Recipes with Store-Bought Shortcuts (That Taste Homemade)

Let’s be honest—some days, getting dinner on the table (or dessert in the oven) calls for a little help. I’ve always believed that using a shortcut doesn’t make a meal less special. In fact, some of my most-loved recipes start with a box, a bag, or a store-bought staple that gets a little Southern Soul added in.

Let’s Keep It Real

Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated to be meaningful. A box of cake mix or a rotisserie chicken isn’t cheating—it’s smart. I believe a little kitchen miracle happens when you take what you’ve got and turn it into something warm, delicious, and made with love.

Smart Ingredients That Save Time and Taste Good

• Rotisserie chicken – for casseroles, soups, sliders, and salads.
• Cake mix – for dump cakes, bar cookies, and easy desserts.
• Biscuit or crescent dough – for garlic knots, cobblers, and breakfast bakes.
• Frozen hash browns – for breakfast casseroles or skillet meals.
• Ranch seasoning, dry mixes, and sauces – to punch up flavor fast.

This round-up is full of those kinds of recipes. They’re quick, clever, and just plain delicious—and I promise, no one’s going to ask if you used cake mix.

Breakfast and Brunch

Ham and Cheese Croissant Breakfast Casserole

Buttery croissants, smokey ham, and gooey cheese are all baked together for the ultimate breakfast casserole. Inspired by the French classic, Croque Monsieur, this is an easy-to-make recipe that’s heavenly served with powdered sugar, jam and perfect for breakfast, brunch, and a must for the holidays.

Make-Ahead Pancake Casserole: Easy, Fluffy, and Delicious

Pancake Casserole is the ultimate breakfast upgrade! Combining pancakes’ soft, fluffy texture with a creamy custard base, it’s like French toast and pancakes came together for one amazing bite. Add in the bursts of sweet-tart blueberries, and you have a make-ahead dish ideal for entertaining or a cozy weekend breakfast.

Bacon Cheddar Quiche Recipe

Bacon Cheddar Quiché is a classic dish loaded with crispy bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, and a creamy, eggy filling that’s satisfying and incredibly simple to make. Everyone will be smitten with this recipe after just one bite, whether served for a weeknight meal, lazy weekends, or the holidays.

Crescent Roll Cream Cheese Danish

Flaky, store bought crescent rolls filled with lemony cream cheese, baked then drizzled with a sweet glaze is a cheerful way to start your morning! 

Sausage And Cheese Croissant Breakfast Casserole

Savory and wholesome Sausage and Cheese Croissant Breakfast Casserole is a comfort food lover’s dream! It’s a perfect make-ahead dish for any holiday morning but easy enough that you’ll want to add it to your weekly breakfast, brunch, or even dinner rotation.

Ham And Cheese Hash Brown Casserole

This ham and cheese hash brown casserole is a delicious and easy-to-make recipe perfect for breakfast or brunch. It’s a simple make-ahead dish that’s a must for the holidays or any time you’re feeding a crowd.

Salads and Sides

Easy Crock Pot Baked Beans

Slow-Cooked, sweet and savory baked beans with brown sugar and bacon is a side dish recipe that’s pure perfection! For any cookout, barbecue, or summer party, these Easy Crock Pot Baked beans will be a hit.

Creamed Corn Cornbread Muffins

These cornbread muffins are bursting with corn flavor and are great served alongside your favorite chili, soup, or stew. Creamed Corn Cornbread Muffins, made in less than 30 minutes, are amazing right out of the oven slathered with butter, and great to serve at any meal, any time of the year.

Classic Cornbread Pudding With Cheese

If you’re looking for the perfect blend of cornbread and creamy, custardy goodness, this Southern Cornbread Pudding is your answer. Rich with two types of corn, this dish has a touch of sweetness, a bit of savory, and a soft, fluffy texture that makes it an irresistible side for any weeknight or holiday dinner.

Pineapple Coleslaw Recipe

Pineapple Slaw is sweet and crunchy with a light dressing that will have you feeling like it’s summertime with every single bite! This quick and easy recipe is great to serve as a side dish, take to a covered dish supper and is a must at any backyard BBQ.

