51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (2024)

Table of Contents
Budget Seafood Recipes Black Olives, Sundried Tomatoes & Salmon Pasta Tuna Puttanesca Popular Poultry Recipes Curry Egg Salad Sandwiches Orchard Chicken Salad Spicy Chicken & Broccoli Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup Southwest Chicken Skillet Chicken Spinach Quesadillas Pesto Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli Chicken Quiche Chicken and Pumpkin Soup Cheesy Salsa Chicken + Cauli Rice Chickpea Alfredo With Veggies Shredded Chicken Tacos Basic Egg Fried Rice Turkey Ham and Beans Homemade Sushi Budget Beans & Lentil Recipes Black Bean, Bell Pepper Wraps Sriracha Chickpea Burrito Slow Cooker Lentil Chili Walnut-Lentil Patties Beef and Black Bean Chili Red Beans and Sausage Lentil Beef and Red Pepper Soup Tuna and White Bean Salad Curried Chickpeas w/ Fried Potatoes Victorious Veggie Roasted Salad with Raspberries Kale and Swiss Mushroom Strata Vegan Winter Lentil Stew Mushroom Stroganoff One-Pot Eggplant Pasta Apple-Dijon Kale Salad Peanut Fettuccine with Roasted Cauliflower Vegan Fajita Rice Bowl Creamy Vegetable Linguine Spinach, Mushroom, and Feta Quiche Sweet Potato Quinoa Casserole Budget Pork Recipes Bean Bacon Tomato Stew Five-Spice Pork Kabobs Jamaican Pork Stir-Fry Pinto Beans with Chorizo Cilantro-Lime Pork Spaghetti Squash and Meat Sauce Oven Pepperoni Pizza Bites Frugal Beef Recipes Beef, Cabbage, and Tomato Soup Beef, Mushroom, and Barley Soup Chili-Pasta Skillet Beef & Broccoli (Instant Pot) Simple Beef Stew Italian-Style French Dips Cheater Korean Beef FAQs

14K Shares

On a tight budget? Yeah, I know that feeling. You know the budget-friendly classics: rice, beans, cabbage, and chicken. It can get old after a week or two. Here are some various healthy, easy, uncomplicated recipes to make for dinner. We carefully vetted that all will come under $2 per meal or less.

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (1)
⭐Recommended Reads
  • 33 Authentic Ways To Get Free Amazon Gift Card
  • 22 Best Sites to Score FREE Product Samples By Mail
  • VeryDice Review: Win Real Stuff With This Free App

Make More & Take Charge of Your Money

6-Figure Income OnlyFans Masterclass: When Rose, top .1% of adult models on OnlyFans, reached out to me about her online course I was skeptical. Hundreds of course sellers & businesses want to work with me, I rarely say yes. But as I learned more about her humble background, OnlyFans modeling experience, her SIX figure earnings, 7+ year modeling experience, and mastery of how to succeed on OnlyFans, I was impressed. You can replicate her success too, check out Rose’s proven strategies on how to earn 6-figures on OnlyFans.

$5 Meal Plan: Meal planning can take loads of time, stress, and money you shouldn’t be spending. That’s where the $5 meal plan comes in. They will give you a customized meal plan, recipes, and grocery list to take the headaches out of meal planning. They have afree 14-day trial, risk-free and you can cancel anytime.

Personal Capital: Sign up and use Personal Capital’s budgeting & net worth calculatorsfor FREE. We use them every week to automate our finances. Think of it as a secure central command station for your finances. It’s awesome!

Table of Contents

Budget Seafood Recipes

Black Olives, Sundried Tomatoes & Salmon Pasta

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (2)

The 99 cent chef is a great blog for those on a budget. Recreate this scrumptious recipe with simple Dollar Store items, mix and enjoy!

Tuna Puttanesca

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (3)

Most of the ingredients needed in this recipe are already available in the kitchen. This meal is attractive in the eye as well as delicious.

