10 Budget Recipes and Cheap Easy Meals You Should Try

Food is one of the largest expenses a family can have each month, which is why I’m a big believer in and lover of weekly meal plans. If you are looking for some new budget recipes to start making for you and/or your family, then you’ve come to the right place. According to the United…

Written By:

Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Last Updated: March 25, 2025

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Food is one of the largest expenses a family can have each month, which is why I’m a big believer in and lover of weekly meal plans. If you are looking for some new budget recipes to start making for you and/or your family, then you’ve come to the right place.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the average family of four spends around $700 to $1,000 a month on food. That’s a lot of money, especially considering that most families waste around 40% of their food each month!

If you want recipes that are budget friendly and delicious, don’t worry, it is possible! The recipes included in this budget recipe roundup are affordable, easy, and you may already have many of the ingredients in your home!

I have all of these recipes in my current meal plan, and I’m excited to make all of them.

Note: If you’re looking for easy weekly meal plans, full of budget recipes, I recommend $5 Meal Plan. $5 Meal Plan is a meal planning service that sends you a delicious meal plan and shopping list every week for just $5 a month.

Here are 10 budget recipes and cheap easy meals you should try:

6. Mascarpone, Mushroom, and Spinach Salad

Get the recipe here.

7. Sweet Basil And Corn Chowder

Get the recipe here.

8. Hamburger and Macaroni

Get the recipe here.

9. One Pan Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli, And Rice

Get the recipe here.

10. Green Bean & Potato Curry

Get the recipe here.

What are your favorite budget recipes right now? Share them in the comments below!

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Money Management

Author: Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Hey! I’m Michelle Schroeder-Gardner and I am the founder of Making Sense of Cents. I’m passionate about all things personal finance, side hustles, making extra money, and online businesses. I have been featured in major publications such as Forbes, CNBC, Time, and Business Insider. Learn more here.

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Rachel @ The Improved Me Project

October 11, 2017

I just pinned a number of those recipes for future reference. I am in the process of taking a hard look at my food budget and finding cheap, but still yummy options is a must for me right now!

Reply
James @ Penny Wise Dollar Wiser

October 11, 2017

Thanks for sharing these recipes. Will definitely need to try some of these out soon – my wallet thanks you.

Reply
Owen @ PlanEasy.ca

October 12, 2017

These look awesome!

One of my favorite inexpensive veggie meals is this black bean burger recipe by Chef Joy Crump. Its a video recipe and its fun to watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOBlMLNOkFY

Reply
K

October 12, 2017

Any low budget meal ideas for those on restricted diets? My husband and I both have autoimmune diseases that require us to eat low carb, which means no rice, beans, pasta, potatoes, or bread. Right now our budget is $1000 a month for the six of us and I’d love to get it down.

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Chris @ Keep Thrifty

October 12, 2017

We’re all about the Chipotle Portobello Oven Fajitas from BudgetBytes this year – they’re frugal, healthy and taste *awesome*: https://www.budgetbytes.com/2016/06/chipotle-portobello-oven-fajitas/

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David Kuss

October 31, 2017

Great Meal ideas. I am sure adding a cheap meal planner to your blog would not be too hard.
Here are two of my specials that are pretty healthy and also inexpensive to build.
Growing up with 6 brothers and sisters on a teachers salary we had to make the most food possible for the the least amount of money. Quick Spanish Rice. prepare 2 cups of rice. We like long grain and brown rice. Cook 8 or so slices of bacon. We use either turkey or regular bacon. Make it kind of crispy. Add crumbled or cut bacon to your rice. Add 2 cans of Rotel or diced tomatoes and peppers to your rice. Add ketchup or salsa to the rice and stir when it looks pretty red it is ready to eat.

Beano is something I came up with as we always have some beans around the house to work with. Cook either chicken, beef or pork in a fry pan we cut ours up into bite size chunks and fry it with a little olive oil. a pound or so works pretty good. Cook 2 cups of beans we mix white and darker beans for a cool look. You can also use three different kinds of canned beans the more colorful the better. Add 2 cans of Rotel or tomatoes with peppers and a cup or two of Salsa.
heat in your fry pan until warm and enjoy.

Reply
Joyce | Unshakeable Joy

November 9, 2017

Thanks for sharing these delicious recipes! I’ve pinned this 🙂

Reply
Angel

September 12, 2021

What I took from all of these recipes is use your own spices to make a taco flavour, some noodles are better than others, so use them.
Some people like dairy, but it not being such a good choice, use something else in it’s place.
I think it would be common sense?
And one person was right, sorry I forgot who, but this stuff is a heck of a lot cleaner than a lot of other recipes, already prepared, and restaurant foods

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10 Budget Recipes and Cheap Easy Meals You Should Try

Here are 10 budget recipes and cheap easy meals you should try:

1. Better Than Chipotle DIY Chicken Burrito Bowl

2. Bean Burrito Casserole

3. One Pot Chicken and Dirty Rice

4. Spinach Artichoke Rice Bowl With Vegetables

5. Classic Beef and Tomato Macaroni Soup