Best Back-Of-The-Box Recipes
Instead of avoiding the center aisles of the supermarket, embrace them with some of these easy and delicious back-of-the-box recipes.
Crispy Fried Chicken
Pancake mix is not just for breakfast, and that was proven when Aunt Jemima decided to whip up a batch of fried chicken using pancake mix. Use the buttermilk-flavored mix and tell guests they're getting buttermilk-battered fried chicken for a meal they would swear you slaved over.
Monkey Bread
Pillsbury has celebrated the inventive home cook with their Bake-Off for over 40 years. The contest asks consumers to come up their own recipes using Pillsbury products and rewards one lucky winner with $1 million, a new kitchen, and his or her recipe featured on the Pillsbury website and products. The recipe has to be as good as this one, though. Plastered on the back of a biscuit can for years now, this recipe makes it possible to transform breakfast bread into a pull-apart treat that everyone will love.
Parmesan Crusted Chicken
At the Hellman's 100th Anniversary celebration, a rep shared that this was the brand's most viewed recipe. Mayo, instead of flour and eggs, helps grated cheese and seasoned breadcrumbs stick to chicken breasts while keeping the meat super moist. Baking instead of frying saves time and calories.
Tiramsiù
On the side of practically every tub of mascarpone sold this side of Italy, there is a recipe for tiramisù, the no-bake Italian dessert whose name literally means "pick me up" (thank the strong coffee it contains for that effect). BelGioioso's website features creative ways to use mascarpone, from mac and cheese to rice balls, but it's their award-winning recipe for tiramisù that gets the back-of-the-box, or in this instance, back-of-the-tub, treatment.
Teriyaki Pot Roast
Why shouldn't Kikkoman recreate one of America's classic dinners? A seemingly boring pot roast is brought to life with the addition of their Teriyaki Marinade $ Sauce, which does double duty to both flavor and tenderize meat.
Crispy Buffalo Wings
Buffalo wings are always a crowd pleaser. Some like them mild, some prefer them spicy, but everyone likes them crispy, and Hungry Jack mashed potato flakes could be the secret ingredient you've been looking for to achieve the perfect crunch. Chicken is coated in cayenne sauce before being rolled in potato flakes, seasoned a second time, then baked. This easy four-step recipe makes good use of the last of the potato flakes in the box.
One-Bowl Brownies
Just spying a box of Baker's baking chocolate might bring back nostalgic memories of mom mixing brownie batter in the kitchen. The brand has been around since 1790, and with every box of individually wrapped chocolate pieces comes a one-bowl dessert recipe. The most famous is the one-bowl brownies recipe, which takes just 15 minutes to prepare.
Fettuccine Picante
Chances are you've got a jar of spicy salsa or picante sauce sitting in your fridge from the last time you hosted a taco night. If you don't plan to make Mexican food again soon, you might as well do something productive with it and whip up some fettuccine picante courtesy of Pace. Their sauce is full of tomatoes, onions, and jalapeños so this pasta will taste like it took all day to make when it really just took 20 minutes.
Shrimp Diablo
Say you've agreed to host a dinner party or have some important company coming over (e.g.,the in-laws). Say you don't know how to cook your way out of a paper bag. Say you've got yourself some Land O'Lakes butter in the fridge. Your problems are now solved with their spicy shrimp diablo recipe. Diablo, which means devil in Spanish, refers to the kick the sauce brings to the shrimp. Try it with chicken or scallops if you don't have shrimp on hand.
Vanilla Shrimp
Got a whole bunch of spices and seasonings in the pantry but only wine in the fridge and shrimp in the freezer? Then you've to try McCormick's unique take on shrimp scampi that satisfies your seafood craving and adds mystery with a secret ingredient people will be begging you to share.
Muddy Buddies
Snap, Crackle, and Pop aren't the only ones with a cereal recipe in their back pocket. Chex has gone beyond the mix-and-match snack mix they're known for and created Muddy Buddies, a mix of your preferred Chex cereal, chocolate chips, peanut butter, sugar, and vanilla. It's a snack that's both savory and sweet, and it's easy to pack into bags for on-the-go indulgence.
Lovely Lasagna
Lasagna has long been considered one of those Sunday suppers reserved for Italian grandmothers with nothing but time on their hands. Ragù is about change all of that for you with this No-Boil Lasagna recipe that takes just 10 minutes to prep and 1 hour of cook time. The recipe, printed on the back of a jar of Meat Creations Sweet Italian Sausage & Cheese sauce, calls for just six ingredients and — wait for it — three of them are cheese. Combine those with noodles and the sauce and you've got yourself a meal that has that "cooked all day" flavor in practically no time. Somewhere, Nonna is nodding in approval.
Chicken and Stuffing
The physical act of stuffing is not a part of this recipe created by Stove Top and featured on the back of their Stove Top Stuffing Mix for chicken. Instead, the cooking is prepared and all the ingredients are baked together in an easy-to-make casserole that's ideal for potluck dinners or make-ahead meals. Cream of chicken soup bakes right into the dish, creating a creamy sauce, and frozen vegetables provide your daily dose of healthy vitamins and fiber.