Cheesy Hashbrown Potato Casserole: No Canned Soup

This Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole is a creamy, cheesy, comforting side dish made without canned soup! It’s perfect for holidays, potlucks, or a cozy family dinner. Packed with shredded potatoes, cheddar cheese, and a rich homemade sauce, this easy potato side dish quickly assembles and uses simple, wholesome ingredients.

Southern Vinegar Slaw

This Southern vinegar slaw is crisp, tangy, and mayo-free—just the way I like it. Made with cabbage, red onion, and a simple sweet-and-sour dressing, it’s the perfect side for BBQ, on a veggie plate or any warm-weather meal.

BLT Tortellini Pasta Salad

Inspired by a classic BLT sandwich, this pasta salad is outrageously good with the addition of cheese tortellini and a light creamy dressing! This easy to make recipe is just the thing for any cookout, potluck, or family gathering. 

Classic Creamy Pea Salad

Sweet peas, bacon, cheese, and onion, tossed in a vibrant creamy dressing, this sweet and savory salad recipe is a fantastic choice for cookouts, potlucks, and holiday buffets.

Biscuit Dough Garlic Knots

Easy Biscuit Dough Garlic Knots, slathered with butter, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and herbs, are seriously delicious! They are great as an appetizer served with marinara for dipping or alongside your favorite recipes at mealtime.

Italian Pasta Salad

This zesty Italian Pasta Salad is a delicious blend of flavors and textures, perfect for any occasion! With marinated artichokes, olives, and loads of salami and ham, this easy pasta salad recipe can be served as a side dish, or main course and is the ultimate potluck or cookout salad.

Cranberry Pecan Slaw

Take your coleslaw to a whole new level with sweet, tangy cranberries and crunchy pecans. Mix in an apple and some savory, green onions then toss them all in a creamy dressing for a dish that will be a favorite at any gathering!

Fresh Fruit Salad for A Crowd

Fruit Salad for A Crowd is a fresh, delicious, easy-to-make-ahead recipe that can feed a crowd without breaking the bank. Whether you’re hosting a family reunion, block party, or tailgating event, this budget-friendly fruit salad recipe will be loved by all!

Waldorf Chicken Salad With Apples And Grapes

A little sweet, a little savory, and a whole lot of fresh flavor! This Waldorf Chicken Salad is creamy, crunchy, and just right for easy lunches, picnics, entertaining or anytime you’re craving something simple and satisfying.

Dinner Recipes

Crock Pot Hawaiian Meatballs

Easy Crock Pot Hawaiian Meatballs made with pineapple, BBQ sauce, and ginger. Sweet, tangy, and tender — perfect as a party appetizer or weeknight meal.

Baked Ranch Chicken – Sheet Pan Recipe

This easy sheet pan chicken dinner comes together with just a few pantry spices and one pan. Juicy chicken thighs with crispy skin, roasted red onion, and bold ranch seasoning—simple, flavorful, and perfect for a busy night.

Cheesy Italian Sausage Ravioli Bake

For a comfort food meal that’s simple to make and loaded with classic Italian ingredients, this Cheesy Italian Sausage Ravioli Bake is all that rolled into one amazing dish! It’s loaded with ravioli filled with cheese, baked in a meaty sauce that your whole family will love.

Easy Crock Pot Vegetable Beef Soup

Hearty Vegetable Beef Soup is the perfect fall and winter comfort food recipe! Made with perfectly seasoned beef and loaded with veggies, this soup will become a family favorite in no time.

Creamy White Chicken Chili

Creamy White Chicken Chili is warm, comforting, and ready to serve in just 30 minutes. Made with cream cheese and tender chicken, this chili hits the spot on a cool night and is great for game day.

Rotel Chicken Spaghetti

Out Of This World Rotel Chicken Spaghetti is a family favorite one-pan meal. Made with tender chicken, tomatoes and green chilies tossed in a creamy, cheesy sauce, this is pasta casserole taken to a whole new level! This easy to make recipe is always a hit at the supper table, potlucks and makes a great freezer meal.

