You have to feed the family every, single night! But you want healthy dinner recipes, and recipes that are cheap and filling are perfect!
So cooking healthy but cheap recipes should be at the top of every mum’s to-do list. If you can’t think of any recipe that won’t have you spend lots of money, here are 10 of the cheapest meals I have that are on high rotation in my household!
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1. Golden Bake
This Golden Bake recipe is very frugal, very simple, and very delicious! It’s very similar to a Shepherd’s Pie. I use a combination of potatoes and sweet potatoes for the top – whatever is on sale.
2. Porcupine Mince Balls
Porcupine Mince Balls are like a bulked-up Spaghetti Bolognaise recipe and a firm family favourite! It involves rolling meatballs in rice and letting the rice cook in the juices. Just remember to have enough liquid so your rice isn’t crunchy! No one likes crunchy rice! We have two versions here for you to try.
3. Chicken and Spinach Meatloaf
Chicken and Spinach Meatloaf is a yummy, easy, healthy dinner. This doesn’t have the guilt of traditional meatloaf. Add a dollop of Greek yoghurt and a garden salad and you have a delicious healthy meal for the family. A little hint – if chicken mince isn’t on sale – try Turkey mince instead – tastes the same but is usually cheaper and has less fat.
4. Sausage Stroganoff
Always looking for new and different ways to serve snags? Look no further. Sausage Stroganoff works well with beef or pork sausages and is a great ‘kid-friendly’ version of the regular beef stroganoff! Sausages can always be purchased cheap (especially if you can get them in a bulk pack).
5. Faster Pasta
This meal, which I call ‘Faster Pasta’, is not only fast (you can make it in under 12 minutes) but is also incredibly frugal. I can feed this to my family of four for only a few dollars! Good for making something quick, easy and delicious. Perfect for a weeknight meal.
6. Sour Cream Quiche
This recipe for Sour Cream Quiche only contains three base ingredients! I love it with broccoli too and it makes for a wonderful vegetarian dish. Of course, you can add some bacon, onion, grated cheese, mushrooms, corn, capsicum, etc. if you so desire.
7. Cheesy Beef and Macaroni Bake
Cheesy Beef and Macaroni Bake is a recipe the whole family will enjoy. It costs under $10 to make so it is easy on the hip pocket! Good way to fill up hungry tummies!
8. Cheap and Simple Chicken Piccata
It’s always smart to have a chicken recipe or two under your belt, which is why we’re fans of this Chicken Piccata. It might sound complicated, but it’s actually just a method for cooking the meat and serving it with a sauce. You can eat this chicken with just about anything, but we love it with roast vegetables, cauliflower rice or a nice lush salad.
9. Lemon Risotto
Lemon Risotto is a very fresh and filling meal that is frugal too. It will easily feed a family of four for under $10 – with leftovers! This is a great recipe for weeks when the budget is tight, and it’s sure to fill any belly! For the price estimates, here we’ve used a large national supermarket, but it’s possible (and highly encouraged) for you to look around at your local farmers market, local butcher or discount grocers.
You’re likely to find many of these ingredients even cheaper there.
10. Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Soup
Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Soup is a healthy dinner recipe that is great for those cold winter nights. It warms our tummies well! It is easy to make and tastes a-maaa-zing. Not to mention it comes together for under $10, which, for those tight budget weeks, is exactly what you need. You can serve it with a side of bread and a dollop of sour cream. And best of all, it freezes beautifully!
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All these healthy dinner recipes will feed a family of four for under $3! Cheap as chips!
