Cooking dinner on a budget sure is a challenge these days – especially with a big family! Thankfully, I found these 20 cheap easy meals to make to to save big money on groceries on still have a GOOD meal on the table each night.
From quick One Pot Dump meals and inexpensive casseroles to super simple cheap dinners with a few affordable ingredients, these budget-friendly meals are yummy comfort food that even my picky eaters will dig into (AND ask for seconds!)
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We all know prices are getting out of hand – food is SO darn expensive – and we’re all feeling the crunch at the grocery store. I needed to come up with simple dinners that would lessen the pain of that tight budget crunch at the grocery store.
My previous “Cheap Meals” list looks something like this:
One-Pot Pasta: Cook pasta, protein (like chicken or sausage), and vegetables all together in one pot with some broth, soup or sauce. It’s minimal cleanup, cheap and customizable.
I make that One Pot Chicken Pot Pie Pasta recipe above ALL the time – and oddly, the kids eat it (even though there’s VEGETABLES in it – the horror haha!)
When I’m feeling fancy, I’ll dump the cooked noodles and other ingredients into a casserole dish and sprinkle crushed Ritz crackers over top and bake at 35 for about 30 minutes or so – but most the time, it’s the one pot / stove top way.
This Taco Pasta below is really, really good (not my recipe).
Pasta Burger Bake: My Uncle Bobby is a retired firefighter and he did a LOT of the cooking at the fire station.
When it comes to cooking for a large “family” and making a dollar stretch, he is the master haha!
Uncle Bobby helped me learn LOTS of cheap dinners to make with ground beef, like this 5-ingredient hamburger pasta casserole (that my kids renamed “Pasta Burger Bake”:
Sheet Pan Meals: Toss your choice of vegetables and a protein (chicken, fish, ground beef, steak, etc) with some olive oil and seasoning, and roast on a sheet pan. Easy prep and cleanup. I use a lot of the recipes below (not my recipes, but all very good).
Casseroles: With my trusty 9×13 casserole dish and a couple cans of Cream of whatever soup, I’ve been known to crank out some amazing casseroles.
This Chicken Rice-A-Roni casserole is a dinner favorite that I’ve been making for years:
We also LOVE this Buffalo Chicken Casserole – so easy to throw together and have dinner on the table in 30 minutes or so!
Chili: Make a big batch of chili using beans, ground meat (or go meatless), tomatoes, and spices. It’s filling and can be stored for leftovers.
My favorite is this 3-Ingredient Chili:
Quesadillas: I’m pretty sure we all make some sort of quesadillas throughout the year – they’re easy enough to make and not overly expensive either.
However, I have a little “cheat” for making a large batch of quesadillas for dinner:
Yep, I make ’em on a sheet pan!
I also make these Sheet Pan Quesadillas as party appetizers too!
Soup: I make a BUNCH of homemade soup recipes that are all “make ahead and freeze” type of recipes. My recipes are simple and have very few cheap ingredients that the kids will eat.
Tacos: Use ground meat or beans as a base, and add toppings like lettuce, cheese, and salsa. Easy to assemble and customize.
Ravioli Casserole: – This is a super simple and CHEAP casserole dinner I make a lot because my kids really love it.
The baked Ravioli Casserole only has FOUR ingredients so it’s really simple to throw together and pop in the oven.
Just grab a bag of frozen Ravioli (I think it’s like a 25 ounce bag? I get the Great Value brand from Walmart – super cheap), a jar of marinara sauce or whatever pre-made spaghetti sauce you like, about 2 cups (a bags worth) of shredded mozzarella cheese and a shaker can of Parmesan.
Spread half the jar of sauce at the bottom of your casserole dish, layer with ravioli and mozzarella, top with some sauce, more ravioli and cheese, rest of the sauce – then sprinkle with Parmesan.
Cover with foil, then cook for about 30 minutes at 400. Then take it out, remove the foil and let it cook about another 10-15 minutes.
I usually can’t resist adding some more grated cheese on top for those last 15 minutes – there’s never too much cheese in this house haha!
All those recipes about are really good…. BUT…
We’re all getting a bit bored of that same ‘ol dinners – and they’re getting a bit expensive and boring!
