Super Cheap Dinner Recipes When You Are On A Tight Budget
If you need a super cheap dinner for your family that your kids will actually enjoy – we’ve got you covered!
Food is expensive these days and sometimes we just need an easy simple meals that costs very little – but you still want it to be tasty and kid-friendly.. So we have the best dinner recipes for just that!
These frugal dinners are super cheap with simple ingredients. But they actually are SO delicious!
I put these into my weekly dinner rotation when I am meal planning, because I know they will save me money so I won’t have to worry as much when it’s getting close to payday. It helps save money and I love that!
When I have very little money and need to feed my family for under $10 I have to make sure I have some recipes in my back pocket ready to go. Sometimes you just have to work with what you have until the next paycheck.
Although everyone has a different idea of “cheap” but these meals are actually low cost for pretty much everyone.
These are some of my favorite budget-friendly meal ideas that my family loves and you can easily make on those busy weeknights!
Also see: Quick & Easy Weeknight Dinner Recipes
Grilled Cheese Hot Dogs
It’s funny my two year old will not eat a grilled cheese or a hot dog alone, but she will eat these grilled cheese hot dogs.
I know it doesn’t make much sense, but they are actually really good so I guess I can understand.
Grilled Cheese Hot Dogs Recipe
Muffin Tin Pizza Bombs
My kids love pizza rolls and these are like an upgraded style of them. And they are SO much better and super easy to make.
Mini Meatball Subs
These are so easy to make and so good! You only need 4 ingredients and 20 minutes.
This is one of our go to meals when money is tight and we also make them as a lunch sometimes. I think they would also make a great finger food for a party too!
For more super simple ideas like this check out these mini muffin tin recipes.
Firehouse Rigatoni Bake
We make this a lot in our house! Only 5 ingredients and it tastes even better the next day. This is always a win with my toddler and of you have picky kids you know when you find a meal your kids will eat every time, it’s a win!
Firehouse Rigatoni Bake Recipe
Crockpot Salisbury Steak Meatballs
We always have a bag of meatballs in our freezer, but I was trying to find a recipe that was a little bit different than what we normally do and I came across this one.
This is beyond simple to make, the hardest part is making the mashed potatoes to serve them with. And if you want things to be quick and painless like I do, just buy a bag of instant potatoes and they are done in like 5 minutes.
Note: If you don’t like mashed potatoes or don’t have them. These are really good over white rice too!
Crockpot Salisbury Steak Meatballs Recipe
Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
I love chicken bacon ranch anything and this is super good and easy. I’m not gonna lie, I used pre-cooked bacon crumbles that come in the bag and pre-made chicken (like you would put on a salad) because my time was limited when I made this and that’s what I had in the fridge at the time. It was really good tho!
Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole Recipe
Pizza Sliders
Kids want pizza, but you don’t want to spend $50 on delivery? Try these out! They are really yummy and I personally get tired of regular pizza.. But these hit the spot every time!
Want more slider recipes – these are my favorite!
Taco Baked Potatoes
Look… I would have never thought to put taco ingredients on my baked potatoes. But this is genius. Regular tacos get boring, and my family loves baked potatoes. We make them with pulled pork all the time. But taco meat is easier to make so these will be my new go to!
Homemade Beefaroni
My kids love the Chef Boyardee beefaroni, but I don’t. When I saw this recipe, I was thinking okay… the kids HAVE to like this if they like it from a can. Needless to say the whole house liked it and the leftovers are even better!
This is like the grown up version of Chef Boyardee and it’s delicious!
Chicken Parmesan Casserole
I like that you can use frozen chicken tenders to make this when you are short on time and it still tastes good. This looks and tastes like a fancy dish, but its so simple and budget-friendly.
If you have a little extra time, it tastes even better if you make the chicken yourself. But both ways are great!
When I know I will be a little short on money, I will make one of these freezer casseroles and a pull them out when the funds are low!
Cheesy Beef Taquitos
My kids really like those frozen taquitos, but I like to feed them dinner that doesn’t come from the freezer most nights.. So I found this recipe to make them at home. And they are a huge hit every time!
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