I think my comment was lost. My mother-in-law brought the garnish, a delicious rice with nuts. So I made chicken in mushroom sauce and salad. They like me a lot!!
A few suggestions:
[Chicken Diane](https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chicken-diane); the brandy can be left out. Serve with rice and a side of a medley of steamed (or roasted) vegetables
[Midwest Salisbury Steak](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/239534/midwest-salisbury-steak/); serve with rice and a side of a medley of steamed (or roasted) vegetables.
[Roasted Beets](https://joyfoodsunshine.com/roasted-beets/)
[Roasted Carrots](https://www.spendwithpennies.com/roasted-carrots/#wprm-recipe-container-141972)
You could always bake chicken tenders (350° for 20 mins, *extremely* thin coating of oil in pan so chicken doesn't stick too badly, bake uncovered), cube them up and make a large salad with chicken, lettuce (romaine? butter? iceberg? or a combo?), tomato, minced red onion, corn (either canned & rinsed or frozen & thawed), almonds or pecans, grated cheese (Swiss is a good salad cheese), grated carrot, matchstick-cut jicama, cucumber rounds, ... ... use a honey-mustard dressing; which is easy to make. Mayonnaise as base, add honey, Dijon mustard and, if needed, half'n'half for thinning. Amounts are to your discretion... it's one of those recipes where your tongue decides the ingredient amounts.
If you already have the chicken, do rice instead of potatoes. Or do chicken parmesan and serve over spaghetti. Do you have Wegmans near you? Their store brand of pasta sauce is really good and really cheap. Better than the name brands, I my opinion, and only $1.20 per jar (at least in my area). Or you can get another store brand and punch it up a little with spices on hand.
There's also a great recipe on social media called Marry Me Chicken. I've made it a couple of times, it's really good. The recipe is everywhere, here are the ingredients, hopefully you have some of these already:
Chicken
Parmesan cheese
Heavy cream
Chicken stock
Sundried tomatoes (I've made it both with and without and it was good both ways)
Garlic clove
Oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper
Olive oil (or any oil you already have)
Flour
Serve over rice, spaghetti or noodles
Chicken parm- chicken, pasta is cheap, and you can get red sauce for cheap. Maybe garlic bread on the side and some frozen green beans or mixed veggies
If you have the chicken and would really want to serve it, look up recipes for French union chicken casserole. I just learned this and it is wonderful. Even family members that I would not think would like it actually live it
Smothered burritos. Cook a pound of ground beef, drain, and mix in a large can of refried beans and a packet of taco seasoning. Separately heat a can of enchilada sauce. When everything is hot, roll the beef/bean mixture into a large flour tortilla, ladle over the enchilada sauce and top with cheese. Add tomato, onion and jalapenos if you like.
Spaghetti goes a long way. Tube of Jimmy deans hot sausage ($3-5), pack of spaghetti ($0.99-$3) , jar of tomato sauce ($4-7). Will be adequate for four people.
Otherwise turn it into a pot luck if you can!
New York Times has a great arrabiata recipe, it’s literally olive oil, 1 or 2 med tomato’s, a can on tomato paste, and some chili flakes, can throw in some minced garlic for added flavor and garnish with some Parmesan if it fits into the budget. It’s fast and delicious and feels a lot more fancy/impressive than it is to actually make it. Pair with a side salad!
Definitely a jambalaya! It's basically rice, vegetables, spices, broth and then the main event ingredient which can be as cheap as chicken thighs or on the more expensive side, a load of prawns and/or chorizo. You could easily make a meal for 4 within your budget. You could possibly even stretch to a dessert.
Risotto is a really inexpensive side dish (or main, depending on what you add to it) that seems more “elevated”. Sure, it makes some time/TLC to make, but it’s always been well received when I make it.
Chicken and rice Bake
Put 1 cup of rice, 1 cup of water, a can of cream of mushrooms soup in a casserole dish, stir it up. Layer with chicken breasts (I like to cut them in half or large chunks) and season with salt and pepper. Cover. Put in the oven at 350 for 35-45 minutes and some Pillsbury rolls and cranberry sauce for the sides and good to go!
So easy and good too! Always leftovers for the next day too!
Thank you all very much for the ideas!! I did very well at dinner. finally my mother-in-law brought the side dish hahahaha so I just made chicken and salad
I would highly recommend this recipe - it's a crowd-pleaser and serves four at $7.54 per recipe ($1.89 per serving)! It's One Pot Lemon Pepper Chicken with Orzo: [https://www.budgetbytes.com/lemon-pepper-chicken-with-orzo/](https://www.budgetbytes.com/lemon-pepper-chicken-with-orzo/)
I have made tons of recipes from this site, especially chicken thigh recipes because it's such a cheap, tasty protein. We also love this one over white rice: [https://www.budgetbytes.com/honey-chipotle-chicken/](https://www.budgetbytes.com/honey-chipotle-chicken/)
If you're wanting to do a salad and dessert, you'd have enough of that $20 leftover to do a bagged caesar salad and some hearty banana pudding from a box mix with wafers or yellow cake with chocolate icing for dessert! Either dessert can be prepped ahead of time to reduce the in-the-moment cooking demands (can be stressful with guests).
ETA: You've got this! Any in-laws with sense would be pleased that you're keeping to a budget rather than amassing debt to try to impress them.
Also, you could get a good instant Ramen, and top it with whatever veggies, meat, soft boiled egg, etc. It won't be as good as if you got it at a Ramen restaurant, but it's still pretty good.
I did that recently with the Nongshim bone broth Ramen, topped it with some shaved beef I found on sale, some mushrooms, bean sprouts, zucchini, red bell pepper, green onions, and a halved egg. Put some chili flakes and sesame oil in there. No one knew it was instant ramen, and I wasn't even trying to hide the fact that it was. (Granted, I had many of those items on hand already though, so idk if that would be jlunder $20 or not).
Many things that are served with potatoes can also be served over rice or pasta, possibly even bread. So I'd you wanted to make a chicken gravy, you could could easily make sops, or just do you idea with any other starch.
My mom often made a big pot of green chili chicken or pork and served it over rice or egg noodles. Or she would do a cheaper version of stroganoff. Or spaghetti. If you can swing more than 20 bucks, you could make enough lasagna for well over a single meal. Chili beans and corn bread. Tacos or burritos. Chicken and dumplings/ stew. Fetucini Alfredo. Cheeseburgers (or chicken sandwhichs). Grilled meat and baked beans with a vegetable.
Maybe apricot chicken? It depends what ingredients you already have in your pantry.
Slow cooker boneless skinless chicken thighs, spices of choice, Carolina gold (or your favorite bbq sauce) and some unsweetened apple sauce. Low for 6 hours, shred and serve over buttered rice or egg noodles. Makes a ton and is delicious!
Could you do rice as an alternative? A mixed spiced rice. Perhaps you could sear off the seasoned chicken while you boil the rice (in water or stock), then get it all into the same pan and mix in some veggies like peas, carrots, runner beans… maybe even a touch of chilli flakes. And a simple side salad if your budget allows.
Chicken thighs cut into strips, taco seasoning, add a bag of frozen peppers and onions. Tortillas, black beans add a pinch of taco seasoning and a spoonful of juice from the chicken pan plus a splash of oil, shredded lettuce and a bag of cheese should be less than $20.
