Stocking An Italian Pantry: The Staples

6/25/2017

When thinking of an Italian pantry, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Freshly canned tomatoes, natch! But in addition to our beloved g̶r̶a̶v̶y̶ tomato sauce, there are a few pantry staples that every eye-talian pantry must have. Start building your Italian pantry with the following items:

Dried oregano
Dried parsley
Basil, fresh and dried
Fresh Garlic
Tomato paste
Dried pasta of various shapes
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar & red wine vinegar
Parmesan Cheese (or any good aged Italian cheese, like romano, locatelli, asiago, etc.)
Sundried tomatoes (dried or packed in oil)
Anchovy paste
Ceci beans (chickpeas; and/or red and white kidney beans (canned or dried))

Fun Fact: According to the Olive Oil Times (yes, that’s really a thing!), a diet rich in olive oil may actually be able to slow down the aging of the heart. It has the potential to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, and a recent study showed that a Mediterranean style diet rich in olive oil reduced the risk of type II diabetes by almost 50% (compared to a low fat diet).

Stocking An Italian Pantry: The Staples

With the addition of fresh ingredients like veggies and greens, meats and fish, lots of rustic, “peasant” dishes can be made using these pantry staples. For example: Pappardelle pasta and sliced grilled chicken with sundried tomatoes tossed with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and herbs; ceci beans and ditalini pasta simmered in chicken broth with escarole, garlic and grated parmesan cheese; chopped romaine lettuce, grilled shrimp, freshly toasted croutons, and shredded parmesan cheese tossed in a dressing made from olive oil, vinegar, garlic, anchovy paste and lemon juice.

Pictured: Pretty much every Italian pantry staple, ever. Viva l'amore!

Fun fact: With one serving clocking in at 12.5 grams of fiber and 14.5 grams of protein, Ceci beans are a proverbial superfood! They help to increase satiety, boost digestion, keep blood sugar levels stable and increase protection against disease.

Have you ever tried growing an herb garden of your own? Growing your own fresh herbs is cheap and easy and can be done indoors, any time of year. Grab a pot like this, and some herbs like this, and some potting soil like that, and you’ll be well on your way to yummy herbal goodness in no time!

Want to try your hand at drying herbs? If you’ve got fresh herbs, an oven, some twine or rubberbands, then baby, you’ve got dried herbs. Check out this video to learn more:

Fun Fact: Consuming garlic on a daily basis (no problem in this house) helps to lower cholesterol levels because of the antioxidant properties of allicin. It is also immensely beneficial to regulate blood pressure and blood sugar levels!

Now that you’ve stocked your Italian pantry, how about throwing together a simple and delicious recipe? Pair Garlic Shrimp and Sundried Tomatoes With Spaghetti with some crusty Italian bread and a nice Pinot Grigio, and let me know what time’s dinner.

Garlic Shrimp and Sundried Tomatoes With Spaghetti

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10 Comments

Candace Wells link

6/26/2017 12:32:47 pm

I love this. Eating at your house must be delicious. The meme is hilarious.

Julia link

6/26/2017 01:30:39 pm

My boyfriend's family is Italian, and their pantry definitely looks like this! And they can their own tomatoes for their homemade gravy!

Gunjan link

6/27/2017 02:50:15 pm

This absolutely delightful to know. Italian pantry is what I dream about.

Deborah link

6/27/2017 08:55:27 pm

I love growing fresh basil to have on hand. It makes such a difference in taste and you can add it to a lot of things besides Italian!

charleymone link

6/27/2017 09:38:16 pm

thanks for this post!

Seema link

6/27/2017 09:41:01 pm

Fantastic listing.

Char link

6/27/2017 10:38:29 pm

I didn't know garlic lowers cholesterol. One more reason to love it!

Jennifer @ Because Food Is Love link

6/28/2017 12:06:39 am

Wonderful! I have all these staples in my kitchen and I use them often. Italian food is one of my faves.

Diana Johnson

6/29/2017 12:44:39 pm

I love your suggestions! We already have most of these at home, actually!

Trisha link

6/29/2017 08:08:03 pm

I'm not Italian at all (at least I don't think so), but I feel like I should at least be an honorary Italian because I have all of this in my pantry except the anchovy paste, I make my own pasta sauce, and I put garlic in EVERYTHING! So thanks for making me feel like I half-way know what I'm doing with the correctly stocked pantry. :)