It’s time to shop and organize pantry pasta and tomatoes for our first April prep challenge. Our goal is a 3-month supply, which won’t be difficult if you already cook with pasta and canned tomatoes. Most pasta has a 3-year shelf life if stored in a cool, dry place like your cupboards or pantry. Egg noodles or pasta box mixes have a shorter shelf-life. According to StillTasty.com, canned tomatoes have an 18-month to 2-year shelf life, so use and replenish these items regularly.
Stock Up on Pasta and Tomatoes
- Create a list of the shelf-stable tomato or pasta products you have or use most often such as tomato puree, diced tomatoes, whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, jarred salsa, tomato soup, pasta sauce, pasta, spaghetti, macaroni, bowtie pasta, etc.
- Figure out how much you use in one-month and then multiply it by three for a 3-month supply. If you can only store a one month supply, that’s okay too.
- Watch for sales throughout the month and buy extra items to add to your pantry. Smith’s Kroger grocery store in Utah has a case lot sales about this time of year. Walmart has good prices too.
- Organize your shelves so that similar food items are grouped together as this will make checking grocery supplies easier. These can organizers are very useful.
- American Beauty pasta shelf life and storage information can be found @ americanbeauty.com/faqs.
Make a Recipe with Pasta and Tomatoes
- Find recipes on Pinterest such as spaghetti, sloppy joes, taco soup, pizza, tomato basil soup, Ziti bake, etc. Save your favorite recipes in a binder or an online program like Plan to Eat.
- Perhaps make a large batch of pasta sauce, freeze it in baggies and use it in a variety of recipes.
I hope you enjoy stocking up on pasta and tomatoes this month. Pray before you shop, and inspiration will come to help you find good places to shop. You CAN do this!
Best wishes and look for the good,
Valerie Albrechtsen
The Food Storage Organizer
Purchase my food storage and emergency preparedness items in my Etsy shop.
