Cooking for Two On a Budget – Quick EASY Weeknight Meals For 2 (with leftovers!)

Cooking for Two on a Tight Budget – Quick, 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.

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 my favorite casserole with PORK CHOPS yum!

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 This 30-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?

=> Print the recipe here

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

@therealgroceryoutlet Make a fancy dinner for 2 under $5 🤩 #dinnerfortwo #easydinner #dinnerideas #easyrecipes ♬ SALSA JAM NO.1 – Jaycee Mante

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!

=> Print the recipe here

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.

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 This Heart Healthy Cookbook for Two✅ See This

 

Vegetarian Dinner Ideas for Two

 Vegetarian Cooking for Two: 80 Perfectly Portioned Recipes for Healthy Eating✅ See This The 5-Ingredient Vegetarian Cookbook: 75 Effortless Recipes for Two✅ See This

 

Romantic Dinner Ideas For Two

65 Yummy Romantic Dinners For Two – having a date night at home to save money and need some easy and YUMMY romantic dinner ideas to cook? Check out these 65 different ideas.

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

=> Print the recipe

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

=> Print the recipe

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

=> Print the recipe

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

=> Print the recipe

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

=> Print the recipe

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

=> Print the recipe

More Easy Dinner Ideas For 2