Let’s take a look at my new UPDATED list of super simple and CHEAP dinners I’m making.
They’re all super easy meals to make when money is tight but ya got a lot of mouths to feed.
My kids loved the Biscuit Pizza on page 146✅ I Found It Here
Cheeseburger Sliders
These Cheeseburger Sliders are juicy, cheesy and beefy – everything we ALL love about classic burgers!
They are quick and easy, make-ahead, and reheat really well so they’re perfect for meal prep or even as Game Day Party Food.
But turns out – the kids gobble these up whenever I make them for dinner!
Crockpot Pork Chops
I have a serious love affair going with SUPER SIMPLE Crockpot Dump Meals – and these pork chops were a joy to discover.
First off, I can usually get pork chops cheap at the store – so that’s a win.
Secondly – you only need THREE INGREDIENTS to make them.
Win/ Win!
Bonus Points because.… my kids LOVE them! And they’ve never liked pork chops before!
(recipe is about half way down)
Chicken Alfredo Casserole
I try to keep my freezer full of frozen casseroles I’ve already meal-prepped.
Not only does it make dinner a ton easier, but it saves money when I “batch prep” them at one time.
One of our favorites is Chicken Alfredo Casserole – so easy to make ahead and freeze!
The Chicken Alfredo Casserole recipe is here plus LOTS of easy casseroles to make ahead and put in YOUR freezer.
Lazy Day Ground Beef and Noodles
This Ground Beef and Noodles is definitely NOT a fancy recipe, but my picky eaters LOVE it! I love it too because it is not only affordable, it is a No Fuss, No MESS kind of dinner recipe.
With a pound of ground beef and a few cheap ingredients this stovetop recipe is ready quickly for a cheap family meal.
Lazy Day Ground Beef and Noodles Recipe
One Pot Sausage Pasta
This one pot smoked sausage pasta recipe is perfect for busy evenings when there is a lot going on.
It comes together quickly with a few cheap ingredients and, since you just use one pot, it’s a quick clean up also.
This recipe makes a nice family size meal so you may have extras – and let me tell you this: The leftovers are fantastic the next day!
Sweet and Spicy Honey Pepper Chicken
This simple chicken dinner recipe is comfort food and brings together the robust flavors of honey and black pepper with the tender juiciness of chicken, creating a meal that’s both satisfying and delicious.
I was a bit surprised that the kids loved it, but it was a winner at our dinner table!
Sweet and Spicy Honey Pepper Chicken Recipe
Chicken Parmesan Stovetop Bake
This chicken parmesan pasta is a lightened-up dinner that still qualifies as comfort food that the kids will LOVE.
Made with just a handful of cheap ingredients, this chicken parm pasta will quickly become your go-to dinner recipe on school nights.
Chicken Parmesan Stovetop Bake Recipe
Crockpot Salisbury Steak Meatballs
Quick & easy Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak Meatballs are an easy low prep crockpot dinner recipe that starts with frozen meatballs.
The best part is the rich brown gravy sauce that creates itself from packets of seasoning mix and beef broth. Serve over mashed potatoes for a delicious and EASY dinner idea tonight.
Crockpot Salisbury Steak Meatballs Recipe
One Pot Queso Chicken and Rice
One Pot Queso Chicken and Rice is made in one single pot and is loaded with tons of flavor!
Best of all, it has QUESO in it – and if there is anything my kids love, it’s the cheese dip at our favorite Mexican resaurant!
Seasoned tender chicken breast pieces, white rice, and a simple queso sauce of Rotel tomatoes and nacho cheese, this cheap dinner is sure to become a family favorite!
It’s perfect for busy back-to-school weeknights when you need quick meals to throw together!
One Pot Queso Chicken and Rice Recipe
Crazy Easy Dinner Casseroles
BIG list of quick and easy dinner casseroles that are made with just a handful of cheap ingredients and take less than 10 minutes to prepare!
A lot of these simple recipes are “dump and bake meals” that only require a little bit of mixing while the oven does the hard work for you.
More Cheap Easy Dinner Ideas:
The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook✅ I Found It HereMy adult “toddler” loves these recipes!✅ I Found It Here
