Author: simplegoodfood

Posted in Recipe Roundup

The Pantry Gets Bigger: This Week’s Harvest & Pantry Ideas

Posted on by simplegoodfood

There’s a funny thing about building a pantry.

You don’t necessarily need more food.

Sometimes you just need to make the food you already have a little more useful.

That was the idea behind this week’s “The Pantry Gets Bigger” theme. We looked at small-batch preservation, dehydrated vegetables, meal starters, and the simple idea of putting a little something away today that can make dinner easier weeks or months from now.

This isn’t about filling a basement with a year’s worth of food.

It’s about making a small pantry work harder.

And when you’re cooking for one or two—or working with limited storage space—that can make a surprisingly big difference.

🥕 This Week at a Glance

Here’s what we explored this week:

Building a Pantry One Jar at a Time
Start small and build a useful pantry without filling every available shelf.
Read the Article!
Dehydrating for Real Life: Turning the Harvest into Useful Ingredients
Look at dehydrating as a way to create practical, recipe-ready ingredients rather than simply preserving food for storage.
Read the Article!
Rustic Harvest Chicken & Rice
Put those dehydrated vegetables to work in a simple, satisfying meal.
Check out this recipe
Put a Little Back: Dehydrated Vegetables
Read the Article!
How to Make Your Dehydrated Food Work Like Ingredients
Read the Article!
Harvest Vegetable & Lentil Soup
Turn that little pantry starter into a warm, practical meal.
Check out this recipe
Pork & Cabbage Rustic Bowl
Use simple ingredients to create another small-batch meal without needing a refrigerator full of leftovers.
Check out this recipe

🌱 The Pantry Doesn’t Have to Be Big

When people hear the word pantry, they may picture rows and rows of shelves packed with jars, cans, bags and boxes.

That isn’t my idea of a useful pantry.

Especially when you’re cooking for one or two, a huge quantity of ingredients isn’t necessarily an advantage. Food takes up space, and food you don’t use isn’t really helping your grocery budget.

I’m much more interested in a pantry where every jar has a purpose.

A jar of dehydrated carrots isn’t just dehydrated carrots.

It’s an ingredient waiting for soup.

A jar of dried onions isn’t just something that was preserved during harvest season.

It’s a shortcut for the next skillet meal.

And a small jar containing several ingredients can become something even more useful—a future meal.

That’s where the idea of the meal starter comes in.

🫙 One Small Jar Can Become Dinner

Our Harvest Vegetable Soup Starter was a good example.

The jar contains a combination of ingredients that were chosen because they work well together:

  • Dehydrated carrots
  • Dehydrated celery
  • Dehydrated onions
  • Dehydrated peas
  • Dehydrated spinach
  • Dehydrated potatoes
  • Dry lentils

The lentils aren’t dehydrated—they’re ordinary dry lentils that are already shelf-stable because they are dry.

The vegetables, on the other hand, have been dehydrated and reduced to a fraction of their original size.

Together, they make a very small package of ingredients that can become a pot of soup.

And that’s the part I find most useful.

We’re not just preserving vegetables. We’re preserving future meals.

🥣 What I Learned From Testing the Soup

This week’s soup test taught me something important.

Dehydrated vegetables don’t necessarily come back looking exactly like fresh vegetables—and they don’t have to.

The carrots, celery, onions and potatoes rehydrated nicely. None of them became gummy, and they returned to recognizable shapes.

The spinach was another story.

It practically disappeared into the soup.

But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It became part of the broth and added another vegetable without taking up much space.

The peas, however, were a little too prominent in the first batch. Reducing them in the second batch made the soup much better balanced.

And the thyme?

Let’s just say the thyme and I have agreed to take a little break. 😄

It completely overpowered the chicken flavor in the first batch, so I left it out of the second.

The second version was much better.

That’s one of the reasons I like testing these ideas before turning them into blog posts. Sometimes the kitchen has opinions.

🥕 Think About the Future Recipe Before You Dehydrate

One of the biggest lessons from this week’s experiments is that how you prepare food before dehydrating it matters.

If you know you’re eventually going to use onions in soups, stews or skillet meals, dice them before dehydrating.

If you’re making a soup starter, dice your potatoes into a useful size.

The goal isn’t simply to make food smaller.

The goal is to make it useful later.

Before putting something into the dehydrator, ask:

How am I going to use this six months from now?

That question can change how you prepare it today.

🍗 You Don’t Have to Dehydrate Everything

Another lesson worth repeating is that preservation doesn’t have to mean doing absolutely everything yourself.

I’ve tried dehydrating meat.

For me, it takes too long to make it worthwhile.

I’d much rather use a rotisserie chicken, canned chicken, tuna, salmon or another shelf-stable protein when it makes sense.

That doesn’t make the meal any less practical.

In fact, it’s exactly the kind of shortcut that makes a small pantry work.

You can preserve the vegetables while buying the protein that makes sense for your kitchen.

That’s still putting a little back.

🏡 Small Pantry. Small Batches. Useful Meals.

That’s really what this week’s theme came down to.

You don’t need a huge pantry.

You don’t need to preserve every tomato, carrot, onion and green bean that comes through your kitchen.

And you certainly don’t need to turn your home into a food-storage warehouse.

Instead, look at what you actually eat.

Then preserve or purchase a few ingredients that make those meals easier.

Maybe that’s a jar of dehydrated vegetables.

Maybe it’s a few cans of chicken.

Maybe it’s dry lentils, rice or beans.