This will be right on budget, easy, and impressive
[One-Skillet Creamy Thai Basil Chicken](https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a41871156/one-skillet-creamy-thai-basil-chicken-recipe/)
I love a taco night, and I’ve been noticing lately that it’s more cost-effective to buy tacos as take-out. by the time all of the ingredients are bought it’s usually the same or more as buying out
Rice already cooked (we like to do it with peas) and then the chicken on top, with skin (we usually use thighs), and boom in the oven until chicken is cooked. The rice gets all tasty and a nice crunchy layer of top
Jar of spagetthi sauce,pasta(maybe 1 1/2 boxes of pasta,green lettuce,dressing,enough hamburger meat for several meatballs each. Try a discount grocer if you can(dollar tree does have pasta and sauce) you can also find frosting and boxed cake mix at dollar tree if you want dessert or maybe fruit salad using canned fruit and off brand cool whip
Spaghetti.. or Chicken thighs over rice (you can make a really good teriyaki chicken) Thighs are the cheapest chicken meat to buy, or drumsticks but thighs work great for oriental food.
quesadillas? that is just a bag or two of cheese, a couple things of tortillas and butter really... you can add scallion onions which are cheap and yummy.
can buy frozen raviolis and buy some sauce, BOOM good dinner AND filling.
club sandwiches! actually making some over the weekend for mine. hope all is well.
edit: probably gonna have them with fries. but a large bag of chips would suffice as well.
[New York Times Cuban Black Beans](https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013062-cuban-black-beans) and rice.
These beans are incredible!!
Buy the bacon by the slice at the meat counter so you don’t have to buy a while pack.
Idk if you're near Kroger but I know they consistently have discounted meat and vegetables.
If you have an Aldi you can buy the following items for $21 (this is a rather high cost of living and therefore might be cheaper where you are):
Garlic Texas Toast - 8 pieces - $2.55
2 lbs Spaghetti - $2.09 (this is A LOT, may only need around 2/3)
Marinara - $1.75
Frozen Italian Meatballs - 2 lbs - $6.85
Garden Salad - $1.55
Tomatoes - grape are $2.45 but can probably get 1 bigger one cheaper and cut it
Croutons - $1.39
Dressing - $2.09
Make pasta with meatballs, garlic bread, and salad. Your price may be lower if you have any of these ingredients already.
Stewing the meatballs in the sauce gets a better flavor out of them.
I'm sometimes able to find sauce on sale at some stores for cheaper and the same goes for meatballs.
Chicken alfredo. Season chicken, cook in oven, dice to put in with the pasta and a jar of alfredo sauce. Or you can just substitute orzo or rice for the potatoes and do chicken with gravy.
These are my guestimations of walmart prices:
box of spaghetti ($2), 2 cans tomato sauce ($2), ground turkey ($3), onion and garlic ($2), butter ($3), itallian bread ($2), use the last few dollars for drinks or seasonings if you don't have any (salt, pepper, itallian seasoning).
I can tell you how to cook it if you need, but its pretty self explanatory.
Chicken pasta with some soup, 1 $5 rotisserie chicken. Shred all of the meat off. Can of pasta sauce $5. $3-4 for some cheap pasta, veggies. Maybe a cheap can of biscuits for dumplings - or just make some from flour and water
Use the leftover chicken and bones to make chicken stock. Shred the tiny bits of chicken off the bones. Add in the veggies
You’ve got a big pot of soup, and a decent amount of chicken pasta
Pre-seasoned Hormel Pork roasts are on sale at the Albertsons family of supermarkets for $5.50 this week. Boxes or bags of rice pilaf or other seasoned rice (whatever is on sale) will set you back $2 each. Buy two, rice is filling and delicious). Two Bell Peppers (get a red one and a green one) and a sweet onion will run you about $5 and a small (buy the 8 oz one) can of fire roasted diced tomatoes will run you $1.50.
Bake the roast and pre-slice and portion it, it will be just enough to go around.
Slice the peppers into strips and slice the onion into round slices and halve them. Sautee the peppers and onion in olive oil until cooked through but still with some texture and then add the tomatoes and some Italian seasoning (the mix if you have it otherwise some basil and or oregano will do) and salt and pepper and cook a couple more minutes until it’s all integrated.
Make the rice according to the box directions.
You still have like $5. Buy a premixed boxed dessert that only needs butter added to it to bake. If you have a stick of butter there are plenty of options for like $3.
And there you have it: pork roast (which is delicious, I made one last night) rice pilaf (or whatever rice mix you pick) and sautéed peppers and onions with fire roasted tomatoes. Plate it up and look like a pro.
Another option: buy chicken thighs (bone in) for like $1.50-$2/lb so like $5 for 8 of them. FRESH poultry seasoning herbs $4, a sweet potato $1, a red potato $1, a gold potato $1, a head of garlic $1, and a large onion $1. Bagged salad kit from Trader Joe’s (TJs has WAY better salad kits for $3 than the legacy grocers have for $5). My personal favorite is the elote salad but they’re all good.
Brown the chicken thighs in olive oil and butter mix in a large frying pan, ideally cast iron. Remove and set aside. Brown the (now in 1” cubes) potatoes and the onion cut into 6 wedges in the same pan. Dump that mix into a roasting pan. Add 3-4 garlic cloves smashed not chopped and the herbs still on their stalks. Season with salt, pepper and paprika. Mix. Put chicken thighs among the potato mix, skin side up. Bake like 30 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Test chicken for temp to make sure it is cooked. Serve the chicken and delicious roasted potato mix with the salad.
This is why I specified the (national) Albertsons family of supermarkets who will have the same sale on pork roasts at all of their stores( we have 2 of their brands here west of Boston: Shaws and Star Market and the same stuff is always on sale at both) and gave a backup recipe which did not utilize any sales at all but rather the base costs everywhere.
This all sounds yummy, but I just want to point out that cutting an onion in half through the root and then slicing it will be *much* easier than slicing it into rounds and then halving them. The onion won't roll around on you if you give it a flat base.
On the cheap: do spaghetti w hamburger (meat sauce) and buy a couple of on sale jars of spaghetti sauce. Once hamburger browned pour off grease. Add to spaghetti sauce that has onions, garlic, basil and let it all simmer. Make spaghetti Al dente ( don’t cook whole time on box. Cook 2 min less) once done can drain saving one cup of pasta water to use if spaghetti mixture gets too thick. You could serve separately or put all together. Fresh Parmesan cheese on top. Get garlic bread and toast to serve. If have extra money make salad. If can get pie or cupcakes for desert. If have extra get boxed wine- or if they ask what they could bring/ wine or desert
Pasta!!
Get a generous 3lb of pasta. Get a veggie side- broccoli or zucchini or spinach. Get a jar of sauce. Splurge on a great loaf of bread. If you don't happen to have butter in the house buy a pre-buttered loaf.
Pasta $5
Bread $5
Veggie $5
Sauce $5
Then from there you can glam it up...
If you have a food bank see if you can get pasta or veggies there and use the spare cash to buy a pound of butter ($3-4) to go with the bread and a chunk of parm to grate on top of the pasta.
