25 van recipes

Van's Faves are crisp lace-thin oat cookies scented with orange zest and finished with a chocolate drizzle. Eight ingredients, big crunch, and an old-fashioned tin-cookie feel.

Sour cream Christmas cut-out cookies with a tender, slightly tangy dough, finished with a buttery coffee frosting. Makes 6 dozen cookies. Chill dough overnight for clean edges when cutting shapes.

Slow cooker chipotle beef chili with pinto and black beans simmered 12 hours in a crock pot. Smoky chipotles blended with onion and garlic give this all-day chili serious depth.

Ham loaf made with ground ham and pork, saltine crackers, eggs, and condensed tomato soup. A classic Midwestern meat loaf that divides into four freezer-friendly portions.

Classic pecan pie from Dear Abby columnist Abigail Van Buren, built on corn syrup, brown sugar, and whole pecans scattered across the top instead of stirred in. The old-school Southern holiday standard.

Six Can Casserole is the easiest dump-and-bake dinner you'll ever make. Canned chicken, cream soups, chow mein noodles, and melted cheddar bake into bubbly comfort food with just 5 minutes of prep.

8 can taco soup, the dump-and-heat dinner that opens eight cans into one pot: chicken, beans, corn, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, and taco seasoning. No chopping, ready in minutes, feeds a crowd.

I will be honest, I've had my fair share of bread disasters. Probably in the high 20's by now. My bread maker was a gift from the heavens. However...something about making my own bread is just so satisfying. I feel like dancing around with butter dripping down my face and my slice of bread held high singing I maaade this baaaby!!!!!" This recipe is idiot proof, my wiener dog could probably figure it out...ok no. This bread is rustic looking and delicious!

A quick and easy chicken casserole main dish. Great to use up leftover chicken. Dinner on the table in 20 minutes flat.

7 can soup: dump-and-simmer hearty beef chili-style soup made from a pound of ground beef and seven pantry cans. Tomato, chili, corn, and mixed vegetables in 40 minutes flat.

Home-canned rabbit stew: deboned rabbit meat with potatoes, carrots, celery, onions and peas, preserved in jars for a hearty pantry stew anytime. Old-school homesteader cooking.

One-skillet ham and egg breakfast with frozen potatoes, bell peppers, onion, hot sauce, and melted cheddar. Uses canned ham for a quick, hearty morning meal with no prep fuss.

A savory chicken and spinach quiche with Monterey Jack cheese in a deep-dish pie shell, made easy with canned chicken. Creamy, hearty, and ready with minimal fuss for brunch or a weeknight dinner.

Spiced applesauce cake baked right in mason jars, sealed while hot for shelf-stable storage. Loaded with raisins, pecans, cinnamon, and cloves. A brilliant homemade gift or emergency pantry treat.

Chocolate can cake uses the chocolate syrup can as your measuring cup for sugar, flour, oil, coconut, and pecans. One bowl, no precise measuring, and a rich fudgy result.

Pantry-friendly vegetable salad made from canned green beans, baby carrots, and beets, tossed in a lemon-tarragon vinaigrette with fresh cucumber and green onions.