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Keto Beef Dishes
Beef can easily put you over your grocery budget if you’re not careful. It’s more expensive per pound than chicken or pork and a lot of recipes call for popular cuts which are very costly.
That doesn’t mean you have to skip beef to save money while doing a keto diet. Here are a few of my favorite easy keto recipes featuring beef as the main ingredient:
Low Carb Steakhouse Burgers – Bunless and with only 3 ingredients excluding salt, pepper, and fixings you’ll be amazed at how much flavor these keto friendly burgers pack. We buy ground beef in bulk so we make these burgers fairly often.
Easy Marinated Grilled Steak Tacos – Flank steak and a simple blend of lime juice and spices. I choose lettuce wraps over low carb tortillas, but you can go either way. One of several keto meals on this list our whole family enjoys.
Low Carb Shepherd’s Pie With Cauliflower Mash – Shepherd’s Pie was a winter comfort food growing up in the Northeast. This low carb version is keto friendly, cheap, and delicious. The mashed cauliflower subs in nicely for potatoes. Any leftovers work great for lunch the next day.
Keto Steak With Garlic Butter Mushrooms – I love garlic and mushrooms on steak. If you do too, give this dish a try. Uses top sirloin, a cheap yet flavorful cut.
Sriracha Lime Flank Steak – If Sriracha is a staple at your house like it is at ours, you’ll love the simple Sriracha based low carb sauce that complements the meat nicely. Flank steak used to be cheap, but you might have to shop around or wait to get a good deal as it’s become trendy among foodies and people doing the keto diet.
Keto Friendly Chicken
Not a week goes by where we don’t have chicken whether we’re doing the keto diet or not. Chicken is relatively inexpensive, it’s versatile, and I can always find new recipes to try so we don’t get bored of it. Here are some low carb friendly recipes for tasty chicken dinners:
Crispy Keto Chicken Thighs – I used to be afraid to eat the skin, but I don’t fear fat or poultry skin now. I love it as long as it’s crisp. This is a nice recipe for oven baked thighs with delightfully crispy skin.
Baked Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders – Tenders wrapped in bacon with cheese! I had high hopes for this dish, and I’m happy to say it’s great. The whole family loves it.
Easy Baked Enchilada Chicken – This couldn’t get any simpler to make and it’s so good! Meal prep time was less than 5 minutes and half an hour later it’s done. One of my favorite cheap keto recipes.
Baked Garlic Butter Chicken – If you love garlic butter, you’ll love this recipe. I used full fat cheese and dried instead of fresh rosemary. Delish, gluten free, and one of my personal favorite recipes.
Best Ever Chicken Bake Recipe – Drumsticks plus a few simple ingredients you probably have on hand make for a quick weeknight or any time meal. Should only take you about 5 minutes of meal prep time to put this together and pop it in the oven.
READ MORE: 21 Tips for Doing Keto on a Budget
Low-Carb Keto Friendly Pork Recipes
We don’t eat a ton of pork, but it is a rich source of protein, vitamins and minerals so we don’t avoid it either. Pork fits into a low carb or keto diet well so we do buy it when it’s on sale. Here are a few cheap keto friendly dinner recipes featuring pork chops and other pork dishes we like:
Low-Carb Parmesan Dijon Pork Chops – In terms of meal prep, these are marinated overnight and worth the wait. You have to like Dijon mustard to like these keto pork chops as the flavor is strong. One of the recipes we make often.
4 Ingredient Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce – I make this for Jerry when he’s craving pasta or other high carb meals. It still tastes like squash, but you get the spaghetti experience. He enjoys this recipe, we make it regularly, and he doesn’t even miss pasta any more.
Ground Pork Tacos – Whip up a batch of this simple ground pork taco filling and serve keto style with lettuce wraps. Quick and easy recipes like this one are great when you come home to a hungry family after a long day at work.
Pan Fried Pork Tenderloin – With no carbs, very few ingredients, and 20 minutes or so from pan to plate, this recipe makes for an easy, keto friendly main dish. Min meal prep time, max flavor.
Pork Chops & Cabbage – Here’s a quick and easy recipe for keto pork chops that won’t break the bank. The recipe serves two as written, but can easily be doubled if needed.
Cheap Keto Meals with Seafood
Seafood is a good source of omega 3 fatty acids and protein for those on a keto diet. But eating fish on a budget can be difficult.
Frozen and canned are usually your best bets if you’re looking to get the best value. If you opt for fresh, bone in skin on options are usually cheaper.
If a recipe calls for any type of white fish, I’ll usually just get whatever cheap white fish I can find on sale. Most white fish is mild in flavor, takes to sauces and seasonings well, and is less expensive which is great.
Tuna Patties – These crispy tuna patties use pork rinds instead of bread crumbs for the coating. Quite tasty and easier than I thought to whip up.
Paleo Shrimp and Grits – Only five ingredients in this quick recipe. It uses cauliflower instead of regular grits so it’s low-carb and keto friendly.
Baked Salmon and Asparagus in Foil – I usually get the bags of frozen sockeye salmon at Costco that comes with each fillet individually wrapped. Defrosting it then baking it in a foil packet with a side veg is about as easy as it gets.
Easy Keto Lemon Garlic Mediterranean Tilapia – My family likes tilapia and I like easy so this recipe is great. There are instructions for cooking this dish in a skillet or baking it in the oven if you prefer.
Buttered Cod in Skillet – Here’s an easy recipe for cod that only takes about ten minutes to make. Start with the seasonings the recipe calls for and use your favorite dried herbs for additional flavor.
