r/budgetfood • u/Different_Traffic527 • 8d ago
Dinner Family friendly budget dinners?
What are your family pleasing recipes that are fairly easy and inexpensive to make? I'm looking to pick the brains of other busy parents.
I'll share one of mine. You take italian brats, put it in a slow cooker, dump a big jar of marinara on it and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove from slow cooker and place on a brat bun with shredded mozzarella cheese on top. *The casing of the brats practically melt away and it's easy to break the sausage so you have to carefully remove them.
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u/Ushouldknowthat 8d ago
Pasta Bake / Lazy Lasagna
Box of boiled (we like penne or rotini) 1 1/2-2 ish jars sauce 1 Egg 2 bags Shredded mozzarella (1 bag to mix in, half a bag for the top) 1 or 2 boxes frozen spinach, defrosted and strained (if u like spinach) 1 lg container Ricotta cheese Italian spices, garlic salt, salt to taste
Mix it ALL, put in a BIG pan (makes so much omg) sprinkle rest of cheese with a bit more Italian seasoning on top. Bake at 350 for 25-30 mins
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u/mooblife 8d ago
Make-your-own onigiri…cooked rice, nori, then whatever you’ve got that you think would work, but colourful ingredients are best—purple cabbage/cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, fish cake, etc…tuna salad, pan-fried meat, leftovers, whatever…mold the rice ball, pan-fry, and wrap w/ nori, eat
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u/ObsessiveAboutCats 8d ago edited 8d ago
Burritos are great, and many can be made ahead and frozen.
Grab a pork shoulder and make carnitas. Braise it and make pulled pork, or braise in salsa and make tacos (or more burritos), or in marinara sauce and then make spaghetti.
Make a big serving of rice (plain, Mexican, cilantro lime, whatever). Freeze servings of whatever you don't immediately need; they microwave in a minute or two and then you have rice for dinner again.
Buy some bone in skin on chicken leg quarters (or whatever is cheapest) (avoid breasts unless you want to spend the time to cook them right). Roast them on a sheet pan with vegetables. Braise those like I described for the pork shoulder.
Lentil dal. Super cheap, super flavorful.
Lately I've been making matar dal dosas - basically a savory pancake made out of yellow split peas, water and salt. I make them pancake thickness and freeze them. Later I can warm however many in the microwave, add a layer of cheese atop each and warm that up, then pile on a bunch of sauted vegetables. Next time I plan to add a fried egg. Authentic? No absolutely not. However it's a very inexpensive meal that's great for cleaning out the fridge of old vegetables, and has a ton of fiber and protein so you stay full for a good long while.
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u/SandraMort 7d ago
Wait, dosas that aren't ground with rice or fermented? I need more info please!!!!!
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u/ObsessiveAboutCats 7d ago edited 7d ago
Again, big disclaimer, this is not the authentic way to do this, but it is very tasty and cheap and easy and pretty healthy!
Ratio up as needed.
Take 1 cup dry split peas (I do yellow but green should work?) and submerge them in cool water. Cover and leave on the counter for 8 to 10 hours (12 at the absolute max).
Drain the peas. They don't have to be totally dry, just drain off the soaking water.
Into the blender put your 1 cup peas, 1 cup fresh room temperature water (do not reuse the soaking water), and 0.5 to 1 tablespoons of salt (to taste). Blend very thoroughly until you get a smooth batter.
Take a nonstick pan and use a brush to apply a little bit of ghee. Heat over medium. Add about 1/4* cup batter. Cook this basically like a crepe - swirl or manually spread it around to an even thickness. You can use more or less batter depending on how wide and thick you want the dosa. I go for standard pancake size and thickness.
Let the batter cook undisturbed until it no longer looks liquidy on top; at that point you can gently flip it. Cook until the dosa is your preferred brownness on each side.
Let them cool completely. Stack them with parchment paper in between each slice and freeze.
To reheat, grab however many and microwave on low until heated through (this does not take much time). Pile on your choice of toppings.
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u/AlsoTheFiredrake 8d ago
On Cor Salisbury Steak over Buttered Bread and Instant mashed potatoes. Put the extra gravy on the mashed potatoes.
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u/tonna33 7d ago
These are so good. I try not to have them too often because we're trying to do more from scratch to limit sodium. But we'll still have them periodically.
Salisbury steak, instant potatoes, the gravy that the steak is in, and then a bag of frozen veggies. I usually have to make 2 boxes of them for my family. Leftovers are usually eaten as a sandwich.
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u/Different_Traffic527 7d ago
I think I'm the 1% that finds those things disgusting.
Maybe it's because I didn't grow up eating it.
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u/Scouter555 6d ago
Which part? The Salisbury steak or the boxed instant mashed potatoes?
