Cooking for Two On a Budget – Quick EASY Weeknight Meals For 2 (with leftovers!)
Cooking for Two on a Tight Budget – Quick, very cheap and YUMMY dinner and meal recipes for two – Frugal and fabulous meals to cook when money is tight with some leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
Let me show you my favorite creative dinners and meals for 2 people who are cooking on a VERY tight budget (like we are!) that also leave some leftovers.
From creative budget friendly meals for two to quick and easy dinners on a budget, below are the yummiest weeknight dinners for two people I have tried.
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Quick Easy Dinner Recipes For Two
When you’re cooking for 2 on a budget, these is NOTHING better than a quick &easy dinner recipe that never fails AND is cheap to make.
One Pan Chicken and Veggies
This One Pan Chicken and Veggies is one of our favorites – SO easy to make and it’s an all-in-one dinner!
Just cube up a couple chicken breasts and dump them in a pyrex glass baking dish, add some cubed potatoes and canned green beans on either side, sprinkle it all with dry Ranch dressing mix and bake at 350 for about an hour.
Can dinner get ANY easier than that?
Well maybe it CAN… check out these CHEAP sheet pan dinners for two!
Cheesy Pork Chop Potato Casserole
This super simple pork chop potato casserole is so easy to whip together.
And guess what? It’s made with BOXED scalloped potatoes!
To me, it’s the PERFECT kind of Dinner For Two because…
Not only are the ingredients cheap, but…
You get leftovers!
I’ve never met a casserole that wasn’t even better then next day =)
Here’s how I made Cheesy Potato Pork Chop Casserole:
Grab your 9×13 casserole dish, spray it cooking spray and turn your oven onto 425 to preheat.
Now, shakes some salt and pepper on your chops and give them a quick sear on each side to seal in that juice. About 3-ish minutes on each side is plenty.
Now, open that box of instant scalloped potatoes and pour ONLY the potatoes in the bottom of your 9×13.
Now, take that flavor pack the potatoes came with and mix it with a can of mushroom soup, 2 1/2 cups milk, and about a half cup of sour cream and mix it all together.
TIP: it will mix MUCH better if you warm up the milk a little – that helps keep the seasoning packet contents from clumping.
Take that mixture and pour it all over your potatoes in the casserole dish – and grab a bag of your favorite grated cheese and sprinkle generously.
You can NEVER have too much CHEESE!
Get your pork chops and place them on top of your potatoes and sprinkle some more grated cheese on top.
Cover your casserole dish with foil and pop in the over for about 30 minutes.
Then – the magic part….
Take your casserole out of the oven, take the foil off and sprinkle with these yummy friend onions… yum!
Pop your UNcovered casserole back in the oven for about another 6-7 minutes.
Dinner is done!
✅ FYI – I have a SIMPLE 3-Ingredient Crockpot Pork Chops recipe here – so they’re SO good and cut-with-a-fork tender!
Super Quick Dinner Ideas
Need quick and easy dinner ideas? Here are two great resources for planning your evening meals for two
Quick and Easy Recipes for Two✅ See This30-Minute Meals For Two✅ See This
Cheap Dinner Ideas for Two
Cassie from TheKitchenCommunity has this list of creative dinner ideas for two – and they all look YUMMY!
Here’s a sample of some super cheap and creative dinner recipes for two:
- 1. $5 Dinner For Two –See Video Below
- 2. No-Peek Chicken (recipe below)
- 3. Chicken Piccata
- 4. Pasta With Meatballs And Tomato Sauce
- 5. Garlic Butter Rice
- 6. Alfredo Pasta Sauce
- 7. Garlic and Parmesan Roasted Vegetables
- 8. Scalloped Potatoes
- 9. Lemon Pepper Chicken
- 10. Cheeseburger Meatloaf
- 11. Marry Me Chicken
- 12. Tuscan Chicken
- 13. Caprese Grilled Filet Mignon
My personal favorite is the No Peek Chicken dinner recipe – it is SO good and really cheap to make as well.
Doesn’t it look YUMMY?
My husband REALLY likes it – and he is a VERY picky eater!
Crockpot Dump Dinner For Two
I LOVE all my Crockpot “Dump” Dinners, but I never really thought about using my crock pot for TWO people.
