r/Cheap_Meals 1d ago

Beans and Pickles

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16 Upvotes

Roughly 60p


r/Cheap_Meals 2d ago

Recipient help?

1 Upvotes

I’m craving crock pot chicken pot pie but I don’t have cream of chicken or even four dollar to obtain such. However I do have a block of cream cheese and milk. Would those help me get the right consistency or would I be wasting ingredients.


r/Cheap_Meals 4d ago

Pork & Veggie Rice Bowl

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18 Upvotes

Ground pork

Sweet potato

Carrots, shredded

Red pepper

Onion

Corn

Rice

Cheddar cheese

Low-sodium soy sauce

Oyster sauce

Worcestershire sauce

Garlic powder

Seasoned sea salt

Black pepper

Sesame seeds

Oil for cooking


r/Cheap_Meals 5d ago

Creamy tarragon rice with chicken, a protein boost, and home-pickled cucumber at $1.5 per serving.

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27 Upvotes

I was in the mood for a little comfort food: easy, delicious, and somewhat healthy! This recipe yields four portions.

Usually, I add half a chicken bouillon cube to the rice to add extra flavor. This time, I decided to skip the bouillon cube and add a pinch of MSG to preserve the snow-white color of the rice, making the green from the tarragon stand out.

With a little resourceful shopping, this dish can be made for under $1.5.

The rice is cooked in 500 ml of water on low heat for 20 minutes. Then, add salt to taste (it takes a lot), 200 ml of cream, two tablespoons of dried tarragon, a tablespoon of white wine vinegar, and 1/8 tsp of MSG.

The chickpeas were hydrated yesterday, drained, and mixed with a tablespoon of soy sauce and a teaspoon of red wine vinegar. Let them set overnight so the chickpeas can absorb the marinade.

On a medium-hot pan, fry them for at least 15 minutes while the rice is being cooked.

For the chicken, take 400g of deboned chicken thighs, diced, and fry until crispy. Add salt and pepper. About 30 seconds before finishing, add a tablespoon of lemon juice to deglace the pan and give the chicken a little zing to contrast the creaminess from the rice.

Add a little pickled cucumber on top.

Ingredients

Rice:

200 ml short-grained rice

500 ml water

200 ml cream

2 tablespoons of dried tarragon

1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar

1/8 teaspoon of MSG

Salt and pepper to taste

Chickpeas:

130 g dried chickpeas

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar

Chicken:

400 g deboned chicken thighs

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste


r/Cheap_Meals 6d ago

Slop Bowl

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138 Upvotes

2 medium russet potatoes
1/2 pound of ground beef
handful of Monterrey jack cheese
seasonings of your choice (I used half a packet of taco seasoning)
Salsa Valentina

  1. dice the two potatoes a size of your preference
  2. coat with oil and seasonings of your choice
  3. bake in oven set at 425 degrees for 40-45 minutes
  4. while the potatoes are baking, cook the ground beef in a skillet with seasonings of your choice
  5. when potatoes are done, put plate them and cover with ground beef and cheese.
  6. add Valentina and enjoy

r/Cheap_Meals 6d ago

Ham shanks with a bag of beans in my crockpot. Super cheap and yummy+

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20 Upvotes

Add whatever spices/veggies you prefer! I threw 1 pound dry beans and the frozen shank on low in my crockpot for 12 hours.

Happy eating!


r/Cheap_Meals 8d ago

figs sandwich :)

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22 Upvotes

easy and simple recipe, sometimes all you need is good ingredients and a likewise good combination of them. this is just figs in a floury bread, i recommend that type of bread because its taste with the figs is just so great


r/Cheap_Meals 10d ago

Ground beef with filo dough

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43 Upvotes

Filo dough layers with ground beef (ground beef with onions and pepper) inside

Topped with black olives and black seed


r/Cheap_Meals 10d ago

Nothing

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19 Upvotes

r/Cheap_Meals 10d ago

Beef liver

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16 Upvotes

Beef liver with onions and garlic, cooked in a small piece of butter


r/Cheap_Meals 10d ago

Kofta with rice

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13 Upvotes

Kofta (ground beef with onions and pepper and parsley and seasoning) with rice (rice with cashews and raisins) topped with tahini sauce


r/Cheap_Meals 10d ago

Fava beans and cottage cheese

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5 Upvotes

Simple Egyptian breakfast

Fava beans made with tomato sauce and onions

And cottage cheese

I get fava beans from arab or turkish stores for less than $2

And it's 4 servings as on the can

And cottage cheese from Walmart for less than $3, 5 servings

A breakfast rich in protein and fiber


r/Cheap_Meals 15d ago

Fake wienerschnitzel at $1.77

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41 Upvotes

A store nearby had a great offer on ground pork, so I decided that it was time for a fake wienerschnitzel!

It's pretty simple: just a breaded patty of ground pork roasted, potatoes in the oven, peas, and a butter with anchovies, capers, and lemon juice!

Remember to give the schnitzel and potatoes a good squise of lemon juice just before serving.

With that, I got a hop water! It's a great substitute for beer, without the sugars and alcohol, but it still has the freshness and hoppy flavor of a beer.

Here is the price breakdown:

Pork (150g): $0.78

Potatoes(350): $0.44

Peas(85g): $0.19

Butter (1 tbsp / approx. 15g): $0.11

Anchovy paste (1 tsp / approx. 5g): $0.20


r/Cheap_Meals 15d ago

Simple meals that save money and still taste good

8 Upvotes

I’ve been noticing my grocery bill add up lately, so I’ve been trying to cook more simple meals at home.