Maybe it’s a freezer container holding a leftover meal for another day.

The point is to create a pantry that supports your real life.

💰 Stretch Every Grocery Dollar

Preserving food when it’s inexpensive is one of the simplest ways to stretch the grocery budget.

When seasonal vegetables are plentiful, you can buy a smaller amount, dehydrate what you won’t use immediately, and turn it into ingredients for future meals.

That means one grocery purchase can potentially serve several meals instead of becoming one meal followed by forgotten leftovers.

And because dehydrated vegetables take up so little space, they’re particularly useful when storage room is limited.

♻️ Waste Not, Want Not

This is where the old “Waste Not, Want Not” idea fits beautifully.

A little extra celery doesn’t have to become forgotten celery in the refrigerator.

A few carrots don’t have to sit around until they need rescuing.

An onion doesn’t have to be thrown away because you only needed half.

If you have a way to preserve those ingredients, they can become part of your pantry instead.

Not everything needs to be saved.

But the things you regularly use are worth thinking about.

🍲 The Real Goal: Easier Dinner

At the end of the day, I’m not interested in preservation just for the sake of preservation.

I’m interested in what happens afterward.

Can that jar help make Tuesday night’s dinner easier?

Can those dehydrated vegetables turn into soup without a trip to the grocery store?

Can a little bit of preserved food help stretch a package of meat?

Can something you bought when it was inexpensive help you make a meal later when prices are higher?

That’s where preservation becomes practical.

It’s not just about what you’re putting away.

It’s about what you’re making possible for future you.

🌻 Put a Little Back

That phrase has become the heart of this September series:

Put a little back.

Not everything.

Not perfectly.

And certainly not all at once.

Just a little.

A jar of vegetables.

A bag of frozen corn.

A few servings of something you’ve made ahead.

A pantry ingredient bought when the price is good.

Every little bit counts.

And over time, those little bits add up to something pretty valuable—a pantry that helps you feed yourself well without making life more complicated.

That’s a pantry I can get behind.

Cooking for One or Two

For smaller households, I think this approach makes even more sense.

You don’t necessarily need a gallon jar of anything.

A one-pint wide-mouth Mason jar can hold a surprisingly useful amount of dehydrated ingredients.

Small jars mean you can make several different combinations instead of committing an entire shelf to one ingredient.

And when that jar becomes two servings of soup?

Even better.

One for tonight.

One for another day.

That’s practical preservation.

📌 What’s Next?

We’ve spent this week making the pantry a little more useful.

Next, we’ll keep building on the idea that today’s harvest can become tomorrow’s dinner.

Because that’s really what all of this is about.

Not storing food just to say we stored it.

Putting good food away in a form that makes sense for the way we actually cook.

One small batch.

One useful jar.

One future meal at a time.

Posted in Pork Meals, Seasonal

Pork & Cabbage Rustic Bowl

Posted on by simplegoodfood

Tender pork, cabbage, potatoes, and simple pantry ingredients come together in a hearty small-batch bowl that makes good use of what you already have on hand.

Introduction

Not every meal that comes from the pantry needs to be a soup.

Sometimes you want something a little more substantial—a bowl of food with distinct ingredients, different textures, and enough variety that it feels like a complete meal.

That’s where this Pork & Cabbage Rustic Bowl comes in.

It’s the kind of meal I like for a small household because it doesn’t require a huge roast or a refrigerator full of leftovers. A modest amount of cooked pork can be stretched with cabbage, potatoes, onion, and a few pantry staples.

And if you’ve been putting a little back through dehydration, some of those ingredients can come straight from your pantry.

This is rustic food in the best sense: simple ingredients, simple cooking, and very little fuss.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Small-batch friendly — Makes two generous servings.
  • A great use for leftover pork or cooked pork from another meal.
  • Uses pantry staples along with fresh cabbage.
  • Flexible enough to use dehydrated vegetables.
  • One skillet meal with minimal cleanup.
  • Budget-friendly because a small amount of pork stretches across two meals.
  • Comforting without being complicated.
simplegoodfood's avatarsimplegoodfood

Pork & Cabbage Rustic Bowl

Use simple ingredients to create another small-batch meal without needing a refrigerator full of leftovers.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 2
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: American
Calories: 450
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 6 ounces cooked pork chopped or shredded
  • 2 cups thinly sliced fresh cabbage
  • 1 cup diced cooked potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons dehydrated onion
  • ½ cup chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
  • ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • Black pepper optional
Optional
  • ¼ cup dehydrated carrots rehydrated before adding
  • A small amount of cooked rice
  • Chopped fresh parsley for serving

Method
 

Start the Cabbage
  1. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.
  2. Add the sliced cabbage and dehydrated onion.
  3. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage begins to soften.
Add the Broth
  1. Pour in the broth and add the garlic powder, parsley, and salt.
  2. Stir well.
  3. Cover the skillet and cook for about 8–10 minutes, until the cabbage is tender but still has some texture.
  4. If using dehydrated carrots, add them with the broth.
Add the Potatoes
  1. Stir in the cooked potatoes.
  2. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. If the skillet becomes dry, add another splash of broth.
Add the Pork
  1. Add the cooked pork and stir everything together.
  2. Cook for another 5–7 minutes, just until the pork is heated through.
  3. Because the pork is already cooked, we’re simply warming it and allowing the flavors to come together.
Finish the Bowl
  1. Remove the skillet from the heat.
  2. Drizzle the apple cider vinegar over the mixture and gently stir.
  3. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
  4. Divide between two bowls and garnish with fresh parsley if desired.

