Canned Goods Recipes: 10 Emergency Dishes You Can Cook

Canned goods are lifesavers when time and ingredients are short. They’re perfect for quick meals on busy days or lazy weekends. With my kitchen now doubling as my office, emergency dishes have become my go-to.

Whether you're low on supplies or just want something easy, canned goods make mealtime simple and satisfying.

Here are 10 easy dishes you can cook using those trusty, and some of the most basic ingredients ever.

Also read: Must-Try Filipino Delicacies You Can’t Miss

Featuring: Century Tuna Flakes in Oil

1. Tuna sisig

Image credit: A Yellow Bowl | Official Website

Craving pulutan but sticking to a budget? You can easily whip up your favourite bar chow at home using canned tuna! This spicy, savoury recipe serves up to three and is perfect for quick meals or casual hangouts.

Not a fan of chilli? No problem, skip it and enjoy the same bold flavour, minus the heat.

Ingredients

• 1 can of tuna (180 g)

• 1 medium-sized onion, minced

• 2 tsp soy sauce

• 2 pcs siling labuyo (add more if you want more spice), chopped

• Salt and pepper

• 1 calamansi

• Optional: chicharon, mayonnaise, 1 egg

Steps

1. Drain the tuna. If you’re using a can of tuna in oil, set the oil aside.

2. Heat one tablespoon of tuna oil in a pan. Fry the tuna until it turns golden brown.

3. Sauté the onions until soft.

4. Add the siling labuyo.

5. Sauté the mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

6. Squeeze calamansi over the mixture. Then, add the soy sauce. 

7. Mix well and serve.

Optional steps:

1. Crack an egg into the mixture.

2. Add mayonnaise into the mixture before removing from the pan.

3. Serve and crush chicharon to top the dish.

2. Lumpiang tuna

Celebrating on a budget? What’s a Pinoy birthday without lumpia? Good news: You can make this party staple with trusty canned tuna, too!

One can yield around 10 pieces, but as with any budget-friendly dish, feel free to tweak the portions to stretch your ingredients further.

Ingredients

• 1 can of tuna (180 g)

• 1 small carrot, minced

• 1 medium-sized onion, minced

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

• ½ cup of cabbage, sliced

Steps

1. Drain the tuna. If you’re using a can of tuna in oil, set the oil aside.

2. Heat one tablespoon of tuna oil in a pan. 

3. Sauté garlic, onion, carrots, and cabbage. Season with salt. 

4. Once the mixture is lightly cooked, set it aside in a bowl.

5. Place one tablespoon of this mixture in a lumpia wrapper. 

6. Spread the mixture lengthwise, leaving at least an inch and a half of space on each side.

7. Roll up the bottom of the wrapper to tuck in the mixture. 

8. Tuck in the sides of the wrapper.

9. Keep rolling until you reach two inches to the end of the wrapper.

10. Seal the edges with clean water.

11. Repeat until you use up all the mixture.

12. Fry in a heated pan with oil. 

13. Serve.

Note: You may prepare more servings of lumpia and store them in the freezer. When frozen, these can last up to three months!

3. Pancit palabok with tuna and alamang

Image credit: Iloilo Food Trip | Official Website

Craving pancit palabok but watching your budget? You’ll be surprised how easy it is to whip up this Pinoy merienda using pantry staples, especially canned tuna!

Inspired by Iloilo Food Trip’s recipe, this version is affordable, filling, and sure to satisfy those nostalgic cravings.

Ingredients

• Bihon noodles (200 g)

• 1 pack instant palabok mix, dissolved in water

• 1 can of tuna

• 2 tbsp dried alamang

• 1 medium-sized onion, chopped

• 5 cloves garlic, chopped

• Optional: chicharon, 1 calamansi, 1 hard-boiled egg

Steps

1. Cook bihon according to the directions on the packaging.

2. In a heated pan, toast the dried alamang for about a minute. Set aside.

3. Drain the tuna. If you’re using a can of tuna in oil, set aside the oil.

4. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a pan. You may use the tuna oil for this.

5. Sauté the onions and garlic.

6. Add the drained tuna and toasted alamang. (Leave some tuna and alamang for toppings.)

7. Pour in the palabok mix.

8. Stir until thick.

9. Serve.

Optional steps:

1. Squeeze calamansi onto the mixture.

2. Slice a hard-boiled egg and top the dish.

3. Crush chicharon over the dish.

4. Serve.

Featuring: Purefoods Corned Beef

4. Corned beef potato pancakes

Image credit: allrecipes | Official Website

We know you love corned beef; but at a time like this, you need all the ingredient-extending techniques you can get. With this corned beef potato pancakes recipe from allrecipes, you get to feed four people with just half a can of corned beef!

Ingredients

• ½ can of corned beef (150 g)

• 3 medium-sized potatoes, shredded

• 1 egg

• Salt and pepper

Steps

1. In a large bowl, mix the potatoes, corned beef, and egg.

2. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Once the mixture is mushy, create small balls with the palms of your hands.

4. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a pan.

5. Fry flat until golden brown.

6. Serve.

5. Sinabawang corned beef

Image credit: Panlasang Pinoy | Official Website

We’re looking at another way to extend that can of corned beef for a hearty breakfast. This quick and easy sinabawang corned beef recipe from Panlasang Pinoy can actually gratify three people. Make sure to serve this over steaming hot rice! Yum!