Then I discovered this easy “throw together” Crockpot Teriyaki recipe that is perfect for two people:
Best part of this recipe? Not only can you just dump the few ingredients into your slow cooker and go, BUT…
You can also dump the few ingredients into a freezer-safe baggie and have a make ahead freezer pack dinner ready to cook when YOU are.
Here’s how to make it – either dump the ingredients right into your crock OR put the ingredients into a baggie to pop in your freezer for later.
Put 1/2 bag baby carrots, 1/2 chunked red onion, 1 can pineapple chunks (undrained), 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 cup Teriyaki sauce & 2 chicken breasts in your crockpot.
Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours
If freezing for later, put the same ingredients into your freezer pack.
Defrost night before –
Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours
Easy Meals For Two on a Budget
20 Easy Dinners Under $20 – Looking for some dinner ideas for your nightly meals but don’t want to break the bank? We’ve got you covered! Here’s a variety of fantastic dinner ideas for less than $20. read more
My favorite is their Four Cheese Zoodle Spaghetti – it’s simply DELICIOUS… and it’s ready in only 20 minutes!
Shrimp Dinner For Two
If you want a REALLY easy, cheap and DELICIOUS dinner for two people, you have GOT to try this Sheet Pan Shrimp recipe.
The full (super simple) recipe is on the image below and YES, it WILL be the best shrimp you’ve ever had!
(and it’s all made on one cookie sheet pan in the oven!)
Be sure to Pin It to save it for later!
Weekly Dinner Menu For Two
Weekly Budget Dinner Menu for Two Ready in 30 Minutes or Less – A Month of Budget Meals for Two Ready in 30 Minutes or Less ; 1 · Week 1: Simple Lemon Herb Chicken… read more
You can get the weekly menus AND the shopping list as a printable PDF here.
Pork Recipes For Two
HEALTHY Dinner Recipes for Two
Quick and easy HEALTHY dinner recipes for two.
When you’re cooking for two on a tight budget, eating healthy can get pretty expensive.
Here are tons of recipes for HEALTHY weeknight dinners for two that are all very, VERY good.
Healthy Dinner Recipes for Two✅ See ThisHeart Healthy Cookbook for Two✅ See This
Vegetarian Dinner Ideas for Two
Vegetarian Cooking for Two: 80 Perfectly Portioned Recipes for Healthy Eating✅ See ThisThe 5-Ingredient Vegetarian Cookbook: 75 Effortless Recipes for Two✅ See This
Romantic Dinner Ideas For Two
Valentine's Day Ideas
Just in time for Valentine’s Day (or date night), these mini casseroles for two are sure to be a hit! Who thought a casserole could be a romantic dinner idea, but these individual casserole recipes WILL change your mind!
If you’re looking for cute and easy snack trays and charcuterie boards for Valentine’s Day, you are in the right place! Sweet treats, savory snacks — even Galentines party platters and brunch board ideas too!
Whether it’s a Valentine’s Day potluck at work, class party or a Galentine’s party with your besties, these no bake desserts, sweets and treats are easy crowd-pleasers that are oh SO adorable!
If you need Valentine’s desserts for your galentine’s party, kids school class party or you just like making cute treats that are Valentine’s themed, here are 19 cute and easy Valentine’s Day sweet treats for you!
My goodness, these school Valentine’s Day ideas are so cute! I love all these homemade classroom valentine cards and crafts for kids to make and give to their classmates and teachers!
Fun DIY Valentine’s Day activities for kids to make in the classroom or at home.
With Frozen Vegetables
From one pot dinner ideas to sheet pan meals, all these easy recipes are simple and pretty darn cheap to make… and all use frozen vegetables that you probably have in your freezer right now.
Sheet Pan BBQ Meatloaf Dinner
From prep to done in 45 minutes · Serves 2 · Make an entire dinner for two at one time with this fast and easy Sheet Pan BBQ Meatloaf Dinner.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb Ground beef
- 12 oz Frozen Broccoli
- 1/8 tsp Garlic powder
- 1 Sweet potato
- 1 Large Egg
- 3 tbsp BBQ sauce
- 1/4 tsp Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Seasoning salt
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 tbsp Bread crumbs
One Pot Ham Pasta
Dinner for Two in 15 minutes – I’m all about having an arsenal of super simple dinners that can be whipped up in one pot! This Creamy Ham & Pea Pasta is one of our favorite dinners at the moment. It’s made from just a few very simple ingredients that I always seem to have on hand.
