If you have ever been to a Mexican restaurant, then you have probably seen charro beans on the menu for a side. They are a popular Tex-Mex side dish and one of my favorite side dishes that I like to enjoy. Charro beans are made with pinto beans that get strewed with smoky bacon, onion, garlic, spices, and more to make them extra flavorful and delicious. I started making my own charro beans a few years back and they are so delicious that you could honestly make a meal out of them on their own, you just need a side of tortillas and some avocado. I would 100% be a happy girl to eat these for dinner any night of the week. My charro beans are easy to make, are packed with flavor, and will make the best side dish for any Tex-Mex or Mexican meal that you make at home.
Being able to create meals from pantry staples has always been something that I think everyone should learn to get comfortable doing, but now more than ever we are all hitting up our pantries to create meals for our families more regularly while we try and keep our grocery store runs to a minimum. That means thinking outside the box to provide a little variety to our families while using things like canned tomatoes, beans, pastas, and other canned goods we have on hand. I am breaking down the most common pantry items and giving you some recipe ideas for each so that you can continue to feed your family delicious food while staying home and using ingredients that are in your pantry and fridge. I am listing up my favorite easy pantry meals by category of the top pantry ingredients to get you cooking in the kitchen!