Popular Poultry Recipes

Curry Egg Salad Sandwiches

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (4)

One batch of this sandwich can feed up to 12 people. Not to mentiont that this recipe will only cost $1 per serving.

Orchard Chicken Salad

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (5)

Want to make an easy chicken salad that can last up to 3 – 5 days? Look no more — this chicken salad is tasty, inexpensive, and a healthy meal.

Spicy Chicken & Broccoli

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (6)

Craving for something spicy? With a few basic kitchen ingredients and jasmine rice, you can have a fancy meal.

Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (7)

If you’re a fan of light but creamy broth, this recipe is a must try. The recipe serves 8 people with $0.91 per serving.

Southwest Chicken Skillet

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (8)

Flavorful and seasone with Mexican spices, added with lemon juice and leftover chicken. Southwest Chicken Skillet serves 4 people and is ready after an hour.

Chicken Spinach Quesadillas

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (9)

Love chicken? Spinach? Tortillas? You can have all of these three easy to make and cheap recipe.

Pesto Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (10)

Pasta is inexpensive and great for stretching that hard earned dollar. With this recipe, the vibrant flavor and tangy creem cheese will still provide you a fancy dinner.

Chicken Quiche

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (11)

You now have a reason to love refrigerated pie crust. This recipe is perfect for leftover vegetables and chicken.

Chicken and Pumpkin Soup

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (12)

Want to whip up pumpkin soup? Chicken and pumpkin might sound weird, but once you tried this recipe, nothing can go wrong with your pumpkin soup cravings.

Cheesy Salsa Chicken + Cauli Rice

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (13)

Keto Diet doesn’t always have to be about meat and bread. This keto recipe fills your carb intake while protecting your pennies.

Chickpea Alfredo With Veggies

Are you looking for a new chickpea recipe. Chickpea Alfredo with Spring veggies is a nutritional meal that yields 6 servings in one cooking.

Shredded Chicken Tacos

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (14)

Get ready for an explosion of flavor. This recipe enables the chicken to absorb all the flavors from other ingredients and making it a unique experience.

Basic Egg Fried Rice

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (15)

Fried rice is a good way to reuse all the leftovers and make something good out of it. A filling and cheap meal is always welcome.

Turkey Ham and Beans

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (16)

Simple Turkey Ham and Beans recipe that is cheap and easy to make. With only 15 minutes, you have delicious comfort food on your plate.

Homemade Sushi

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (17)

Not the easiest thing to prepare, but Sushi can offer your tongue a pleasant combination of flavor and texture. Its ingredients can also found easily in your fridge.

Budget Beans & Lentil Recipes

Black Bean, Bell Pepper Wraps

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (18)

Have you ever wonder if a meatless wrap would taste good? These wraps are flavorful enough to make you forget meat for a while.

⭐Recommended Reads:
  • 3 Best Weight Loss Challenges for Money
  • 7+ Companies That Will Pay You To Lose Weight

Sriracha Chickpea Burrito

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (19)

Another recipe for the chickpea lover, but this time, its on the wraps. You can put all the leftover vegetables in this recipe.

Slow Cooker Lentil Chili

Slow Cooker Lentil Chili will surely appeal to Vegetiarians who craves for this meal. It is freezer friendly and can serve 6 people for $0.77.

Walnut-Lentil Patties

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (20)

When doing this recipe, be sure to press chopped walnuts into the patty before cooking. Walnuts provide a great crunch for the meal.

Beef and Black Bean Chili

Beef and Black Bean Chili can be made with under $3 and can make up to 8 servings. This makes this savory and tasty chili to be under $1 per serving.

Red Beans and Sausage

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (21)

Beans are healthy and cheap food for people who want to save money. Red Beans and Sausage is the ultimate comfort food recipe for people who like flavorful, filling, and cheap meal at the same time.

Lentil Beef and Red Pepper Soup

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (22)

Another beef recipe for in this entry. If you’re for a French meal, this soup is flavorful but low on calories.

Tuna and White Bean Salad

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (23)

This tuna salad can be paired with pita bread or cracker for a quick and delicious lunch. Add pepper, a pinch of salt, and you have yourself a delicious meal.

