Using either of these methods will treat you to a healthy meal on a budget that's low in calories, high in protein, and nicely spiced with cumin, ginger, cinnamon, and cayenne.

This traditional Southern comfort dish is said to bring good luck if you eat it on New Year's Day. But we're so obsessed with this cheap, healthy meal, we eat it all year.

Instead of calling for bacon or ham, our vegetarian variation of this rice and black-eyed peas dish features several spices and heaps of veggies, including bell peppers, carrots, tomatoes, and frozen corn. The spice—and the price—are right for this Indian-inspired cheap, healthy meal.

Serve the turmeric- and ginger-infused grilled chicken on a bed of basmati rice included in the price estimate to round out the meal. Save leftover sliced meat to tuck inside warm pita bread or a tortilla for a lunch wrap the next day.

Meatloaf secures a top spot on the list of easy, cheap, healthy meals when you use lean ground beef and boost the filling factor with inexpensive spuds.

And don't you love how sheet-pan dinners like this one require so little cleanup time? Cooking everything on one foil-lined pan speeds it up. You'd be hard-pressed to find a delivery pizza as affordable as this homemade healthy dinner recipe.

Start with store-bought dough to make the Mediterranean meal a practical choice, even on a weeknight. Look for the dough in the refrigerated section of your supermarket or ask your local pizza shop if you can purchase an extra pound of their secret recipe!

Noodle dishes are known to be easy on the wallet. Not so much. Fortunately, a small handful of heart-healthy nuts can go a long way to add a rich flavor to cheap, healthy meals like this one. Whole wheat noodles help too. Low in fat 6 grams per portion yet high in protein a strong 28 grams , this five-ingredient slow cooker pork recipe checks all the boxes.

Only 10 minutes of prep required. Indeed—it's one of the lowest-cost options in this collection of cheap, healthy meals. Here's a cheap, healthy vegetarian meal you'll want to make again and again. With 24 grams of protein and a nice portion of hunger-taming broth and noodles, this soup will fill you up for hours.

Meat-like portobello mushrooms , tofu , and a poached egg join fresh veggies in this cozy, crowd-pleasing Asian noodle soup. Breaded with whole wheat panko and baked instead of fried, this eggplant Parmesan is calories less than some classic recipes.

Keep your nutrition streak going by grabbing a couple of zucchini at the store to spiralize , toss with the rest of the marinara , and serve under the baked eggplant.

Voilà—a budget dinner recipe for four that tastes up to par with its restaurant competition. A few decades ago, "stretch the meat" was the mantra for cutting costs at dinnertime.

It's still a great strategy for making cheap, healthy meals even more affordable. Here wide egg noodles , mushrooms, and a bit of cheese extend 8 ounces of ground beef to provide five hearty servings.

One bite will be all the proof you need that you can absolutely make satisfying suppers without making meat the main event. Instead of refried beans, this flavorful Mexican entrée —ready in 30 minutes—features a creamy cauliflower puree.

If you're hungry and have leftover chicken or shrimp , toss them in too. the serving size can be cut in half for an easy, healthy dinner recipe for two on a budget.

To maximize your cheap, healthy dinner recipes, never let any ingredients go to waste. Instead, use any leftover pesto in these quick and easy pesto recipes. Turn budget-friendly shaved cooked ham into a delicacy by serving it on mashed sweet potatoes and topping it with cranberry sauce.

This healthy dinner recipe on a budget offers a taste of Thanksgiving any time of year. Not into ham or craving more holiday spirit? Try this with sliced smoked turkey instead. Your favorite Tuscan-inspired restaurant may not be the first place you'd head to get inspiration for healthy meals on the cheap.

But much of this Italian region's cuisine is humble and healthy. Tuscan cooks are fond of using cannellini beans. Here the beans partner with other great Mediterranean diet -friendly ingredients for a true-to-Italy dish that won't break the bank or your nutrition goals.

When coming up with cheap, healthy meals, consider cooking with whitefish. The affordable and lean protein is mild enough to please even picky eaters. Enjoy it on these crowd-pleasing tostadas perfectly seasoned with chili powder, garlic, and lime. On the hunt for affordable, healthy meals that work for dinner or brunch?

Get cracking—eggs, that is. Here protein-rich, budget-friendly eggs pair with other pantry staples for a cheap and easy recipe under calories per serving. Save even more money when you substitute dried herbs you have on hand for the fresh herbs. Start planning your next chili night now. This low-cost slow cooker chili recipe can be prepped in 25 minutes.

