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Food is expensive. And that’s an understatement. Eating out at restaurants hardly feels worth it anymore. However, eating at home poses its own challenges. It’s easy to tire of your cooking.
You can only eat so much rice and beans without wanting more. But who says you can’t enjoy delicious and mouthwatering meals on a budget? To help you put some spice into your home-cooked meals, we curated a list of budget-friendly meals that are easy to make and taste great.
We chose these budget-friendly meals because they can be made with ingredients found in a common household pantry. Each dish can cost less than $10 to make.
Look at our list of 14 budget-friendly meals and see if you don’t agree they taste like a million bucks.
Fancy Ramen
Why bother going to a ramen shop when you can make your own? Better yet, ‘fancy’ ramen is customizable and easy to make. All you need is an instant ramen packet and your favorite ingredients.
Some people add mushrooms, chicken, pork, eggs, and more. To make it cheaper, they use leftovers.
Creamy Potatoes and Chicken
I make this dish every week. What’s cheaper than canned mushrooms, two to three potatoes, butter, parmesan cheese, and some chicken?
Whatever seasoning you like to the dish. The cut of the chicken doesn’t matter either. Chicken breasts and thighs work great for this meal.
Chicken and Edamame Salad
Sometimes, you only want to go home and eat a nice refreshing salad. This meal is simple, quick, and easy. Cut up a head of lettuce and cabbage and add edamame and chicken.
You can sprinkle in some cheese, salad dressing, or dried fruit. If you’d like
Spinach and Ricotta Lemon Pasta
Pasta dishes are some of the most budget-friendly meals to make. All you need is pasta, a sauce, and any additional toppings. You can find many of these ingredients in dollar stores like Dollar Tree.
To make it healthier, add greens like spinach or peas. A bag of both goes a long way. You can make multiple meals from just one bag. My mouth is watering thinking about making a tangy, smooth, and flavorful pasta.
DIY Pizza
Pizza is the ultimate comfort food. However, you don’t have to pay an arm or a leg for this dish. You can also make it as gourmet as you’d like at home.
Every other week, I make pizza at home. I have a can of pizza sauce that lasts three uses and purchased pre-made pizza dough for $1.25. Making the pizza dough can make this meal even more affordable.
Chicken Fried Rice
I like to sometimes call myself the leftover queen. Something I always have too much of is cooked rice. When I’m tired of eating plain white rice, I make chicken or pork fried rice.
Most of the ingredients, like the sauces and seasonings, are in my pantry. Since the chicken and rice are already cooked, making this fried recipe is very quick.
Hummus and Pita Bread
Hummus is full of protein and super delicious. Did you know you can also make your own pita bread?
Pita bread barely costs a dollar to make, if not less. You only need simple ingredients like yeast, flour, sugar, salt, water, and olive oil. You don’t have to make the hummus from scratch.
A tub of hummus can cost less than $3. Shredded meat or chickpeas can be added to the top for added protein.
Pinto Bean Soup
Beans are so versatile. You can eat beans with rice, tortillas, bread, cups, and stews. Pinto bean soup is a great, budget-friendly meal that tastes out of this world.
You can flavor the soup to your preferences and add sliced sausage for added protein. To make this meal cheaper, you can also buy bags of pinto beans instead of cans.
Baked Beef Rigatoni
Prices vary by store and state. Although true, pasta is cheap just about anywhere you go. If you want to get creative, you can make pasta at home.
This delicious meal uses beef, tomato sauce, water, seasonings, and rigatoni for a flavorful experience. If you want something extra, a side salad is perfect.
Maple Glazed Chicken
When eating on a budget, chicken is everything. It’s affordable, easy to cook, and versatile. A delicious meal that uses chicken is maple-glazed chicken.
There is no one way of making maple-glazed chicken. The main two ingredients are chicken and maple syrup. The rest is to your liking—some people like to air fry, bake, or grill.
Spam Noodle Stir Fry
Spam, or canned meat, is a great addition to any meal, especially when on a budget. It’s affordable, and a little goes a long way.
I like to use spam when making stir-fried noodles. It gives a great texture to the dish.
Loaded Casserole
Casseroles are fantastic budget-friendly meals that are also mess-free. You can use whatever ingredients you’d like, including meat, cheese, breadcrumbs, and different sauces.
Loaded casseroles are incredibly mouthwatering. They generally use cheese, potatoes, bacon, sausages, onions, and peppers. I love making this meal when I just want to throw everything into a pan.
Teriyaki Pork Lettuce Wraps
Teriyaki pork lettuce wraps are another tasty, budget-friendly meal that tastes like a million bucks. Not only are lettuce wraps healthy, but they are also nutritious.
While I prefer pork, you can use whatever meat you like. It’s a great dish if you have leftover beef or turkey crumble.
Shrimp Pasta
You can enjoy seafood on a budget. One of the best ways to do this is by creating creamy shrimp pasta. The type of pasta doesn’t matter, although I prefer using angel hair.
For the most part, shrimp is inexpensive. To make it easier, you can also buy pre-cooked shrimp.
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