Notes

Kitchen Confidence
Don’t overcook the cabbage.
For this bowl, I like the cabbage to remain recognizable rather than cooking it until it’s completely soft.
You’re looking for tender with a little texture.
Use the pork you have.
Leftover pork roast, pork chops, or pulled pork can all work.
If the pork is already seasoned, reduce the added salt and garlic powder accordingly.
What about dehydrated cabbage?
If you’ve dehydrated cabbage yourself, you can certainly use it here.
Because dehydrated cabbage needs additional liquid to rehydrate, I’d add it with the broth and allow it to cook until tender.
But fresh cabbage works particularly well because it gives the finished bowl some color and texture.

Stretch Every Grocery Dollar

Pork doesn’t have to be the largest ingredient in the bowl.

Six ounces of cooked pork is enough for two servings when combined with cabbage and potatoes.

That’s one of my favorite ways to use leftovers: don’t simply reheat the original meal. Turn the leftovers into something new.

A small amount of leftover pork becomes the protein for an entirely different dinner.

Waste Not, Want Not

This is a perfect leftover meal.

Have a little pork left from Sunday dinner?

Use it here.

Have one or two potatoes that need to be used?

Add them.

A little cabbage left from another recipe?

Into the skillet it goes.

And if you have dehydrated vegetables in the pantry, this is another opportunity to use them.

The best pantry ingredient is one that actually gets eaten.

Cooking for One or Two

This recipe makes two servings, but it’s easy to make a single serving.

Simply divide the ingredients in half and cook in a small skillet.

Or make the full recipe and save the second bowl for another meal.

For someone cooking for one, I particularly like the second option. One cooking session gives you two meals without creating a mountain of leftovers.

Meal Prep Note

Cooked pork can be portioned into small containers and refrigerated or frozen for future meals.

When you have a small amount of cooked pork available, think beyond sandwiches.

It can become:

  • A rustic bowl
  • Fried rice
  • A skillet meal
  • Soup
  • Tacos
  • A breakfast hash

Having a few small portions of cooked protein available can be incredibly useful when freezer space is limited.

Storage & Freezing

Store leftover bowls in a covered container in the refrigerator and use within 3–4 days.

For longer storage, portion the cooled mixture into freezer-safe containers.

The cabbage and potatoes may soften somewhat after freezing and reheating, but the dish will still make a useful leftover meal.

When reheating, add a small splash of broth or water if needed.

Make It Your Own

This is one of those recipes where the ingredient list is more of a starting point than a set of rules.

You could add:

  • Dehydrated carrots
  • Green beans
  • A little corn
  • Cooked rice
  • Different herbs
  • A spoonful of mustard
  • A splash more vinegar for brightness

You could even swap the pork for cooked chicken or turkey.

The idea is simple:

Start with what you have and build a bowl.

From the Pantry to the Bowl

This week we’ve been talking about turning dehydrated vegetables into useful ingredients.

This bowl shows another side of that idea.

You don’t need every ingredient to come from a jar.

In fact, I think it’s better when they don’t.

The fresh cabbage provides texture and color.

The cooked pork provides protein.

The potatoes make the meal filling.

And the dehydrated onion gives you a convenient pantry ingredient that’s ready whenever you need it.

That’s what a practical pantry looks like to me.

Some fresh.
Some preserved.
Some shelf-stable.
All working together.

You don’t have to choose between eating fresh food and preserving food.

You can use both.

And when you’re working with limited refrigerator, freezer, and pantry space, that flexibility can make everyday cooking a whole lot easier.

Sometimes putting a little back doesn’t mean putting away an entire meal.

Sometimes it just means putting away one useful ingredient that will help you make the next meal.

And that’s plenty. 🥬🥔🍖

Posted in Soups & Stews

Harvest Vegetable & Lentil Soup

Posted on by simplegoodfood

Small jars of dehydrated vegetables become a hearty, practical soup in the slow cooker. Add a little cooked chicken if you have it, or let the lentils and vegetables make the meal on their own.

Introduction

This soup started with a simple idea: Could a small jar of dehydrated vegetables become an actual meal?

After testing it, I can say yes.

The dehydrated carrots, celery, onions, peas, potatoes, and spinach all worked beautifully in this little slow-cooker soup. The vegetables rehydrated without becoming gummy, and the dry lentils cooked right along with them.

The finished soup makes four cups, which works out to two generous two-cup servings—just right for a small household.

And that’s really what I like about it.

You don’t need a big pot, a big pantry, or a freezer full of prepared meals. A handful of shelf-stable ingredients and a little cooked chicken can turn into dinner.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Small-batch friendly — Makes just four cups.
  • Perfect for a 1–2 quart slow cooker.
  • Uses dehydrated vegetables as practical pantry ingredients.
  • Dry lentils cook right in the soup.
  • Flexible protein — Add cooked chicken, turkey, or leave it vegetarian.
  • Freezer-friendly — Extra soup can be frozen for another meal.
  • No complicated preparation — Just add everything to the slow cooker and let it cook.
  • Great for limited refrigerator and freezer space.
simplegoodfood's avatarsimplegoodfood

