There are weeks when the grocery bill seems to climb even though you swear you bought the same things as last week. When that happens, I don’t want fifteen complicated “budget” recipes that each need a different spice, sauce and specialty ingredient. I want dinners that use the same bag of potatoes, carton of eggs and tins of beans more than once.
These frugal meal ideas are built around inexpensive staples and flexible swaps. Use the vegetables that are on special, choose frozen when fresh is expensive, and check your pantry before writing the shopping list. Half a cabbage, a lonely tin of chickpeas and the last scoop of rice can become dinner with a little planning.
I haven’t attached a price to each meal because grocery costs vary so much by location and week. The useful question is: what can you make with ingredients you’ll use again? Here are fifteen places to start.
1. Baked Potatoes With Beans and Cheese
Bake large potatoes until tender, then split them and add warmed baked beans, a little grated cheese and any leftover vegetables. A spoonful of plain yoghurt or sour cream is lovely if you already have it.
If potatoes are on special, cook a few extra. They can become tomorrow’s hash or a quick lunch.
2. Egg Fried Rice
Cold cooked rice, eggs and a handful of frozen vegetables make a fast dinner. Add soy sauce, spring onion or garlic if they’re in the cupboard.
This is particularly useful when you have small amounts of vegetables left over that won’t stretch to a meal by themselves. Chill cooked rice promptly and keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to use it.
3. Lentil and Tomato Pasta
Simmer canned tomatoes with cooked lentils, onion and garlic, then toss with pasta. The lentils make the sauce more filling without needing a large amount of mince.
Make extra sauce and freeze it in meal-sized portions. Future-you will be very pleased about that.
4. Vegetable Frittata
Eggs can turn leftover roast vegetables, cooked potato, spinach or grated zucchini into dinner. Cook everything in an oven-safe pan, add beaten eggs and finish cooking until the centre is set.
Serve with toast or salad. The next day’s slice also travels well for lunch.
5. Bean and Cheese Quesadillas
Mash canned beans with a little seasoning, spread onto tortillas and add a modest sprinkle of cheese. Fold and cook in a dry pan until crisp.
No tortillas? The same filling works in toasted sandwiches or on baked potatoes.
6. Chicken and Vegetable Soup
A small amount of cooked chicken can go a long way in a pot of soup with carrots, celery, rice or noodles. Use the vegetables you have rather than buying a special list for one recipe.
Add bread on the side and it feels like a proper cosy dinner. If you have more chicken to use up, make a second batch for the freezer.
7. One-Pot Taco Soup
Beans, tomatoes, corn and taco seasoning make a substantial soup. Add mince if it fits the budget, or let the beans do the heavy lifting.
Our one-pot taco soup feature is another place to start if this is the kind of dinner your family enjoys.
8. Tuna and Sweetcorn Pasta Bake
Mix cooked pasta with canned tuna, sweetcorn and a simple white or tomato sauce. Add cheese on top if you have enough, then bake until hot and bubbling.
Canned fish is one of those pantry items that can rescue dinner when you haven’t had time to shop.
9. Chickpea and Vegetable Curry
Simmer chickpeas with onion, tomatoes, curry spices and whatever vegetables need using. Serve over rice.
A small spoonful of yoghurt on top can soften the spice, but it’s still a good dinner without one more trip to the shops.
10. Homemade Pizza From Leftovers
A pizza base gives small amounts of leftover vegetables, chicken, ham or cheese somewhere useful to go. Try two smaller pizzas with different toppings if everyone wants something different.
You can also prepare homemade pizza for the freezer for a night when takeaway is tempting.
11. Cabbage and Noodle Stir-Fry
Cabbage is often good value and lasts well in the fridge. Slice it finely, cook until tender with onion and carrot, then toss through noodles with a simple sauce.
Add an egg, tofu or a little leftover meat if you have it. This is a good meal for using the vegetables that always seem to linger in the crisper drawer.
12. Bean Chilli Over Rice
Make a pot of chilli with kidney beans, tomatoes, onion and spices. Serve it over rice the first night and use leftovers in wraps or on baked potatoes.
Changing how you serve the second portion makes it feel less like you’re eating exactly the same dinner again.
13. Savoury Pancakes or Fritters
Grated potato, zucchini or corn can become fritters with egg and flour. Serve with a simple salad, or top with beans to make them more filling.
Fritters are also a handy answer to the question, “Is this one zucchini enough for dinner?” On its own, no. Grated into a batch of fritters, it has a fighting chance.
14. Tomato and Egg Shakshuka-Style Pan
Warm canned tomatoes with onion and spices, make little spaces in the sauce and cook eggs in them until set to your liking. Serve with toast for dipping.
A handful of spinach or some leftover beans can go into the sauce too.
15. Creamy Potato and Vegetable Soup
Cook potato with onion and whatever vegetables are available, then blend part or all of the soup for a creamy texture. You may not need cream at all.
This is another good place to use up carrots, cauliflower or the last few florets of broccoli. Add toast and dinner is sorted.
Make the Ingredients Work More Than Once
The biggest saving often comes from planning two or three meals around the same ingredients, rather than shopping for fifteen unrelated recipes. A bag of potatoes can become baked potatoes, fritters and soup. A pot of rice can accompany curry and chilli, with a freshly cooked batch set aside to chill for fried rice the next day. A block of cheese can be divided between quesadillas, pizza and a pasta bake.
Before shopping, pick a few meals from this list and write down only what you’re missing. Check the fridge first, then the pantry, then the freezer. It is not the most glamorous part of cooking, but finding a perfectly good tin of beans behind the flour feels rather like a small win.
And if your budget dinner is a packet of noodles tonight, that counts too. Our ideas for upgrading packet ramen can help you turn it into a more satisfying bowl using what you have.
Frugal cooking doesn’t have to mean serving the same plain meal all week. Start with affordable staples, change the toppings or sides, and let one good grocery shop do more than one night’s work.
You may like this cookbook for Frugal cooking
we found on Amazon for $4 meals.
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