In recent years there has been a sharp increase in the prices of even the most basic food items in the grocery store. Here are some cheap recipes that both your family, and your budget, will love.
1Cheap Recipes: The Classic Baked Penne
This quick and easy dinner recipe for baked penne is a great and delicious alternative to your family's favorite spaghetti and meat sauce dinner! It is an incredibly frugal-friendly recipe that is also a crowd-pleaser!
Ingredients
- 8oz of penne pasta
- 1 large onion
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1 Jar of pasta sauce
- 1 cup of mozzarella cheese
- Parsley
- Salt and pepper to season to your taste
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Cook the pasta until tender.
- Cook the ground beef and the onions, adding any preferred herbs for taste.
- In a large mixing bowl stir the pasta, the sauce, the ground beef mixture, and a cup of the cheese.
- Place your pasta mixture into a large baking dish and bake, covered, for 30 minutes.
- After the 30 minutes remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle the top of the pasta with the remaining cheese and with the parsley.
- Bake for another 10 minutes and enjoy.
Be sure to use store brands or the most budget-friendly option for your pasta and pasta sauces! When your store is offering a super sale on them consider stocking up on these useful ingredients!
Your mozzarella is likely to be the most expensive part of this meal. Make sure you purchase the store brand and look for sales. Mozzarella can be purchased on sale and kept in the freezer for up to three months!
You should also consider doubling the recipe and freezing the second tray for your family to enjoy later on in the week!
2Cheap Recipes: Beef Stroganoff
Beef stroganoff is one of the ultimate in comfort foods. It is also a really cheap family dinner recipes.
Ingredients
- Diced beef – 1lb
- Olive oil – 1 tsp
- Chopped onion
- Minced garlic – 1 tsp
- Cream of mushroom soup – 1 can
- Water – ½ cup
- Small container of sour cream
- Egg noodles
Directions
- Cook your egg noodles.
- In a separate pan on the stove heat the olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic.
- Add the meat and stir until completely cooked.
- Add the soup and the water – simmering for fifteen minutes.
- Remove from heat and add the sour cream; serve immediately over egg noodles and enjoy!
Stew meat can be purchased in bulk. You can then separate it into small freezer bags for use in delicious frugal recipes like this one. To keep costs low purchase the store brand mushroom soup, sour cream, and egg noodles!
3Cheap Recipes: Easy Chicken Wraps
Chicken wraps make excellent cheap family meals because they are incredibly kid-friendly and delicious!
Ingredients
- One package of corn or flour tortillas
- Three fresh tomatoes
- One bottle of ranch dressing
- One package of chicken breasts; either breaded or plain, depending on your preferences
Directions
- Prepare the chicken until cooked and cut it into slices.
- Warm the tortillas in the microwave for a few seconds, just long enough to soften them.
- Allow your family to assemble their own chicken wraps - adding the fresh tomatoes and ranch dressing to the wrap - for a bit of extra fun with dinner! You may need to lend a helping hand to younger kids when it comes time to assembling their chicken wrap!
For additional variations, consider adding shredded lettuce to top off your chicken wraps! You can also use sliced beef or pork for your easy wraps!
4Cheap Recipes: Butternut Gnocchi
Gnocchi is a favorite Italian dumpling enjoyed as a side dish or even as an entrée. These easy-to-make gnocchi are sure to be a hit with everyone in your family!
Ingredients
- One large butternut squash - seeded
- Salt
- Pepper
- All purpose flour, about 12 ounces
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Place the butternut face down in a baking dish and roast for 40 minutes, or until very tender.
- Once cooled, scoop out the butternut and puree in a food processor.
- Spread evenly out on a baking sheet and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Transfer to a large bowl and season with the salt and pepper to your personal taste.
- Add half of the flour and continue adding until a dough is formed.
- Transfer your dough to a flat work surface and knead until smooth.
- Cut strips of the dough and roll to a rope-like piece; cut into ½ inch pieces.
- Lightly sprinkle your gnocchi with flour and press it lightly with the back of a fork.
- Cook the gnocchi in a large pot of boiling water; they will float to the top of the water once they are ready!
- Serve the gnocchi tossed with sage and butter!
You can easily bag and freeze extra gnocchi so that you have it readily available on hand for a quick dinner or easy side dish! Allow your kids to help you roll out the dough, many extra hands can make the process zip by a lot faster!
5Cheap Recipes: An Easy Stir-Fry
An easy stir-fry is a great way to get your kids in on the cooking action by allowing them to select the meats and the veggies that they want in their stir-fry. Budget friendly and fun – you simply can't beat that for family meals that are easy to whip up!
Ingredients
- Three bell peppers (Different colors are fun!)
- Two onions
- Half package of mushrooms
- One package of bean sprouts
- One package of snap peas
- Two cups of broccoli
- Ground ginger
- Ground garlic
- Soy sauce
- Half a pound of chicken or beef (for the vegetarians in the family, consider purchasing a small piece of tofu that can be sliced)
Directions
- Heat your wok (or frying pan) to a medium temperature with a small amount of sesame or olive oil in it (be sure to keep little hands away).
- Allow your family to pick out their desired stir-fry combinations.
- Cook and enjoy!
Look for cuts of meat that are on sale as just about any cut of meat (chicken, beef, pork or even lamb) will make an ideal stir-fry for the family.
To minimize food wastage try to focus on purchasing only vegetables that your family will eat!
To help add extra flavor to your stir-fry consider purchasing sweet and sour sauce or other kinds of stir-frying sauces!
Ask your friends and family members for suggestions for cheap family dinner recipes that are a hit with their own families; family meals can be enjoyable and fun, even while on a strict budget! Don’t forget to utilize coupons to try and find extra ways of trimming your grocery budget!
What Do You Think?
Do you have any other cheap family recipes you would like to share?
