What are some cheap meals without many ingredients I can make on a budget?!
What are some cheap meals without many ingredients I can make on a budget?
So far, I've been doing a lot of spaghetti w/ sauce and stir-frying random things and eating pretty well and cheap, but its starting to get a little bland. I like to keep it to a few ingredients to save time!
Any suggestions are appreciated!
Answers:
Try the helpers...Tuna, Hamburger, or Chicken Helper...they're all pretty cheap! Throw in a can of peas and presto! Kids love 'em too...
Grilled cheese/soup
Pancakes/eggs
Ramen noodles/throw in a can of veggies
Ramen noodles! 10 packs for a dollar!
search for this book.... 101 recipes with 4 or less ingredients. it has EVERYTHING. entres, meals, desserts, lunches. and it isnt that expensive, around 15 dollars i think. if you live in Australia, Angus and Robbin Bookstores have it. Thats where i saw it. good luck and happy cooking :]
Rice and Bean Dishes are nice and filling. Casseroles are cheap, easy and involve everything you have already. Soups and stews can be made from leftovers.
Cornbeef Hash.
1 tin of cornbeef diced
hand full of potatoes peal and also dice,
Boil potatoes until slight soft
Chuck both the corn beef and potatoes into a frying pan and fry for a further 5-10 mins.
A simple and tasty cheap meal.
Enjoy
- Macaroni and cheese made from scratch with good cheddar.
- Scalloped potatoes with a few pieces of leftover meat thrown in.
- Tuna casserole (get recipe on www.epicurious.com)
-Angel hair pasta with fresh chopped tomatoes, olive oil and ribbons of fresh basil
-A piece of good quality turkey or chicken breast, cut thick like a steak and fried - served with any green vegetable steamed or cooked frozen peas
-Make a pot of lentil soup on the weekend (from a package mix like Knorr) and add cooked potato cubes and salmon from a can to it. This is good for three meals, at least.
-Cook 1/3 lb. of lean ground beef (saute in teflon pan) hamburger style, and eat with good Dijon mustard and finely chopped onions on top.
-Heat up a can of low-fat refried beans to which you have added 1/4 c. salsa, 1 T. chopped jalapeno peppers, and 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese. Eat with tortilla chips.
I make a dish using sliced potato's, a little ground beef, onions and peas and some dill weed. I precook the beef,then add the other things,pour 1 cup of milk that has 2 tbls of flour mixed into it with a 1/3 cup of grated cheese.Then bake for 45 minutes at 350*
Three Ingredient Recipes
http://busycooks.about.com/library/weekl...
Four Ingredient Recipes
http://busycooks.about.com/od/fouringred...
FIVE INGREDIENT RECIPES
http://busycooks.about.com/library/recip...
If you have a crock pot, here are a couple of cheap meals that you can make up and freeze for other meals later. All dishes here are easy to make and can be started before leaving the house and ready when you get home.
You can also make BBQ Beef Sandwiches with your crockpot too.
Take one roast (beef or pork) place in the crock pot on Low with a whole bottle of prefered sauce. Turn on, and come home to a nice meal you can serve over buns, noodles, or rice as my dad likes it.
There are a dozen things you can do with just a crock pot. Beef stew:
stew meat, onion mix, bag of frozen stew vegies, can of tomato juice (I like V8), mix on low. Add potatoes about an hour before you want to eat.
Here are some other yummies you will love too. It's easy to cook on a budget if you know how to use what you have.
Beef and Mushrooms over Pasta
Let the crockpot do the work while you are away for the day.
Ingredients
1 lb. stew meat
1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 envelope of dry onion soup mix
2 C. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 tsp. pepper
Hot cooked pasta
Directions
Lightly brown stew meat in a pan. Then combine stew meat, soup, soup mix, mushrooms and pepper in crockpot. Cover and cook for 8 to 10 hours on low. Serve over pasta.
Yield: 4 servings
Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese
Use the slow-cooker to make the cheesiest, creamiest macaroni and cheese possible.
Ingredients
1 lb. macaroni, cooked and drained (cook for 1/2 the recommended time)
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 (13 oz.) can evaporated milk
1 1/2 C. milk
1 tsp. salt
3 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c. butter
Directions
Spray crockpot with non-stick spray. Toss macaroni and oil. Add other ingredients. Stir. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Stir 2-3 times during cooking time, if possible.
Honey-Pineapple Chicken Drumettes
Instead of hot and spicy add some honey to make the wings a sweet taste.
Ingredients
3 lb. chicken leggs and thighs if prefered
1 TBSP crushed garlic (more or less to taste)
1 Can. pineapple keep juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 Cup. honey
1/2 Cup. soy sauce
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
Directions
Rinse and drain chicken. cut pineapple into 1 inch cubes. Combine the salt, pepper, honey, soy sauce, pineapple, vegetable oil and garlic in a bowl and mix well. Place drumettes in slow cooker and pour sauce over the wings. Cook covered on low setting for 6 to 7 hours.
Red Wine Crockpot Roast
This is an elegant beef dish flavored with rosemary and onion soup mix. Without breaking the budget.
Ingredients
2 C. red wine (non expensive)
1/2 C. water
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. dried rosemary or fresh rosemary
4 lb. trimmed beef roast
1-2 tsp. cornstarch
Directions
Place roast in crock pot and season with pepper. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and pour over roast. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours. Remove roast to rest on platter. Turn crock pot to high. Whisk cornstarch into juices to thicken. This makes a wonderfully tasty au jus, or over mashed potatoes.
Variations: Add garlic, pearl onions, mushrooms etc.
Pastas are the best thing to make when you are on a budget. They will fill up and you'll usually have left overs.
You could make spaghetti
I always like making chicken alfredo - you just need noodles, you can get the chicken that is already cut up for salads and stuff for cheap, a bottle of alfredo sauce... and if you want, you can add mushrooms and/or a cut up red pepper for added flavor.
you can buy chicken breasts... just bake them with your favorite bbq sauce over them and have a side of corn.
stuffed porkchops: buy the thick pork chops (they come in packages of 4 or so... boneless strips). Filet them and stuff them with pork stuffing. my ex-husband liked to bake them with gravy smothering them. However, I prefer to buy breadcrumbs and cover the chops in the bread crumbs and then put parmesian cheese over the stuffing and bake them. (I don't like gravy)
you can buy Zataran's Jambalaya (I prefer the cheese kind) and some italian sausage. The recipe is on the back of the box. I like to saute the sausage in mixture of mustard and hot sauce and whatever spices I can find in my cabinet.
eggs are always a filling meal.