Ingredients

• 1 can of corned beef (150 g)

• 1 medium-sized onion, minced

• 1 large potato, chopped into small pieces

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• Salt and pepper

• Optional: ½ cup cabbage

Steps

1. Heat one tablespoon of cooking oil in a pan. 

2. Sauté onion and garlic until soft and golden brown.

3. Add in the corned beef. Cook for about three minutes.

4. Add the potatoes. Cook for about five more minutes.

5. Pour at least two cups of water. Bring to a boil.

6. Adjust the heat to low. Add the cabbage.

7. Season with salt and pepper.

8. Serve.

6. Corned beef spaghetti

Image credit: Kawaling Pinoy | Official Website

Yes, we have another birthday staple over here. We’re loving pasta recipes because pasta lasts so long in the pantry, and they’re great for when you’re running out of rice. (Don’t worry: We are, too.) Our fingers are crossed that this corned beef spaghetti recipe by Kawaling Pinoy will distract the kids from running around your house while you’re busy having another video call meeting.

Ingredients

• 1 can of corned beef (150 g)

• 1 pack of uncooked spaghetti (16 oz)

• 1 onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 cups sweet-style spaghetti sauce

• Salt and pepper

• ½ cup cheese, shredded

Steps

1. Cook spaghetti according to the directions on the packaging. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a pan. Sauté the onions and garlic until soft.

3. Add corned beef and mix.

4. Pour spaghetti sauce and cook for up to five minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Spoon spaghetti sauce over the pasta. Sprinkle with cheese.

6. Serve.

Note: You may prepare more servings of spaghetti and store them in the freezer. When stored correctly, frozen cooked spaghetti can last up to a month.

Featuring: Mega Sardines in Tomato Sauce

7. Sinigang na sardinas

Image credit: Kusina chef | Official YouTube Channel

Nothing screams “extender” like some tasty sabaw. One can add rice to a sinigang soup, and he or she will instantly be satisfied like no other. And did you know that you can have a nutritious and filling meal using trusty, too? If you’re out of bangus, shrimp or pork, you can actually opt for sinigang na sardinas — perfect for the rainy days!

Ingredients

• 1 can tomato sardines (155 g)

• 3 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 medium-sized onion, chopped roughly

• 2 tomatoes, sliced into four

• 1 pack of sinigang mix

• Dark green leafy vegetables of your choice

Steps

1. In a heated pan, sauté garlic.

2. Add onion and tomatoes. Cook until soft.

3. Pour in the sardines. Let simmer for three minutes.

4. Pour three cups of water and bring to a boil.

5. Add the sinigang mix.

6. Add the vegetables of your choice.

7. Serve hot.

8. Sardine fritters

Image credit: Russian Filipino Kitchen | Official Website

Among all the out there, we know canned sardines are a Pinoy favourite. They’re cheap, easy, and super tasty. Jazz things up and use your can of sardines to make crispy fritters (a.k.a. tortang sardinas!). This recipe from Russian Filipino Kitchen makes eight fritters with just one can of sardines! 

Ingredients

• 1 can of tomato sardines, drained (155 g)

• 2 eggs

• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

• Salt and pepper

Steps

1. In a bowl, mash the drained sardines with a fork.

2. Add in the eggs, flour, salt and pepper. Mix until mushy.

3. Heat ¾ cup of oil in a pan. With a spoon, drop the mixture then flatten.

4. Fry until golden brown.

5. Serve with ketchup or vinegar with onions.

9. Laing na sardinas

Laing Pinangat | Laing, bicol express, atbp via Wikimedia Commons

Laing na sardinas might not be the most common dish, but it’s a surprisingly delicious and budget-friendly meal you can make at home. We found this clever recipe from Master Sardines, perfect if you’ve got a can of Spanish sardines waiting to be turned into something hearty and satisfying.

Ingredients

• 2 cans of Spanish sardines

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 small ginger, sliced

• Gabi leaves

• 2 cups of coconut milk or gata

• Salt and pepper

• Optional: 3 pcs siling labuyo

Steps

1. Drain the sardines. Set aside the oil.

2. Heat one tablespoon of Spanish sardine oil in a pan. Sauté ginger, onions, and garlic.

3. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Pour in the coconut milk. Let boil.

5. Once the coconut milk boils, add the gabi leaves then the sardines.

6. Cover the pan. Turn the heat to low to simmer.

7. Optional: Add the siling labuyo after 10 minutes simmering.

8. Boil until the coconut milk is gone. This normally takes up to an hour.

9. Serve.

10. Pancit canton with sardines

Image credit: Nanay Paz Recipe | Official Facebook Page

Yes, we have another birthday staple over here. Two years ago, Nanay Paz Recipes posted a unique pancit canton recipe on Facebook. She uses — you guessed it — a can of tomato sardines! Finally, you can stir away from those instant noodles. They’re not very good for you, anyway. 

Ingredients

• 1 can of tomato sardines (155 g), drained

• 1 pack of pancit canton noodles (250 g)

• Ground black pepper

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp oyster sauce

• 1 ½ cups of chicken broth

• 1 small cabbage, cut into strips

• 1 carrot, sliced

• 1 small onion, chopped

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

Steps

1. Heat three tablespoons of oil in a pan. Sauté the onions and garlic until soft.

2. Add in the carrots. Cook until soft.

3. Pour the chicken broth. Bring to a boil.

4. Add the oyster sauce and soy sauce.

5. Place the cabbage, then the sardines. Stir and cook until cabbage is soft but not soggy.

6. Add the canton noodles. Stir to make sure the noodles are soaked in sauce.

7. Season with pepper.

8. Serve.

Also read: 10 Coffee Recipes You Can Easily Master at Home

There you have it! Ten emergency dishes you can easily cook with and the most basic infoogredients ever. At this rate, we might be able to try out every recipe here, and more. Happy cooking!