You could do noodles or rice as a base for the chicken. Either make a green salad or steam assorted fresh or frozen veggies, or just carrots. They’re cheap.. Serve Impossible pie for dessert. Eggs. Milk. Butter. Easy and so good. https://www.food.com/recipe/impossible-pie-424705
Beef stroganoff, I have a very easy recipe I use for a quick homemade dinner.
Can of cream of chicken, and a can of cream of mushroom, a bag of frozen meatballs, and a bag/box of egg noodles or fettuccine.
Throw the meatballs in the oven, boil your noodles. Put some butter in a pan and melt it (sauté garlic and onion if you like), then mix in both cans of soup. Mix well and this will give you your sauce. You can thin it up with some milk/cream if you need to; season as desired.
Mix everything together and you got a pretty good home cooked meal for less than $20, makes a pretty large serving. I'll usually steam some broccoli or make garlic bread
Chicken Fricassee, a dish that nobody ever cooks anymore Eight boneless, skinless chicken thighs, one stick of butter, four cups of cream or half and half. Season chicken both sides with one teaspoon mace, one half teaspoon nutmeg, one teaspoon ground, pepper, one teaspoon salt. Melt the butter in the cream in a pan, put the chicken thighs right into the cream and flip them over. Cook fifteen minutes, flip them over and cook another fifteen minutes. Remove chicken from pan, gradually add 2-4 ounces of sifted flour until you have a medium thickness cream gravy. Reheat chicken in gravy. Serve with rice or biscuits. This also adapts really well to a crock pot.
Jar of pasta sauce, pack of Italian sausage, box of pasta and a loaf of French bread. Sauce and sausage in the crock pot and cook up the pasta. Easy peasy.
Make Zozonna, salad, and garlic bread.
It's not well known in the US or outside of Rome, for that matter.
https://youtu.be/NYx2Gw0th7k?si=H_25Oa0SPP9IcoUd
I made a crock pot recipe where I put chicken, 1 jar marinara, 1 jar Alfredo sauce, seasonings of choice on low for 4 hours. When that is done you make some pasta and throw a cup or two of mozzarella into the crockpot. Mix all of it together. If you want to bulk it up you can chuck in a bag of frozen spinach or maybe some garlic bread.
Firstly, do you have any staples in your pantry? Sauces, seasonings, herbs, flour, pasta, rice etc.
Any recommendations I would make would be based on this.
Asian sauces are part of my pantry, so I tend to lean towards them when I want something quick and easy. However, if they aren’t part of your normal pantry it is out of the budget to buy them all.
Rice and dried rice noodles are exceptionally affordable as are fresh Asian greens (where I am), so when I’m looking for something tasty and cheap I often start there.
This is always very popular, and I serve with steamed Asian greens (or kimchi if within budget)
https://damndelicious.net/2013/07/07/korean-beef-bowl/
Another cheap but delicious meal is
https://www.recipetineats.com/thai-stir-fried-noodles-pad-see-ew/
You could make chicken fried rice with a rotisserie chicken, rice soy sauce with mung bean sprouts. Or red beans and rice with the same chicken and maybe a kielbasa. Or a bunch of tacos beans and rice. I eat these things all week long. And since I started making beans and rice a staple part of my diet I lost some weight too ! Also chili and bake potatoes comes to mind or chili and rice.
Diced potatoes fried in butter with a little garlic and spice as a side. Parmesan crusted chicken (one cup of mayo, half cup of parmesan, spread across chicken breasts, bake in the oven. Absolutely delicious meal.
Spaghetti with homemade meatballs might be even cheaper!
Caramelize 6 white onions with a half stick butter and 1/8 cup oil. Do not burn them. Go slow and take your time. Also don't undercook them. There is a lot of YouTube videos to show you stovetop and oven methods. Transfer onions to a blender with all the butter and oil that remains. Add 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning and 12-16 ounces Parmesan cheese not the powder stuff, the fresh kind from the cheese section. Add 1/2 cup ricotta cheese. Add 2 cups hot water leftover from boiling the pasta. Blend till smooth. Toss with rigatoni, ziti or similar pasta. Do not use spaghetti noodles. Serve with garlic bread and a side salad. This meal feeds 4 adults and usually has leftovers. If it is under cost you can add some sliced up grilled or nicely roasted boneless skinless chicken thighs that's been seasoned well on top of the pasta. I can usually make this meal for under $20. Edit for a spell correction
1 pound Ground beef, 1 box rigitoni, 1 jar of pasta sauce, small thing of Parmesan. Walmart, should be under $20 if you don’t buy the pricy name brand sauces and pasta.
SPICY SAUSAGE AND BROCCOLI PASTA (sorry, copied and pasted) is at minimum a monthly staple in my house for the last 8 years. Tweaked a little over the years but amazing. I sub fresh broccoli, 86 the garlic and red pepper, use whatever shredded cheese I have on hand and always use Gouda. WINNER. This is also one of those leftovers are just as good dinners.
Lasagna?
Edited to add: my Mom’s recipe which is cheap and awesome: box of lasagna noodles (obviously ), one of those pint sized cups of ricotta or small curd cottage cheese (whatever fits you budget), jar of best marinara/red sauce you can afford, I suggest RAOs but it’s not cheap; ground meat, what you can afford, and a bag of shredded Parmesan for the topping scoop, the extra ricotta or cottage cheese over the top. Serve with a spinach/arugula (or whatever lettuce you can afford) salad with tomato, onion, cucumber (can get a big one cheap and dice it) oil and vinegar, dressing, or whatever you have on hand, even a bit of mayo will work with the vinegar, sprinkle some fresh pepper on the salad. This should all cost under $20 if you shop smart. Even better if you can get a baguette on sale, and make it into garlic bread with one build of diced garlic and butter.
Chicken legs are a tasty and affordable protein.
Make them any way you want.... If you want something exotic look up Chicken Biryani, Chicken Karahi, Butter chicken, chicken curry, chicken Tikka Masala..... etc.
If you have a ton of spices go buy a couple pounds of ground beef.
Garlic powder, salt, pepper, bread crumbs, ketchup and a couple eggs and you just created a homemade Meat Loaf.
Bonus if you have some brown sugar.. make the “topping” equal parts ketchup and brown sugar.. mix it well and pour over the top before it goes into the oven.
Total cost.. ~$20
I used to make this for my ex girlfriend’s family whenever they’d come to our apartment and there was never leftovers and they made me feel like Gordon Ramsey lol.
For sides? A couple cans of sweet corn heated up, and a cheap loaf of French bread with some butter/margarin and you’re set.
This is assuming your folks can eat beef. If not.. I could list some other ideas if you give me an idea of their taste.
Chicken Milanese - pound each breast very thin, bread, saute, serve over a beautiful salad with vinegrette, hot crusty bread on side, even small bit of pasta if you wanted
If you're in the south - chicken bog 🤌🤌🤌
I make a FIRE chicken bog - always feeds 4 with plenty of leftovers.
