Looking for cheap and easy dinner recipes for families on a budget or cheap meals for a week for a family. Maybe you are having a party and you want cheap meals to feed a crowd. Then check out these budget-friendly easy dinner recipes for the family.
When money is tight, one thing we can all consider is cutting back on our food bill. We all go through tough and hard time sometimes but cutting down on the food bill shouldn’t mean that we cant feed our family a good nutritious meal. Here are a few tips to help with feeding families on a budget.
- Make a weekly meal plan and check ingredients you already have and then make a shopping list before you go, check your kitchen cupboards before you write an item on the list, sometimes we assume we are out of stock of a particular ingredient, then we find it hidden at the back of the cupboard.
- Go through and clean out your pantry, food larders and fridge/freezers regularly so you can use food items that have less before dates earlier. This saves on food wastage too.
- Buy in bulk if you can, then if its fruit and vegetables, wash, cut and freeze them. If you don’t mind and rather would buy frozen rather than fresh, then that will save you more money, especially fruit and vegetables. You can also buy food items in bulk like bread especially if they have an offer on them and freeze them, then take it out of the freezer as you need it. But of course, how much you can freeze depends on your freezer space. Also before freezing check on labels for how long you can freeze an item.
- Cut out pre-packaged and ready meals not only are they expensive but a lot of them have hidden fats and sugars in them.
- Try supermarkets own branded products rather than branded, you might be quite surprised at the taste, as a lot of own brands is very good quality.
- Make extra Dinner so it can be eaten as lunch the next day.
- Narrow your meal ideas to about 20 to 30 options, this will not only help with meal planning but also your budget.
In this post, we have gathered the best dinner recipes that are cheap and easy to make. One of the easiest ways to save money is to eat at home and keep things simple. To get the recipe of each dish, follow the link below each picture, make sure to check all the recipes, the best ones are at the end.
GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH
A grilled sandwich is always a family favourite, not only is it cheap but also nutritious. You can also experiment with different fillings, like these from sarahblooms.com For a complete meal have it with some soup, to keep the costs low make it a lentil or veggie soup.
Get the grilled cheese recipes from sarahbloom.com
Following are vegetable soup recipes. Not only is vegetable soup nutritious but also very filling. Serve it with some to make it a complete meal.
VEGGIE POT PIE SOUP
Get the recipe from easycheesyvegetarian.com
VEGETABLE SOUP
Get the recipe from cookingclassy.com
CAULIFLOWER VEGETABLE SOUP
Get the recipe from cookinclassy.com
VEGAN WILD RICE MUSHROOM SOUP
Get the recipe from theglowingfridge.com
ZUCCHINI TOMATO SOUP
Get the recipe from willcookforsmiles.com
CABBAGE ROLL SOUP
Get the recipe from kitchenfunwithmy3sons.com
Pasta is a favourite dish with all family members. It is a complete meal on its own.
ONE PAN PASTA
Get the recipe from feelgoodfoodie.net
CREAMY GARLIC PASTA
Get the recipe from togetherasfamily.com
ONE POT CHICKEN PASTA
Get the recipe from spendwithpennies.com
MAC AND CHEESE
Mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food. A meal on its own. Can be made in large batches and frozen to eat on the days you don’t feel like cooking.
Get the recipe from goodcheapeats.com
There are so many varieties of lentils and beans for you to try. The good thing is they won’t break the bank and they are a source of protein and vegetarian. Try and use dry beans when you can, rather than cans it is more economical and delicious. Just soak them overnight before you cook them. Serve with rice, bread or naan bread.
1 POT LENTIL DAL CURRY
Get the recipe from elavegan.com
CHICKPEA LENTIL COCONUT CURRY
Get the recipe from vibrantplate.com
BROWN LENTILS
Get the recipe from pipingpotcurry.com
RED KIDNEY BEAN CURRY
Get this recipe from pipingpotcurry.com
Baked potatoes are nutritious, filling and cheap. If you are having guests over for dinner why not try a baked potato bar or simply treat your kids.
JACKET POTATOES
Get the recipes from tammymum.com
SPINACH AND MUSHROOM JACKET POTATO
Get the recipe from plantbaseddiary.com
BAKED POTATO BAR
Learn how to create an ultimate potato bar from dinner-mom.com
WHOLE CHICKEN
Cooking a whole chicken can stretch one meal to two meals. Experiment with different ways to cook a whole chicken. With the bones and leftovers, you can use them to make broth.
Get delicious whole chicken recipes from homemaderecipes.com
OVEN-BAKED CHICKEN AND RICE
Get the recipe from dinnerthendessert.com
CHICKEN AND RICE CASSEROLE
Get the recipe from dinnerthendessert.com
ONE POT HONEY SOY CHICKEN AND RICE
Get the recipe from recipesyummi.net
MOROCCAN CHICKEN AND RICE SKILLET
Get the recipe from fedandfit.com
LEMON CHICKEN AND RICE SKILLET
Get the recipe from fedandfit.com
MEDITERRANEAN TUNA SALAD
Get the recipe from bitesofwellness.com