Harvest Vegetable & Lentil Soup

Turn that little pantry starter into a warm, practical meal.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 2
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: American
Calories: 425
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Soup
  • ¼ cup dry lentils rinsed and picked over
  • ¼ cup dehydrated carrots
  • ¼ cup dehydrated celery
  • 2 tablespoons dehydrated onions
  • 2 tablespoons dehydrated peas
  • 2 tablespoons dehydrated spinach
  • 2 tablespoons dehydrated potatoes
  • 3½ cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • Black pepper optional
Optional
  • ½ cup cooked shredded chicken

Equipment

  • 1 2 Qt Mini Crockpot

Method
 

Prepare the Lentils
  1. Rinse the dry lentils and check them for any small stones or debris.
  2. No soaking is necessary.
Add Everything to the Slow Cooker
  1. Place the lentils, dehydrated carrots, celery, onions, peas, spinach, and potatoes into a 1–2 quart slow cooker.
  2. Add the broth, garlic powder, salt, and optional pepper.
  3. Stir gently.
Cook
  1. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3½ hours.
  2. The lentils should be tender and the vegetables rehydrated.
  3. Your particular dehydrated vegetables may require a little more or less time, but 3½ hours worked well in my mini-crock.
Add the Chicken
  1. If using cooked chicken, stir in ½ cup shredded chicken during the last 30–45 minutes of cooking.
  2. Because the chicken is already cooked, it only needs to heat through and absorb some of the soup’s flavor.
Check the Consistency
  1. When finished, check the soup.
  2. If it seems thicker than you prefer, stir in a little additional broth or water.
  3. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed.
Serve
  1. Ladle into two bowls and serve hot.
  2. Each serving should be approximately 2 cups.

Notes

Rotisserie chicken is an especially convenient choice.
About the Seasonings
I deliberately left thyme out of this version.
My first test batch included thyme, and I found that even the small amount I used overwhelmed the other flavors—especially the chicken.
The second batch was much better without it.
That’s one of the advantages of making your own meal starters: you can adjust the recipe to suit your own kitchen and your own taste.
Kitchen Confidence
Don’t be afraid of the dehydrated vegetables.
They may look rather unimpressive when they first go into the slow cooker.
That’s okay.
As they absorb the broth, they change considerably.
In testing this recipe, the carrots, celery, onions, peas, and potatoes all returned to recognizable shapes without becoming gummy.
The spinach behaved differently. It essentially disappeared into the soup.
That’s not a problem. It simply becomes part of the broth rather than remaining as visible pieces.
The color may be different, too.
Dehydrated vegetables don’t necessarily return to the bright colors of fresh vegetables. The finished soup can look more muted than a soup made with fresh produce.
The flavor and texture are what matter most.
If you’d like a little fresh color when serving, add some chopped parsley or green onion.

Stretch Every Grocery Dollar

This is a great way to make a little chicken go a long way.

Just ½ cup of cooked shredded chicken adds protein and flavor to four cups of soup.

And because the soup already contains lentils, you don’t need a large amount of meat to make it satisfying.

This is also an excellent use for leftover rotisserie chicken.

One purchase can provide chicken for sandwiches, salads, and a pot of soup.

Waste Not, Want Not

This soup is practically designed for the Waste Not, Want Not philosophy.

Have a little cooked chicken left?

Use it.

Have a different dehydrated vegetable?

Try it.

Have an extra serving of soup?

Freeze it.

The goal isn’t to follow the recipe rigidly. It’s to make good use of the ingredients you’ve already put away.

Cooking for One or Two

This recipe makes two generous servings, approximately two cups each.

If you are cooking for one, make the full recipe and freeze the second serving.

That’s exactly what I like about this size of recipe. One pot gives you dinner tonight and another meal waiting in the freezer.

You don’t have to spend another afternoon cooking.

Meal Prep Note

The dry ingredients can be assembled ahead of time as a Harvest Vegetable Soup Starter.

For a one-pint wide-mouth Mason jar, combine:

  • ¼ cup dry lentils
  • ¼ cup dehydrated carrots
  • ¼ cup dehydrated celery
  • 2 tablespoons dehydrated onions
  • 2 tablespoons dehydrated peas
  • 2 tablespoons dehydrated spinach
  • 2 tablespoons dehydrated potatoes

Label the jar with the contents and date.

When you’re ready to make the soup, add the contents to your slow cooker along with 3½ cups broth and the seasonings.

Add cooked chicken near the end, if desired.

That’s the beauty of the meal-starter approach: today’s preservation work becomes a future meal.

Storage & Freezing

Cool leftover soup promptly and refrigerate in a covered container.

Use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days.

For longer storage, freeze the soup in individual portions.

A 2-cup freezer container works particularly well for this recipe because it gives you one complete serving.

Thaw refrigerated overnight and reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until steaming hot.

You may need to add a splash of broth or water when reheating because the lentils and vegetables can continue absorbing liquid.

A Little Jar Becomes Dinner

This soup is a good reminder that food preservation doesn’t have to mean filling every available shelf.

A pint jar of dehydrated vegetables and lentils doesn’t look like much.

But add broth, let the slow cooker do the work, and add a little cooked chicken if you have it—and you’ve got four cups of homemade soup.

That’s two dinners for one person or a satisfying meal for two.

And that’s exactly why I like the idea of putting a little back.

Not everything.

Not a year’s worth.

Just something useful.

One small jar. One simple meal. One little bit of future dinner waiting in the pantry. 🫙🥕🍲

Posted in Jar Mixes (Meal Starters)

How to Make Your Dehydrated Food Work Like Ingredients

Posted on by simplegoodfood

The most useful dehydrated foods aren’t the ones that simply look good in a jar. They’re the ones that make your next meal easier.

