These days it may seem hard to stay on a tight budget while trying to eat somewhat healthy, but there are actually tons of options available to us. Even if you’re a picky eater, or have dietary restrictions, you can always find a way to make do with even some of the most basic ingredients. Now, let’s get into 20 different budget-friendly meals you can use to eat healthier while saving some money!
1. Eggs
Okay, with this first one I may be stretching it a bit. Rather than suggest one specific meal, here I have a whole category – eggs. If you can’t have eggs, skip to the next one. For those who can, check out the list. Eggs are usually pretty cheap and they’re the core of many delicious, healthy meals. Also, if you’re like me and like breakfast for dinner, then these eggs dishes become much more versatile. The list includes things like burritos, classic scrambled eggs, and even sandwiches. For bonus points, this category contains some of the easiest dishes to make!
2. Penne With Tomatoes & White Beans
This isn’t the “healthiest” meal, but it is certainly nutritious and has important ingredients packed in for a well-balanced diet. As far as pasta dishes go, this one is certainly a good pick. It’s cheap, healthy for what it is, yummy, and is incredibly simple to make. It’s certainly worth a try, especially if you want a quick meal.
3. Cheesy Bow Tie Chicken
Another pasta dish! This one is packed with a ton of protein, and it’s quite budget-friendly. This is a good one to experiment with too. It’s possible to make this already good dish healthier and tastier if you know what you’re doing, but it may require some extra or higher quality ingredients. If you like it as is – great! It’s pretty healthy and cheap. For those who like playing around and tweaking certain dishes, this one is a good direction to start off with.
4. A Simple Burger
I don’t think this one needs any explanation, much less an introduction. In a hurry you can run to the store and get some patties, buns, pickles, condiments, and anything else you like on your burgers. No, it’s not the healthiest meal. However, it’s usually not an expensive one at all. I can typically have a restaurant-quality burger for about a fourth of the price! That’s not including if I make it from scratch, which is a much longer (but more rewarding) process.
5. An Even Simpler Sandwich
If you’re in a hurry, or just want a simple lunch, it’s hard to go wrong with a straightforward sandwich. There are tons of directions you can go – experiment with it until you find what you like the most. I’m personally a fan of rye bread, sliced turkey, and a little bit of mustard. It makes days when I need to pack lunch much easier – and it’s an incredibly cost effective meal. Even if you choose some of the more expensive deli meat, it usually is a great budget-friendly pick.
6. Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
Who doesn’t love teriyaki chicken? This is a delicious, protein-dense meal that most people are bound to enjoy. If you want, you can replace the chicken thighs with breasts for an even leaner meal. The only negative thing I have to say about this is that it can be a bit overloaded with sodium, so don’t accidentally put too much in it!
7. Creamy Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
This one definitely will NOT win any awards for being a healthy dish. However, it’s certainly budget-friendly and satisfies the craving for a good fettuccine Alfredo dish. While I don’t recommend this in your regular rotation of meals, this can be a great change of pace.
8. Lasagna
Ah, another pasta dish. After all, this is a list of budget-friendly meals. Not everything on this list is necessarily healthy, however I’d still wager that it is much better than eating out (and some of the dishes are actually perfect for those trying to shed fat). This recipe is a lasagna dish designed for two people, with a minimal amount of leftovers. Most lasagna recipes cook an excessive amount, so this is good for small households and people wanting to cut back on the leftovers they usually get with lasagna.
9. Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
This is a great meal and a favorite of mine growing up – the instant pot version makes it easier than ever to make. It’s hearty and delicious, and it can feed quite a few people. It’s a classic for a reason, so try it out if you haven’t yet!
10. Honey Garlic Glazed Salmon
This is on the healthier side, rather than the budget-friendly side of things. Now, it is still generally reasonable to eat on occasion, however seafood is usually much more expensive than chicken. Fortunately, this meal uses salmon while still being relatively cheap. Even though it may be more expensive than most of the other items on the list, I felt that it was important to include a seafood option for those who wanted a budget-friendly version.
11. Instant Pot Chicken & Rice
I think most of us have probably had chicken and rice. It’s healthy and tasty (if you know what you’re doing), and this instant pot recipe makes it easier than ever to make. One of the things I like about these instant pot recipes is that it makes a lot of the classics simpler and easier than ever before. So, for a cheap meal that doesn’t require many ingredients or anything complex, try this chicken and rice dish!
