Meals in a jar are a great way to put aside whole meals for your food storage. Through the canning or dry vacuuming process, you can put a meal up to help create long-term food storage. It will be convenient if you want to prepare a large amount and save it for later. Prepare an appetizing meal that will last for a while.
While there are all sorts of fun things you can store in a jar in the fridge or keep on a shelf for a short period of time (like salads in a jar, etc.), I’m going to concentrate mostly on those food storage meals that you can put up for long-term storage. This list will be very helpful and useful to you.
I have all these #10 Cans? Can I use them?
If you’re sitting on a ton of #10 cans full of freeze-dried foods, what do you do with it? This method allows you to create meals from that food storage so that you can rotate this into your daily meals. Some of the links will be made by folks who sell certain freeze-dried food products.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to be a part of those companies to create these meals on your own, with your own supplies, or with your own vendors. These are also a mix of Youtube videos and blog posts because there’s so much available everywhere!
While using your #10 cans to create stored food for basic meals, your long-term shelf life will be reduced. Since you’re reusing the cans the food you put inside them won’t last as long as the original product. Your foods will only last a few years as opposed to the suggested 25 years of the original product.
But you can create a shelf full of ready meals that are quick to put together and makes mealtime a snap on busy nights when you just don’t have time to cook a whole meal. You can also use your ready meals if you’ve forgotten to pull something out of the freezer.
Give the Gift of Meals in a Jar to Others
Think what a blessing a few of these meals would be to someone who is homebound from sickness or has lost a job and could use a nice meal or two to help them out! You can also give these meals in a jar as wedding gifts to a newlywed couple to help them establish their food storage (think of the old-fashioned pound parties) or even to new parents to give them some quick meals for hectic nights when Mom needs a break!
These gifts would be so much better used than simply a few #10 cans of ‘raw material’ (i.e. freeze-dried foods) that may not be understood nor may the recipient be knowledgeable about how to use them in their everyday life.
But a jar they can pour out, add some water and a few fresh ingredients, and wham! Dinner is served! That’s how Hamburger Helper became famous!
101+ Easy Meals in a Jar Recipes
Ready to begin? Here is a list of recipes that you will surely love. It’s easy and very convenient to make. Let’s get started!
Breakfast Meal in a Jar
- Almond Pancake Mix
- Apple Pie Oatmeal (Instant)
- Blueberry Scones (not shelf-stable for the long term)
- Breakfast Omelet
- Camper’s Eggy Delight
- Cherry Chocolate Pancakes
- Cinnamon Pancakes
- Cranberry Almond Cereal Mix (not shelf-stable for the long term)
- Hearty Pancake Mix
- Homemade Granola (*NST) This is good to make and store for breakfasts and snacks, but because of the fat content in the granola, it’s not great for long-term storage.
- Oatmeal (make your own flavored varieties to store)
- Pancakes
- Whole Grain Pancake Mix
- Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancake
Main Course Meals in a Jar
- Baked Ziti
- Beefy Spanish Rice
- Cheesy Sloppy Joe Hotdish
- Chicken Alfredo
- Chicken and Rice
- Chicken Broccoli Cheese
- Chicken Chili
- Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry | Video
- Chili “
- Chili Mac
- Double Cheeseburger Sauce Mix – like Hamburger Helper
- Hamburger Stew
- Hawaiin Style Teriyaki Beef
- Hearty Chili
- Instant Chicken Salad
- Jambalaya
- Kansas City Chicken BBQ
- Kicked Up Mac n Cheese
- Mac and Cheese
- Quiche
- Rosemary Chicken and Rice
- Sausage Frittata
- Sausage Lasagna
- Sloppy Joes
- Spaghetti Sauce with Meat
- Stroganoff Skillet
- Stuffed Chicken and Gravy
- Taco Beef and Cheese | Video
- Turkey Noodle Casserole
Soup Meal in a Jar
- Beef Barley Soup
- Beefy Bean Soup
- Buffalo Chicken and Rice
- Chicken and Rice Soup “>Chicken and Rice Soup
- Cream Soup Mix
- Creamy Tomato Soup
- Creamy Wild Rice Mushroom Soup
- Curried Lentil Soup
- Ham Sausage and Bean Soup
- Instant Cheese Soup | Video
- Layered Dried Bean Soup
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Love Soup
- Minestrone Soup
- Painted Desert Chili in a Jar
- Palouse Soup
- Potato Soup
- Soup Starters
- Split Pea Soup
- Taco Soup
- Tortilla Soup
- Turkey Noodle Soup
- Zombie Soup Mix
Sides in a Jar
- Curried Rice Mix
- Cranberry Orange Rice
- Creamy Herbed Rice Mix
- Herbed Rice Mix
- Lemon Dill Rice
- Pot Roast Gravy Over Mashed Potatoes
- Refried Beans (this is basically just dehydrated refried beans, but when all you have to do is add water, it makes a quick and easy side or protein replacement!)
- Chicken Flavored Rice Mix
- Scalloped Potatoes | Video
- Yellow Rice Mix
Desserts in a Jar
- Blondie Brownies
- Cookies (lots of Betty Crocker-Esque cookies in a pouch mix.)
- Cornmeal Cookies
- Monkie Munches Cookies
Other Treats in a Jar
Assorted Mixes in a Jar
- Alfredo Sauce Mix
- Basic White Sauce Mix
- Bisquick Substitute
- Blue Cheese Dressing
- Chicken Coating Mix
- Mock Onion Soup Mix
- Ranch Dressing Mix
- Taco Seasoning Mix
Drinks in a Jar
- Cappuccino Mix
- Chai Tea Mix
- Fireside Coffee Mix
- French Vanilla Cocoa Mix
- Hot Cocoa Mix (you can even use dehydrated marshmallows to make it more shelf-stable)
- Snowman Soup
- Spiced Hot Cocoa
- Mocha Cocoa
Salads in a Jar
These salads are not shelf-stable, but they are a great way to prepare a week’s worth of meals and have them tucked away in the fridge to save you tons of time.
Sites dedicated to Meals in Jars
Further Tips
Ultimate Dehydrator Cookbook (read my review here). Not only is this a great technique book on how to dehydrate those products that can build your meals in a jar, she includes a lot of “just add water” meals, too!
- Cooking a Meal in a Jar in a Solar Oven;
- Cook your “Meal in a Thermos” while you hike.
How to Store Meals in a Jar
You can store them by drying, vacuum canning them in a mason jar, placing them in a jar with an oxygen absorber, or putting them in a mylar bag and sealing them. (Tutorials coming soon!)
While they don’t last as long as the individual freeze-dried or dehydrated commercial products that are sealed in those #10 cans, if stored properly with shelf-stable ingredients, they can last up to 5-7 years.
What’s your favorite meal in a jar recipe?
Pin this for your food storage library!
Emily as an MFA in creative writing and a strong passion for cooking! She started trying out her mother’s recipes from a very young age, turning the time she spent in the kitchen into a career. She will soon publish her very first cookbook, and in her free time, Emily contributes to our blog with resources for all our readers, whether beginners or advanced chefs.
Is it possible to can eggs or omelets in a jar? Thots. Process? Shelf-life? (This would be a rebel thing to do. According to egg producer sites & of course Mother Ball and Father USDA & Inst for Canning this is a no-no. I a disclaimer is automatically implied to any comment.