15 Secret Pantry Ingredients that Make Your Recipes Better

Make Guacamole Better With Yogurt

Yogurt and sour cream can add so much zing to guacamole! Line the bottom of a strainer with cheesecloth, a coffee filter, or paper towels and set over a medium bowl. Spoon in 1/2 cup plain yogurt, cover, and chill 8 hours or overnight until yogurt ‘cheese’ is thick and creamy. Mix up all your favorite guacamole ingredients in a large bowl. Then fold in the yogurt cheese and 1/2 cup sour cream to make an amazing dip.

Bake Focaccia With Instant Mashed Potatoes

Prepare the mashed potatoes according to package directions and cool for 10 minutes. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl, and make a well in the center. Stir the mashed potatoes and the yeast in as per your favorite Focaccia recipe.

Photo credit: © iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Squeeze Lemon Over Pasta

Skip the salt when you boil the pasta, instead squeeze in half a lemon. You’ll give your pasta some zip, and cut down on your sodium intake.

Photo credit: © iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Perk Up Your Steak With Coffee

Mix fine coffee grounds into a spice rub for a rich, aromatic flavor. For an especially good combination, mix together ground espresso or other coffee, paprika, chili powder (or pure ancho chile powder,) cumin, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Add a touch of sugar.

Photo credit: © iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Amp Up Your Eggs With Cream Cheese

Once you try this dish, you may never want your eggs any other way. Cream cheese gives the eggs a smooth texture that is irresistible. Melt 2 tbsp. butter and 1/4 cup cream cheese in a skillet before adding the beaten egg mixture. Cook over medium-low heat until the eggs are just firm yet moist.

Photo credit: © iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Thicken Gazpacho With Bread

Most soups are enriched with cream or a mixture of butter and flour. Give your gazpacho body with a different thickener: bread. Just puree 1 slice of bread, torn into pieces, right along with the vegetables (as per your usual gazpacho recipe) for a delightful texture and refreshing taste.

Photo credit: © Hemera/Thinkstock

Wake Up Potato Salad With Horseradish

Potato salads tend to be mild and creamy from mayonnaise or sharp and puckery from vinegar. But for a truly amazing potato salad, prepare your usual potato salad recipe, and simply stir in a teaspoon or two of prepared horseradish.

Photo credit: © iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Add Sour Cream to Pasta Sauce

To give your sauce a rich flavor, stir in 1/4 cup sour cream per 2 cups sauce. Cook over low heat until sour cream blends into the sauce. Keep the sauce warm over low heat, but don’t allow it to boil or the sour cream may curdle.

Photo credit: © Hemera/Thinkstock

Make Meatballs Juicier With Applesauce

Grandmas have used this trick for decades. Combine 1-1/2 pounds of ground beef, 2 slightly beaten eggs, 1 cup bread crumbs, 1 cup applesauce, 1 teaspoon salt, and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Shape into balls and roll in flour. Brown them in a skillet and then add your favorite pasta sauce and simmer until cooked through.

Photo credit: © Hemera/Thinkstock

Put Cheese Crackers on Your Chicken

Use cheese crackers in the breading. First soak the chicken in evaporated milk and fresh lemon juice for 2 to 4 hours, then dip in seasoned flour, beaten egg, and finally the crushed cheese crackers. Pan-fry or bake as usual.

Photo credit: © iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Add Salad Dressing to Soup

Stir in some bottled blue cheese salad dressing toward the end of cooking your soup and enjoy the mouthwatering results!

Photo credit: © iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Give Ribs Zest With V8

Combine 1 and 1/2 cups spicy V8 juice, 2/3 cup peach or apricot nectar or pineapple juice. 1/2 cup spicy barbecue sauce, and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. Mix with 3 pounds boneless country spare ribs in a baking pan, cover with foil, and bake at 350°F until tender, about 2 hours.

Photo credit: © Ciaran Griffin/Stockbyte/Thinkstock

Brew a Sauce With Earl Gray

To make an orange-scented sauce for pan-seared chicken or pork, remove the chicken from the pan and keep warm. Saute 1/3 cup chopped shallots in 1 teaspoon olive oil in the same pan. Add 1 cup chicken broth, 3/4 cup fresh orange juice and 2 Earl Gray tea bags. Boil until the liquid is reduced to 3/4 cup. Remove the tea bags and whisk in 1 1/2 teaspoons honey and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter.

Photo credit: © iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Add Ketchup to Pad Thai Noodles

Pad Thai is one of those dishes you never feel like you can make at home. Well, we found something in your pantry that packs all the right flavors — ketchup! This condiment works perfectly as the base for a Pad Thai sauce. In a bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup ketchup, 3 tbsp. fish sauce, 3 tbsp. sugar, and 2 tbsp. lime juice. Voila! Stir-fry with meat/veggies and cooked noodles as per the directions of your favorite Pad Thai recipe.

Photo credit: © iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Put Chocolate Chips in Your Chili

For deep, rich tasting vegetarian chili, stir in semi-sweet chocolate chips at the end of cooking. After you’ve cooked the chili, remove from the heat and stir in 2 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips, salt and pepper.