Looking for some easy, cheap recipes that everyone in your family will love? I gathered some ideas from our writing team, family and friends and threw them into one handy post for you!
Some are three ingredients. Some are six. Ideas for every taste. Read on for the goods, friends. Bon appetit!
Taco Rice
Do you have rice? Do you have ground beef (or any leftover meat), cheddar, salsa and maybe lettuce, onions or tomatoes, if you like those? You have all the makings for taco rice. It’s a taco in a bowl and it’s one of our family favorites.
Salt + Pepper Chicken Thighs
Salt and pepper both sides of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. Lay them skin side up in a single layer in the crockpot. (No liquids — trust me.) Cook for 7 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
Baked Red Bell Peppers
Cut red bell peppers in half. Cook one cup quinoa in 2 cups vegetable broth. Chop onion and mushrooms. Combine the quinoa, onion, favorite spices and mushrooms and place in bell pepper halves. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Add cheese and bake until melted. (You can use any veggies you like if you don’t like onions and mushrooms.)
Vegetable Beef Noodles
Boil elbow or penne noodles. Drain. Add a can or two of canned vegetable beef soup — any brand. Add a handful of cheddar cheese (to taste). Melt. Stir. Serve. This is a full meal your whole family will love. Meat. Veggies. Carbs. All set.
Chicken Roll Ups
Separate a can of crescent rolls into triangles. Put a little pile of canned (or fresh cooked) chicken and cheddar cheese on each crescent roll, then roll up and pinch sides shut. Mix one can of cream of mushroom (or anything) soup with one can milk. Spray casserole dish with non-stick spray. Add half of soup mixture to bottom of pan. Place rolls in pan. Cover with remainder of soup mixture, then sprinkle more cheese on top. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees until brown.
Slow Cooker Taco Soup
This taco soup recipe is super easy. Brown some ground beef and onions, then add a few cans of stuff. Yum.
Instant Pot Pork Shoulder
Dry rub a pork shoulder with whatever you have (garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin). Cube one onion, the meat, a cup of chicken broth and a can of Dr. Pepper.
Roasted Fish and Root Veggies
Roast a sweet potato. Add other frozen or fresh veggies while potatoes are cooking. Meanwhile, throw a hunk of salmon, trout, tilapia, etc. in a skillet with a little olive oil and whatever seasonings you like. Serve.
Crockpot Chicken
Put frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot. Add one container salsa. Serve with a side of veggies and rice.
Split Pea Soup
The cheapest thing I’ve ever cooked is split pea soup: bag of peas, carrot, celery (or whatever veggie sounds good), water. I usually add a bouillon cube, if I have it, but even just adding salt and pepper makes a decent soup!
Beth’s Melt-In-Your-Mouth BBQ Ribs
Navajo Flatbread (makes 6)
Mix 2 cups flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp of kosher salt and most of 1 to 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water until dough reaches the consistency of tacky pizza dough. Knead a few minutes. Let rest in greased bowl for 30-60 minutes. Divide into 6 pieces and roll tortilla thin on floured surface. Heat griddle to 350 degrees. Cook until golden brown spots appear, then flip, cooking until done. They can be made ahead and kept under a floured towel or frozen for later use.
Rotel Chicken
Season four chicken breasts lightly with salt and pepper. Put in a baking dish. Mix together a can of cream of chicken soup and a can of Rotel, then pour over the chicken. Top with cheese. Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Serve over rice.
Rice + Veggie
My kids’ favorite quick meal lately is rice topped with a veggie (we usually have broccoli). Add a fried egg, a little soy sauce and maybe some hot sauce.
Mongolian Beef and Spring Onions
This one will make it into your regular rotation. It sounds fancy, but it’s easy and inexpensive. Use cheap flank steak, sliced thin, and if you don’t have fresh ginger on hand, you can use paste or ground or omit it altogether.
Keto Big Mac Casserole
This casserole transforms the classic hamburger casserole recipe into low carb comfort food with the help of a special sauce.
Honey Soy Baked Chicken Thighs
Try this. You’re welcome. It works best with bone-in, skin-on thighs. Roast some veggies in the oven at the same time for a savory meal.
Instant Pot Spaghetti + Meatballs
Chicken Tikka Masala
Taco Bake
Brown one pound ground beef. Add 3/4 cup mayo, a 12 oz jar chunky salsa and a 15 oz can southwest corn. Mix and heat up. Put half in a casserole dish, crumble a thin layer of Doritos and a thin layer of shredded cheese over meat, then repeat for second layer. Bake in 375 degree oven for 20 mins.
Pesto Chicken
Put some chicken in the Instant Pot with chopped onions, garlic, olive oil and pesto. They can go in the pot frozen (mine were frozen). If they’re fresh, slice them open and stuff them with mozzarella, if you have it. Once the chicken comes out, add marinated artichokes, feta and sundried tomatoes on top.
Tater Tot Casserole
Brown one pound ground beef or turkey and saute onions. Add black pepper and peas, if desired. Add one can of cream of chicken soup. Mix, put in slow cooker on low, top with tater tots.
Easy Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Basil Sauce
Chicken Burrito Bowls
One of our owners said these were on her list to try. Click here for the recipe and leave us a review in the comments if you make them.
Easy Potato Soup
Peel and slice four medium red potatoes. Cover them with 4-5 cups broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for one hour. Remove from heat and puree about half of the potatoes. Add about 1 cup skim milk, salt and pepper to taste and heat through.
3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
One egg. One cup peanut butter. One cup sugar. Stir until smooth. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto parchment paper or greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes.
Coconut Macaroons
Have some shredded coconut in your pantry? Then you probably have all the ingredients you need to whip up one of my all-time favorite desserts: Coconut macaroons.
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Still looking for more recipes? Here are two 15-minute dinner ideas. Do you have some great cheap, easy recipes? Drop them in the comments below… Thank you!
