Can anyone give me some recipes for really cheap meals to make for two people?!
Answers: I'm poor.
Invest in a roast. You can make philly cheese steak sandwiches with leftovers, beef stew w/rice.
Ok now you can make burritos really cheaply.
Wait....you want recipes? Sorry..here you go:
Burritos for breakfast:
Ingredients:
4 pre-made hash brown patties
4 eggs
Grated cheese
Garlic salt
1/2 pound pork sausage
1 T. cooking oil
Flour tortillas
Directions:
Brown sausage in a large skillet, drain and then set aside. Next, brown the hash brown patties. Then join the sausage and hash brown patties together and add eggs and garlic salt. Continue to brown and stir food for another 5 min. Serve on a warm flour tortilla and sprinkle cheese on top!
Crockpot Roast:
1 3-pound roast
1 can of beer (use the cheapest you can find)
1 envelope Italian dressing mix
2 carrots, sliced
1 baking potato, sliced into chunks
3 celery stalks, sliced
Directions:
The evening before you plan to have this meal, place roast in crock pot. Add beer and dressing mix, then cover. Turn crock pot on high for about an hour, then reduce to low and let the roast cook overnight. The next morning, add the veggies. Stir a couple times, shredding the beef if you want, to mix in the veggies. Serve at dinnertime, you cannot overcook this dish.
Ok now from leftovers from this you can also make:
Pot Pie
Ingredients:
1 pie shell
Leftover meat and veggies
1 can of mushroom soup
A little splash of milk
A handful of shredded cheese (any kind you have on hand works)
Peas, corn, green beans (optional additions)
Salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix leftover meat and veggies with soup and cheese. Avoid adding too much au jus (juice) from the meat or you'll soak the crust. Add just a little milk if the mix feels too thick. If you have peas or corn or green beans handy, add them too, but they aren't essential.
My husband also likes fresh celery added for crunch, so that's an option as well.
You can pre-bake the shell if you like a crisp crust. Otherwise, simply fill the pie shell with the meat mixture and bake for 30 minutes.
Baked Chicken w/Rice
1 c. plain white rice
1 large pkg. of chicken pieces (legs, breasts, leg quarters)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 envelope of dry onion soup mix
2 soup cans of water
Directions:
In a large greased covered casserole, place 1 cup plain ole white rice. No instant, no parboiled, just plain rice. Add a layer of chicken parts. This is great for those weeks when chicken parts are on sale, like legs, breasts or quarters. Over the chicken and rice, pour a mixture of 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 envelope of dry onion soup mix, and almost 2 cans of water. Use the soup can to measure. This mixture looks disgusting but that's temporary. Then just put the whole thing, covered, in a 350 oven for AT LEAST 1 hour and 20 minutes. Don't try to shorten it; the chicken will be pink if you do.
You don't have to stir it, brown the chicken, or any of the other troublesome time consuming things that most recipes ask you to do. Oh, BTW, I did like to remove the skin from the chicken. It looks neater, unless you really like chicken skin.
Porcupine balls:
Meatballs...
1 1/2 lbs of ground beef
1/4 c. finely chopped onion
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
3/4 c. breadcrumbs
1/2 c. of uncooked white rice
1 tsp. of garlic powder
Salt and pepper
Sauce...
1 c. ketchup
1 c. of cola (NOT DIET! - Coke works best.)
1 tsp. of garlic powder
Directions:
Mix all ingredients thoroughly, being sure that the uncooked rice is distributed evenly. Shape into 1 1/2-inch diameter balls and place in an oblong baking pan, leaving some space between the balls to allow rice to expand.
Whisk ketchup, cola, and garlic together in a small sauce pan. When just about boiling, remove from heat and pour over meatballs. Bake entire casserole at 375, covered, for 1 hour, 15 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 10-15 minutes until browned on top.
This recipe should serve six (depending on side dishes), but it only serves four at my house.
Ramen Noodle Stir Fry:
1 pkg. Ramen noodles
1/2 or full bag of generic frozen veggies (or fresh, in season)
Inexpensive cut of meat to match Ramen flavor; for "beef" use cube steak, breakfast steak, etc.--whatever is on sale. Or go vegetarian, extra firm tofu, cubed and seasoned is great too.
Your choice of spices.
Directions:
Thinly slice or chop your choice of meat. Heat small amount of oil in wok or large pan. Add meat and brown quickly. In another pot, boil noodles about 2 minutes. Remove meat and let sit on paper towel lined plate to remove excess grease. Add veggies, Ramon flavor pack, any other seasoning (soy sauce, Chinese five spice, curry, red pepper flakes... use your imagine or gear toward family favorites). Add a splash of liquid (water, white wine, orange juice, etc...), stir constantly. Add noodles and meat to warm through and mix flavors.
If you prefer a more "saucy" dish, thicken chicken or beef broth with cornstarch and add to the veggies and beef. Leave noodles out and serve the mixture ON TOP of plain noodles for best results.
Cheap, Fast, Variety.
Top Ramen. 10 cents each. Feed 2 people for less than a quarter.
eggs
rice
pasta
canned vegetables
potatoes- bake or mash
tuna
soup
bread
beans
Protein is usually the most expensive meal component. Check your local grocery stores to see what meats are on sale. Usually ground beef, and chicken leg quarters are reasonable. There will also be other meats on sale. Seasonal vegetables will be on sale too. Take advantage of the sale. Also, check out store brands for canned and packaged items, much cheaper and most of the time are good.
Base your meal on a staple such as rice, potatoes, or a type of pasta. Very inexpensive and filling. Then you can add the meat and seasonings. You can also use cheese and beans as your protein source.
Some ideas:
Spaghetti
Chicken with rice
Red Beans and Rice
Macaroni and Cheese
Chili
Eggs--very cheap, make omelets or other egg dishes
Bean Soup
Here are 2 websites with some recipes:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf000892.tip.h...
http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,ea...
Hamburgers......buy ground beef on sale...make patties when you get home...wrap in saran...then in freezer bag...put in freezer...u can pull out the morning of...in frig...this way no waste.......carmelize a small onion...maybe some lettuce......buy a can of baked beans.(super cheap)......kinda a kitchen BBQ....................BLT's..if you buy bacon on sale........can get 1 lb for 3.00.......for 2 people...fry up.....6 slices.freeze rest.....can even use rest to top the afore mentioned burgers....lettuce.tomatoes...a bit of mayo.a couple of rolls from market............angel hair pasta w/ garlic and oil....there is a traditional way to make this..............but olive oil when u r poor............not a priority......when my oldest was little.........we had no money....i mean none...........this is what I did............start pasta....u know boil water...salt.....in a larger skillet..........about......say 3 Tsb of butter or margarine if butter is too much for 1 lb........med low...........garlic powder....1 tsp..( idk...never measure)...to what u like.towards end of pasta cooking....add maybe1/2 cup of pasta water...........drain pasta....add to skillet............toss....turn off heat..add parm.....toss........serve...add a salad....done....cheap and not bad really....my son still likes it....good luck!
Take a look at this free ebook with 490 award winning recipes, maybe you can find what you're looking for in it.