Budget dinners are built from the ingredients that stretch the furthest, cabbage, dried and canned beans, rice, pasta and eggs, rather than anything that needs a special trip to the store.
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These are the dinners from my kitchen that cost the least to make, most of them built around one or two cheap staples plus whatever is already in the fridge. None of them taste like they were made to save money.
Buy the staples in bulk and this whole list gets even cheaper.
Cabbage Dinners
A head of cabbage costs next to nothing and turns into a full dinner in one skillet.
Cabbage and Beans Dinner Skillet
Tex-Mex Ground Beef and Cabbage Skillet (30 Minute Meal)
Sausage and Cabbage Skillet (25 Minutes!)
Ukrainian Lazy Cabbage Rolls
Ground Turkey and Cabbage Skillet
30 Minute Pork Egg Roll In A Bowl Recipe
Simple Shredded Cabbage Pie Casserole
Beans, Lentils and Soup
A bag of dried beans or lentils is one of the cheapest proteins there is, and these soups make a big pot.
Pasta Fazool (Pasta e Fagioli Soup)
Italian Minestrone Soup
Red Lentil Veggie Cakes
Black Eyed Peas Recipe
Cabbage Roll Soup
Sauerkraut Soup Recipe
Rice and One Pan Dinners
Rice is one of the cheapest bases for a dinner there is, and a small amount of meat goes a long way stirred through it.
Chicken Fried Rice Recipe
Zucchini Stew
One-Pot Pork Rice
Dirty Rice With Sausage
Cuban Black Beans and Rice
Southwest Lentils and Rice Skillet
Pasta and Potato Nights
A box of pasta or a bag of potatoes is about as cheap as dinner gets, and one pound of ground beef goes a long way here.
Ground Beef Pasta
Cheesy Mexican Ground Beef and Potatoes (30 Minutes!)
30 Minute Ramen Stir Fry (So EASY!)
Tips for Cooking on a Budget
- Buy dried beans instead of canned when you have time to plan ahead – a bag of dried beans costs a fraction of the same amount in cans, and a big batch freezes well.
- Build the meal around rice, pasta or beans and treat meat as a flavoring – a pound of meat stretched across a whole skillet costs far less per serving than meat as the main event.
- Keep a running list of what is about to go bad – cabbage, soups and stews are the easiest way to use up odds and ends before they spoil.
- Cook a big pot on Sunday and portion it out – soups and skillet dinners taste just as good, or better, reheated through the week.
- Check the freezer and pantry before writing a shopping list – half of most of these dinners is probably already in the house.
Budget Dinner Questions
What are the cheapest ingredients to build a dinner around?
Cabbage, dried beans, lentils, rice, pasta and eggs are consistently some of the least expensive ingredients per serving, and all of them stretch a small amount of meat into a full meal.
How do I make a budget dinner still feel satisfying?
Lean on spices and a good sauce rather than more meat. A well seasoned bean or cabbage dinner is just as filling as a meat heavy one, and costs a fraction as much.
Can I make these dinners in bigger batches to save more?
Yes, soups and skillet dinners like the cabbage and bean recipes double easily and freeze well, which cuts down on both cost and the number of nights you have to cook.
Start with whatever is already in the pantry, and let cabbage, beans and rice do the heavy lifting on the nights the grocery budget is tight.
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