Stir everything together in the slow cooker early in the day and come home to a healthy dinner loaded with veggies and 14 grams of protein.

Sticking to healthy meals on a budget often means driving past your favorite eatery and straight home. But with nutritious restaurant remakes like this, you can don't have to miss out on take-out flavor while saving money, sodium, and calories.

Not only does this well-balanced pasta recipe clock in at under calories per serving, but it also takes only 20 minutes to prepare. Comforting chili flavors, pasta, and cheese make this meal a family favorite. Oh yes, and it all comes together in one pan. Grilling vegetables brings out their natural sweetness; in this recipe, they're spiced and seasoned to give the fajitas extra flavor.

Bonus: If you grill no matter the season , this dish belongs in your regular rotation of budget-friendly healthy dinner recipes because you can find these veggies any time of year.

Burger night just earned itself a healthy vegetarian upgrade. Here we blend fiber- and protein-rich chickpeas with warm spices, sear them to crisp perfection, then serve with crunchy, good-for-you veggies. Whole wheat noodles, no-salt-added canned tomatoes, and shrimp make this delicious meal surprisingly low-cal and nutritious.

Use frozen shrimp instead of fresh to cut the cost of the seafood. Just don't skip the pinch of crushed red pepper flakes—they give this healthy meal on a budget just enough kick. How many cheap, healthy meals can you make without chopping anything?

This is one of the rare few. It's a no-knife-needed, "dump and done" slow cooker recipe for when you have no more than 10 minutes of hands-on prep time to spare. This slow cooker dump dinner might be the easiest of all: It requires no chopping or measuring. How easy is that?

Six ingredients, 10 minutes of prep time, and great flavor combine to make this a cheap, healthy dinner idea for any night of the week. Since they're often loaded with affordable rice, canned veggies, and ground meat, stuffed peppers are one of the best dinner ideas to keep your wallet stuffed too.

Serve over lettuce for a taco salad, or pile into baked white or sweet potatoes. Fried rice is an ideal way to use up leftover rice, but this dish is so good, you will want to make rice fresh just to cook it!

This recipe features quick-cooking brown rice for a great texture along with plenty of vegetables in the mix, including frozen peas. If you want to up the ante with protein, stir in some scrambled eggs or strips of omelet at the end.

Having canned salmon in your pantry is a wonderful and affordable way to get more fish into your diet without breaking the bank. These patties come together start to finish in 25 minutes, making it a perfect after-work meal.

You can serve with rice or potatoes, on top of a salad, or even put on buns for a version of salmon burgers. Ask any Italian what they cook when they need something fast and easy out of the pantry, and chances are they will say spaghetti aglio e olio. Pasta in garlic-scented oil topped with Parmesan cheese can be a main dish or a side and is perfect in its simplicity.

The key is not to rush the toasting of the garlic: if it burns, the dish will taste acrid and unpleasant. We love to keep couscous in the pantry — needing only a steep in boiling water to bring it to life, it is the fastest carb to prepare.

Add in some canned and frozen vegetables and a punchy lime vinaigrette and you have a salad that eats like a meal. If you have rice, onions, and canned tomatoes in the pantry, Italian sausage in the freezer, and some bell peppers in the crisper drawer, you are a half hour away from popping some killer stuffed peppers into your oven.

Have any leftovers after dinner? Chop them up and make a hash, and top with fried or poached eggs for a hearty breakfast. A great savory casserole to serve up on a brisk fall or winter evening, this one-dish pantry wonder only needs a little salad on the side to turn into an amazing dinner.

This recipe stretches one pound of ground beef and some pantry ingredients into a meal that can serve people. Have a craving for tomato soup but no cans of soup in the cupboard? If you have canned tomatoes, you are 30 minutes away from fresh homemade soup that cries out for a grilled cheese for dunking.

This is so easy to make, you may never go back to canned tomato soup again. Indian cookery has always made the most of beans and pulses the technical name for the part of the legume we generally eat , and this dish of spiced chickpeas is everything you could hope for in an affordable pantry supper.

Serve over rice or with naan or pita, or pile into baked white or sweet potatoes. Canned black beans are the base for a veggie burger that is so simple to prepare, you might have bought your last frozen patty. Want that frozen convenience? Make a double batch, form and freeze uncovered until solid, then wrap in plastic wrap and stash in a freezer bag.

Grill straight from frozen and just add a couple minutes cooking time. Use limited data to select advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising. Use profiles to select personalised advertising. Create profiles to personalise content.

