Cheap Dinner Recipes With Only 4 Ingredients (chicken, ground beef and more!)
When it comes to extremely cheap meals (like my 10 dollar dinner recipes here), I like the recipes to include just a few simple ingredients that I almost always have on hand.
Every busy mom has her “go to” cheap dinner recipes to make when life gets busy and meals are a struggle budget-wise. Below are MY go to frugal meals I make to have dinner on the table in a flash at the end of a hectic day. That’s exactly what these recipes are below – simple ingredients, simple recipes and budget-friendly.
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Alrighty, let’s take a look at my personal FAST and super cheap meals I make to feed the family when I’m short on time… and short on money. (why oh WHY are groceries SO expensive these days!?!?)
All the recipes below can be adjusted to use whatever you’ve got on hand – many are ‘clean out the fridge’ types of meals to use up leftovers from previous dinners.
Here are 8 affordable dinner ideas with just 4 ingredients each:
1. Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce
Ingredients: Spaghetti, marinara sauce, olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese.
Instructions: Cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Heat the marinara sauce in a pan, toss with spaghetti, drizzle with olive oil, and top with Parmesan.
2. Baked Chicken and Vegetables
Ingredients: Chicken, potatoes, carrots, olive oil.
Instructions: Toss chicken, diced potatoes, and sliced carrots with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 40-50 minutes until cooked through.
3. Quesadillas
Ingredients: Tortillas, shredded cheese, canned black beans, salsa.
Instructions: Layer cheese and beans on a tortilla, top with another tortilla, and cook in a skillet until crispy. Serve with salsa.
Tip: Got leftover chicken? Shred it and throw it in!
4. Egg Fried Rice
Ingredients: Cooked rice, eggs, one bag frozen mixed veggies, soy sauce.
Instructions: Scramble eggs in a pan, add cooked rice, veggies, and soy sauce. Stir-fry until heated through.
5. Sheet Pan Sausage and Peppers
Ingredients: Sausages, bell peppers, onion, olive oil.
Instructions: Slice sausages, peppers, and onions. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 25-30 minutes.
Optional: clean out the fridge and throw in any leftover veggies you have.
6. Pasta Salad
Ingredients: Pasta, canned veggies (or leftover veggies), mayonnaise, frozen peas.
Instructions: Cook pasta, drain, and mix veggies and mayonnaise. Chill before serving.
TIP: Open a can of tuna or canned chicken to add some protein – yum!
7. Baked Potatoes with Toppings
Ingredients: Potatoes, shredded cheese, sour cream, bacon bits.
Instructions: Bake potatoes until tender, split them open, and top with cheese, sour cream, and bacon bits.
8. Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese
Ingredients: Canned tomato soup, bread, cheese, butter.
Instructions: Heat tomato soup according to the can’s directions. Make grilled cheese by buttering bread, adding cheese, and grilling in a pan until golden.
All 8 of these recipes are super easy to prepare, versatile enough that you can fancy them up (if you want) and VERY budget-friendly!
Below are about a dozen more simple dinner ideas with only 4 ingredients in each recipe:
4-Ingredient Dinners
This quick chicken pasta casserole is made with just 4 ingredients in under 30 minutes and makes the perfect comforting weeknight meal!
Every busy mom needs easy dinner ideas that she can whip up in a flash. This easy 4-ingredient chicken and rice casserole dinner gives you and your family exactly what you need for those busy weeknights.
A casserole made up of just four ingredients might sound like it’s either too good to be true or completely devoid of flavor, but this one is neither of those things. It does have just four ingredients, but it’s very very real and is as tasty as a cheeseburger but with all the comfort of a casserole.
Chicken and gravy is one of the most downhome country dishes you can put in your mouth. Chicken and gravy is pure comfort food. This chicken and gravy is a shortcut recipe, using only four simple ingredients. This is one hearty chicken dinner your family will want to be on repeat.
This 4 ingredient slow cooker chicken with stuffing is a perfect dump and go weeknight dinner that doesn't sacrifice on flavor. As easy as pouring everything into the crockpot and turning it on, this meal is one your family is going to love.
4-Ingredient baked spaghetti squash pizza casserole topped with turkey pepperoni is almost the easiest low-carb & one-dish dinner you will love! Roast a spaghetti squash ahead of time for a delicious quick dinner in 30 minutes or less!
This Lemon Garlic Chicken and Potatoes recipe is a total winner! Imagine juicy chicken with a crispy skin, infused with bright lemon and garlic, sitting on a bed of golden, tender potatoes. The best part? It all comes together in just 40 minutes with minimal prep.
Toss this super simple recipe into the crockpot before you go to work and enjoy juicy, flavorful chicken breasts when you get home! Serve with some steamed veggies or a simple salad for an easy and healthy meal.
Pillsbury biscuits stuffed full of a delicious mixture of canned chicken, frozen mixed veggies, and a can of soup, baked in a muffin pan to create handheld mini chicken pot pies.
Ready for an easy dinner without the fuss? These 4 Ingredient Oven Baked Pork Chops come together quickly, smothered in a creamy mushroom-ranch sauce that’s pure deliciousness over mashed potatoes or rice. It’s a fast, flavor-packed meal for busy weeknights that your family will ask for again and again.