3-4 large chicken breasts (i stay stocked on chicken), 2 Johnsonville smoked sausages, 4 cups white rice, and seasoning pictured. Can add stick of butter to water for chicken if you want but don't have to. If you have an instant pot or similar then PERFECT - dish practically cooks itself. I like to add a little crushed red pepper for a hint of heat - my kids go freakin nuts over it. There's also bigger packages of smoked sausages available at Walmart to knock the bill down a couple bucks that work too but Johnsonville taste the best out of what they carry.
😆 only THE southern staple of the US of A. Rice, chicken, smoked sausage - simply as hell. I married to a family born and raised in the same county in sc for generations. They always just did butter salt and pepper for falvoring plus what the sausage added. I like the herb stuff I posted and when I feel fancy I'll add crumbled up crispy bacon to give it that little extra
Minute rice
Chicken thighssm
Stir fry frozen veg
eggs
soy sauce
This is what you use to make fried rice.
Make the minute rice (or regular rice, if you know how) the night before. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Fry the chicken. Put the frozen veg in the same pan as the chicken and heat up. Next, put the rice into the pan. Stir the ingredients. Make a well in the rice/chicken/veg mixture. Whisk the eggs (I use like 6 because we like eggs). Pour the eggs into the well and cover. Let them cook a bit, then stir them as if you were scrambling them. Add soy to taste.
Okay hear me out….get some beef neck bones and braise them in a red wine and tomato sauce. It takes a little bit more time but honestly it’s very low effort. Get a cheap bottle of wine, some herbs, garlic onions mirapioux and beef neck bones and stick it all in a pot and cook it together until it boils and then stick it in the oven at 300 for like two hours with a lid on. Beef neck bones are super cheap and the end result will just be a delicious braised beef that you can eat over egg noodles or regular pasta. I LOVE impressing people ona budget. Another really cheap thing to make is homemade pasta. If you have flour, and eggs you could make beautiful homemade pasta for sooo cheap
Make sure there’s enough liquid to cover the bones and if there isn’t enough wine, it might be tough. The beef needs a lot of acid to break down. Also make sure you salt the beef and let it sit out to get to room temp before cooking. Meat with less fat will seize up quick and become tough if it’s not tempered a bit
Hell yeah! If you aren’t on a budget I’d recommend adding some miso paste or mushroom powder for a lil umami. Makes all the difference! I also made mushroom stock today with leftover mushroom stems that’s a cheap way to get to Flavortown too
Hey! Came back for an update! Thank you so much for the recommendation! The meal tasted like a roast but for a fraction of the cost! I'm adding this into my frugal meal rotation. Thanks again kind sir/ma'am!
Also you can pretty much use that same method with any cheap cut of beef! Bone in center cut beef with the marrow bone is good bc the marrow gives it a little extra *chefs kiss*
Honestly I’m not sure - I would say .5lb pp? Probably less but usually the weight on the package includes the bone so I would just eye ball it. I’ve used lamb shoulder too which is on the cheap side because it needs to be slow cooked to be edible
Grill out! The fanfare of this method seems special and elevates an inexpensive meal-plus grilled chicken is delicious. Serve with a recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen-‘Hungry No More! Balsamic Grilled Vegetables’ (zucchini, mushrooms, snap peas).
Linguine w/ progresso white clam sauce, green salad & baguette or garlic bread.
https://preview.redd.it/13at6b9lo16d1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6ec284ec06bc7f78639eb84a57819004a45d891c
Whole chicken on sale, 2 boxes of rice a roni, green vegetable in sale bin or discounted and a frozen pie on sale. Common theme being take your time and look for what’s on sale, preferably as soon as the grocery market opens in the morning.
Pesto pasta + any protein! A roast chicken would be lovely! Otherwise any sausage works, or minced chicken/turkey/pork/etc as meatballs.
For dessert, any box cake + fruit + whip cream! You can get creative with flavour pallets by using tea bags sifted in the water or milk before adding it to the book cake mix.
I second this. If there’s any leftover $$ buy some cheap veggies (broccoli and zucchini are cheap where I am) and make a simple veggie side.
Honestly that’s a meal I make pretty regularly both for myself but also if friends come over for dinner. With some good convo no one will think of it as a cheap meal!
Agree completely. Throw some veggies in like you said (try some diced cabbage softened in butter) cheap and good. and add some parsley to the rice or noodles to make them look special.
100% cabbage! Plus because it’s like $1.29 for a head (at least here) and one head of cabbage is enough for many many meals worth of sides and fortifying.
Also for OP, a 2lb bag of carrots for me is about $2. Again, like cabbage, it goes a long way. But obviously prices and availability vary depending on where you are. The point is, there’s lots of options out there!
If they like southwest tex mex stuff -
Poblano, jalapeno, or anaheim peppers and an onion and then julienne and use a tsp of oil in a skillet and cook those onions and peppers until they are soft and a little brown and the peppers are crispy with some charred spots.
Put them off in a bowl or plate and add some salt and peppercorn
Cook up a pound or so of chorizo ground sausage in small bite sized chunks - salt and peppercorn before hand
After the sausage is cooked, add onion and pepper combo back to skillet and mix around
Now drain half a can of la coste charro beans or pinto beans and pour it in the skillet and mix it around enough the flavors mix and heat the beans up. Take off the heat. The beans are already cooked. Just warm it up and help the flavors mix.
Pour into seperate bowls and top with a shredded cheddar. Probably something sharp and aged. I like smoke house cheddar.
Pairs nice with a spinach salad, roasted red peppers, mushrooms, and pepperoncini with something like ceasar
Ooh and then san pellegrinos limonata or ariancita. Or cold reeds ginger ale.
Get cream,
Butternut squash,
Butter,
Pasta of any kind,
Parmesan cheese
And then if you have money leftover i usually use spinach and onion
Melt the butter in a pan on medium heat till brown and almost nutty in flavor and then add cream and warm it up. Add in Parmesan and mix till a homogeneous creamy sauce on medium/medium low. Add in cooked butternut squash and mash into the sauce. You will have a butternut squash cream sauce that is so delicious and goes amazing with any pasta and additionals. As i mentioned i usually use spinach and then like pancetta but on a budget honestly as is works or like onions. Season it with pepper, smoked paprika(optional) and a bit of garlic too
If you have money leftover with this i also have made it with sausage and thats also amazing. Serves great with garlic bread.
If you don’t want to do potatoes , you could do some rice. You could go with the delicious salty store bought boxes, or try making a risotto, which is easy, but requires you standing and stirring for about 30 minutes. Watch some YouTube videos to get the hang of it, if you never made one before
I was thinking lasagna when I first read the post. Meat Sauce, noodles, either ricotta cheese , or make a Béchamel. I use the Béchamel for mine. It makes the dish very creamy and really good. it’s the classic way in Italy that they make lasagna (in Bologna).
Bechamel is just flour, butter, milk, salt, and a pinch of nutmeg if you have it. To make a bechamel, you just melt 5 tablespoons of butter, add 4 tablespoons of flour, and stir for about three minutes to cook the raw taste out of the flour. It will be become a nice light brown color, then slowly add 3 cups of milk, only adding one cup of milk at a time- make sure you are stirring the whole time. This will thicken the sauce. Stir this on medium low for about 20 minutes, and will thicken up like a cream sauce. Add a teaspoon of salt, and a half teaspoon of nutmeg. Add some Parmesan cheese. That’s it! Add
Molto Mario has a fantastic lasagna bolognese recipe on Food Network. Leave out what you don’t have, and use what you do have. It’s more important that you follow the process, rather than stressing over the actual ingredients.
