Canned food is a store cupboard staple in most households but do you know which is the most used? The US-based Canned Food Alliance has released data on the best-selling canned foods in America so we’ve compiled 30 genius recipes to use your favorites in new ways. Working our way down to the most popular canned food, some of our ideas may surprise you but they all taste great and are pretty quick and easy to make.
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Tomato sauce: tomato risotto
Tomato sauce from a can is more like passata (puréed and sieved tomatoes) rather than like ketchup. We love using it in this oven-baked risotto. It takes just 10 minutes to prepare and the rest of the time it’s in the oven, requiring just one stir. The dish is simple to make and the finishing touch is a homemade pesto, but just use pesto from a jar if you’re pushed for time.
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Tomato sauce: Florentine pancakes
Any savory recipe with Florentine in the name means that spinach is involved somewhere. Here, pancakes are stuffed with a mix of ricotta cheese, spinach and Parmesan, then packed into a dish, covered with passata and béchamel sauce, and baked in the oven. Our recipe uses buckwheat flour but they taste just as good made with plain flour.
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Tomato sauce: black and kidney bean chili
This recipe is a store cupboard special, making use of tomato sauce and canned beans. The only extra ingredients you’ll need are carrots, garlic, a jalapeño pepper and chili flakes. It’s great served with rice and it’s vegan. The icing on the cake is that it’s on the table in 15 minutes.
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Jellied cranberry sauce: chicken wings
Cranberry jelly is useful in many ways and it makes a great marinade for sticky chicken wings. Take a 400g (14oz) can of jellied sauce, chop it into cubes then mix with 2tbsp each Dijon mustard, hot chili sauce, soy sauce, and the zest and juice of a lemon. Add plenty of black pepper then mix into 1.3kg (3lb) of wings. Bake on a tray lined with oiled foil in a hot oven, turning occasionally, until cooked through and well browned.
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Jellied cranberry sauce: braised red cabbage
Slow-cooked red cabbage is a great winter side for roasted meat. It also freezes brilliantly so you can make a big batch. Swap the cherry jelly in the recipe below for jellied cranberry sauce but make sure you don’t skip the warming cloves, cinnamon and mixed spice. Along with the oranges and apples, they take the dish to the next level.
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Jellied cranberry sauce: pulled pork
Always a crowd-pleaser, slow-cooked pork in spices, garlic and soy sauce can be used in so many ways – in a bun, wrap, added to a stir-fry or as the main event. In our recipe, replace the tomato ketchup with jellied cranberry sauce – just gently heat to melt it before adding to the cooking sauce.
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Baked beans: beany baked eggs
Baked eggs is usually considered a breakfast or brunch dish, but there’s no reason you can’t rustle it up for supper. Fry a chopped onion, add garlic and paprika, then tip in a can of chopped tomatoes and a can of baked beans. Protein-packed beans will make this a much more filling dish. Once it’s thick, crack in the eggs and leave until cooked. For the final flourish, scatter over crumbled feta and chopped parsley or cilantro.
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Baked beans: bean and sweet potato pie
Now here’s a great comfort food dish. Canned baked beans and butter beans are mixed with chopped tomatoes, stock and herbs. The hearty stew is topped with sweet potato mash and grated cheese. Bake until the cheese has melted and the whole dish is bubbling hot.
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Spaghetti hoops: pasta and chickpea stew
Pasta and chickpeas is an Italian favorite. In this clever and quick recipe, the sauce is rinsed off the spaghetti hoops so you have instantly cooked pasta to add to your garlicky chickpea stew. The prep time is all of five minutes then you can just let it simmer away.
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Spaghetti hoops: lentil and vegetable pie
Add extra carbs to a baked vegetable pie with spaghetti hoops. Mix with canned lentils and tomatoes, diced vegetables of your choice (carrots, celery, onion for example), then top with mashed potato and grated cheese. Bake in a hot oven until fully heated through and bubbling.
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Sweetcorn: spiced corn chowder
A chunky chowder makes a great lunch or light supper dish. This recipe is full of Caribbean flavors, with a good kick of chili to go with the butternut squash, lentils and corn, all simmered in coconut milk. The warming spices pair well with the sweetness of the corn and squash.
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Sweetcorn: corn fritters
Corn fritters couldn’t be easier to make and using canned sweetcorn is much less effort than having to cut fresh kernels off the cob. They’re great for breakfast with smoked salmon and poached eggs, or try them as a dinnertime side with chicken or grilled chops.
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Sweetcorn: lamb and sweetcorn curry
You might not normally think of putting sweetcorn in a curry but it adds a touch of sweetness to balance out the spices. Try adding it to a smoky rogan josh or try our northern Indian dish, fragrant with cardamom, cilantro, cumin, ginger, cloves and chili.
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Green beans: green bean casserole
Green bean casserole is a classic Thanksgiving dish but we think it’s great any time of the year. The sauce is made from another canned favorite, condensed mushroom soup. Heat the soup with a little milk, some grated cheese and chopped crisp bacon. Pour over the drained beans, add more cheese and breadcrumbs, then bake at 350°F (180°C) until browned and bubbling.
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Green beans: spicy stir-fry
Next time you’ve got a can of green beans hanging around, try a super quick, Szechuan-style stir-fry. Add chopped chili, garlic and ginger to a hot wok, then tip in drained and rinsed beans, a splash of soy sauce, sesame oil and sesame seeds. As the beans are already cooked, you only need to stir-fry long enough to coat in the sauce.