Curried Chickpeas w/ Fried Potatoes

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (24)

When you have most of the ingredients in this recipe, the serving will only cost $1.53. This recipe is also good for weight loss.

Victorious Veggie

Roasted Salad with Raspberries

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (25)

Raspberries in a salad? Here’s a way to enjoy your favorite fruit that his healthy and delicious!

Kale and Swiss Mushroom Strata

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (26)

Pro-tip: if not fond of Kale, you can substitute spinach for this recipe. It needs a lot of time for preparation, but it will all be worth it.

Vegan Winter Lentil Stew

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (27)

Vegan Winter Lentil Stew is a rich and hearty meal that goes perfectly with bread or cracker. A perfect combination with your morning toasts and can serve up to 12 cups.

Mushroom Stroganoff

This recipe turns basic materials into a creamy and flavorful dish. It is ready to serve in ust 30 minutes.

One-Pot Eggplant Pasta

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (28)

A recipe with three easy step: Place, Heat, Add. One-Pot Eggplant Pasta is ready in 30 minutes.

Apple-Dijon Kale Salad

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (29)

When it comes to healthy lunches, Apple-Dijon Kale Salad could be your number one choice. It can also be stored for 3-4 days.

Peanut Fettuccine with Roasted Cauliflower

It doesn’t have to be expensive to eat healthy. Peanut Fettuccine with Roasted Cauliflower can serve 4 people for $2 per serving.

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (30)

Vegan Fajita Rice Bowl

Fancy a Fajita? This Vegan Fajita Bowl is packed with nutritious ingredients and only costs $1.70 per serving.

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (31)

Creamy Vegetable Linguine

With a luscious cream sauce and high protein content, this linguine is the perfect dish for vegans. It also costs only $1.50 per serving.

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (32)

Spinach, Mushroom, and Feta Quiche

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (33)

Crustless Quiche? No, this is not a Frittata. With the rich texture from the baked egg and cheese custard, it’ll melt in your mouth.

Sweet Potato Quinoa Casserole

This quinoa recipe can feed 6 people. What’s good with this is that although the cook time is long, the prep time is just ten minutes.

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (34)

Budget Pork Recipes

Bean Bacon Tomato Stew

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (35)

What makes this recipe a good budget meal is that it only costs $1.50 per servings. It keeps well in the fridge, so you can make batches and divide your consumption.

Five-Spice Pork Kabobs

These five spices came from the Chinese five-spice powder. Marinated for 20-30 minutes, then you’re done.

Jamaican Pork Stir-Fry

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (36)

A stir-fry is easy to make, healthy, flavorful, and cheap. With this Jamaican Pork Stir-Fry, soy sauce and peanuts can be added for flavor.

Pinto Beans with Chorizo

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (37)

Pinto Beans with Chorizo is perfect if you want a fancy meal but you only have an instant pot with you. You can use Bettern Than Bouillon if a low-sodium chicken broth is not available.

Cilantro-Lime Pork

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (38)

Slow cooker noms! You only need five different ingredients for this recipe. Flour tortillas can be omitted or not based on your preference.

Spaghetti Squash and Meat Sauce

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (39)

A new kind of spaghetti for the adventurous eater. Spaghetti squash and meat sauce is an easy and cheap recipe that can yield up to 6 servings.

Oven Pepperoni Pizza Bites

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (40)

Have you ever wonder what it would feel like to eat pizza in bite-size pieces? Polka Dot Pizza can make that pizza experience possible. The topping choices are up to you, but chicken and pork are the most budget friendly!

Frugal Beef Recipes

Beef, Cabbage, and Tomato Soup

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (41)

What makes this recipe very good is the combination of savory flavor from the main ingredients. Its the perfect soup for those who feels lazy in winters.

Beef, Mushroom, and Barley Soup

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (42)

It’s hard to feed a lot of people when you just have a few dollars to spare. With this recipe, you can feed your whole family and have some leftovers for tomorrow.