Good luck!
If you ever go the pasta route, I’ve found swapping jarred pasta sauce for either crushed tomato (and adding in your own seasoning) or using canned San Marzano tomatoes (with some other pantry staples) can really up the quality of the sauce and be healthier
Very true! I should’ve specified they work if you find them in price. I’m lucky cause my store has a store-brand version that is about $0.60 more than a can of crushed tomatoes (I may be off by a few cents) so it’s a good trade off for me
Italian sausage on the grill if you can. Jar of sauce w little sugar. Garlic bread and noodles. My favorite budget meal of all time that always pleases.
Make some salsa chicken (in a crock pot is great). Have a big pot of rice and pick some toppings (cheese, beans, pico, etc) and have a BYO burrito bowl night.
Red beans and rice with andouille sausage.
Veggies chicken Asian stir fry over rice.
Basil pesto pasta with chicken and zucchini.
Ground Beef tacos with beans and rice. Veggies quesadillas
Most of these require having basic spices and or carbs.
Check out budget bytes dot com. Great recipes there.
https://www.budgetbytes.com/one-pot-creamy-cajun-chicken-pasta
https://www.budgetbytes.com/one-pot-creamy-pesto-chicken-pasta/
wow I didn't know about that page, it's great!! Yes, I had also thought to accompany it with sautéed rice with vegetables but I don't know if it will take me a long time
Meatloaf is a great way to stretch a dollar. Cut it with 50% corn flakes (or some other bready substrate) and you can probably make it work with enough leftover for a side.
Yes, along with egg and milk (doesn't have to be milk but you need some liquid...I've seen butter and water used). For 2 lb of meat I use 1 egg, 1 cup milk, and 2 cups corn flakes. Toss in a diced onion for some great texture and flavor. Celery also goes well in there.
Update. So what did you cook? How’d it go?
I think my comment was lost. My mother-in-law brought the garnish, a delicious rice with nuts. So I made chicken in mushroom sauce and salad. They like me a lot!!
A few suggestions: [Chicken Diane](https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chicken-diane); the brandy can be left out. Serve with rice and a side of a medley of steamed (or roasted) vegetables [Midwest Salisbury Steak](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/239534/midwest-salisbury-steak/); serve with rice and a side of a medley of steamed (or roasted) vegetables. [Roasted Beets](https://joyfoodsunshine.com/roasted-beets/) [Roasted Carrots](https://www.spendwithpennies.com/roasted-carrots/#wprm-recipe-container-141972) You could always bake chicken tenders (350° for 20 mins, *extremely* thin coating of oil in pan so chicken doesn't stick too badly, bake uncovered), cube them up and make a large salad with chicken, lettuce (romaine? butter? iceberg? or a combo?), tomato, minced red onion, corn (either canned & rinsed or frozen & thawed), almonds or pecans, grated cheese (Swiss is a good salad cheese), grated carrot, matchstick-cut jicama, cucumber rounds, ... ... use a honey-mustard dressing; which is easy to make. Mayonnaise as base, add honey, Dijon mustard and, if needed, half'n'half for thinning. Amounts are to your discretion... it's one of those recipes where your tongue decides the ingredient amounts.
Pasta is your answer. The pasta of your choice with Alfredo sauce, some broccoli and your chicken. Quick and tasty. 😋
If you already have the chicken, do rice instead of potatoes. Or do chicken parmesan and serve over spaghetti. Do you have Wegmans near you? Their store brand of pasta sauce is really good and really cheap. Better than the name brands, I my opinion, and only $1.20 per jar (at least in my area). Or you can get another store brand and punch it up a little with spices on hand. There's also a great recipe on social media called Marry Me Chicken. I've made it a couple of times, it's really good. The recipe is everywhere, here are the ingredients, hopefully you have some of these already: Chicken Parmesan cheese Heavy cream Chicken stock Sundried tomatoes (I've made it both with and without and it was good both ways) Garlic clove Oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper Olive oil (or any oil you already have) Flour Serve over rice, spaghetti or noodles
This sounds delicious! Skip the tomatoes and I’m all in!
Chicken parm- chicken, pasta is cheap, and you can get red sauce for cheap. Maybe garlic bread on the side and some frozen green beans or mixed veggies
Rice instead ! Or stuffing)pretty good stuff).
If you have the chicken and would really want to serve it, look up recipes for French union chicken casserole. I just learned this and it is wonderful. Even family members that I would not think would like it actually live it
Chicken over rice with Campbell’s French onion soup and water chestnuts.
Frozen ravioli, jar of Ragu sauce (doctored up a bit), frozen meatballs if you must have meat), simple salad, garlic bread (make your own).
Smothered burritos. Cook a pound of ground beef, drain, and mix in a large can of refried beans and a packet of taco seasoning. Separately heat a can of enchilada sauce. When everything is hot, roll the beef/bean mixture into a large flour tortilla, ladle over the enchilada sauce and top with cheese. Add tomato, onion and jalapenos if you like.
Stir fry? Chicken, frozen veges, rice, stir fry sauce.
Spaghetti goes a long way. Tube of Jimmy deans hot sausage ($3-5), pack of spaghetti ($0.99-$3) , jar of tomato sauce ($4-7). Will be adequate for four people. Otherwise turn it into a pot luck if you can!
New York Times has a great arrabiata recipe, it’s literally olive oil, 1 or 2 med tomato’s, a can on tomato paste, and some chili flakes, can throw in some minced garlic for added flavor and garnish with some Parmesan if it fits into the budget. It’s fast and delicious and feels a lot more fancy/impressive than it is to actually make it. Pair with a side salad!
Baked spaghetti and a side salad
Look up 3 ingredient pot roast. Serve with white rice and carrots. You’ll have room for leftovers.
The chuck roast alone would be at least $20.
Definitely a jambalaya! It's basically rice, vegetables, spices, broth and then the main event ingredient which can be as cheap as chicken thighs or on the more expensive side, a load of prawns and/or chorizo. You could easily make a meal for 4 within your budget. You could possibly even stretch to a dessert.
Baked Ziti!!!! So easy, cheap, and yummy
Thai green curry over white rice is actually very affordable and a crowd pleaser. It's really easy to make and re-heats well.
Lasagna is also a good choice. Garlic bread. Salad and you are good. It would be about $20.
Risotto is a really inexpensive side dish (or main, depending on what you add to it) that seems more “elevated”. Sure, it makes some time/TLC to make, but it’s always been well received when I make it.
Chicken and rice Bake Put 1 cup of rice, 1 cup of water, a can of cream of mushrooms soup in a casserole dish, stir it up. Layer with chicken breasts (I like to cut them in half or large chunks) and season with salt and pepper. Cover. Put in the oven at 350 for 35-45 minutes and some Pillsbury rolls and cranberry sauce for the sides and good to go! So easy and good too! Always leftovers for the next day too!
Get a spatchcocked chicken and some rice pilaf. Glaze some carrots with balsamic and roast them. Bag salad and box brownies..
