8 Quick And Easy Dishes You Can Make With Canned Foods

There is no denying that canned food is easy, practical, and economical. It allows you to have a variety of vegetables, fruits, legumes, and other foods on hand for quick weeknight or last-minute dishes. Low cost and long shelf life make canned foods budget-friendly and accessible. With so many reasons to love canned food, we've compiled a list of some of our favorite dishes to make.

Click here to see the 8 Quick and Easy Dishes You Can Make with Canned Foods (Slideshow)

Some of the most convenient canned products are beans. From black beans to chickpeas and cannelloni beans, if you're looking for a bean, you can find it canned. Who wants to take on the laborious task of preparing dried beans when cans are at your fingertips? Whip up a creamy hummus in minutes or throw together some healthy bean burgers without planning ahead.

You can also get creative with canned foods. Try adding some canned pineapple chunks and juice to chicken for a sweet and sour sauce. There are plenty of options — and with canned products so easy and affordable, there is room to get creative with dishes.

Get inspired by some of these dishes and raid your pantry to see what dish you can come up with!

Hummus

Use canned chickpeas with tahini, olive oil, garlic, and salt, and process in the food processor until smooth. Serve with pita chips for a quick party appetizer.

Click here to see the Hummus Recipe

Pineapple Sweet and Sour Chicken

Try adding some canned pineapple chunks and juice to chicken for a sweet and sour sauce.

Click here to see the Pineapple Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe

Click here to see more Quick and Easy Dishes You Can Make with Canned Foods

Emily Jacobs is the Recipe editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @EmilyRecipes.

This post was origianally published on July 30, 2014.