There is a point in food preservation when you have to stop thinking about the food you’re preserving today and start thinking about the meal you’ll make with it later.

That’s especially true with dehydrating.

It’s easy to get caught up in the process.

How do I dry carrots?

How do I dry onions?

How do I dry zucchini?

How long does everything take?

Those are useful questions.

But I think there’s another question that’s even more useful:

What can I make with this six months from now?

That’s the question that turns dehydrated food into ingredients.

A Jar of Carrots Isn’t Dinner

Let’s take carrots.

You can dehydrate a batch, put them in a jar, label it, and feel good about putting some of the harvest away.

But the real value comes later.

Those carrots could become part of:

  • Chicken soup
  • Beef stew
  • Chicken and rice
  • A casserole
  • A pot pie
  • A skillet meal
  • A rice bowl

The jar isn’t the finished product.

It’s an ingredient waiting for a recipe.

That small change in how you think about dehydrating can make a big difference in what you choose to preserve.

Think About the Future Recipe First

Before putting something into the dehydrator, ask yourself:

How am I going to use this?

If the answer is soup, prepare it for soup.

If the answer is casseroles, think about what size pieces work best in a casserole.

If you’re making meal starters, consider how the ingredients will work together in the same jar.

This is why I’ve started paying more attention to how I cut vegetables before dehydrating them.

For example, diced onions are much easier to measure later than onions that were sliced before drying.

Both can be used.

But one is much more convenient when you’re trying to measure a specific amount for a recipe.

The potatoes I’ve dehydrated were diced, too, and that makes them immediately useful for soups and other dishes.

The dehydrator doesn’t get the final say. The future recipe does.

Some Ingredients Are Meant to Disappear

One of the things I’ve learned from actually cooking with dehydrated vegetables is that they don’t all behave the same way.

Some come back looking remarkably recognizable.

Carrots, celery, potatoes, and other vegetables can retain enough shape and texture that you can clearly tell what you’re eating.

Others have a different job.

Spinach is a good example.

When I added dehydrated spinach to my soup, it essentially disappeared into the broth.

At first glance, that might sound like a problem.

It isn’t.

The spinach didn’t need to remain a recognizable green leaf.

It became part of the soup.

That’s a useful ingredient.

So when you’re evaluating dehydrated food, don’t judge everything by whether it looks exactly like the fresh version.

Ask instead:

Does it perform the job I want it to perform?

Texture Matters

Another reason to think about the finished recipe is texture.

Some vegetables need to remain recognizable.

Others can be softer.

Some are perfectly happy simmering in soup.

Others might be better added toward the end of cooking.

That’s something you learn by using your dehydrated food.

And that experimentation is valuable.

My first small batch of dehydrated-vegetable soup taught me that the vegetables themselves were actually working very well.

The carrots, celery, onions, peas, and potatoes rehydrated without becoming gummy.

The problem wasn’t the vegetables.

It was the balance of the finished recipe.

That’s an important distinction.

Sometimes the answer isn’t to change the preservation method.

Sometimes you simply need to change how much of an ingredient you use.

Don’t Overfill the Jar

When you’re creating a meal starter, it’s tempting to put a little bit of everything into the jar.

More vegetables must be better, right?

Not necessarily.

I’ve learned that lesson with peas.

A smaller amount worked better in my soup than the original amount.

That’s why I like the idea of small experimental batches.

You don’t have to commit a dozen jars to a recipe before you know whether you like it.

Make one.

Cook it.

Taste it.

Then change it.

Maybe next time you want:

  • More carrots
  • Less peas
  • More celery
  • No spinach
  • Different seasonings

That’s not failure.

That’s recipe development.

Seasonings Can Be Part of the Experiment, Too

You can certainly put seasonings into a meal-starter jar.

But I’d be cautious about making the seasoning too strong.

I learned that one the hard way.

My first soup experiment included thyme.

There was too much.

In fact, there was enough thyme that it completely overwhelmed the flavor of the chicken.

The next batch was much better without it.

That’s why I’m leaning toward keeping meal-starter jars relatively neutral and allowing the cook to season the finished dish.

A little garlic powder, parsley, or another mild seasoning can work.

But you don’t have to decide the final flavor of the meal six months before you eat it.

Think in Combinations

Once you begin thinking of dehydrated food as ingredients, you can start looking at combinations.

Soup Starter

Carrots
Celery
Onion
Potatoes
Spinach
Lentils

Add broth and chicken later.

Chicken & Rice

Carrots
Celery
Onion
Spinach

Add rice, broth, and chicken later.

Rustic Vegetable Stew

Carrots
Green beans
Potatoes
Onion

Add broth and protein later.

The combinations don’t have to be complicated.

In fact, simple is probably better.

Shelf Space Matters

If you don’t have a huge pantry, refrigerator, or freezer, this approach becomes even more useful.

A small jar of dehydrated vegetables takes up very little room.

A bag of dry lentils takes up very little room.

A few cans of commercially prepared meat take up a manageable amount of shelf space.

Together, they give you options.

And because you’re storing ingredients rather than complete meals, the same ingredients can be used in several different ways.

That’s important when every inch of storage space matters.

You Don’t Have to Dehydrate Everything Yourself

This is worth repeating because food preservation can sometimes turn into an exercise in doing everything the hard way.

I don’t think that’s necessary.

If something is already available in a safe, shelf-stable form and it works for the way you cook, use it.

Dry lentils are already shelf-stable.

Rice is already shelf-stable.