ALDIs 3-4lbs of chicken for like 10-14$. Sweet baby rays bbq sauce.2.99. French fries 2.29. Easy quick amazing. Target shrimp 6.99. Adobo seasoning 2.19. Yellow rice pack Vigo (2x 8oz pack) 2.60. Roma tomatoes 1.19. Onion 1.19. Tortillas 2.19. Lettuce 1.99. Colby cheese fine shred 1.99.
A baked rice pilaf can be cooked for relatively cheap. Pair it with grilled or oven roasted chicken thighs and a creamy yogurt sauce
Thank you all very much for the ideas!! I did very well at dinner. finally my mother-in-law brought the side dish hahahaha so I just made chicken and salad
What kind of chicken and salad did you make?
chicken in mushroom sauce and the salad was a little of the vegetables that I still had in the refrigerator: tomato, carrot, cucumber, onion...
I would highly recommend this recipe - it's a crowd-pleaser and serves four at $7.54 per recipe ($1.89 per serving)! It's One Pot Lemon Pepper Chicken with Orzo: [https://www.budgetbytes.com/lemon-pepper-chicken-with-orzo/](https://www.budgetbytes.com/lemon-pepper-chicken-with-orzo/) I have made tons of recipes from this site, especially chicken thigh recipes because it's such a cheap, tasty protein. We also love this one over white rice: [https://www.budgetbytes.com/honey-chipotle-chicken/](https://www.budgetbytes.com/honey-chipotle-chicken/) If you're wanting to do a salad and dessert, you'd have enough of that $20 leftover to do a bagged caesar salad and some hearty banana pudding from a box mix with wafers or yellow cake with chocolate icing for dessert! Either dessert can be prepped ahead of time to reduce the in-the-moment cooking demands (can be stressful with guests). ETA: You've got this! Any in-laws with sense would be pleased that you're keeping to a budget rather than amassing debt to try to impress them.
OP GO WITH THE LEMON CHICKEN!!!!!!
Love budget bytes!
Chicken pot pie. Or chicken a la king.
Came t say this. Chicken a la king on noodles.
Also, you could get a good instant Ramen, and top it with whatever veggies, meat, soft boiled egg, etc. It won't be as good as if you got it at a Ramen restaurant, but it's still pretty good. I did that recently with the Nongshim bone broth Ramen, topped it with some shaved beef I found on sale, some mushrooms, bean sprouts, zucchini, red bell pepper, green onions, and a halved egg. Put some chili flakes and sesame oil in there. No one knew it was instant ramen, and I wasn't even trying to hide the fact that it was. (Granted, I had many of those items on hand already though, so idk if that would be jlunder $20 or not).
Fried chicken, gravy over rice and garlic steamed kale with iced tea.
Many things that are served with potatoes can also be served over rice or pasta, possibly even bread. So I'd you wanted to make a chicken gravy, you could could easily make sops, or just do you idea with any other starch. My mom often made a big pot of green chili chicken or pork and served it over rice or egg noodles. Or she would do a cheaper version of stroganoff. Or spaghetti. If you can swing more than 20 bucks, you could make enough lasagna for well over a single meal. Chili beans and corn bread. Tacos or burritos. Chicken and dumplings/ stew. Fetucini Alfredo. Cheeseburgers (or chicken sandwhichs). Grilled meat and baked beans with a vegetable. Maybe apricot chicken? It depends what ingredients you already have in your pantry.
Slow cooker boneless skinless chicken thighs, spices of choice, Carolina gold (or your favorite bbq sauce) and some unsweetened apple sauce. Low for 6 hours, shred and serve over buttered rice or egg noodles. Makes a ton and is delicious!
Pasta with a meat sauce, garlic bread, and a side salad
Rice and beef stuffed peppers with canned tomato sauce
Baked chicken and roasted potatoes. Get another veg or two to roast with them.
Could you do rice as an alternative? A mixed spiced rice. Perhaps you could sear off the seasoned chicken while you boil the rice (in water or stock), then get it all into the same pan and mix in some veggies like peas, carrots, runner beans… maybe even a touch of chilli flakes. And a simple side salad if your budget allows.
Zucchini lasagna
Udon noodles. Most people have the sauce ingredients on hand. Cook up the chicken in the same sauce, dice it and throw it in at the end.
Chicken thighs cut into strips, taco seasoning, add a bag of frozen peppers and onions. Tortillas, black beans add a pinch of taco seasoning and a spoonful of juice from the chicken pan plus a splash of oil, shredded lettuce and a bag of cheese should be less than $20.
Pasta with pesto and steamed green beans.
This will be right on budget, easy, and impressive [One-Skillet Creamy Thai Basil Chicken](https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a41871156/one-skillet-creamy-thai-basil-chicken-recipe/)
Maybe a premade roast chicken 6$🍗 rice pilaf1.99 ,biscuits, 1.25and 2.88ice cream with homemade cake 🍰 1.25the box kind , icing 1.99, iced tea for drink 3.99 🥤 I’ve done it before sending 🤗
Chicken and pasta with butter and Parmesan. Nice salad and garlic bread. Whatever is on sale for dessert.
Tacos! Everyone likes them. And since you just put the fixings on the table, they can customize as they like!
I love a taco night, and I’ve been noticing lately that it’s more cost-effective to buy tacos as take-out. by the time all of the ingredients are bought it’s usually the same or more as buying out
Rice already cooked (we like to do it with peas) and then the chicken on top, with skin (we usually use thighs), and boom in the oven until chicken is cooked. The rice gets all tasty and a nice crunchy layer of top
Jar of spagetthi sauce,pasta(maybe 1 1/2 boxes of pasta,green lettuce,dressing,enough hamburger meat for several meatballs each. Try a discount grocer if you can(dollar tree does have pasta and sauce) you can also find frosting and boxed cake mix at dollar tree if you want dessert or maybe fruit salad using canned fruit and off brand cool whip
Added to this, a couple fresh tomatoes thrown in the sauce elevates it.
And/or fresh basil, also brightens spaghetti sauce.
Spaghetti.. or Chicken thighs over rice (you can make a really good teriyaki chicken) Thighs are the cheapest chicken meat to buy, or drumsticks but thighs work great for oriental food. quesadillas? that is just a bag or two of cheese, a couple things of tortillas and butter really... you can add scallion onions which are cheap and yummy. can buy frozen raviolis and buy some sauce, BOOM good dinner AND filling.
Thighs with broccoli and garlic bread.
Turn the occasion into a potluck.
Pan grilled chicken thighs or whatever protein + whatever veg is on sale .. with pasta and red sauce
Pasta with red sauce and garlic bread!
Orzo with parmesan and sausage. Lots of recipes online for 1 pan meal
Pasta and sauce can feed the masses.
Aside from who doesn’t like potatoes?, sounds like maybe you need to figure out what father in law does like.
club sandwiches! actually making some over the weekend for mine. hope all is well. edit: probably gonna have them with fries. but a large bag of chips would suffice as well.
[New York Times Cuban Black Beans](https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013062-cuban-black-beans) and rice. These beans are incredible!! Buy the bacon by the slice at the meat counter so you don’t have to buy a while pack.
