The Best Recipes To Make While Quarantined

In the wake of COVID-19 (also known as the coronavirus), many of us have stocked up at the grocery store. We have all the pantry essentials we need to wait out the storm, like beans, rice, canned goods, and frozen foods. The only problem: Now we have to figure out how to cook all that food! If the idea of cooking dinner sounds more intimidating than ever, we understand. Your routine is interrupted, and you may have to juggle working from home with keeping your kids educated and entertained. But there is a silver lining to all this self-quarantining: The opportunity to hone-in your cooking skills.

Practicing social distancing or self-quarantine doesn't mean you have to resign yourself to frozen meals, ramen noodles, and canned soup. These are the best recipes to make while quarantined. Spoiler alert: They're not only easy to make and contain long-lasting, shelf-stable ingredients, but many of them are also healthy, too.

Our slow cooker has come to the rescue on so many occasions, so there's no need to stop using it now. The slow cooker is a fantastic way to take advantage of the bounty of dried beans you might have picked up at the grocery store. According to the Bean Institute, using a slow cooker is not only the easiest way to cook dried beans, but you also don't need to worry about soaking the beans (with the exception of kidney beans). Simply give them a rinse, plop them in the slow cooker with a pinch of salt, and cover the beans with two inches of cold water.

Our favorite slow cooker bean recipe involves sausage and kale. You can use any type of bean, but we like white beans best. They have a creamy texture that contrasts perfectly with the bold flavor of the sausage. All you need to make this recipe happen is four links (or one pound) of sausage. If it's raw sausage, brown it in a skillet before adding it to the slow cooker. Then add one cup of dried beans, four cups of chicken broth or water, a few bay leaves, some dried thyme, and chopped onions, carrots, and celery. Cook on low for six to eight hours, until the beans are tender. Then, season with salt and black pepper, and stir in four cups of chopped kale. Continue to cook until the kale is wilted and tender.

This soup freezes exceptionally well, so feel free to double the recipe if it will fit in your slow cooker.

If the cravings for take-out are strong, you're in luck: Homemade fried rice is unbelievably easy to make. Technically, you only need three ingredients to make it happen: rice, eggs, and soy sauce. White rice is good in the pantry for four to five years, and soy sauce will last for a year or two after it's been opened. Eggs have a shorter shelf life, but even they can last three to five weeks in the refrigerator.

If you have cooked rice on hand, this easy fried rice recipe only takes 15 minutes. To add extra flavor and nutrition to the dish, start by cooking chopped onions, carrots, bell peppers, and garlic in hot oil until they're softened. Then, add two cups of cooked, chilled rice and some chopped green onions to the pot and cook until the rice is heated through. In a small bowl, scramble two eggs with two tablespoons of soy sauce. Push the rice to one side of the pan, add an extra splash of oil or butter to the empty side, and add the egg to the oil. When the egg is cooked, mix it into the rice. Season the rice with extra soy sauce to taste, and feel free to add in extra veggies if you like — this is a great opportunity to use those packages of frozen stir fry vegetables.

Chicken soup was practically made for quarantine situations. It's easy to make, only requires a handful of ingredients, and it's warm and comforting. Plus, many people already look to chicken soup when they're feeling under the weather because it contains vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, so this recipe may also add an extra boost to your immune system.

You can make chicken noodle soup in the slow cooker, Instant Pot, or on the stove top. No matter which method you choose, you'll want to combine two quarts of chicken stock with chopped vegetables (like onions, carrots, celery, and garlic) and three pounds of bone-in chicken. Bone-in chicken will add the most flavor and gelatin to the soup, but you could use 2-1/2 pounds of boneless chicken if you prefer. Simmer the mixture until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the bones and shred the meat. Return the chicken to the soup along with eight ounces of extra-wide egg noodles. Cook until the pasta is tender. When you're ready to eat, garnish the soup with fresh chopped herbs (parsley and dill are our favorites) and dig in.

Most people prepare for quarantine by stocking up on two very shelf-stable ingredients: rice and beans. Pair them together, and they create a complete protein — just like meat — containing all the essential amino acids our bodies need. There are an infinite number of ways to eat these two ingredients. Whip up an Indian kitchari with split mung beans, serve Cuban-style black beans over rice, or make Louisiana's famous red beans and rice.

Since we're missing our favorite Mexican take-out, we decided to make copycat Chipotle rice and bean bowls. The rice is easy enough to make — toss cooked rice with chopped cilantro, salt, lemon juice, and lime juice. From there, the fastest way to make rice and bean bowls is to heat up a can of black beans or pinto beans. Enjoy the bowls with fajita vegetables, or add a protein like shredded chicken, beef, or pork. Top it off with guacamole or sliced avocado, your favorite salsa, and a sprinkle of cheese. 

Did you end up with a few cans of coconut milk when you raided the grocery store? We certainly hope so, because this coconut lentil curry is absolutely phenomenal. Most coconut curry recipes can be made with five ingredients or fewer if you have a jar of red curry paste on hand. You can eat this curry as-is in soup form, or pour it over cooked rice for a more filling meal. We also love pureeing until it's smooth so we can use it as a sauce for noodles or for smothering cooked fish, poultry, or meat.

Simply combine a can of coconut milk with a few tablespoons of red curry paste, 1-1/2 cups of dried red lentils, and two cups of broth or water. Simmer the mixture for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender, adding an extra cup of water if the mixture looks too dry. If you're not planning to puree the curry to use as a sauce, you can make the dish more filling by adding vegetables like chopped broccoli, spinach, or diced sweet potatoes to the mix.

Hummus is an exceptionally versatile quarantine item because you can use it in so many different ways. It's fantastic when enjoyed as a snack with chips, or you can use it instead of mayonnaise on a sandwich. We've even added a dollop of hummus to grain bowls to add a creamy element to the dish. And, if you happened to stock up on beans when you're at the grocery store, you're in luck: Hummus is usually made with chickpeas, but you can make it with any type of bean.

Simply drain your can of beans and puree it in a food processor or blender with tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, olive oil, and smoky spices like ground cumin and paprika. Then, spread two or three heaping tablespoons of hummus onto a tortilla or pita flatbread. Add some canned roasted red peppers, chopped artichoke hearts, feta cheese, and greens like lettuce, spinach, or arugula. Wrap it up and enjoy a super healthy meal for lunch or dinner.

If you have a pantry stocked with potatoes, grains, beans, meat, or vegetables, you have everything you need to make stuffed baked potatoes. The classic baked potato is usually filled with butter, sour cream, cheese, chives or green onions, and bacon. But once you start to think outside the box, a baked potato becomes the canvas for so many tasty meals. Baked potatoes are easy to prepare ahead of time, store in the refrigerator, and reheat when you're ready to eat, too.

For starters, you can make stuffed baked potatoes with russet (Idaho) potatoes or sweet potatoes. Bake them until they're soft all the way through using the oven or an Instant Pot. While the potatoes are baking, heat up your fillings. Some of our favorite options include: ground beef, tomato sauce, onions, and peppers for sloppy Joe potatoes; pepperoni, marinara, and mozzarella cheese for pizza potatoes; smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers, and red onions for New York potatoes; or quinoa, black beans, avocado, corn, and cheddar cheese for Southwest potatoes.