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Cheap ingredients that aren't beans/rice? Ask ECAH. I have enough rice Eating healthy on a cheap budget. Show more. M Members. Online achetermodafinilbelgique.space › Recipes › Cooking from the Pantry Eating on a Budget · Brown Rice (or Other Whole Grains) · Canned Beans · Dried Spices · Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Cheap meal ingredients - 10 Budget-Friendly Ingredients · 1. In-season fresh fruits and vegetables · 2. Frozen fruits and vegetables · 3. Beans · 4. Canned tomatoes · 5 Cheap ingredients that aren't beans/rice? Ask ECAH. I have enough rice Eating healthy on a cheap budget. Show more. M Members. Online achetermodafinilbelgique.space › Recipes › Cooking from the Pantry Eating on a Budget · Brown Rice (or Other Whole Grains) · Canned Beans · Dried Spices · Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Fun, easy, and delicious! For some reason I only think of hot dogs for backyard BBQs, but boy do kids love eating them as a special treat on a regular day inside! With only 5 ingredients you can make this fun and easy weeknight meal that your kids will absolutely love!

Skip to main content Skip to secondary menu Skip to primary sidebar Home Recipes About Contact. If you're a busy parent with a family to feed, you've come to the right place.

These quick and easy budget meals are simple to make with just a few basic ingredients. In a large pan or pot, cook and drain the pasta according the package directions. Place the drained pasta back into the pot and mix with the pasta sauce, pulled chicken, HALF of the shredded mozzarella, HALF of the grated parmesan, and tsp of Italian seasoning.

Allow the mixture to simmer for a few minutes over medium-low heat and then spread it evenly onto the bottom of your baking dish; sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese over top. In a small bowl, mix together the panko bread crumbs, melted butter and garlic powder; sprinkle it evenly over the top of the casserole.

Bake uncovered on the center rack for about 15 minutes or until the panko crust turns golden brown. Full Printable Recipe. In your crockpot, whisk together the water, cream of chicken soup, and both packets of chicken gravy mix. Add the seasoned chicken breasts and use a spoon to cover them well with the gravy mixture.

Cover and cook on LOW for hours or until the chicken shreds easily. Once cooked, use a couple of forks to shred the chicken into small pieces. Stir in the sour cream and allow it to warm for an additional 15 minutes. Serve over mashed potatoes, rice or pasta. Lazy Lasagna This is seriously the laziest meal you will ever make.

Arrange half of the frozen ravioli in a single layer over the sauce. Top with half of the remaining sauce and half of the mozzarella. Finish by topping with the remaining sauce and mozzarella. Sprinkle the top with parmesan.

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown. Loaded Chicken Baked Potatoes Potatoes are really cheap and very filling, making them one of the best budget meals. Microwave for about 5 minutes on a paper towel or bake in a degree oven for about 45 minutes or until soft.

Smash the insides with a fork and mix in a few tablespoons of butter, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper to taste. Crockpot Creamy Chicken Tacos How can you go wrong with cheesy shredded chicken?

Place the chicken, salsa, cubed cream cheese, and tbsp of taco seasoning in and cook on HIGH for 3 hours or LOW for hours. Shred with a fork and let the chicken absorb the salsa mixture for at least 15 more minutes.

Serve in soft tortillas, taco shells, or over a bed of lettuce. In a large bowl, mix together the dry stuffing mix, ground beef, eggs, water and HALF of the ketchup. Fill the prepared pan with your mixture and use your hands to evenly squish it down into the pan.

Top it with the remaining ketchup and spread it evenly over the top. You can also use BBQ sauce, chili sauce, or a combination of sauces.

Bake for minutes it takes about 50 minutes in my oven. Cheeseburger Pasta Casserole All the flavors of a cheeseburger but in the form of a pasta casserole! Meanwhile, preheat your oven to degrees and grease and 9×13 baking dish. In a large skillet, brown and chop the ground beef with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Add the cooked pasta, tomato soup, a half cup of water and HALF of the cheese to your skillet with the browned beef; stir and cook for minutes over medium heat. Pour the mixture into your greased dish and top with the remaining cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes. Preheat your oven to degrees and butter the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Cut the Hawaiian rolls horizontally in half without separating the rolls; place the bottoms into your prepared dish and bake for about 3 minutes.

Place a chicken nugget onto each one of the bottom pieces and then top with the marinara followed by the mozzarella cheese and the top halves of the rolls. Melt the butter in the microwave and mix with 1 tsp of garlic powder and 1 tsp of Italian seasoning; brush the mixture evenly over the top of the rolls.

