Every time I visit the grocery store it seems like food prices have increased. My husband’s salary hasn’t increased proportionally and we keep adding to our family, so we must find ways to pay for increasing amounts of increasingly expensive food.
As I’m beginning to brainstorm for our summer menu, I’ve been looking up ideas for “dollar dinners” and other budget-friendly meals. We already prepare several meals that only cost $1-2 per serving, but using more of these will be a key strategy for staying within our grocery budget.
I know many of you would also benefit from ideas for budget-friendly meals, so I’ve shared 46 of these below.
- Southwest Chicken Cutlet and Rice Bowl from My Recipes
- Sweet and Sour Chicken from Budget Bytes
- White Chili from Taste of Home
- Baked Honey Mustard Chicken from 5 Dollar Dinners
- Chicken and Dumplings from 5 Dollar Dinners
- Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore from Freebie Finding Mom
- Sticky Ginger Soy Glaze Chicken from Budget Bytes
- Spicy Lemon Chicken from Of The Hearth
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup from Allrecipes
- Easy Chicken Curry with Vegetables from the Food Network and Melissa d’Arabian
- Cheeseburger Quesadillas from Of The Hearth
- Salisbury Steak from Allrecipes
- Quick Meatloaf from My Recipes
- Mexican Rice Bake from Of The Hearth
- Spaghetti Bolognese from Food.com
- Chili with Cornbread Waffles from 5 Dollar Dinners
- Chili Mac from Of The Hearth
- Shepherd’s Pie from Divas on a Dime
- Cornbread-Topped BBQ Bake from Of The Hearth
- Beef Burrito Casserole from Budget Bytes
- Pot Roast Dinner from Budget Bytes
- Honey-Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Homemade Applesauce from My Recipes
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork from Good Cheap Eats
- Beef Mushroom Barley Soup from 5 Dollar Dinners
- Garlicky Beef and Bean Stir Fry from My Recipes
- Beef Tips with Gravy from Valley Natural Foods
- Balsamic Beef and Mushroom Kabobs from 5 Dollar Dinners
- Breaded Pork Chops from Taste of Home
- Slow Cooker Jambalaya from Budget Bytes
- Lemony Shrimp Scampi Pasta from the Food Network and Melissa d’Arabian
- Grilled Fish Tacos and Slaw from 5 Dollar Dinners
- Spicy Seafood Pasta with Tomato Butter Sauce from Budget Bytes
- Lemon Garlic Talapia from Allrecipes
- One Pot Tuna Casserole from the American Heart Association
- Coconut-Curry Salmon from 5 Dollar Dinners
- Tropical Red Beans and Rice from Of The Hearth
- Avocado and Black Bean Quesadillas from 5 Dollar Dinners
- Lighter Sesame Noodles from Martha Stewart
- Curry Tortellini Soup from Of The Hearth
- Garden Vegetable Lasagna Roll Ups from Budget Bytes
- Tortellini Tomato Soup from Of The Hearth
- Crock-Pot Minestrone Soup from Family Fresh Meals
- Capellini Caprese from Kraft Recipes
- Marinated Lentil Salad from Budget Bytes
- Spicy Sweet Potato and Refried Bean Burritos from Meghan Telpner
- Very Veggie Spaghetti Squash from Iowa Girl Eats
What are your go-to budget-friendly dinners? What other things do you do to reduce your grocery expenditures? Please share your meal ideas and tips in the comments.
Shared at the following:
Monday’s Musings, Tuesday Talk, Coffee and Conversation, Encouraging Hearths and Home, Think Tank Thursday, Friday Frivolity, Tuesdays with a Twist, What’s for Dinner? and The Art of Home-Making.
I can’t even begin to imagine how much time it took you to compile this wonderful resource!
It wasn’t that bad, Michele. I was looking up the recipe ideas for my own family anyway, so I just made it into a post. I hope it is useful to others!
Wow, Shannon, this is amazing! I will be revisiting this post over the next few days as I meal plan for April! Thank you so much!!
One of the ways that I try to reduce grocery expenses is by not buying much meat, and by stretching the meat that we do buy. For example, sometimes I’ll cook oats with ground beef, because it makes it stretch farther ever-so-slightly. Also, there was one occasion when we had a small amount of leftover BBQ chicken, and we were able to turn that into an entire meal for two of us by putting it in sushi rolls! (a bit unorthodox, I know, but it was yummy!)
We’ve been cutting back on meat, too, and it is helpful. Great ideas for making it stretch, AnneMarie!
So many great ideas. I am feeling like making the Lasagna Roll Ups tonight for dinner. .
Thanks for sharing with us on #FridayFrivolity.
Those look yummy, don’t they? Thanks for stopping by, Audrey.
Thanks for sharing on the What’s for dinner link up!!
You’re welcome, Helen. Thanks for hosting!