Commercially canned chicken is shelf-stable.

And a rotisserie chicken can be a very practical way to get cooked chicken for several meals without spending hours dehydrating meat yourself.

The goal is a useful pantry—not a collection of complicated projects.

🧮 Ask One More Question: Is It Worth It?

When we’re talking about making dehydrated food useful, there’s another question worth asking:

Is making this ingredient myself actually the best use of my money and time?

That’s an especially important question for small households.

You might save money by dehydrating vegetables from your garden or by buying seasonal produce at a very good price.

But if you’re buying fresh vegetables at regular grocery-store prices, running the dehydrator for hours, and ending up with a small amount of finished food, the savings may disappear.

Commercially dried foods can sometimes be surprisingly inexpensive when purchased in larger quantities.

So don’t assume that homemade = cheaper.

Instead, compare.

If the commercial version is inexpensive, shelf-stable, convenient and something you use regularly, buying it may be the thrifty choice.

Save your dehydrator time for the foods where you actually gain something—whether that’s lower cost, better quality, using up excess produce, preserving something you can’t easily buy, or simply having the exact ingredient you want on hand.

That, to me, is much more useful than trying to make everything from scratch.

Build Meal Starters Around Your Life

A meal starter should fit the way you actually eat.

If you cook for one or two, make two-serving starters.

If you love soup, build soup starters.

If rice bowls are something you make regularly, create combinations that can become rice bowls.

If you don’t like a particular vegetable, don’t preserve it simply because it’s available.

Your pantry should reflect your meals, not somebody else’s idea of the perfect pantry.

What About Six Months From Now?

This is my favorite question to ask when I’m putting something away.

Imagine opening that jar six months from now.

Would you know immediately what to do with it?

If yes, you’ve probably created a useful pantry ingredient.

If you’re standing there thinking, “Now what am I supposed to do with this?”—maybe that’s not something you need to preserve again.

There’s no rule that says every vegetable needs to become a dehydrated vegetable.

Preserve what you’ll use.

The Little Jar Test

If you’re trying this for the first time, don’t make ten jars.

Make one.

Choose a combination of ingredients you already enjoy.

Put them into a small jar.

Label it with the contents and date.

Then actually cook with it.

Pay attention to:

  • How well everything rehydrates
  • How much liquid it needs
  • How long it takes
  • Which vegetables keep their shape
  • Which ones disappear into the dish
  • Whether the flavors work together
  • How much finished food the jar produces

Then make your next jar better.

That’s how you build a pantry that actually works.

The Pantry Is Really a Collection of Future Meals

That’s the way I’m beginning to look at dehydrated food.

Not as jars of vegetables.

Not as food that I’m preserving simply because I can.

But as ingredients waiting for their turn in the kitchen.

A little jar of carrots can become soup.

A jar of onions can become a casserole.

Dried potatoes can become part of a hearty meal.

Lentils can provide substance without taking up freezer space.

And a can of chicken can supply the protein.

Put them together, and you have something much more valuable than a collection of preserved foods.

You have options for dinner.

And when space is limited, options are worth a lot.

So the next time you’re standing in front of your dehydrator, don’t just ask:

“What can I dry?”

Ask:

“What can I make with this?”

That’s when dehydrating starts working like a pantry instead of just a preservation project.

And that’s how you put a little back—one useful ingredient at a time. 🫙🥕🍲

Posted in Jar Mixes (Meal Starters)

Put a Little Back: Dehydrated Vegetables

Posted on by simplegoodfood

Build a Harvest Vegetable Soup Starter

One small jar of dehydrated vegetables can become the beginning of a future dinner. Here’s how to turn the harvest into a practical meal starter for your pantry.

There is a difference between preserving food and preserving something useful.

You can fill your pantry with jars of dehydrated vegetables, and that’s certainly a way to put food away. But I think there’s an even better approach:

Put together ingredients with a future meal already in mind.

That’s what I mean by a meal starter.

Instead of asking, “How much food can I preserve?” I’m asking:

“What can I put away today that will make dinner easier later?”

For someone with limited pantry, refrigerator, or freezer space, that can make a surprising amount of sense.

And sometimes, one little jar is enough.

🫙 What Is a Meal Starter?

A meal starter isn’t necessarily a complete meal.

Think of it as the foundation.

You put several compatible ingredients together, store them in a compact container, and later add the ingredients that need to be fresh or shelf-stable.

For soup, that might mean:

Dehydrated vegetables + dried lentils + seasonings

Later, you add:

Broth + protein

And dinner comes together.

That’s a whole lot more useful to me than having six different jars sitting on the shelf and having to figure out what to do with each one.

🥕 Harvest Vegetable Soup Starter

For this particular starter, we’re using vegetables that work well together in a simple soup.

Dry ingredients

For one 1-pint wide-mouth Mason jar:

  • ¼ cup dehydrated carrots
  • ¼ cup dehydrated celery
  • 2 tablespoons dehydrated onions
  • 2 tablespoons dehydrated peas
  • 2 tablespoons dehydrated spinach
  • 2 tablespoons dehydrated potatoes
  • ¼ cup dry lentils

That’s a small amount of food.

But once those ingredients are rehydrated and cooked, they become considerably more substantial.

Why a pint jar?

Because small is the point.

If you’re working with limited storage space, you don’t need a quart jar containing enough soup starter for a family of eight.

A pint jar is compact, easy to store, and makes enough starter for a couple of servings.

It also makes it easier to experiment.