Sprinkle the grated parmesan over top. Cover your dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover, and bake for an additional minutes or until the buns turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool on the counter for about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, melt the butter and then mix with the box of dry stuffing mix; set aside HALF of the mixture for topping the casserole later.

Add the pulled chicken, diced zucchini, cream of chicken soup and sour cream to the stuffing and mix well. Spread the mixture into your baking dish and then evenly sprinkle the top with your reserved stuffing mixture. Garlic Toast Mini Pizzas Are you looking for last minute dinner ideas?

Top the almost-done garlic toast with pizza sauce, cheese and the toppings of your choice use the sauce very sparingly, otherwise the middle can get soggy. Place back in the oven on the broil setting for minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and starts to brown.

Crispy Chicken Ranch Wraps Frozen chicken comes to the rescue again! A few great additions would be black beans, diced tomato, avocado, jalapeños, etc. Cheesy Tortellini Casserole With Meat Sauce For some reason, baking pasta is a total game changer.

Preheat your oven to degrees and grease a 9×13 baking dish. Remove the excess grease from the browned beef and then stir in your tomato sauce and cream cheese.

Simmer for a few minutes until the sauce is well incorporated. Gently toss your cooked tortellini in with the sauce mixture and then pour it into your casserole dish; Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella and parmesan. Bake uncovered in the center rack of your oven for about 20 minutes.

Switch the oven to broil and continue baking for an additional minutes or until the cheese starts to brown. In a small bowl, mix all of the seasoning packets together, and then sprinkle it over your roast.

Cook on low for about 5 hours, and then add your veggies. Cook for an additional hours or until the beef easily pulls apart. Cheesy Meatball Sandwiches Such a cheap and easy dinner idea that takes very little effort.

Meanwhile, heat the pasta sauce in a large pan and then toss with the cooked meatballs. Top your sandwich bread or hoagie rolls with your meatball mixture, top with cheese, and then bake on a sheet pan in a degree oven for about 2 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasty.

Often used as a primary source of carbohydrate, rice can also provide you with dietary minerals like manganese and selenium. While simple white long-grain rice is the cheapest and easiest to find, there are several types of rice out there, some more nutritious than others.

Generally speaking, brown rice is healthier and more nutritious than white, containing more fiber, but it's also a bit more expensive and has a shorter shelf life. Rice is typically served together with other dishes, but there are plenty of things to cook that allow it to take center stage. An easy option is to try one of the many fried rice dishes from around the world.

Alternatively, you could try making congee, a Chinese rice porridge popularly enjoyed as a breakfast and comfort food around East and Southeast Asia.

You may have heard that it's possible to survive on potatoes alone and, while this is a myth, it's true that they do contain all the essential amino acids your body needs.

According to UC Davis , potatoes are a good dietary source of potassium, as well as vitamins A and C. Additionally, their skin is a good source of fiber, so as long as they're thoroughly cleaned, you may want to consider cooking them skin-on.

Potatoes have been a part of working-class diets for centuries, so there are plenty of ways to cook them that are both low-cost and delicious.

One easy recipe to try is potato bread, like Irish potato farls, which make for a delicious addition to the breakfast table. Another cheap potato dish comes from Spain, where patatas a lo pobre is a flavorsome vegetable dish with a name that translates to "potatoes of the poor.

Leafy vegetables are an important thing to include in your diet, and the cheapest fresh one available is usually cabbage. Easy to find on sale, cabbage typically costs just 45 to 91 cents per pound. While many people don't pay much attention to cabbage, it's a nutritious vegetable to include in your cooking, rich in various vitamins and minerals.

Cabbage can provide you with vitamins C and K and, while not as densely nutritious as foods like beans, it's rich in fiber and antioxidants.

There's some evidence that cabbage can even help to reduce blood pressure. Many of us may have unpleasant memories of unappetizing boiled cabbage, but there's no reason for this vegetable to be boring.

At home, cabbage can be used to make anything from kimchi to some delicious sweet and sour stuffed cabbage leaves. With a little more time, you can even try your hand at pickling and make your own sauerkraut to enjoy a classic dish eaten not only in Germany but also in France, where it's known as choucroute.

Including some fresh fruit in your diet is always a good idea, and the cheapest fruit available are bananas. They can be found on sale for as little as 50 cents per pound, making them a very affordable option. As well as being rich in sugar and carbohydrates, bananas are famously one of the best sources of dietary potassium, with a single fruit typically containing around milligrams of it.