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Condensed chicken soup: chicken pot pie
A can of condensed soup makes a creamy sauce for a crowd-pleasing pie. Fry off chicken chunks and onion until lightly browned, then put into a pie dish with vegetables of your choice. Add the can of soup with the same quantity of chicken stock. Cover with ready-made shortcrust or puff pastry and bake at 350°F (180°C) until browned and bubbling.
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Condensed chicken soup: creamy pasta
Cooking noodles, for a sort-of carbonara, in chicken soup makes it rich and creamy. For 225g (8oz) spaghetti or another type of long pasta, you’ll need a can of condensed chicken soup and 850ml (30fl oz) chicken stock. Cook the spaghetti in the soup and stock mixture but don’t drain it. When the pasta is done, add crisp bacon and plenty of grated cheese. You could also add peas or spinach at the end.
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Condensed tomato soup: speedy minestrone
Heat your tomato soup according to the instructions and meanwhile, sauté chopped onions, carrots and celery. Add these to the soup along with cooked small pasta shapes and a drained can of kidney beans, butter beans or chickpeas. We’re not being overly purist here so just chuck in whatever you have to hand. Simmer for 10 minutes or so, then add a glug of olive oil, basil and grated Parmesan to serve.
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Condensed tomato soup: spaghetti casserole
This is a real blast from the past. This is essentially just a pasta bake with the soup making the sauce. Mix the soup with the same quantity of water and a few tablespoons of double cream. Cook the pasta, drain and transfer to a baking dish. You could also fry mushrooms, bacon or ground beef to add to the sauce. The choice is up to you. Pour the saucy soup over the pasta and mix well. Add lots of grated cheese and bake at 350°F (180°C) until browned and bubbling, around 30 minutes.
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Condensed tomato soup: meatballs in tomato sauce
A can of tomato soup makes a great sauce for baked meatballs. First, fry off the meatballs until browned. To make the sauce, mix the soup with a drained can of tomatoes and add a teaspoon of mixed herbs. Put the meatballs into a baking dish and pour over the tomato sauce. Baked until cooked through, then for a finishing touch, cover with grated cheese and return to the oven until melted and golden.
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Chopped tomatoes: spaghetti al pomodoro
Spaghetti with tomato sauce is a classic we never tire of. It’s the combination of fresh tomatoes, tomato passata and canned chopped tomatoes, all cooked down in olive oil and garlic, which makes it a winner. Just add buffalo mozzarella before serving. Pair the sauce with any long pasta, such as pappardelle or linguine.
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Chopped tomatoes: butter chicken
You’ll never look back once you’ve made your own butter chicken. Fry off onion, ginger and garlic before adding spices, canned tomatoes and thick Greek-style yogurt. The sauce, combined with tandoori masala chicken and that all-important butter stirred through at the end, is irresistibly rich and tasty.
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Chopped tomatoes: basil and tomato gnocchi
Homemade potato gnocchi are incredibly light and deceptively simple to make. Plus the sauce is easy too – make it with olive oil, onion, garlic, chopped tomatoes and basil. Pop everything under a hot grill with sliced mozzarella and you’ve got yourself a speedy, made-from-scratch supper.
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Canned sausages: spicy sausage
Pimp up your canned sausages in a Thai-style stir fry. Fry chili and garlic in a little oil, then add shredded carrots, sliced scallions and chopped sausage. Throw in a good handful of basil towards the end of cooking – Thai basil if you can find it, but Italian basil will work perfectly well. Serve with noodles or rice.
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Canned sausages: lentil hot pot
A warming lentil hot pot is perked up with the addition of sliced, canned sausages. Follow our recipe for lentil and pasta soup and instead of using bacon lardons, substitute with the sausages, to give an equally light, smoky flavor.
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Condensed mushroom soup: potato gratin
You’re probably more familiar with a potato gratin made with cream, but it’s great made with condensed mushroom soup too. Thinly slice 900g (2lb) of potatoes and a large onion. Mix the soup with 150ml (5fl oz) milk and a good pinch of paprika. Layer the potatoes and onion, adding some of the soup and milk mixture to each layer, then pour the rest over the top. Cover with grated cheese, bake at 375°F (190°C), covered, for an hour, then uncover and bake for a further 30 minutes.
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Condensed mushroom soup: baked chicken with rice
Here’s a one-pot dish which is certain to become a firm favorite. Mix a can of mushroom soup with 300ml (10fl oz) water, 375g (13oz) long-grain rice and a teaspoon of dried oregano. Brown four chicken breasts cut into chunks, in a little oil. Next, put the chicken in the base of an ovenproof dish with a sliced onion. Pour over the rice mixture, cover the dish then bake at 375°F (190°C) for 40 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the chicken is tender. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.
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Canned tuna: tuna melt
Who can resist a great tuna melt? Make up a classic tuna mayonnaise mixture and add a pinch of chili powder or paprika. Toast thickly cut bread – sourdough works well – and spread the tuna mayo over one piece then top with sliced cheese. Pop under a hot grill until the cheese is bubbling and fully melted, then pop the second slice on top to make a sandwich.
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Canned tuna: Niçoise bake
This has all the elements of a Niçoise salad – canned tuna, olives, green beans, potatoes, anchovies and egg – but is topped with Parmesan and baked. It’s a great one-pot dish which feeds four, so a perfect midweek winner.
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Canned tuna: tuna kedgeree
A classic Anglo-Indian dish, kedgeree is traditionally made with smoked haddock but it works brilliantly with canned tuna too. Add a little turmeric when cooking the rice to add color. You’ll usually find it on breakfast menus but it makes an excellent and filling midweek dinner too.