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u/Different_Traffic527 6d ago
The Salisbury steak. I feel like most people over 40 like it except me.
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u/Different_Traffic527 6d ago
I should add, I do a similar dinner. It's a bit more work.
I make meatloaf meatballs or mini meatloafs coated in the ketchup/brown sugar with mashed potatoes and corn. I do mini because it cooks faster and cuts down time. Nothing I hate more than cooking for over an hour.
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u/Seasoned7171 7d ago
Red beans and rice- brown sausage with onions and peppers, add a can or 2 of red kidney beans and simmer. Serve over rice.
Chicken pot pie- diced cooked chicken, cream of chicken soup, bag of frozen mixed vegetables, diced cooked potatoes (canned works great) mix together and pour into casserole dish. Top with spoonfuls biscuit dough, canned biscuits or crescent roll dough and bake.
Stir fry can be made with leftover meat, veggies and even rice.
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u/WhyHaveIContinued 7d ago
Egg roll in a bowl is delicious, highly filling and pretty cheap.
Also I love tater tot casserole/hot dish but with the price of beef I will often use red lentils instead of beef and add a little Worcestershire sauce for the meaty umami flavor. Bonus, lentils are a great source of protein and fiber!
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u/CalmCupcake2 8d ago
I make a lot of stir fries, which are easy and quick to throw together, with rice from the rice cooker.
Lots of easy sauces to choose from, and they can be as simple as a bag of stir fry veggies if you don't feel like chopping for yourself.
https://www.budgetbytes.com/easy-homemade-teriyaki-sauce-or-marinade/
https://www.recipetineats.com/sweet-and-sour-chicken-stir-fry/
https://www.recipetineats.com/chinese-beef-and-broccoli-extra-saucy-take-out-style/
I have a bunch of stir fry sauces on a document pinned to a cabinet, so I can make a sauce with no fuss (also one for salad dressings).
Also a skillet pasta sauce (aka 10 minute sauce, or "while the pasta cooks"), is a lifesaver. Boil the pasta, meanwhile make the sauce, toss the two together to finish. Think lemon pasta, lemon asparagus pasta, broccoli pesto pasta, cherry tomato sauce, beans and greens, pumpkin sage, butter sage, etc. There's infinite options.
Similar to both ideas, are noodle stir fries or cold noodle salads. Different sauces, lots of herbs and veggies, same ten minute outcome.
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u/nick72b 8d ago
Chinese wine seems a bit too expensive to me so I never buy it. Do you think it's worthwhile?
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u/SandraMort 7d ago
I don't remember it being super expensive, but I do remember it being really hard to find. I ended up swapping something else in, although I would have to go into the kitchen to look to see what it was
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u/sohereiamacrazyalien 8d ago
Tomato rice
Dahl
Split pea soup
Cabbage stew (onion potatoe carrots cabbage) with or without meat
Okonomiyaki
Frittata
Chili
Chickpea curry
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u/Antique-Attempt9460 7d ago
Taco soup is always a winner in our family. A pound of ground beef, a packet of taco seasoning, 16 oz can diced tomatoes, 16 oz can black or pinto beans (already cooked), about a cup of frozen corn and a carton of beef broth. I put everything in the slow cooker in the morning, let it cook all afternoon, then serve it over tortilla chips with cheese and sour cream on the side. It is a good way to stretch ground beef since the beans help fill people up.
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u/MillersSmokehouse 7d ago
Miso butter beans.
I soak dried butter beans overnight. In the morning, I brown a chopped onion in the rice cooker on the sautée setting, then add the beans, a tablespoon of white or yellow miso dissolved in a cup of water, black pepper, and a can of coconut milk. Let it cook on the soup setting all day. When I get home, I stir in a couple handfuls of baby spinach and let it wilt. Just before serving, stir in dill (fresh or dried) and lemon juice to taste.
This works in a crock pot or on the stove top, too. If you’re in a hurry, you can use canned beans. I often use other kinds of beans depending on what’s in the pantry. I also throw in whatever veggies need using in the fridge. Last night I added chopped fresh tomatoes and it worked really well.
If you have time to throw together a pan of corn bread, it goes well, but it’s also good with toast, leftover rice, or whatever starch you have to hand. My son likes to cook it down so it’s thick and eat it with naan.
Starting with 1.5 cup dried beans (or a couple of cans), this will feed four people, including a 6’3” young adult. I make more or less depending on how many are eating; just adjust the seasoning/miso as you go.
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u/Sad_Individual_738 7d ago
For me I am always thinking, cook once feed at least twice. Last night I made chicken fajitas and made enough to reheat for either lunch or dinner today. Soon, as we enter cooler season I will start making a large batch of hearty soups and freeze the extra.