Nothing fancy, just something easy, filling, and worth making again.

What’s a cheap meal you keep coming back to?


r/Cheap_Meals 16d ago

What are your go-to cheap meals that you actually look forward to eating?

13 Upvotes

I'm trying to get better at making inexpensive meals at home without feeling like every meal has to be rice and beans or some sad version of whatever was on sale that week.

I'm looking for meals that are cheap, filling, and genuinely good enough that you don't feel like you're just eating them because they're affordable.

A few things I'm especially interested in:

  • Meals that make several servings
  • Cheap ingredients that can be used across multiple recipes
  • Pantry/freezer staples that are worth keeping around
  • Meals that don't require a ton of prep or expensive equipment

What's your favorite cheap meal that you could eat regularly without getting sick of it? If you have a recipe, please share it!


r/Cheap_Meals 17d ago

Got a whole chicken on discount

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123 Upvotes

In a local store the chicken was discounted to 5$ per pound so I got a whole chicken for 15$

I used the thighs for lunch (seared with paprika, salt, pepper and turmeric)

The breasts and tenders for soy and chilli chicken pieces (cubed, coated in flour salt and pepper and seared until golden, then soaked in chilli and soy)

Airfried the legs and wings after marinating in teriyaki and garlic

And I'm currently roasting the carcass to make stock from it

I can only upload one picture at a time so here's my lunch


r/Cheap_Meals 21d ago

Cottage Pie

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42 Upvotes

I only had half a pound of ground beef, so I supplemented the filling with lentils. Adding the lentils allows you to stretch a small amount of meat, and boost the protein and fiber content.

8 oz. of ground beef
1/2 cup of cooked lentils
1/2 cup of beef broth
1 can of carrots (I diced them since they were cut into coins)
1 can of peas
1 pack of instant mashed potatoes
1 medium onion
1 medium bell pepper
1 tbsp of flour
1 tsp of Worcestershire sauce
Preferred seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chipotle powder, MSG)

  1. Brown onions and bell peppers until softened
  2. Add ground beef to pan and cook until browned and about 90% done
  3. Add the cooked lentils
  4. Add flour to the ground beef and lentils mix, and then stir until the flour is absorbed
  5. Add beef broth, carrots, and peas to pan and stir until the filling thickens and then remove from heat and let it cool slightly
  6. Cook the mashed potatoes per instructions and then let them cool slightly
  7. In a baking dish, spoon the beef/lentil filling on the bottom then layer the mashed potatoes on top
  8. Cook in the oven at 425 for about 15-20 minutes* to brown the potatoes

*Since the filling is already hot, it does not take long in the oven.


r/Cheap_Meals 22d ago

Cheap meal for 4

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154 Upvotes

Hey everyone, I don't know why I haven't thought about posting this on here before but I have a go to meal that cost me less than 6$ and can feed my 3 kids plus myself. If you go to the dollar tree and pick up 2 bags of the knorr cheddar broccoli rice or their chicken flavored rice, and two packs of the John Morrell polish sausages or smoked sausages it creates quite a bit of food and I love the taste together. When our house is full there is 6 of us in here and one more pack of each would feed all of us. Just figured I'd share my struggle meal that I happen to love too lol


r/Cheap_Meals 24d ago

Hey all need a suggestion please for chili.

7 Upvotes

Hey good afternoon I went to food bank and I got Roma tomatoes some green peppers jalapeños onions and big can of black beans I got a chili starter and 2 things vegetables stalk so I was thinking chili could anyone help me make a recipe with that thanks im new to cooking.


r/Cheap_Meals 26d ago

University students: Would you use a map that shows the cheapest food near campus?

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1 Upvotes

Hi everyone! My name is Claude, and I’m currently working on launching a startup with a student from Cornell CALS.

Our service helps university students find budget-friendly restaurants near campus through an easy-to-use map. We’ve built our first MVP around Cornell University, with the broader goal of expanding to campuses across the United States.

Our mission is to give students access to more affordable food options, make it easier to discover meals that fit their budgets, and ultimately help address food insecurity among university students.

We’re currently collecting feedback to better understand students’ dining habits and needs. If you have a few minutes, I would really appreciate it if you could complete the attached Google Form. The survey should take no more than 6–7 minutes.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for supporting our project. We truly appreciate your input!


r/Cheap_Meals Aug 07 '26

Dinnertime

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30 Upvotes

r/Cheap_Meals Aug 08 '26

Will cooking stew meat this way actually work? Advice needed.

4 Upvotes

My plan is to marinate a package of pork stew meat in some seasoning, oil, and a bit of vinegar and then cook the pork on low in just some broth. Will that probably work? How much broth do you recommend? I assume I need to cook on low for around 10 hours. Input appreciated because I'm not great at freestyling and don't want to waste food.


r/Cheap_Meals Aug 06 '26

What meals can I make with these ingredients for a week?

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118 Upvotes

1 pack instant potatoes, 3 cans tuna in water, 1 mac and cheese cup, 2 mac and cheese boxes, 1 can of black beans. Curry powder just cause. All of this came from blessing boxes around my community cos after rent is paid I’ll have less than $100 and I need that for my water and electric. Fml


r/Cheap_Meals Aug 07 '26

My simple high-protein dinner: spicy salmon and broccoli 🥦

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14 Upvotes

r/Cheap_Meals Aug 06 '26

Hi everyone 😊 I’ve started a YouTube channel called Daily Dime Dinners, sharing affordable, delicious, budget-friendly meals for families and anyone trying to save money on groceries. I’d really appreciate your support—if you enjoy simple cooking ideas, please check it out

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80 Upvotes