Crock Pot Bourbon Meatballs

Crock Pot Bourbon Meatballs are tender, succulent, and loaded with irresistible flavors. These meatballs, prepped in just minutes, are cooked in the Crock-Pot and are perfect to serve as an appetizer, for game day or on lazy weekends.

Creamy Gnocchi Chicken Soup

Creamy chicken soup loaded with soft, fluffy gnocchi and tender vegetables is comforting, delicious, and simple to make! If you’ve ever had The Olive Garden’s version, hold on, because now, you can make this popular, comfort food recipe at home in 30 minutes.

Baked Stromboli Recipe – Quick, Easy, and Delicious

Homemade Baked Stromboli is everything you love about pizza rolled into a golden, flaky crust! Packed with bold flavors from Italian sausage, pepperoni, and melted cheese, it’s a quick and satisfying recipe that’s perfect as a hearty appetizer, a family-friendly dinner, or even a game-day snack.

How to Make the Perfect Meatball Sub at Home

Tender, homemade meatballs simmered in a rich tomato sauce, then stuffed into a toasted bun, topped with cheese, are a sandwich lover’s dream! Meatball Parmesan Subs are a great way to feed a hungry crowd on game day and are always a favorite at suppertime.

Sweet Shortcuts

No Bake Cherry Delight In Jars

For the easiest, yummiest no-bake dessert, ever, Cherry Delight served in jars is a sure-fire winner! It’s sweet, creamy, and great to serve at any summer gathering, party or during the holidays. This simple little dessert has quickly garnered a cult following. Here’s how it happened… A couple of weeks ago, I had Hunter and

Pineapple Coconut Poke Cake

Luscious cake with pineapple and coconut, topped with fresh whipped cream and toasted coconut flakes is a dessert that memories are made of. Pineapple Coconut Poke Cake is not only packed with fresh summertime flavors, but it’s actually a short-cut recipe that starts with a box mix. With the addition of a few simple ingredients, you can transform a cake mix into a tropical flavored ‘poke cake’ that’s perfect to serve for any occasion!

Apple Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread

Apple Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread made with warm spices and sweet apples layered in between buttery dough is a recipe sure to become a family favorite.

Cinnamon Sugar Palmiers (Easy Puff Pastry Cookies)

Palmiers, elephant ears, or angel wings, it doesn’t matter what you call these sweet, flaky cookies, you’ll be smitten after just one bite! They are super easy to make with just four ingredients and are baked to golden perfection in about 10 minutes.

Easy Coconut Cake (Box Cake Mix Recipe)

This coconut cake is perfect for any celebration, easy enough any night of the week, and it all starts with a box cake mix! It’s light and fluffy with a cool coconut topping that will win your heart after just one bite.

Honey Bun Cake Recipe

This moist, flavorful Honey Bun Cake is a retro ‘short-cut’ recipe that starts out as a box mix and is completely transformed by adding just a few simple pantry ingredients! With all the flavors of a classic Honey Bun, this cake is perfect to serve at any event from weeknight dinners to cookouts and parties, it’s always a family favorite.

Super Simple S’mores Brownies

S’mores Brownies are super easy to make with a box brownie mix and then amped up with toasted marshmallows, crispy graham crackers, and chocolate. This rich, gooey, summertime treat can now be enjoyed any time of the year!

Banana Pudding Trifle

Made with fresh bananas and whipped cream, this Homemade Banana Pudding Trifle is a Southern-inspired dessert perfect for any special occasion. It’s layered with cookies and pudding, making it a downright heavenly show-stopper!

Pumpkin Spice Dump Cake

This Pumpkin Spice Dump Cake is the easiest fall dessert you’ll make! Ready in one bowl with just eight ingredients, it’s the perfect cozy treat for pumpkin lovers.

Easy Homemade Apple Strudel

This recipe is just straight up, no kidding, really good. Apples, brown sugar, a few spices all wrapped in flakey puffed pastry. Yep, that’s pretty much it.