If you don’t like the combination, you haven’t filled an entire shelf with it.

Think About the Cut Before You Dehydrate

This is one of those details that doesn’t sound important until you actually start using dehydrated food.

Prepare the vegetables with their future use in mind.

For example, I’ve found that diced onions are much easier to measure and use than onions that were sliced before dehydrating.

The sliced onions still work, but they don’t fit into a measuring cup quite as neatly.

Diced potatoes, on the other hand, are already in a useful form for soup.

The same principle applies to other vegetables.

Before you put something into the dehydrator, ask:

“What will this look like when I use it six months from now?”

That question can save you a surprising amount of fuss later.

What Goes Into the Jar?

The beauty of this starter is that you don’t need to put everything required for the finished soup into the jar.

We’re only putting away the ingredients that make sense to preserve together.

In the jar:

Vegetables + lentils

When you’re ready to cook:

Broth + cooked chicken

That’s important because it keeps the jar small and flexible.

You could use leftover chicken.

You could use rotisserie chicken.

You could use commercially canned chicken.

Or you could leave the chicken out entirely and make a vegetable and lentil soup.

The jar doesn’t dictate the entire meal.

It simply gives you a head start.

What About the Seasonings?

You can put seasonings in the jar, but I’m going to make a slightly different recommendation after testing this soup myself.

I originally added thyme to my first batch.

Way too much thyme.

It overwhelmed the other flavors and completely covered up the chicken.

The second batch was much better without it.

That’s one reason I like the idea of keeping the basic meal starter relatively neutral.

You can always season the finished soup to suit the meal you’re making.

If you want to include seasoning in the jar, I’d keep it very simple—perhaps a small amount of garlic powder or dried parsley.

But don’t feel obligated to season the jar.

Flexibility is part of the point.

🍲 Turning the Jar Into Soup

When you’re ready to make the soup, empty the contents of the jar into a small slow cooker.

Add:

3½ cups chicken or vegetable broth

Then cook until the lentils and vegetables are tender.

For my 1–2 quart slow cooker, about 3½ hours on HIGH worked well.

The dehydrated vegetables rehydrated surprisingly well.

The carrots, celery, onions, potatoes, and peas returned to recognizable shapes without becoming gummy.

The spinach behaved differently—it essentially disappeared into the soup.

And that’s perfectly fine.

It becomes part of the broth and adds another vegetable without leaving obvious pieces of spinach in the bowl.

Then Add Your Protein

Once the soup is nearly finished, add about ½ cup cooked shredded chicken for two servings.

Rotisserie chicken works beautifully here.

So does leftover chicken or commercially canned chicken.

Heat until the chicken is warmed through.

And suddenly that little pint jar has become four cups of soup—two generous two-cup servings.

That’s quite a transformation for something that took up very little pantry space.

Don’t Expect Fresh Vegetables to Come Back Looking Fresh

This is worth mentioning because it’s something you notice immediately when you start cooking with dehydrated vegetables.

They don’t always come back looking exactly like the fresh vegetables they started as.

The flavor and texture can be excellent while the color is less vibrant.

That’s simply part of the process.

If appearance matters, you can give the finished soup a little fresh color with:

  • Chopped parsley
  • Green onion
  • A fresh herb
  • A few fresh vegetables

The important thing is that the preserved ingredients are doing the heavy lifting.

The fresh addition is simply the finishing touch.

🥫 Small Pantry, Big Possibilities

This is where I think meal starters become especially useful.

A small pantry doesn’t mean you have to settle for boring meals.

You just have to think in terms of components.

A pint jar of dehydrated vegetables.

A bag of rice.

Some dried lentils.

A few cans of shelf-stable protein.

Some broth.

A little cooked chicken when you have it.

Those ingredients can be combined in different ways to create different meals.

And because you’re storing ingredients instead of complete meals, you’re not locked into one recipe.

You Don’t Have to Dehydrate Everything

This is another lesson I’ve learned along the way.

There are foods I enjoy dehydrating myself.

There are also foods where I think buying the shelf-stable version makes more sense for me.

Meat is a good example.

Dehydrating meat at home can take a long time. If I can pick up a package of cooked rotisserie chicken and turn it into several meals, that’s a perfectly reasonable shortcut.

Commercially canned meats can serve the same purpose.

The goal isn’t to make preservation harder.

The goal is to make your pantry more useful.

How Much Should You Put Back?

This is where I think small batches really shine.

You don’t need to dehydrate enough vegetables to last for years.

Try one batch.

Put it into one jar.

Use it.

Then decide whether you’d make it again.

Maybe you’ll discover that you want more carrots.

Maybe fewer peas.

Maybe no spinach.

Maybe you prefer chicken soup to vegetable soup.

That’s information.

And every little experiment teaches you how to build a pantry that fits your cooking.

The Real Point of Putting a Little Back

For me, food preservation isn’t about seeing how many jars I can fill.

It’s about opening a cupboard on a busy evening and finding something useful waiting for me.

A little jar of vegetables.

Some lentils.

A can of chicken.

A carton of broth.

Suddenly dinner doesn’t require a trip to the grocery store.

That’s what makes this worthwhile.

Today’s harvest becomes tomorrow’s ingredient.

And eventually, those ingredients become tomorrow’s dinner.

Start Small

If you’re new to dehydrating, don’t start by trying to preserve everything in sight.

Pick one vegetable.

Prepare it in a form you’ll actually use.

Dehydrate a small batch.

Put it in a labeled jar.

Then cook with it.

