Going to restaurants and eating fast food can be incredibly expensive. One of the most important ways to increase your budget is to cook cheap meals at home.
To save on productsyou need to get creative by cooking cheap recipes.
Budget meals are usually associated with eating things like packaged ramen, canned chili peppers, or pasta every night.
Before you go out and buy enough ramen to last a month, there’s a better way to stretch your food budget. You can still enjoy fresh, flavorful, and delicious home-cooked meals at no extra cost.
Cheap meals to cook
Below you will find cheap breakfasts, lunches and dinners. While these simple recipes Inexpensive ingredients can be used and you won’t feel like you’re sacrificing flavor.
There are also some great family meals.
Cheap breakfasts
Label with apple pancakes
Who doesn’t love a good label? Especially when it comes to making gooey and wonderful apple fritters.
Many apple fritter recipes use 14 or more ingredients; this recipe only has five and is much easier to make.
This recipe costs just $1.01 per serving and uses pre-made cookies and apple pie filling.
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Sausage Breakfast Casserole
This stuffed casserole recipe hearty and made with sausage, eggs, cheese and the bottom layer of crescent dough.
Not only will you be full for hours, it’s also an easy meal to feed a large family and kids.
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Oats at night with peanut butter
You won’t find an easier breakfast if you only have five minutes to prepare to get all the ingredients together.
One commenter wisely remarked that this recipe is inexpensive because, apart from the almond milk, all the ingredients are perishable so you can use them to make multiple batches.
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Spinach, egg and cheese pieces
These egg slices are rich in protein and will give you the energy you need to start your day.
Store them in the refrigerator and reheat in the microwave for when you need a quick breakfast.
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Cereal bars
Ready in just ten minutes, these cereal bars are delicious and kid-friendly.
Since you can use any cereal, this recipe is incredibly versatile. The cereal change will make sure you never get bored of these bars.
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Cheap Lunch Recipes
white bean salad
Made with simple ingredients you might already have in your pantry, this white bean salad is delicious and healthy.
Because it only takes ten minutes to prep, it’s also a great lunch that can be prepared ahead of time in large portions, so you’ll be dining all week.
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Pizza Bagel Bites
If you have kids, it can sometimes be difficult to find a lunch that they love and adults find delicious too.
Midwest Foodie’s Kylie had great advice: “Let your family make their own bagels! It’s one of our family’s favorites because we can get every top of our bagel pizza with just about anything.”
These pizza slices will win over everyone in your family and you only need four ingredients to make this delicious lunch.
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Tuna and egg salad
Canned tuna is a cheap source of protein and a great product to stock up on when you see it on sale.
Kim from Kim’s cravings talks about some other creative ways to serve this classic salad besides using bread to make a sandwich.
Serve the salad on avocado-stuffed cucumber slices or in a salad wrap for a delicious meal. keto or low carb lunch idea.
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Salad with pesto
Pasta is another cheap item that should always be on hand.
Pesto, pasta, cheese, fresh herbs and crunchy bell peppers complement each other perfectly; you will love every bite.
This flavorful pesto salad is a great way to top up your daily vegetable diet.
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ranch chicken tenders
Chicken fillet, baked to a crispy golden crust with buttermilk flavor, is ready in just 25 minutes.
Whether you eat them hot or cold, they are perfect for ranch sauce or your favorite dip.
Enjoy these chicken cutlets for both lunch and dinner.
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Cheap Dinner Ideas
Carne Asada Taco
Marinated overnight and grilled, carne asada tacos have that smoky flavor.
If you’re cooking in batches, you can freeze marinated meat and then thaw and toss it on the grill for a quick dinner.
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vegetable frying
Meat can be expensive; that’s why a dinner or two lean meals a week can save you money.
Enjoy fried stir fry on its own or with rice, noodles, ramen, or zucchini for an even more satisfying meal.
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Lasagna for the poor
Cheaper than traditional lasagna, poor man’s lasagna is so easy to make that you’ll want to make it over and over again.
This recipe is a creative version of lasagna made with penne pasta, sauce, herbs, ground beef, and several types of cheese.
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Chicken tortilla soup in a slow cooker
If you lead a frugal lifestyle, then incorporating some homemade soup recipes into your diet is a smart choice.
A double portion is enough for several dinners, and the leftovers can be taken with you for lunch.
At just $1.63 per serving, this is one of the cheapest soup recipes out there.
The secret of this cheap soup is that there is only one chicken breast in the whole soup, but because it has beans, corn, tomatoes, onions and other ingredients, you won’t even notice the small portion of chicken.
Since chicken can be an expensive ingredient, limiting the quantity is a brilliant idea.
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Sweet and sour meatballs
Creating a recipe that requires buying ingredients you don’t already have can be expensive.
Your best bet is to find a few recipes that use foods you already have in your fridge or pantry, like these meatballs.
This recipe even gives you substitution ideas, so if you don’t have one ingredient, you can easily replace it with something else you already have on hand.
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Cheap Food Tips
Now that you have some inexpensive recipes, here are some easy tips to help you save even more money on food.
Always keep on hand in the freezer a supply of food that can be prepared in a pinch.
If you’ve had a long day and don’t feel like cooking, it’s tempting to order takeout.
By having frozen food that you can cook effortlessly, you are less likely to spend money on eating out.
Find some inexpensive snacks to snack on between meals.
Finding some snacks to buy which are inexpensive but satisfying, will help you eat less when dinner rolls up.
Smaller meals can help stretch your budget and also mean more leftovers for the next day.
Find out how easy it is to find inexpensive recipes.
Many of the recipes on this list are from cheap recipe blogs. But aside from the obvious search for recipes on low life blogs, how else can you find inexpensive recipes?
Here are some tips on how to find budget recipes.
- Look for recipes with a small list of ingredients. Shoot recipes with five or fewer ingredients, or up to seven ingredients.
- Don’t buy special ingredients or herbs for one dish. If a recipe calls for a particular ingredient, but you know you won’t use the leftover ingredient because it’s not something you would normally use, skip this recipe.
- Pay attention to recipe reviews. Reading reviews and comments will save you from possibly cooking bad food that you don’t like, which can lead to food waste.
Don’t forget the simple ingredients.
With hundreds of options at the grocery store, it’s easy to forget the essential ingredients. However, choosing versatile ingredients that you can use in multiple dishes is cost effective.
Here are some easy, cheap ingredients to fill your freezer, fridge, and pantry:
- Beans and lentils
- eggs
- Frozen fruits and vegetables
- Oatmeal
- Pasta
- Potato
- Rice
Find recipes that the whole family loves.
Although not always possible, preparing one dish that all family members love is much cheaper than preparing individual dishes.
If you are preparing a separate meal for children, you will have to buy a lot of ingredients, not to mention extra work.
Find kid-friendly meals that adults in your family will enjoy too.
Final Thoughts
Cutting food costs is an effective way to save money. However, cheap food doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the food you and your family love.
These recipes have two things in common; availability and flavor
Enjoy one of these amazingly cheap recipes this week. Now that you know how to find cheap recipes, you’ll never run out of ideas again.
This post originally appeared on Hello sane.