No-Bake Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake Cups

These No-Bake Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake Cups have the perfect balance of crispy, creamy, and chocolatey goodness, with fresh berries tucked into every bite. And the best part? They come together in just 20 minutes, no baking needed.

No-Bake Butterscotch Cookies

hese No-Bake Butterscotch Cookies are the perfect solution! Made with just a handful of simple ingredients—crunchy cornflakes, rich butterscotch chips, and creamy peanut butter—this recipe delivers that nostalgic, sweet-and-salty flavor combination everyone loves.

Snacks And Appetizers

Best Cream Cheese Sausage Balls

Cream cheese sausage balls are a delicious, easy-to-make appetizer that can be served on any occasion. Adding cream cheese takes this classic recipe to a whole new level, making these sausage balls the all-time best!

Southern Caviar – Black Eyed Pea Appetizer

Made with black-eyed peas, corn, and a zesty dressing, Southern Caviar (or Black Eyed Pea Appetizer) is quick and super easy to make! This spicy and crunchy recipe is a versatile Southern staple that can be served as an appetizer, side dish, or on top of grilled seafood or chicken.

Pimento Cheese Bites

Wow your friends and family with this easy to make party appetizer that’s the perfect combination of sweet and savory! Crispy Phyllo cups filled with pimento cheese then topped with sweet, slightly spicy red pepper jelly makes for a delicious appetizer for the holidays, game day or whenever you’re entertaining.

Sweet Heat Pickles

Sweet heat pickles made from kosher pickles, red pepper flakes, garlic, herbs, and sugar are a delicious and crazy twist on traditional pickles. They are a fabulous balance of sweet and spicy flavors, perfect for layering on burgers, and sandwiches, served on charcuterie boards or just eating right out of the jar!

Antipasto Skewers: The Ultimate Appetizer or Side Dish

These Antipasto Skewers are a fun, make-ahead appetizer packed with bold Italian flavors. Great for parties, easy dinners, or serving alongside soup or grilled meats—this is finger food done right.

Pepperoni Pizza Pull-Apart Bread

Gooey cheese, zesty pepperoni, and buttery bread are combined to make a fun twist on pizza! Pepperoni Pizza Pull-Apart Bread is outstanding served as an appetizer, snack, dinner, or any time you need to satisfy your pizza craving.

Pepper Jelly Cheese Dip With Bacon

Made with just 5 ingredients, this Pepper Jelly Cheese With Bacon is the perfect appetizer! It’s the perfect blend of creamy, spicy, and a little bit salty, making for an irresistible bite. It only takes a few minutes to put together this flavorful spread, making it a guest and home cook favorite.

Parmesan Cheese Crisps

Make easy, crispy Parmesan Cheese Crisps with just one ingredient in under 15 minutes! Perfect for snacking, topping salads, or adding to charcuterie boards. Gluten-free, keto-friendly, and packed with flavor, these homemade cheese rounds are a delicious low-carb treat!

Crescent Roll Pigs In A Blanket

Little hot dogs wrapper in a crescent roll baked to perfection.

Salami Cream Cheese Roll Ups

A retro recipe! Herbed cream cheese rolled in salami is a crowd pleasing appetizer or snack

The BEST Chex Party Mix: Crock Pot Recipe

Crunchy, salty and totally addictive, this Slow Cooker Party Mix is truly one of the best snack foods ever! Whether you’re making food for gameday or packing school lunches, this easy to follow ‘hands-free’ recipe is sure to take your snack game to the next level!

Southwest Ranch Dip

This 10-minute recipe has all the creaminess you love from ranch dip with a spicy kick! Southwest Ranch Dip is crazy delicious served with carrots, celery, and chips. Plus it’s awesome as a dressing, marinade or a spread on burgers and wraps.

Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries

These fries are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and when you add in a spicy dipping sauce, you’ve got a match made in heaven.

Salami Chips With Dip

All you need is 4 ingredients to make these super easy and flavor-packed Salami Chips with Mustard Horseradish Dip! This homemade chips recipe makes the ultimate appetizer ready in just 20 minutes!

5 Days of Southern Summer Comfort Food!

My go-to summer recipes!