Additionally, these iconic yellow fruits can also provide you with magnesium, manganese, and vitamins C and B6, as well as a good amount of fiber.

Many people enjoy bananas as a simple snack, but they can also be cooked in a few recipes, with homemade banana bread being a delicious choice.

For a more savory option, you can also opt to buy plantains. Essentially the big brother of the more common bananas, these are similarly cheap but less sweet and with a starchy taste more similar to potato. Plantains are cooked as a savory vegetable in many parts of the world, and fried plantains are a delicious side dish.

They go well with things like stews or jollof rice, or they can just be eaten on their own with a little ketchup or hot sauce. Lentils are popular among health food enthusiasts, and for good reason.

They're not just healthy but cheap, versatile, and easily available. In , the lentil harvest was one of the largest in history. This may reduce their prices in the future but, for now, lentils can be found on sale for as little as 45 cents per pound.

There are a few different kinds available too, like red and green, with some variation in price and flavor. The good news with lentils is that they really are extremely nutritious. All lentils are rich in protein and B vitamins. They're also full of minerals like iron, zinc, phosphorus, and manganese, as well as containing polyphenols — antioxidant compounds that can reduce blood sugar levels and potentially even inhibit some cancers.

A classic way to serve lentils is in soups and stews. Lentil soup has been popular in Europe since the days of the Ancient Greeks, and is old enough that it's even mentioned in the Bible.

Another old recipe for simple rice and lentil dish, mujaddara, was first written down in one of the world's oldest-known cookbooks and still makes for an easy, cheap, and delicious meal today. But there's no reason not to get creative with lentils too, and there are plenty of options for how to serve them.

They can be added to rice bowls, mixed into salads, or even pressed into burgers. Technically not a nut but a type of bean, peanuts are historically a cheap staple food. There's a reason, after all, that underpaid workers talk about being "paid peanuts. Some people should skip this one because of allergies, but peanut butter is quite a nutritious foodstuff.

It's high in fats, albeit healthy ones like oleic acid, while at the same time being low in carbohydrates, making it a fine choice for anyone on a low-carb diet. Additionally, it's an excellent source of protein and vitamins B and E, with a good amount of manganese, copper, and magnesium.

Peanut butter is usually thought of as a sweet food in Western countries, where it's usually enjoyed in sandwiches, but it can also be included as an ingredient in many savory dishes. It's an essential ingredient in making Southeast Asian recipes like chicken satay , and African recipes like Ghanian groundnut soup.

For a cheap and easy way to give your home recipes an extra boost in protein and flavor, peanut butter can be a surprisingly good option. When using it in cooking, it's probably best to try and find some without too much added sugar.

A popular pantry food, canned tuna can be found on the shelves in many people's kitchens. Meats tend to be among the most expensive items on most people's grocery lists, making canned tuna an attractive option on a tight budget.

Its long shelf life makes canned tuna a handy thing to keep in the cupboard for times when money is tight. Tuna is also an oily fish, making it rich in healthy omega-3 oils. As well as being packed with protein, it's also a good source of vitamin D and selenium.

Canned tuna isn't for everyone but, while the flavor and texture may not be as good as with fresh tuna, it's certainly one of the cheapest seafood options out there.

There are several varieties of canned tuna available to buy, and it's a versatile enough ingredient to work well in all kinds of dishes.

A simple tuna salad is a classic choice, and canned tuna also tastes delicious in a wholesome casserole. As leafy greens go, spinach is a particularly good choice. It's famously rich in iron, but is also a good dietary source of magnesium, potassium, and vitamin E.

Eating spinach is linked with a range of health benefits, including improved skin, hair, and bone health, and helping your body control blood sugar levels. Spinach is also inexpensive, with retail prices of around 91 cents per pound. The cheapest option for spinach is to buy it frozen and, perhaps surprisingly, frozen spinach can actually be more nutritious than fresh leaves.

After being picked, fresh leafy vegetables tend to gradually lose their nutrients over time, but freezing locks them in, keeping frozen spinach as rich as when it was freshly harvested. Helpfully, in many dishes, frozen spinach can work just as well as fresh leaves. It can be mixed with feta cheese and baked into a buttery Greek spinach pie, spanakopita, or can be combined with spices and diced potatoes to make a mouthwatering Indian spinach curry, saag aloo.

Tomatoes are one of those foods that are ubiquitous in world cuisines, and one of the cheapest ways to use them in your cooking is to buy them canned. Tomatoes are a good source of vitamins, B, C, and K, as well as potassium, but the main reason they're so popular is for their distinctive flavor.

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