One of the things I love best about the holiday season is unexpected guests at meal time. No, really. I genuinely mean that with zero sarcasm at all. Why do I love something that so many dread? I love the excitement, the conviviality, the boisterous fun, and the challenge of stretching a meal that was intended for seven into a meal for however many we may have had the great blessing to collect at our doorstep. Part of the reason for this is that I keep a pretty well-stocked pantry. And by ‘pretty-well stocked pantry’ I mean if you saw my basement you might think I was a doomsday prepper. I’m not. I’m just hungry and capricious and live in the middle of nowhere and want to satisfy my every food whim without driving to Timbuktu or Rochester to get little things. It pays off, though, my people! When friends or family call and say they will be in the area, I can easily exclaim, “Stop by! I’ll make dinner!” and actually mean it. I personally can a ton of produce myself throughout the summer, filling about five hundred or so jars of various sizes, but even so I can’t get to it all. Del Monte® fruits, tomatoes, and vegetables help fill in the gaps that were left by what my garden failed to produce or I couldn’t buy at farmer’s markets. For instance? My sorry old garden didn’t turn out one single tomato this year. Thank goodness for Del Monte® tomatoes. Most of what Del Monte cans (just about 90%!!) is grown right here in the United States and packed at the peak of ripeness to lock in nutrients and flavour which makes me one happy camper.
Bonus: 95% of what they can is preservative free.
Having a pantry well stocked with garden quality ingredients is like having shelves full of ideas. What do you think when you see those cans? I think peach cobbler, pineapple salsa, corn and black bean dip, Italian style tomato soup, and restaurant style salsa. Now how about that for inspiration in feeding unexpected guests? That’s probably a grand total of about $10 worth of cans, which makes that laundry list of deliciousness economical, too. Partay at my house! If you’d like to see some other great ideas for stocking garden quality™ canned fruits and vegetables in your pantry and get more information on the Del Monte® family of products, please hop on over to their facebook page and ‘like’ them!
The recipe I’m sharing today is a classic in our family. It came about when my stepmom talked me off of a culinary panic cliff when the mangos I had purchased to make mango salsa were mealy and gross. She suggested I replace the nasty mangoes with cans of crushed pineapple, which -she pointed out- would also save us a little work by being already cut up and bite sized. Gosh, but she was brilliant. We all liked it so much that we made sure we had ingredients for it at all times. It is a chameleon, being fantastic as a chip dip OR served spooned over grilled, roasted, broiled or fried fish, chicken, pork, or beef. It’s also a light, refreshing topper for beans and rice or black bean soup or chili, as my stepmom also did regularly. Our family is a little obsessed with it… We hope you love it, too!
Garden Pantry Pineapple Salsa {5 minute recipe}
Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1 can Del Monte Crushed Pineapple in 100% Juice 15.25 ounces, not heavy syrup!
- 1/2 red bell pepper stemmed, seeded, and diced
- 1/2 small red onion peeled
- 1/2 jalapeno pepper stemmed, seeded, and minced
- 1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro or parsley leaves
- 1 lime juiced, or 2 tablespoons bottled lime juice
- 1 clove garlic peeled and minced or pressed
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Don't blink or you'll miss how to make this.
- Strain the pineapple juice away from the crushed pineapple in a fine mesh strainer. (Save the juice for smoothies.) Stir the pineapple and rest of the ingredients together. It can be served immediately, but flavours improve if allowed to sit together for 20 minutes in the refrigerator if time allows. Leftovers taste best within 3 days, but are safe to eat for up to a week after stirring together.
- Serve as a chip dip or spooned over grilled/broiled/roasted fish, chicken, pork, or beef. It's also wonderful on fish tacos, with beans and rice, or on black bean chili.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Reader's Thoughts...
Denise says
I always have all types of canned tomatoes, corn, pineapple (whole and crushed), and peaches.
Lisa P says
Tomatoes, artichokes, sundried tomatoes, beans, and hearts of palm.
Robin says
Green beans are a staple for me. Quick and easy and everybody likes them!
Lynn @ The Actor's Diet says
I always have canned beets in my pantry. Have loved them since the Sizzler Salad Bar when I was a kid.
Marcia S. says
I always stock canned tomatoes, corn, green beans, pineapple and peaches.
Kate says
My kids are obsessed with mandarin oranges. It’s clementine season now, but when that ends, it’ll be right back to the mandarins in the cans.
Jeanne says
Diced tomatoes and beans are my must-haves – although I’m sure to only buy cans that are BPA-free!
Mary Beth Hunt says
Green Beans, Corn, Diced Tomatoes, Tomato Paste
Jenn says
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/kissmykitty/status/403637805752283138
Jenn says
I love to keep diced tomatoes and green beans stocked in my pantry, because there are so many uses for them!
(Thank you for the giveaway!)
Sara says
I always have corn in the pantry
Jeannette says
https://twitter.com/whmsicalcupcake/status/403613192687206401
Jeannette says
i HAVE to have pineapple on hand in my pantry. also, mandarin oranges, all kinds of beans, corn, french green beans, spinach.
Kimberly Misch says
Pineapple, Pumpkin, Peaches, Artichoke Hearts, Tomatoes, Beans. Living in California I dont store alot of fruits and veggies…I prefer fresh!
Cortney says
Tomatoes (in all of their forms), pineapple, and beans.
Sarah Schmid says
Tomatoes and corn for soups and jarred peaches for my husband!
Celeste B. says
Honeycrisp apples
Caroline says
All forms of tomatoes!! Diced, purée, sauce, paste…
Sandi O says
I ALWAYS have tomatoes and mandarin oranges in my pantry!
Jess Louie says
Corn (because they’re so delicious) and canned tomatoes!