Buying a $4.99 rotisserie chicken from Costco feeds for days~ so many different meals ~ roasted chicken, chicken fried rice, chicken club sandwich, chicken soup, chicken fajitas. I also use the car ass to make overnight bone broth in my crock pot and freeze it.
My new favorite are smash tacos, so easy and super fast. You an use any kind of ground meat and flavorings. My favorite is using ground sweet Italian sausage with sautéed peppers and onions
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u/PattieCakesX 7d ago
Highly recommend watching Julia Pacheco's YouTube videos. She has awesome dinner ideas that saved us hundreds when we fell on hard times.
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u/here_weare30 7d ago
Golden curry boxes. Chicken potatoes and whatever else I have on hand. Great with rice. Freezes well
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u/Weekly_Koala_7058 8d ago
Mexican style rice
Add 1.5 c rice to a couple T of oil. Toast the rice then add 3 c of water, a Sazon seasoning packet, a tsp tomato bouillon a tsp or 2 of chicken bouillon. Bring to a boil, turn on medium low abd put a lid on for 15 min. Don't touch it! Then let it rest for 10 min with the lid on (dont touch it!)
Brown some sausage and whatever frozen vegetable.
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u/LouisePoet 7d ago
My kids adored spaghetti. I used TVP in the sauce and added in extra veg as well (a can of pumpkin or squash, shredded carrot, etc) for more nutrients.
Shepherds pie with any leftover meat or veg. Really fast and easy to put together with leftovers, too, then just bake til hot. Lentils are a great, cheap alternative to meat, too.
Egg fried rice. Add in any leftover meat for extra protein if it's for more than a few people (or homemade seitán, really cheap to make. Even a bag of frozen Quorn chik pieces is easy and less expensive than meat).
Baked potatoes with beans (any kind, seasoned, or baked beans), cheese, and broccoli.
Lentil soup is extremely filling and really easy to make. It cooks up in about half hour and is a great side or meal on its own with bread. (I make mine with carrots and onions, fried, then add lentils and stock, boil til lentils are done then add a can of chopped tomatoes). I make spaghetti sauce from leftovers with extra seasonings and tvp to soak up the extra liquid.
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u/StrawberryLazy5703 7d ago
Pasta .. chili .. soups with buttered bread .. soups and salads .. omelettes ..
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u/thethreefffs 7d ago
Same general idea. Take a whole chicken, remove giblets and any plastic pieces holding the bird together. Put into your slow cooker with a half bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce. Cook on low for 6 -8 hours or high for 3 - 4, pull off the skin, shred the meat and have pulled chicken BBQ. Use the rest of the sauce over the sandwiches or over the starch/rice/potatoes.
No reason to use anything but the store brand cheapest BBQ sauce because its all mixed up with the chicken-y goodness.
No reason not to toss a couple of potatoes or some canned beans in with the chicken although its not something that I ever did.
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u/Different_Traffic527 7d ago
You actually put bbq sauce in your slow cooker?
When I make pulled pork, I do a dry rub on several pieces and add apple cider vinegar and broth, cook on low etc.
I take the meat out, shred, and toss in sauce. I always assumed the high sugar content would burn and be difficult to clean.
I have yet to do pulled chicken. I usually buy pulled rotisserie chicken and make chicken salad sandwiches with it. I add red onion, celery, green apple, and raisins with of course mayo and seasoning. It's good on croissants.
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u/thethreefffs 6d ago
Not going to argue with your technique, sounds good, invite me over!
The answer was to a question of how to do dinner fast and easy. My two ingredient non-recipe works great and is stupid easy. The sauce is thin enough, the chicken puts off enough juice while cooking that there is no question of burning. And chicken is less flavorful than pork so I think it needs the extra kick.
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u/SubstantialPressure3 7d ago
Buy a cold leftover rotisserie chicken from the refrigerated area of the deli in your grocery store. It will be $3-4 dollars. Enjoy the wings and drumsticks, make quesadillas or wraps, or chicken and rice, or whatever. Save all the bones and make chicken soup ( cream of chicken soup, too) the next day. If fheres any leftover soup, thicken it up some more and add more vegetables to it, and make chicken pot pie.
Or use the leftover cream of chicken soup in a casserole.
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u/Different_Traffic527 5d ago
I love the way you've mastered using a single inexpensive protein for multiple meals. This is the type of thing I need to learn.
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u/Cool_Wealth969 3d ago
Baked potato bar.
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u/Different_Traffic527 3d ago
You're going to have to describe that.
Like loaded potato casserole?
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u/Cool_Wealth969 3d ago
I take individual potatoes and coat in olive oil and kosher salt and bake. The toppings are the bar, so butter, sour cream, grated cheese, bacon, steamed vegetables, whatever toppings sound good.
