r/Cheap_Meals • u/deesarts • 5h ago
Cheap cheap meals that feed 6?
Hey all! Me and mine have been living in a temporary situation since early/mid April. We finally got approved for SNAP, and I'm putting together a list but trying to budget as tight as possible while still feeding everybody enough. Problem is, we have no oven - only a 2 burner stovetop and microwave.
It's me, my husband, and 4 young kids. No judgement please - our only way out of this is through it, and that's what I am doing right now. Getting through it. đ
What are some of your go-to meals that are super duper cheap? I'm talking like dollar store cheap, or Great Value at Walmart cheap.
Not afraid to use some veggies. Trying to avoid too much red dye due to sensitivities.
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u/chickenladydee 4h ago
No judgement- you should also check out any food pantries in your area in my experience fresh & canned fruits and vegetables are given with staple items, (rice & pasta) they usually have meat varieties available also.
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u/Worried-Criticism 5h ago
Frozen veggie medley is your friend. You can get it cheap at Walmart and itâs a great way to bulk up pasta sauce, rice and beans, lentils and other cheap foods.
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u/C-Lekktion 5h ago
Bone in chicken or pork loin are usually the cheapest meats per lb.
Can sear in a pan, then add to cook in a pot on stove, then add rice and beans, frozen veggies. If you want fresh veg, carrots, onion, celery are all really cheap. A head of cabbage can also go a long ways.
Knorr chicken bouillon powder is great for adding flavor to stuff and fairly cheap.
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u/ophmaster_reed 4h ago
Black bean quesadillas:
Black beans (dried or canned)
Cheese (blocks are cheapest if you can shred it yourself)
Tortillas
A bit of oil
Optional: salsa for dipping
Tortellini soup:
The cheapest tortellini you can find
Whatever veggies you have available (recommend carrots, onions, celery, mushrooms and kale)
A bit of oil
Broth or bouillon cubes. Italian seasoning, garlic and paprika.
Sauté onion, celery, carrots and mushrooms in a bit of oil. Add your broth, bring to a boil. Add tortellini and boil until desired doneness. Add kale at the end. Throw in extra dairy like a splash of cream, Parmesan or whatever leftover cheese you have.
Turkey sloppy joes (make the sauce yourself to be extra frugal, but a can is still cheap). Lentils also make a great meat replacement for very cheap.
Gnocchi and sausage:
Boil the gnocchi to preferred doneness, on the other burner heat some oil and add in sliced sausages and whatever extra veggies you have on hand. Add a jar of pasta sauce and add the drained gnocchi. Extra points for Parmesan cheese.
Cheap rotisserie chickens can be deboned and tossed into just about anything.
For breakfast: eggs, oatmeal, bananas, yogurt, toast.
Lunches: pb&j or tuna salad sandwiches, ramen, bean and cheese burritos
Have you tried looking for food banks in your area? Might be worth getting some random groceries to pad out your meals.
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u/okipokidoki 4h ago
I get 2 boxes of mac n cheese (about $1 per box) and 2 cans of chili for about 75c each. Mix together to get a easy and tasty chili mac. Makes 4 very hefty servings for me, but you could get a 12-16oz bag of frozen/steamable green beans/veg to have on the side to bulk the portions out (i think a 16oz bag is around $2 at my grocer. Could also do 3 boxes and 3 cans instead of 2/2. I think thatâs around $5 to feed a family of six either way.
You also donât need butter and milk to make the mac if you donât have it, itâs mainly recommended just for richness of flavor.
Hope this helps and good luck đ«¶
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u/Dumbass9187 5h ago
Pasta, generic red sauce and TVP (textured vegetable protein) it's dehydrated soy chunks, dirt cheap and packed with protein, used to eat it a lot when I was super broke
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u/Saved_By_Yah 4h ago
Chivken Soup: One small whole chicken, one onion, 2 or 3 carrots. If possible, celery, small bag frozen peas.
I can get 3 meals out of whole chicken. Add tortillas, you have tacos. Or add mayo for chicken salad.
Rice and beans is cheap but gets old. You need a little variety.
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u/Puckled 3h ago
Beanie Weenies are fast, inexpensive and as a kid I loved them (actually I still do). My mom would sauté onions in butter, add a large can of baked beans, and then sliced rounds of hot dogs along with a generous amount of ketchup. If we had a green pepper, she would sometimes sauté that with the onions.
Later, she would boil a few of apples. Then skin and slice them and sprinkle them with cinnamon for desert. We often didn't have much when I was growing up, but in many ways we were rich.
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u/No-Method-6524 3h ago
Look on Facebook Marketplace for an Instant Pot. It would change your world especially coming into chili, soups and stews season!
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u/AustinDamsel 4h ago
Baked chicken breasts with skin on with a baked potato or rice and beans. Chili, spaghetti, pork chops and mashed potatoes.
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u/TerraRatta 4h ago
I just made a big pot of this, adding a bunch of lentils and noodles, and it turned out pretty good. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/239909/ground-beef-and-chopped-cabbage/
I basically add lentils or beans to everything now. Dried lentils and beans are super cheap.
This gal does vegan meals, but you could totally mix her low cost ingredient ideas with a little meat: https://youtu.be/Dj0UrKpd5zM?si=eb5fcjKLSodxsEKc
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u/Lly-Lly-Lly-Lly-oop 3h ago
I tried the rotisserie chicken and rice - everything put together in the container the chicken came in. It was a lot of food and really good- I had garlic powder and soy sauce and sriracha but you could use any spices the kids like- also I added a bag of frozen broccoli. The whole thing cost $10 to make and practically no clean up.
Good luck
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u/kskeiser 2h ago
Campbellâs tortilla skillet: brown a # of ground beef in a skillet. Drain fat. Add. 1/2 cup salsa, 6 flour tortillas (6â), 1 can tomato soup, 1/2 cup water. I like to add 1/2 cup sour cream, but itâs optional. Simmer 5 minutes. Add a cup of shredded cheese at the end. Let melt over low heat. Kid friendly and feeds the whole family. Edit: cut the tortillas into 1 inch pieces.
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u/Marvelgeek616 5h ago
Beans and rice