Chili-Pasta Skillet

Chili-Pasta Skillet is a cheap meal that can be ready for 35 minutes. Add your favorite cheese and you’re all set for the day.

Beef & Broccoli (Instant Pot)

During a lazy day, this is perfect for people who just want to have a meal done without a lot of preparations. Best served with rice.

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (43)

Simple Beef Stew

This is another meal for those who only have an instant pot. It is a fast recipe, but the taste feels like it is slow-cooked.

Italian-Style French Dips

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (44)

Want a sandwich on a rainy day? Partner iwth a hot cocoa, this sandwich can yield four servings.

Cheater Korean Beef

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (45)

The Korean Beef is usually eaten over rice or in a lettuce wrap. The beef stays juicy after absorbing all the sweet and spicy flavor from other ingredients.

14K Shares

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (2024)

FAQs

What to make for dinner when you have no food or money? ›

15 Delicious Things to Throw Together When You're Pressed for Food Options
  • Buttery, gooey grilled cheese. ...
  • PB&J because duh. ...
  • Tuna melt tostadas. ...
  • Pancakes! ...
  • Scrambled eggs. ...
  • Waffles. ...
  • A Hagrid-size bowl of cereal. ...
  • Spaghetti carbonara.
Apr 28, 2020

What are some low cost meals? ›

65 Easy And Cheap Dinner Ideas That You'll Want To Make On Repeat
  • Sweet Potato And Black Bean Burritos. tasty.co. ...
  • Barbecue Beer Can Chicken. tasty.co. ...
  • Zucchini Noodles with Kale Pesto. ...
  • One-Pot Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta. ...
  • Chicken Alfredo Penne. ...
  • Avocado Quinoa Power Salad. ...
  • Tofu Scramble. ...
  • Egg Pizza With Scallions.
Dec 21, 2023

What is the cheapest meal you can live by? ›

Cheapest Foods to Live On:
  • Oatmeal.
  • Eggs.
  • Bread.
  • Rice.
  • Bananas.
  • Beans.
  • Apples.
  • Pasta.

What to cook when broke? ›

So here are seven of our favorite recipes for when you're too afraid to even check your bank account.
  • Spinach & Mushroom Pasta. ...
  • Broccoli & Cauliflower Egg-Fried Quinoa. ...
  • Hassle-Free Garlic-Rosemary Roasted Potatoes, Onions, Peppers & Carrots. ...
  • The Patriot: Pork Chop, Sauteed Spinach & Baked Tater.

What to make when you have no money? ›

Here are some additional cheap easy meals to make when you're broke:
  • Tuna Melts.
  • Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
  • Lentil Soup.
  • Fried Rice.
  • Potato Soup.
  • Vegetable Soup.
  • Hamburger Stew.
  • Macaroni and Cheese.
Apr 18, 2020

What to do if you're hungry but have no food? ›

They say that gargling water or mouthwash really helps. You may also notice that one tends to forget to eat when occupied, so busying yourself with work or chores will also help take your mind off food and hunger. Drinking water is another quick solution, if you have some water.

How to make cheap meals for 4? ›

SHEET PAN DINNERS
  1. Sheet Pan Kielbasa, Potatoes, and Green Beans.
  2. Sheet Pan BBQ Meatballs.
  3. Sheet Pan BBQ Meatloaf Dinner.
  4. Sheet Pan Pizza.
  5. One Pot Cheeseburger Pasta.
  6. Cheesy Sausage Pasta.
  7. Creamy Chicken and Rice Skillet.
  8. One Pot Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Rice.
Mar 31, 2023

What is the cheapest food that can feed a lot of people? ›

Feed the masses without breaking the bank with these budget-friendly dishes.
  • Mexican Lasagne. A spicy lasagne for those of us who love Mexican and Italian food. ...
  • Cheese Cob Dip. ...
  • The Best Burger in Oz. ...
  • Kangaroo Casserole. ...
  • Sausage Casserole. ...
  • Nanna's golden sausage casserole. ...
  • Quiche Lorraine. ...
  • Turkey and Pumpkin Lasagne.