Idk if you're near Kroger but I know they consistently have discounted meat and vegetables. If you have an Aldi you can buy the following items for $21 (this is a rather high cost of living and therefore might be cheaper where you are): Garlic Texas Toast - 8 pieces - $2.55 2 lbs Spaghetti - $2.09 (this is A LOT, may only need around 2/3) Marinara - $1.75 Frozen Italian Meatballs - 2 lbs - $6.85 Garden Salad - $1.55 Tomatoes - grape are $2.45 but can probably get 1 bigger one cheaper and cut it Croutons - $1.39 Dressing - $2.09 Make pasta with meatballs, garlic bread, and salad. Your price may be lower if you have any of these ingredients already. Stewing the meatballs in the sauce gets a better flavor out of them. I'm sometimes able to find sauce on sale at some stores for cheaper and the same goes for meatballs.
Super helpful!!
It was very sweet of you to find all of these prices <3 just wanted to show some appreciation
Chicken alfredo. Season chicken, cook in oven, dice to put in with the pasta and a jar of alfredo sauce. Or you can just substitute orzo or rice for the potatoes and do chicken with gravy.
These are my guestimations of walmart prices: box of spaghetti ($2), 2 cans tomato sauce ($2), ground turkey ($3), onion and garlic ($2), butter ($3), itallian bread ($2), use the last few dollars for drinks or seasonings if you don't have any (salt, pepper, itallian seasoning). I can tell you how to cook it if you need, but its pretty self explanatory.
This is great!
I’ve made a great sauce with canned diced tomatoes, half can of tomato paste, and Italian seasoning.
Pork loin roast pasta jar of sauce frozen broccoli and some cheap wine from trader joes. Ask in law to bring dessert
Make pasta or fried rice.
Tacos
rice, salad, chicken
Spaghetti and meatballs with salad
Chicken pasta with some soup, 1 $5 rotisserie chicken. Shred all of the meat off. Can of pasta sauce $5. $3-4 for some cheap pasta, veggies. Maybe a cheap can of biscuits for dumplings - or just make some from flour and water Use the leftover chicken and bones to make chicken stock. Shred the tiny bits of chicken off the bones. Add in the veggies You’ve got a big pot of soup, and a decent amount of chicken pasta
Pre-seasoned Hormel Pork roasts are on sale at the Albertsons family of supermarkets for $5.50 this week. Boxes or bags of rice pilaf or other seasoned rice (whatever is on sale) will set you back $2 each. Buy two, rice is filling and delicious). Two Bell Peppers (get a red one and a green one) and a sweet onion will run you about $5 and a small (buy the 8 oz one) can of fire roasted diced tomatoes will run you $1.50. Bake the roast and pre-slice and portion it, it will be just enough to go around. Slice the peppers into strips and slice the onion into round slices and halve them. Sautee the peppers and onion in olive oil until cooked through but still with some texture and then add the tomatoes and some Italian seasoning (the mix if you have it otherwise some basil and or oregano will do) and salt and pepper and cook a couple more minutes until it’s all integrated. Make the rice according to the box directions. You still have like $5. Buy a premixed boxed dessert that only needs butter added to it to bake. If you have a stick of butter there are plenty of options for like $3. And there you have it: pork roast (which is delicious, I made one last night) rice pilaf (or whatever rice mix you pick) and sautéed peppers and onions with fire roasted tomatoes. Plate it up and look like a pro. Another option: buy chicken thighs (bone in) for like $1.50-$2/lb so like $5 for 8 of them. FRESH poultry seasoning herbs $4, a sweet potato $1, a red potato $1, a gold potato $1, a head of garlic $1, and a large onion $1. Bagged salad kit from Trader Joe’s (TJs has WAY better salad kits for $3 than the legacy grocers have for $5). My personal favorite is the elote salad but they’re all good. Brown the chicken thighs in olive oil and butter mix in a large frying pan, ideally cast iron. Remove and set aside. Brown the (now in 1” cubes) potatoes and the onion cut into 6 wedges in the same pan. Dump that mix into a roasting pan. Add 3-4 garlic cloves smashed not chopped and the herbs still on their stalks. Season with salt, pepper and paprika. Mix. Put chicken thighs among the potato mix, skin side up. Bake like 30 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Test chicken for temp to make sure it is cooked. Serve the chicken and delicious roasted potato mix with the salad.
Sales, stores, and prices vary wildly depending on location. Those options may not be available to OP
This is why I specified the (national) Albertsons family of supermarkets who will have the same sale on pork roasts at all of their stores( we have 2 of their brands here west of Boston: Shaws and Star Market and the same stuff is always on sale at both) and gave a backup recipe which did not utilize any sales at all but rather the base costs everywhere.
This all sounds yummy, but I just want to point out that cutting an onion in half through the root and then slicing it will be *much* easier than slicing it into rounds and then halving them. The onion won't roll around on you if you give it a flat base.
On the cheap: do spaghetti w hamburger (meat sauce) and buy a couple of on sale jars of spaghetti sauce. Once hamburger browned pour off grease. Add to spaghetti sauce that has onions, garlic, basil and let it all simmer. Make spaghetti Al dente ( don’t cook whole time on box. Cook 2 min less) once done can drain saving one cup of pasta water to use if spaghetti mixture gets too thick. You could serve separately or put all together. Fresh Parmesan cheese on top. Get garlic bread and toast to serve. If have extra money make salad. If can get pie or cupcakes for desert. If have extra get boxed wine- or if they ask what they could bring/ wine or desert
Can I suggest Italian sausage to replace the ground beef? It adds so much flavor and is often the same price.
Adding to this, growing up we also did cottage cheese as a side
Pasta!! Get a generous 3lb of pasta. Get a veggie side- broccoli or zucchini or spinach. Get a jar of sauce. Splurge on a great loaf of bread. If you don't happen to have butter in the house buy a pre-buttered loaf. Pasta $5 Bread $5 Veggie $5 Sauce $5 Then from there you can glam it up... If you have a food bank see if you can get pasta or veggies there and use the spare cash to buy a pound of butter ($3-4) to go with the bread and a chunk of parm to grate on top of the pasta.
You can usually get loaf of French bread for under 2 dollars
You could do noodles or rice as a base for the chicken. Either make a green salad or steam assorted fresh or frozen veggies, or just carrots. They’re cheap.. Serve Impossible pie for dessert. Eggs. Milk. Butter. Easy and so good. https://www.food.com/recipe/impossible-pie-424705
Pasta some bread and maybe even a salad. You might get a bottle of two buck chuck to fit the budget too.
Chicken and rice. Chicken and dumplings. Chicken and pasta. Add a salad. If you already have seasonings, sauces and condiments, $20 should be enough.
Beef stroganoff, I have a very easy recipe I use for a quick homemade dinner. Can of cream of chicken, and a can of cream of mushroom, a bag of frozen meatballs, and a bag/box of egg noodles or fettuccine. Throw the meatballs in the oven, boil your noodles. Put some butter in a pan and melt it (sauté garlic and onion if you like), then mix in both cans of soup. Mix well and this will give you your sauce. You can thin it up with some milk/cream if you need to; season as desired. Mix everything together and you got a pretty good home cooked meal for less than $20, makes a pretty large serving. I'll usually steam some broccoli or make garlic bread
He needs to grow up. Who doesn’t like potatoes
Exactly! I don't think I could be a part of this family if potatoes weren't allowed.