Ingredients:
- Cooked Cubed Ham
- Pasta Noodles
- Frozen Peas
- Cream Cheese
- Garlic
- Salt & Pepper
Chicken Noodle Casserole
This Chicken Noodle Casserole is an easy dinner idea for two! Perfect for budget meal planning and it makes a great freezer meal!
Ingredients:
- Rotini
- Chicken
- Italian Seasoning
- Garlic Salt
- Pepper
- Olive Oil
- Cream of Mushroom OR Cream of Chicken Soup
- Sour Cream
- Milk
- Frozen Broccoli
- Cheese
- Fried Onions
Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Beef and broccoli stir fry for two–all made in one pan. Just add rice or noodles and serve this easy skillet beef dinner for two!
Ingredients:
- Skirt Steak or Flank Steak
- Frozen Broccoli
- Soy Sauce
- Corn Starch
- Chicken Broth
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Honey
- Vegetable OR Canola Oil
- Cooked Rice
Pork Chop Sheet Pan Dinner
Ready in 30 minutes · Gluten free · Serves 2-4 · This Easy Pork Chop Sheet Pan Dinner is the perfect weeknight meal idea for busy moms – just a few simple ingredients and you’ve got a whole meal on one pan!
Ingredients:
- 4 Boneless Pork Chops
- Frozen Carrots
- Frozen Green Beans
- Parsley
- 4 Potatoes
- Garlic Powder
- Brown Sugar
- Paprika
- Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper to Taste
Chicken Fried Rice
Chicken Fried Rice is one of our go-to EASY 30-minute meals for just the two of us. Fried Rice is perfect for meal prep and a genius way to use leftovers – It’s actually even better with leftover rice.
Ingredients:
- Chicken
- Salt
- Pepper
- Olive Oil
- 4 Large Eggs
- Cooked Rice
- Soy Sauce
- Sesame Oil
- Frozen Mixed Vegetables
Cheap Easy Meals To Try
25 Frugal Meals To Make That Kids WILL Eat (last minute, quick and easy!)
Kid-friendly dinners – getting dinner on the table FAST on busy weeknights is enough of a struggle WITHOUT picky eaters to feed. These frugal last minute meals take the stress out of feeding the family!
Today’s Topic Is: 26 Fast and Frugal Family Dinners for Big Families On A Tight Budget – that’s right, we’re talking dirt cheap and easy “struggle” meals that are perfect for quick school night meals and busy weeknights when the picky eater family needs to be fed, but you’re short on time AND short on MONEY.
These make ahead casseroles below are all freezer-friendly for cheap simple freezer to oven meals on busy weeknights – plus tips for casserole dishes, freezer meal prep shortcuts to make cheap dinners on a budget and free cookbooks I’ve found.
25 Fun and Frugal New Meals To Try For Dinner Tonight (yes, something DIFFERENT!)
Ready for some NEW meals to try? Dinners can get boring, so how about trying something DIFFERENT for dinner?
Below are ideas for unique casseroles, skillet meals, crockpot dump recipes, soups, and SO much more to help you figure out what to make for supper tonight!
25+ cheap easy “struggle” dinners to make for quick school night meals and busy weeknight simple family dinners. Frugal meal planning and picky eater approved recipes with ground beef, chicken, pork chops, pasta and more comfort food dishes!
Slow Cooker Comfort Food For Cold Weather ‘Dump and Go’ Crockpot Meals
Baby, it’s cold outside! Break out your crockpot and make one of these easy slow cooker winter comfort food meals! From healthy to hearty, to soups and stews, these frugal meals are sure to warm you up!
I finally discovered the magic of lazy easy crockpot dump meals! Hooray for EASY throw together crockpot meals – especially on busy weeknights!
These EASY “dump ‘n go” recipes are perfect for busy school nights when you just want to throw cheap ingredients into a crockpot and forget about it until YOU are ready for dinner.
Super simple family meals, low prep, low MESS AND budget-friendly – yes!