How do you feed a family of 5 for $10? ›

Ten Healthy Family Meals Under $10
  1. Healthy Fried Rice.
  2. Pasta Salad.
  3. Fettuccini Alfredo… or Bowtie, or Shells, or Rotini.
  4. Rosemary White Bean Soup or Turkey White Bean Chili.
  5. Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos.
  6. Black-eyed Peas and Pork…with Kale.
  7. Enchilada Casserole.
  8. Down-home Macaroni and Cheese.

What can I bake to save money? ›

Budget-friendly baking recipes
  • Basic muffin recipe. A star rating of 4.5 out of 5. ...
  • Peanut butter cookies. A star rating of 4.6 out of 5. ...
  • Lemon drizzle sponge pudding. A star rating of 4.9 out of 5. ...
  • Classic white loaf. ...
  • Double ginger cookies. ...
  • Lighter gingerbread. ...
  • Coconut & mango sponge. ...
  • Mini chocolate cheesecakes.

How to feed 100 people cheap? ›

Serving budget-friendly cuisines like salads, sandwiches and pasta dishes can be a very cost-effective choice. Or, if you're looking for a more casual option, how about a barbeque? Burgers, hot dogs and other grill-oriented foods are sure to be crowd favorites, and they won't rack up a big bill.

How to cook for a lot of people cheap? ›

What is the Best Way to Feed A Lot of People?
  1. Choose a recipe that can be scaled up without having to cook or bake more batches.
  2. Create a “Bar” and feed everyone cafeteria style, such as a potato bar. ...
  3. Slow cooker/Instant Pot to the rescue!
  4. Make as much food ahead of time as you can.
Nov 19, 2021

How do you feed a family of 4 on $10 a day? ›

Ten Healthy Family Meals Under $10
  1. Healthy Fried Rice.
  2. Pasta Salad.
  3. Fettuccini Alfredo… or Bowtie, or Shells, or Rotini.
  4. Rosemary White Bean Soup or Turkey White Bean Chili.
  5. Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos.
  6. Black-eyed Peas and Pork…with Kale.
  7. Enchilada Casserole.
  8. Down-home Macaroni and Cheese.

What can I cook for under $30? ›

30 dinners under under $30 the whole family will love
  • Pumpkin soup. ...
  • Risotto carbonara. ...
  • Tuna and caper pasta with crispy breadcrumbs. ...
  • Matt Preston's French onion soup. ...
  • Spaghetti in cherry tomato sauce. ...
  • Roasted sweet potatoes with chilli and seeds. ...
  • Quick and delicious mushroom and thyme soup. ...
  • Cauliflower soup.

How can I feed 50 guests cheap? ›

Feed the masses without breaking the bank with these budget-friendly dishes.
  1. Mexican Lasagne. A spicy lasagne for those of us who love Mexican and Italian food. ...
  2. Cheese Cob Dip. ...
  3. The Best Burger in Oz. ...
  4. Kangaroo Casserole. ...
  5. Sausage Casserole. ...
  6. Nanna's golden sausage casserole. ...
  7. Quiche Lorraine. ...
  8. Turkey and Pumpkin Lasagne.

Is it cheaper to make dinner at home? ›

For those who want a quick and easy answer: It's generally cheaper to cook food at home than eat out. The reason so many people can get stuck on the question is the human psychology variable. People don't always spend wisely, and it isn't as if prices are always the same at a supermarket or a fast food restaurant.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Otha Schamberger

Last Updated:

Views: 6331

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (55 voted)

Reviews: 86% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Otha Schamberger

Birthday: 1999-08-15

Address: Suite 490 606 Hammes Ferry, Carterhaven, IL 62290

Phone: +8557035444877

Job: Forward IT Agent

Hobby: Fishing, Flying, Jewelry making, Digital arts, Sand art, Parkour, tabletop games

Introduction: My name is Otha Schamberger, I am a vast, good, healthy, cheerful, energetic, gorgeous, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.