12. Instant Pot Mac And Cheese
I’m not a huge fan of mac and cheese, but a lot of these instant pot recipes are absolutely delicious. Feel free to alter it as you see fit until you have the perfect mac and cheese for your tastes. Also, with this recipe all you’ll be left with is one dish to clean, which is a nice perk in my opinion.
13. Instant Pot Chicken And Dumplings
Now, this one is probably my favorite hearty dish from childhood. It’s so delicious, sates the appetite, and is great for large meals. It also comes in handy when you’re sick. Instant pot chicken and dumpling recipes are just as good as any other, and some are downright amazing. Trying this for a good, hearty dish that will knock your socks off.
14. Instant Pot Beef And Broccoli
Beef and broccoli is a classic Chinese takeout favorite. So, when you’re in the mood for that, just make it in the instant pot instead! It’s better than most takeout restaurants, and is often much cheaper to boot. Tastier and cheaper – what’s not to like? Next time you’re craving some good beef and broccoli, give this recipe a try.
15. Chicken Enchiladas
Okay, we’re done with the instant pot recipes – but they certainly deserved their moment to shine. However, these chicken enchiladas are downright amazing. When I’m craving Mexican cuisine, I usually shoot for something like enchiladas. This recipe makes it easy to cook it at home, for some extra money in the pocket! The nice thing about this is that you can easily swap out the sauce until you find the perfect one for your enchiladas.
16. Chicken Chow Mein
This is one of my favorite meals to cook right now. It does require a bit of preparation, and quite a bit of work overall, but it’s always worth it. It’s delicious, healthy, and almost always leaves leftovers. If you want leftovers, or have a larger family to feed, this is a phenomenal dish for that. It is slightly more expensive than several others on this list, but you definitely get your money’s worth in terms of how many servings you get. It’s a little high on the sodium, but well worth it for me!
17. Hibachi Chicken
Like teriyaki chicken, this is a crowd favorite. If you want to enjoy delicious hibachi chicken, without ridiculous pricing, try out this recipe. It’s also an incredibly easy dish to split up if you’re meal prepping.
18. Stuffed Pepper Casserole
This is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. It’s one of the best beef decisions in our rotation, has ample servings, and is still amazing leftover. Overall, it’s a great dish and one I highly recommend to get that “beef” craving on the cheaper (but still delicious) side.
19. Tomato Balsamic Chicken
This is a super simple but flavorful dish. It doesn’t cost much, and it’s such an easy dish that anyone could make it. It’s a crowd pleaser (at least in my experience). It’s not my personal favorite dish, but everyone I cook it for seems to love it – and it’s healthy to boot. I have some of my own tricks for doctoring this up, try it out and let me know what you do. Additionally, serving some vegetables on the side elevates the dish and makes it go much further, with very little effort. If you’re cooking for a loved one, this dish can impress!
20. Orange Chicken
This is another favorite of mine, and for good reason. Overall, it’s ingredients can be found at reasonable prices. Beyond that, it’s very easy to turn this into a spicy dish if that’s what I’m craving. If I’m not in the mood for spice, it’s still a great dish with a lot too offer.
Bonus Recipe
As one bonus recipe, I’d like to mention easy pepper steak. As far as dishes involving steak go, it’s incredibly cost effective. It has everything I really want in a dish. It’s cheap, tasty, and incredibly easy to make. If you’re tired and don’t feeling like cooking, this is a great solution (although you have to prep the marinade ahead of time). It will give two people a large, full meal, with a little left over or none.
Instant Pot, Air Fryer, & Crock-pot
All of these tools are great and should be experimented with. They make life easier and can make preparing a lot of dishes much quicker. If you want one, check them out on Amazon or Costco – there are fairly frequent sales. I don’t cook every dish using them, but they make many much easier, and give us options we wouldn’t otherwise have.
My Personal Favorites
I mentioned many of my favorites overall throughout the article, but I have to say that my favorite source for new recipes is consistently Real Food With Jessica. I am in no way affiliated with her or her blog, but I’ve used it for years and find that most of the dishes are incredibly delicious and quite healthy. She doesn’t cut corners on her ingredients, but almost all of her ingredients have cheaper alternatives – although I’ve found most of them to be rather affordable.
Conclusion
Those are my 20 budget-friendly meals (well, 21). Hopefully some of these looked good to you and you’ll be trying them soon. If you have any tips or meals of your own that are budget-friendly, let us know in the comments. For more articles like this, be sure to sign up for the Bitter to Richer newsletter. In our welcome email we send out a free budgeting template and financial goals worksheet!