Once you know what you like, you can start combining ingredients into meal starters.

That’s how I’m approaching my own pantry.

One small batch.
One useful jar.
One future meal at a time.

That’s enough.

After all, we’re not building a bunker.

We’re just putting a little back. 🫙🥕🍲

Posted in Jar Mixes (Meal Starters)

Rustic Harvest Chicken & Rice

Posted on by simplegoodfood

Dehydrated vegetables make this simple chicken-and-rice skillet a practical small-batch meal—proof that the food you put away today can become dinner later.

Introduction

There is something wonderfully satisfying about opening a little jar of dehydrated vegetables and knowing that it can help make dinner.

That’s exactly what we’re doing with this rustic chicken and rice.

This isn’t a complicated recipe, and it doesn’t require a long list of ingredients. A handful of dehydrated vegetables, some rice, broth, and cooked chicken come together in one skillet for a cozy meal that’s just right for one or two people.

It’s also a good example of why I like to think of dehydrated food as ingredients rather than finished food.

The vegetables have already been preserved. Now they’re ready to become dinner.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Small-batch friendly — Makes two generous servings.
  • Uses pantry ingredients — Great when refrigerator and freezer space are limited.
  • A practical way to use dehydrated vegetables — No special rehydration step is necessary.
  • Flexible — Use cooked chicken, leftover turkey, or another cooked protein.
  • One skillet — Less cleanup is always welcome.
  • Budget-friendly — A little cooked chicken goes a long way when combined with rice and vegetables.
simplegoodfood's avatarsimplegoodfood

Rustic Harvest Chicken & Rice

Put those dehydrated vegetables to work in a simple, satisfying meal.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 2
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: American
Calories: 450
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup cooked shredded chicken
  • ½ cup long-grain white rice uncooked
  • ¼ cup dehydrated carrots
  • 2 tablespoons dehydrated celery
  • 2 tablespoons dehydrated onion
  • 2 tablespoons dehydrated spinach
  • 2 tablespoons dehydrated green beans
  • 1½ cups chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
  • ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • Black pepper optional

Method
 

Start the vegetables
  1. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.
  2. Add the dehydrated carrots, celery, onion, and green beans.
  3. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
  4. You aren’t trying to brown the vegetables. You’re simply giving them a little head start.
Add the rice and broth
  1. Stir in the uncooked rice, garlic powder, parsley, salt, and chicken broth.
  2. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
Cover and cook
  1. Reduce the heat to low and cover the skillet.
  2. Cook for approximately 18–20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
  3. Avoid lifting the lid repeatedly while the rice cooks.
Add the chicken and spinach
  1. Once the rice is tender, stir in the shredded cooked chicken and dehydrated spinach.
  2. Cover again and cook for 3–5 minutes, just until the chicken is heated through and the spinach has rehydrated.
  3. If the mixture seems dry, add a splash of broth.
Rest and serve
  1. Remove the skillet from the heat and let it rest, covered, for about 5 minutes.
  2. Fluff gently with a fork and serve.

Notes

A Note About the Vegetables
The vegetables don’t need to be rehydrated separately. They’ll absorb some of the broth while the rice cooks.
That’s one of the things that makes dehydrated vegetables so handy for meals like this.
And if your vegetables are cut differently from mine, that’s perfectly fine. The important thing is to use pieces that make sense for the finished dish.
Kitchen Confidence
This is a very forgiving recipe.
If your dehydrated vegetables are particularly dry or chunky, they may need a little additional liquid. If the rice absorbs the broth before it’s completely tender, simply add 2–3 tablespoons of broth at a time and continue cooking.
And remember: dehydrated vegetables don’t always return to the exact color or appearance they had when fresh. That’s okay.
We’re preserving ingredients—not trying to recreate fresh vegetables.

Stretch Every Grocery Dollar

This recipe is a great way to stretch a small amount of cooked chicken.

You only need ½ cup of shredded chicken for two servings. The rice, vegetables, and broth provide the rest of the meal.

It’s also a useful way to turn leftover rotisserie chicken into something that feels completely different from the meal you originally bought it for.

Waste Not, Want Not

Don’t have exactly the vegetables listed?

Use what you have.

A little dehydrated corn, peas, zucchini, or another vegetable can work here.

That’s part of the beauty of building a pantry around ingredients rather than rigid recipes.

Use what you have. Put a little back. Waste a little less.

Cooking for One or Two

This recipe is written for two servings, but it’s easy to divide.

For one serving, use approximately:

  • ¼ cup chicken
  • ¼ cup rice
  • Half the dehydrated vegetables
  • ¾ cup broth

You can cook the single serving in a small skillet with a lid.

Or make the two-serving recipe and save the second portion for another meal.

Meal Prep Note

This recipe is especially useful when you have cooked chicken that needs to be used.

Shred the chicken and portion it into small containers or freezer bags. Then you’ll have cooked protein ready to combine with pantry ingredients when you need a quick meal.

Storage & Freezing

Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container and use within 3–4 days.

For longer storage, portion the cooled chicken and rice into individual freezer-safe containers.

Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat gently, adding a splash of broth or water if needed.

The Pantry Lesson

This little skillet demonstrates something I really like about dehydrating:

The dehydrated vegetables aren’t the meal. They’re what makes the meal easier.

A jar of vegetables sitting on the shelf doesn’t look like much.

But add rice, broth, and a little chicken, and suddenly that small jar has become dinner.

That’s what putting a little back is all about. 🫙🍗🍚