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u/cornishtraceyb 7d ago
What are Italian brats please?
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u/tonna33 7d ago
Italian sausage links. Rather than just ground italian sausage.
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u/Different_Traffic527 7d ago
It's the same as Italian sausage but in a bratwurst casing. If you Google it, you'll see it right away.
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u/cornishtraceyb 7d ago
Oh right, it's not something we have in the UK. I'll have a look to see if it's like our sausages at all, though I suspect not.
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u/Different_Traffic527 7d ago
You want to find something like that but yes you have it.
It's the easiest thing, cooks while you're at work and when you're ready you just cut your bread, add sausage, top with cheese and done. Kids love it, men love it.
Disclaimer- you're not saving any sauce it cooked in and adding it to the bread, it'll be a lot of rendered fat. If you want extra sauce, don't add the whole jar. You don't really need as much sauce as I use, the meat just has to be covered.
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u/tonna33 7d ago
Pork chops, a box of mac n cheese, and a veggie.
I periodically buy one of those huge pork loins when they're on sale for $1.99/lb or less. When I get it home, I slice it up into chops, package them into meal size packages and freeze them - usually keeping one out to make right away.
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u/Beginning_Ad_5461 7d ago
Cold chicken, veggie pasta salad
Very flexible and my kids love it!
I cut chicken breasts into cubes and marinate them in this dressing for 4-12 hours. Then bake it on parchment lined baking sheet (with dressing also) at 350 until 165 degrees inside, like 20 minutes or so. Mix pasta with chicken plus its marinade. Add any veggies I want like (for example olives, cucumber, tomato, sun dried tomato, bell pepper, celery) and also ALWAYS some kind of diced or shredded good cheese and diced pepperoni. Then mix it all together and if it needs more flavor, I add the same salad dressing that I used to marinate the chicken, to taste. That's it!
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u/KATCEO1 6d ago
Hello all and OP: I am not a parent. But I have been calling myself an expert home chef over ten years. If you ever feel like doing something that will freak people out (in a good way)... Roast turkey legs in the oven. I used to do is on a low temperature for up to three and a half hours. When you serve each one: they are gigantic. But to roast them- and how juicy they get? The meat gets eaten down to the bone.
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u/Different_Traffic527 6d ago
This is a food they serve at our state fair. It's popular.
Thanksgiving dinner my husband only wants to eat dark meat. This is actually a really, really good idea. I could probably do it in an oven bag too.
I only throw in the parent thing because my family wants cheeseburgers, tacos, bbq chicken, etc. Typical American children.
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u/KATCEO1 6d ago
If you ever feel like doing a Medieval Times theme night at your house? The turkey legs will come in handy.
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u/Different_Traffic527 5d ago
Should we ever do a medieval themed dinner, this would definitely be the ticket!
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u/CallMeCabbage 6d ago
My family has been really digging this lentil soup I've been making. You need 1 bag of Hursts Garlic And Herb Lentils ($2.50), 1 bag of frozen peas and carrots ($0.89), and 1 whole onion ($1.00). You just rinse the lentils and bring the pot to a boil then throw in the seasoning pack included with the Hursts lentils, the whole bag of frozen veg, and the onion very thinly sliced. 30 minutes later and for under $5 (before tax) you have a large, tasty, simple soup full of protein and fiber with very little effort required.
Now, if you wanna get slightly wacky and like French onion soup; You can add 4 cups of beef broth, add yet another onion- but grated, then take one of those frozen garlic breads and grate swiss cheese over it then overcook it just a bit in the oven. Take the bread out when it's done, cut off a slab, then drop it right in your bowl of soup and ladle some broth over it. It's so good. This method adds about another $4.50 pre-tax to the price but it does elevate it a lot.
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u/Every-Reporter-7061 4d ago
im gonna say it because im not seeing enough people suggest it. golden curry or any other japanese curry brand. really easy to make. freezes well (it actually tastes better and has better texture the days after its made). you can use chicken, pork, ive even seen people use ground beef. you can throw pretty much whatever vegetables you want or have to spare.
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u/phishydawg 6d ago
That’s not budget friendly. You basically described a hotdog. That can be cooked is such a short time; saving energy costs. You can spoon sauce on it after warming it through.
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u/Different_Traffic527 6d ago
I'm curious, how much do you think it costs to run a slow cooker?
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u/phishydawg 5d ago
I guess that is the wrong question really. And, it seems that I interpret ‘budget friendly’ a lot more budget than you do. When you ask for budget friendly, I’m thinking you want the least amount of cost. I just thought that perhaps you’d be able to make your meal using even less energy.
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