Cheap Healthy Meals

These cheap and healthy meals help you feel good about feeding your family. Choose any of these frugal recipes for easy, delicious dinners on a budget!

Have you ever thought to yourself, “I wonder how much this dinner costs?”

It could turn out that your current comfort food meal (that you thought was one of your cheap & healthy meals) could actually be costing more than you think.

I am on a mission to show you how to make cheap and healthy meals on a budget.

You are on your way to enjoying delicious, easy, dinners – while also staying within your budget!

THE BEST CHEAP & HEALTHY MEALS

Using these cheap and healthy food recipes benefits you because they’re:

• Healthy
• Made with REAL FOOD…
• AND easy-to-find ingredients from your local supermarkets
• Plus, they’re often customizable for special diets (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and more!)
• Family-friendly
• Freezer-friendly

Often, you will hear how eating a wholesome diet is too expensive. I’m here to tell you that it is possible to make cheap but healthy budget-friendly meals.

INGREDIENTS FOR CHEAP AND HEALTHY FOOD RECIPES

When you are looking for inexpensive healthy dinner recipe ideas, start with these simple, easy-to-find ingredients and whip up something that will turn into your new comfort food favorite:

• Grains
• Fresh vegetables, especially seasonal produce (tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, carrots, and potatoes tend to be super affordable!)
• Pasta
• Ground beef or ground turkey
• Chicken
• Beans (black, pinto, chickpeas, etc.)

You can always omit the meat and make a delicious vegetarian dinner. If you are gluten-free, you can substitute with a gluten free product. These low cost healthy meals can be made for anyone and everyone!

40+ CHEAP BUT HEALTHY MEALS

I made this handy list of 40+ Meals for Under $10 to help you see what is possible with frugal meal planning.

Cheap But Healthy Meals with Chicken

I typically keep All-Purpose Cooked Chicken on hand to add to a lot of quick and easy dinners, like many of these – chicken is a great source of protein! Of course, if you have chicken breasts or thighs on hand use those! Many of these can be substituted using shredded pork roast too.

• Chicken Stuffed Peppers
• One Pan Buffalo Chicken Potatoes
• Bacon Chicken Caesar Salad Wrap
• Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
• Homemade Buffalo Chicken Pizza
• Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas with Creamy Salsa Verde Sauce
• 15-Minute Kung Pao Chicken with Vegetables
• Chicken Pot Pie
• Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Low Cost Healthy Meals with Beef

High-quality beef costs a little bit more, so you want to use it in the best recipes. Luckily, these low-cost meals with beef taste great AND keep your costs down. You can also stretch ground beef to make it go even further!

• The Best Burger Recipe
• Ground Beef Taco Meat
• Homemade Hamburger Helper
• Beef Tamale Pie
• Enchilada Casserole
• Cheeseburger Soup
• Shepherd’s Pie

Cheap But Healthy Meals with Seafood

Although seafood on its own is not the most inexpensive protein, these recipes use pantry staples, bringing your overall costs way down!

• Instant Pot Steamed Shrimp with lemon
• Shrimp Creole
• Shrimp Tacos

Vegetarian Cheap & Healthy Meals

One of the easiest ways to keep food costs down is by including more meatless meals in your rotation. Try one of these vegetarian recipes in your next meal plan!

• Vegetable Stir Fry
• Homemade Cast Iron Skillet Pizza
• Easy Vegetable Fried Rice
• Black Beans and Corn Salsa Tacos
• Our Favorite Beans and Rice Recipe
• Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas
• Instant Pot Baked Potatoes with toppings
• Ridiculously Easy Potato Skins
• Thai Pineapple Vegetable Curry
• Easy Minestrone Soup

Cheap and Healthy Meals with Pasta

Many of these meals based around pasta are also meatless meals, making them great frugal dinner options. Substitute the noodles with whatever you have on hand to cut costs even more!

• Savory Pasta with Onions, Bacon and Greens
• Easy Baked Ziti
• Slow Cooker Meatless Lasagna
• Homemade Spaghetti Sauce: 15 Minute Recipe
• Stovetop Mac and Cheese
• Cheesy Mexi Lentil Macaroni
• Fried Tortellini
• Weeknight Creamy Mushroom Pasta
• Vegetable Pasta Primavera
• Skillet Pizza Veggie Pasta
• Master Pasta Salad Recipe
• Homemade Ramen Noodle Soup

These cheap and easy side dish recipes are great additions to any meal to help it stretch further:

• Oven Roasted Potatoes
• Mashed Cauliflower
• Slow Cooker Refried Beans
• Instant Pot Steamed Vegetables
• Best Kale Salad

What cheap and healthy meals do you like to cook that are under $10?