Your favourite cheap meal

angelicasmommy
angelicasmommy Posts: 303 Member
edited January 1 in Recipes
I need ideas of cheap meals. Lately we've been doing spaghetti with rice instead of noodles, so rice with hamburger and pasta sauce. I have also pureed kidney beans in the sauce and gone meatless. It's really yummy and since I am gluten free, it's cheaper to use rice than pasta noodles.
I also am going to be doing rice/black beans/corn soon. Any other ideas?

Replies

  • nikinyx6
    nikinyx6 Posts: 772 Member
    One Word.

    Chili


    Ground beef (or turkey, pork, veal,...whatever really)
    Veggies (tomato, onions, peppers, corn, mushrooms, again, anything goes, canned or fresh)
    Beans

    Play with the ingredients til you find what's tasty for your family. I always add a small jar of spicy salsa to the mix, it really kicks up the heat (and the sodium, sadly)


    It freezes well too, so don't worry about making too big of a pot :)
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    baked potatoes topped with lowfat cheese, canned chicken, and broccoli
  • GuybrushThreepw00d
    GuybrushThreepw00d Posts: 784 Member
    Turkey meatloaf.
    Minced turkey, sausage meat, cranberry, basil pesto... Mmmmm
  • horses7777
    horses7777 Posts: 165
    Vegetable soup, with ground beef or turkey, onions, a package (or more) of frozen vegeys,kidney beans, tomato sauce and water. Season how you like. it makes a big pot and freezes well. I also put a half a head of chopped cabbage in mine, but it is optional. I buy generic mixed vegeys, or get them when they are buy one get one free. Keep in freezer and pull out when you need a quick, cheap dinner. The whole thing can be done in under 30 minutes.
  • draco706
    draco706 Posts: 174 Member
    Hearty, yummy and cheap. It cost me about $5 for the round steak, $1 for the soup, $.0.30 for the onion, $0.60 for the potatoes, $0.75 for the carrots, $0.25 for the celery and maybe a $1 total for the rest. But great for under $10.


    Oven-Baked Stew
    1 TB. vegetable oil
    21/2 lbs. round steak, cut into pieces
    2 baking potatoes, cut into pieces (peel if desired)
    2 Cups sliced carrots or baby carrots
    1 Cup chopped celery (2 ribs)
    1 medium onion, chopped
    2 TB. tapioca
    1 11-oz. can tomato soup or sauce
    1 soup can water
    1-2 WHOLE BAY LEAVES
    1/2-1 tsp. KOSHER-STYLE FLAKE SALT, to taste
    1/4-1/2 tsp. FRESHLY GROUND PEPPER, to taste
    1 tsp. HERBS such as OREGANO, CRACKED ROSEMARY, THYME or your favorite blend to taste
    *you can use a leaner cut of beef or pork or turkey to cut calories, fat etc.

    Preheat oven to 250°. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the meat and cook until nicely browned. Combine all of the ingredients in a covered roasting pan and bake at 250° for 5 hours.

    Prep. time: 20 minutes
    Cooking time: 5 hours
    Serves: 4-6

    Nutritional Information:
    Servings 6; Serving Size 1 1/2 cups (419g); Calories 370; Calories from fat 80; Total fat 9g; Cholesterol 105mg; Sodium 240mg; Carbohydrate 26g; Dietary Fiber 3g; Sugars 6g; Protein 44g.
  • fishermanmatt
    fishermanmatt Posts: 308 Member
    Now that its getting cooler my favorite cheap meal is bean soup made in the crockpot.

    A bag of dried beans is a couple bucks
    A large onion is maybe a buck
    A small package of country ham is a couple bucks
    Use the spices you already have

    Serve alone or over rice to stretch it even more. Healthy, filling, and it will warm you up after coming in from the cold.
  • love22step
    love22step Posts: 1,103 Member
    Turkey cabbage stew is my favorite. It's low cal and healthy. I freeze bowls of soup that I can reheat in the microwave for quick meals later.
  • OnMyWeigh464
    OnMyWeigh464 Posts: 447 Member
    Omelets
  • Dormouse85
    Dormouse85 Posts: 49
    sweet potatoes, cut into chunks, onion, red pepper, green pepper, mushrooms, carrots (parboiled), pumpkin, squash - any other veg that roast well - all thrown into a big baking tin. Add 50g of chopped chorizo per person. Sprinkle on herbs, ground peper. Toss together. Put in oven at about 200°C for about half an hour until everything is soft. Toss regularly in the oil from the chorizo. Serve with a fried/poached egg on top. Yummy.
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