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Here are my favorite easy budget friendly meals that are packed with protein, ready fast, and built from affordable staples! These ideas make deliciously healthy dinners.
Food is getting expensive, and I know the weeknight dinner struggle is real, so I’ve rounded up a list of my top budget-friendly meals for easy, healthy dinners!
Let’s face it: cheap meals often not healthy and not delicious. So these recipes are the ones I reach for when I need the biggest bang for my buck. Canned tuna, dried lentils, a bag of farro: these are the building blocks of healthy meals that are also inexpensive and delicious! Many of these recipes are made in under 30 minutes, and all of them are super satisfying meals my family actually loves (for real! four real life humans have tested all of these).
12 Budget-Friendly Meals to Try
An easy dinner idea that’s ready in 20 minutes, with 20 grams protein and less than $5 per serving! A mashup of savory tuna, fresh cucumber, and spicy mayo makes a satisfying weeknight dinner that’s budget-friendly and high protein.
Ground chicken is one of the most affordable proteins! These meatballs make a deliciously healthy comfort food meal, served up in a tangy marinara sauce, served with a rice or whole grain.
A can of chickpeas, a can of coconut milk and tomatoes, and a few spices are all it takes to build a deeply flavorful curry that feeds four for about $3. If you're not a chickpea fan, try my Red Lentil Curry (also popular).
Frozen shrimp is one of the great budget-friendly secret weapons and it cooks in minutes. This sticky honey garlic sauce takes no time at all and is so satisfying in a rice bowl with sauteed broccoli.
When I don't know what to make it's sandwich time! Here mashed chickpeas stand in for chicken or tuna in this creamy, satisfying sandwich filling that takes absolutely no cooking at all.
Did you know you can turn canned tuna into golden, pan-fried cakes? I like serving with a garlicky aioli for dipping and adding greens or a whole grain like rice or farro.
Here's an healthy easy dinner that’s $2 per serving, 16 g protein! Sweet potatoes and lentils are both incredibly affordable, and together they make a soup that's thick, warming, and packed with fiber and plant protein.
Store-bought hummus is a shortcut that makes this bowl dinner-worthy in under 10 minutes. Pile on crunchy veggies, fresh herbs, and a drizzle of olive oil.
This recipe takes only 7 minutes to prep and smells absolutely incredible while it bakes! This one-pan bake does all the work for you, with juicy chicken, chewy farro and roasted cherry tomatoes.
Built around beans, grains, and roasted vegetables, these bowls prove that meatless eating can be just as filling and satisfying as anything else on this list. Add a dollop of cottage cheese to make it filling.
The oldest healthy budget meal trick in my book! Stuffed sweet potatoes make the best easy dinner idea: bake them until tender, then stuff with fillings for a delicious cheap dinner.
These black bean tacos take just 15 minutes, a fast and easy dinner idea that pleases everyone! Customize your toppings based on your budget. Works for gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, and vegetarian diets.
Tips for Cooking on a Budget
OK these ideas aren’t rocket science, but they genuinely make a difference between food that’s just cheap and food that’s actually good.
- Build your pantry around high-value staples. Canned chickpeas, canned tuna, dried lentils, farro, rice, and canned coconut milk are all budget friendly and long-lasting.
- Choose cheaper proteins. Frozen shrimp and ground chicken are almost always cheaper than fresh.
- Cook once, eat twice. Soups, grain bowls, and curries almost always reheat well: and sometimes taste better the next day. Double the recipe when you can and freeze it for later.
- Embrace meatless meals. Some of the most satisfying, filling dinners on this list have no meat at all. Lentils, chickpeas, and beans are plant-based proteins that are a fraction of the cost of meat.
I am so excited to see this list! I make your vegetarian red beans and rice so often because it is so affordable, and was just thinking that I would love more budget-friendly ideas!
Thank you so much!
Rachel