A cheeseburger is one of the most perfect foods on Earth, but it can be hard to replicate the perfection of a restaurant-quality burger in the comfort of your own home. This hamburger casserole captures the same magic in the form of an easy weeknight meal. Shrimp pasta is what dreams are made of, but this one—tossed in a Parmesan white wine sauce—really takes the cake. Don’t let fancy packaging and shiny marketing distract you. Some of the best meals are built with simple ingredients from the bottom shelf.
Bean and Cheese Quesadillas
We call for bone-in pork chops to maximize flavor, but boneless pork chops are a fine substitution. To round out this meal a little more, serve with rice or mashed potatoes. I usually do a meal plan for the whole week in order to save money and time. However, to do this, I realized that I needed to find and keep a list of cheap and easy meals to feed my family on a budget. This tinned salmon citrus pasta is a budget-friendly dinner that’s packed with fresh flavors from zesty citrus and tender salmon. It’s quick to make and perfect for a satisfying meal that won’t break the bank.
Cheap Healthy Dinner Ideas
Substitute uncased turkey or chicken sausage for the ground turkey. And if you don’t have fresh herbs on had, just follow the smart reader advice above until a spoonful makes you nod and smile. “I wake up craving this sometimes — I love it so much,” wrote one reader about Kay Chun’s one-pot, weeknight version of the classic Japanese stew. Instead, curry powder, ground nutmeg and Worcestershire sauce are bloomed in butter for a rich sauce that mimics its flavor. The filling for these tinga-inspired burritos from Kristina Felix is made in one pot, simmering until the sweet potatoes and beans meld together.
Baked Chicken Parmesan
Here, pasta, lentils, tomatoes, onion and garlic cook in the same pot so that the pasta starches thicken the liquid into something almost luxurious. Ali Slagle takes the classic broccoli casserole and breaks it down to its most basic, but beautiful, elements in this comforting recipe. It’s as easy as it sounds — buttery rice combined with broccoli florets, nestled under a gooey blanket of cheese. Eat it on its own, or add a can of beans or chopped leftover chicken to make it more filling. These BBQ chicken bowls are perfect for weeknight dinners.
Baked Salmon
Many of us at BHG grew up eating these ground beef and rice porcupine meatballs. Today, we love the skillet recipe for a quick weeknight meal. Serve this budget dinner with white rice and frozen veggies for a well-balanced meal. On the hunt for affordable, healthy meals that work for dinner or brunch? Here protein-rich, budget-friendly eggs pair with other pantry staples for a cheap and easy recipe under 300 calories per serving.
Ground Beef Stroganoff and Rice
- With a little creativity and planning, you can serve cheap easy dinners that are both delicious and affordable.
- We’re a big fan of the ease of Mexican-inspired tacos, quesadillas, and tostadas for simple weeknight meals.
- I love this recipe because it’s simple, cheap, and keeps well for leftovers.
- They’re delicious with peanut butter and tahini alike.
- When you do cook with meat, you can always try using less than the recipe says and use the remainder for another meal.
- Focusing on only 3 key ingredients, our chicken fajita recipe requires minimal prep and cook time, meaning dinner on the table FAST.
Some stores even have apps and newsletters you can sign up for to get extra coupons and discounts. It doesn’t hurt to get that frequent shopper card, either. In some states, for instance, a “buy one, get one” (BOGO) deal requires that you actually get two items.
Easy Vegetable Beef Soup
A stir fry is our go-to weeknight dinner when we just don’t have the energy to spend a long time in the kitchen—this recipe is no exception. Make it as is, then use it as a jumping-off point to create your perfect chicken stir-fry. Thin the Alfredo sauce https://recipes.heart.org/en/ with a bit of pasta water to help it coat the noodles better.
Sour Cream Burgers
This meal is so easy to make, and it’s great for feeding a family. You can stretch it even further by adding some frozen veggies to the mix. A quickly unimeal reviews consumer reports prepared tomato and white bean soup is always cheap and comforting. This recipe from Martha Rose Shulman mostly involves stirring together canned staples (crushed tomatoes, white beans). But carrots, potatoes and kale add a welcome heft in this deeply flavorful vegetarian soup.
This power salad will keep you fueled for hours, thanks to 26 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber. Tossing the dressing and kale, and then letting it stand in the jar, softens it enough so you don’t need to massage or cook it to make it tender. Follow New York Times Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Pinterest.
Hearty Vegetable Soup with Parsley Gremolata
A cheap recipe that is super simple to make, and it can become a staple on your dinner menu. Inspired by the casseroles you may have eaten growing up, this bubble pizza recipe starts with canned biscuits and ground beef. Round out the cheap dinner idea with pizza sauce and shredded cheese. If you’d like, you can add more of your favorite pizza toppings like mushrooms, olives, and peppers.
Tin Salmon & Citrus Pasta
Round out the meal with crushed taco shells, black beans, and salsa. Everything cooks in one pot, even the rice, which means fewer dishes and more time to exhale. This broccoli rice casserole is cheesy, creamy, and surprisingly satisfying for something that starts with frozen veg and pantry staples. We also bet you have some things in your kitchen already that’ll help you get dinner on the table fast, like sheet pans, a Dutch oven, and casserole dishes. We’ve created our fair share of chili recipes, but this white chicken version is one of our all-time favorites. Cook a big batch of chili and mix it with cooked macaroni for a filling family meal.
Make a large batch of pancakes using basic ingredients like flour, eggs, and milk. You can top the pancakes with fruit, syrup, or even peanut butter to make them more filling. When you have a big family to feed, it can be tough to come up with meals that fill everyone up without spending a fortune. It feels like eating healthy has to be expensive, but it doesn’t have to break the bank if you make a few smart choices.