76 Cheap Dinner Ideas That Don't Skimp on Taste
Stretch your dollars with these tasty, budget-friendly recipes.
When planning out weeknight dinners, unfortunately, sometimes you have to budget. Though steak and shrimp taste great, they're typically a splurge.
But that doesn't mean meals have to taste boring! These tasty, cheap, budget-friendly recipes are short on ingredient costs, but long on flavor. They lean on low-cost ingredients, such as canned fish and ground beef, as well as pantry staples like flour, butter, and basic vegetables.
Add a few to your weeknight rotation. You'll be glad you did!
Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
It's hard to beat a Crock Pot for turning inexpensive ingredients into a heavenly meal. Chicken thighs work best in this dish, dark meat especially, but nearly any chicken can work.
Skip the wine if you need to (replace it with stock), but don't use cooking wine, or anything you wouldn't drink.
Hearty Vegetable Soup with Parsley Gremolata
This simple vegetable soup is surprisingly sustaining. With beans and broccolini, tomato and quinoa, it'll make a belly-filling bowl that can power you through an afternoon, or quench a serious dinner hunger.
Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese
Nothing beats mac and cheese for filling bellies! What makes this extra easy is that the macaroni cooks right in the sauce. So you don't have to boil it ahead of time!
Our Best-Ever Chicken Pot Pie
Puff pastry makes this extra-yummy pot pie both simple and delicious!
Slow Cooker Potato Soup
Serve this staple-filled soup with good, crusty bread for a simple, effective, and delicious meal.
Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings
Perhaps the only thing more warming and delicious than chicken soup on a cold day is chicken and dumplings.
One-Pot Butternut Squash Soup
This fast stovetop recipe skips roasting, but is steeped in flavor. And with just a few ingredients (mostly squash), it's easy on the wallet! You can skip the brandy and use a little more cider to save some cost.
Easy, Delicious Chicken Parmesan
Some chicken cutlets and pantry staples — and plenty of Parmesan, of course — can quickly turn into this family favorite.
Tuna Melt
The underrated tuna melt, that staple of diners and lunch plates everywhere, deserves to be making a big time comeback.
You probably have most of the ingredients in your fridge right now. What are you waiting for?
Tamale Pie
If you're looking for a way to use ground beef in a spicy, simple dinner that'll make the whole family happy, then you've just found your recipe for tonight!
Beef Enchiladas
This ground beef enchilada dinner is especially a winner. A little taco seasoning, some corn tortillas, a can of enchilada sauce, cover it with cheese and boom! You've got a powerhouse meal for four (or for two, with leftovers) ready to go.
Classic Stuffed Shells
Want to make your whole family feel taken care of? Treat them to a baked pasta dish. It's easy, it's cheap, and it's super filling.
Gnocchi with Creamed Spinach
Who's in the mood for a 10-minute dinner? Besides gnocchi and frozen spinach, all you need for this meal is some cream, some cheese, and a few pantry spices.
Tuna Salad
Tuna salad has been the centerpiece of a number of cheap and easy snack dinners in our household. Add some crackers, some cheese, a little fresh fruit, and you've got a meal!
Lasagna Soup
How do you make lasagna in 25 minutes? Like this.
Broken noodles simmer in a tomato broth with sausage and spinach, capped off with a big dollop of blended cheese. NOM.
Migas with Chorizo
An easy way to save on dinner costs? Have breakfast for dinner. This simple but delicious mix of eggs, tortillas, and sausage is a fun way to go all out while still saving some cash.
Salmon and Creamed Spinach Fettuccini
If you're craving a tasty pasta dish that's a little more grown-up than jarred red sauce, give this dish a whirl. We're pretty sure it'll become a regular part of your dinner plans.
Classic Tuna Macaroni Salad
We always seem to have the makings for tuna salad around, and elbow macaroni is not expensive. So when we're on a budget, this tuna mac makes a dinner that's fun, filling, and fast.
Easy-Peasy Stovetop Mac 'n Cheesy
Is there a more classic cheap dinner than mac 'n cheese? While this recipe costs a smidge more than the boxed stuff, it's better by so many leagues that we think you'll agree it's worth the extra [does math] $1. Especially because this recipe shows you how to cook the pasta and make the sauce all in the same pot, no draining required!
Tater Tot Casserole
Known around the Upper Midwest as "hot dish," this pure comfort-food classic is easy, inexpensive, and plate-lickingly good.
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