chopped green onions or kale (about ½ cup)

- Can of chopped olives

- Jar of salsa

Cook the bacon in the microwave or a skillet until crispy. Let cool, then chop with kitchen shears. Wash the outside of the potatoes; don’t peel.

Slice into raw potatoes with a knife several times. Microwave potatoes until a knife easily slides through, around 6 to ?10 minutes, but it depends on your microwave.

Remove hot potatoes from microwave and let cool for a few minutes. Using a peeler or paring knife, peel the potatoes to remove about half the skin from each one.

Slice or quarter the potatoes. Heat 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a skillet and fry the potatoes until the edges are crisped, about 6 minutes per side.

Cover the skillet while the potatoes are frying so you don’t get splattered. Turn heat down and turn potatoes over with tongs halfway through.

Lay potatoes out, cut sides up, on a baking sheet. Sprinkle on shredded cheese and green onions and /or chopped kale and olives. Spoon a few drops of salsa on top.

Broil in oven on high about 5 minutes or until cheese on top starts to brown.

Remove from oven and spoon on dollops of sour cream. Set the baking sheet on a hot pad directly on your dining table so everyone can dig in.

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Lyla Desideri of Santa Rosa invented this dish after she’d had oral surgery and had to eat soft food.

“This recipe is simple as given here or can be adapted or embellished to accommodate your own taste,” she said.

“You can use the already cooked polenta that comes in a tube if you want. Any sort of beans will be just fine, as will your favorite salsa and cheese.”

Polenta Meets Mexico

Makes 4 servings

For polenta:

4 cups water (or milk, which makes it creamier)

1 cup instant polenta

1 teaspoon salt

For topping:

1 can beans

1/2 cup salsa (or more)

- Handful of finely-grated cheese

4 eggs, poached or lightly fried

For polenta: Bring water or milk to a boil, turn down heat to medium and add the dry polenta slowly while whisking constantly.

Simmer for about ?5 minutes (follow package directions), stirring all the time, until mixture is thickened. Keep warm.

For topping: Open the beans, drain, rinse and heat. Keep warm while you cook the eggs.

Ladle polenta into ?4 bowls. Divide the beans into 4 portions and spoon over the polenta.

Top each serving with one egg, a spoonful of salsa and a sprinkle of cheese.

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Elizabeth Evans of Santa Rosa shared this cookie recipe. “Yesterday I came up with Pandemic Pantry Cookies,” she said. “They were so good, we ate almost all of them.”

Pandemic Pantry Cookies

Makes 30 cookies

1 1/4 sticks butter (10 tablespoons)

2/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup flour

1/3 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup chocolate chips (more or less)

10 large marshmallows, cut into thirds

With the rack in the middle, heat oven to ?375 degrees.

Beat butter until fluffy. Add sugars and beat until light and creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Add dry ingredients and slowly beat to incorporate.

Slowly stir in chocolate chips.

On greased cookie sheet, place walnut-sized lumps of cookie dough at least 2 inches apart. Push pieces of marshmallow into the center of each lump of dough.

Bake for 8 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

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Carolyn Anderson of Santa Rosa shared this recipe for a Simple Lemon Sorbet.

“Everyone has lots of lemons this time of year,” she said.

“When life hands you lemons, make something sweet and refreshing.”

Simple Lemon Sorbet

Makes 4 to 6 servings

2 tablespoons lemon zest (plus 1 tablespoon lavender flowers, optional)

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 cup lemon juice (about 9 lemons, either Eureka or Meyer)

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract (optional)

2 teaspoons Chambord (or vodka )

Scrape the yellow peel off 2 or more lemons to create the zest, avoiding the white pith.

Create a simple syrup by bringing the water, sugar and zest to a simmer in a small saucepan. Simmer for 1 minute (do not boil.)

Remove from the heat, add extract and liquor (the alcohol aids freezing consistency).

Pour into a small container and bring to room temperature or chill in the refrigerator.

Squeeze juice from lemons until there is ?1 cup of juice. Pour into a small container and chill in fridge.

Strain both mixtures into a shallow, wide bowl (an 8-by-4-by-2-inch pan works well). Mix liquids together well (see note below).

Place the mixture in the freezer for about 2 hours or more. Remove when the mixture becomes slushy - icy and crusty but not frozen solid.

Transfer mixture into a mixing bowl and whisk crusted sorbet until it is light and fluffy.

Pour mixture into a 3-cup storage container. Lay a piece of plastic wrap directly over the slushy sorbet.

Place a lid on the container.

Store container in the freezer until ready to serve. You can garnish with a mint leaf, sprig of lavender or blueberries.

Note: You should taste the combined sugar and lemon mixture. It should be tart.

If you want it sweeter, add honey, a teaspoon at a time, until you get the flavor balance you want.

Staff Writer Diane Peterson can be reached at 707-521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @dianepete56