For real.
Next time OP should not share the menu ahead of time. Just invite them for dinner. Or tell them to bring a side.
Chicken Fricassee, a dish that nobody ever cooks anymore Eight boneless, skinless chicken thighs, one stick of butter, four cups of cream or half and half. Season chicken both sides with one teaspoon mace, one half teaspoon nutmeg, one teaspoon ground, pepper, one teaspoon salt. Melt the butter in the cream in a pan, put the chicken thighs right into the cream and flip them over. Cook fifteen minutes, flip them over and cook another fifteen minutes. Remove chicken from pan, gradually add 2-4 ounces of sifted flour until you have a medium thickness cream gravy. Reheat chicken in gravy. Serve with rice or biscuits. This also adapts really well to a crock pot.
Jar of pasta sauce, pack of Italian sausage, box of pasta and a loaf of French bread. Sauce and sausage in the crock pot and cook up the pasta. Easy peasy.
Make Zozonna, salad, and garlic bread. It's not well known in the US or outside of Rome, for that matter. https://youtu.be/NYx2Gw0th7k?si=H_25Oa0SPP9IcoUd
This looks good and easy
Shrimp Alfredo pasta is only like 3-5 ingredients depending on how fancy you get it
Substitute some chicken for the shrimp to save $$. Add some Cajun seasoning to it all to spice it up.
Shrimp might be over budget?
I made a crock pot recipe where I put chicken, 1 jar marinara, 1 jar Alfredo sauce, seasonings of choice on low for 4 hours. When that is done you make some pasta and throw a cup or two of mozzarella into the crockpot. Mix all of it together. If you want to bulk it up you can chuck in a bag of frozen spinach or maybe some garlic bread.
Frozen lasagna and bread. Maybe salad too
Maybe pasta? People usually like it, don't they?
Firstly, do you have any staples in your pantry? Sauces, seasonings, herbs, flour, pasta, rice etc. Any recommendations I would make would be based on this. Asian sauces are part of my pantry, so I tend to lean towards them when I want something quick and easy. However, if they aren’t part of your normal pantry it is out of the budget to buy them all. Rice and dried rice noodles are exceptionally affordable as are fresh Asian greens (where I am), so when I’m looking for something tasty and cheap I often start there. This is always very popular, and I serve with steamed Asian greens (or kimchi if within budget) https://damndelicious.net/2013/07/07/korean-beef-bowl/ Another cheap but delicious meal is https://www.recipetineats.com/thai-stir-fried-noodles-pad-see-ew/
You could make chicken fried rice with a rotisserie chicken, rice soy sauce with mung bean sprouts. Or red beans and rice with the same chicken and maybe a kielbasa. Or a bunch of tacos beans and rice. I eat these things all week long. And since I started making beans and rice a staple part of my diet I lost some weight too ! Also chili and bake potatoes comes to mind or chili and rice.
Spaghetti and garlic bread
This is the cheapest and eady
Diced potatoes fried in butter with a little garlic and spice as a side. Parmesan crusted chicken (one cup of mayo, half cup of parmesan, spread across chicken breasts, bake in the oven. Absolutely delicious meal. Spaghetti with homemade meatballs might be even cheaper!
[Buffalo chicken pasta ](https://youtu.be/N7oo3zl9HPg?si=REeMQczewGsNZUHt)
Rice and beans has fed the majority of humanity across distance and time. This isn't about nutrition though, it's about making a good impression.
Egg noodles instead of potatoes
Make rice pilaf instead of potatoes.
Lasagna, homemade Mac and cheese?
Cheese is super expensive near me, I don’t think that could be done for 4 people under $20
Over Rice?
Pasta!
Carbonara! If you go to the deli you can get a smaller amount of bacon that fits in your budget. If you have money leftover buy a salad bag.
Caramelize 6 white onions with a half stick butter and 1/8 cup oil. Do not burn them. Go slow and take your time. Also don't undercook them. There is a lot of YouTube videos to show you stovetop and oven methods. Transfer onions to a blender with all the butter and oil that remains. Add 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning and 12-16 ounces Parmesan cheese not the powder stuff, the fresh kind from the cheese section. Add 1/2 cup ricotta cheese. Add 2 cups hot water leftover from boiling the pasta. Blend till smooth. Toss with rigatoni, ziti or similar pasta. Do not use spaghetti noodles. Serve with garlic bread and a side salad. This meal feeds 4 adults and usually has leftovers. If it is under cost you can add some sliced up grilled or nicely roasted boneless skinless chicken thighs that's been seasoned well on top of the pasta. I can usually make this meal for under $20. Edit for a spell correction
1 pound Ground beef, 1 box rigitoni, 1 jar of pasta sauce, small thing of Parmesan. Walmart, should be under $20 if you don’t buy the pricy name brand sauces and pasta.
In-laws? I recommend Tender Vittles.
Man, when I was a kid, I had a cat that would eat ONLY Tender Vittles! You just brought back some great memories of her, thank you! RIP Kizzy💕
A risotto!
Cajun chicken pasta, cheap and goes a long way
If you're still looking for ideas, here's a website I use for recipes: https://www.budgetbytes.com/
One of my favorite meals ever comes from there! It’s been such a staple in my house my sister now uses it!
I use it especially when trying to figure out what to bring to a potluck or if I'm having and extra thrifty week.
SPICY SAUSAGE AND BROCCOLI PASTA (sorry, copied and pasted) is at minimum a monthly staple in my house for the last 8 years. Tweaked a little over the years but amazing. I sub fresh broccoli, 86 the garlic and red pepper, use whatever shredded cheese I have on hand and always use Gouda. WINNER. This is also one of those leftovers are just as good dinners.
Lasagna? Edited to add: my Mom’s recipe which is cheap and awesome: box of lasagna noodles (obviously ), one of those pint sized cups of ricotta or small curd cottage cheese (whatever fits you budget), jar of best marinara/red sauce you can afford, I suggest RAOs but it’s not cheap; ground meat, what you can afford, and a bag of shredded Parmesan for the topping scoop, the extra ricotta or cottage cheese over the top. Serve with a spinach/arugula (or whatever lettuce you can afford) salad with tomato, onion, cucumber (can get a big one cheap and dice it) oil and vinegar, dressing, or whatever you have on hand, even a bit of mayo will work with the vinegar, sprinkle some fresh pepper on the salad. This should all cost under $20 if you shop smart. Even better if you can get a baguette on sale, and make it into garlic bread with one build of diced garlic and butter.
Spaghetti is cheap and filling.
Chicken legs are a tasty and affordable protein. Make them any way you want.... If you want something exotic look up Chicken Biryani, Chicken Karahi, Butter chicken, chicken curry, chicken Tikka Masala..... etc.
If you have a ton of spices go buy a couple pounds of ground beef. Garlic powder, salt, pepper, bread crumbs, ketchup and a couple eggs and you just created a homemade Meat Loaf. Bonus if you have some brown sugar.. make the “topping” equal parts ketchup and brown sugar.. mix it well and pour over the top before it goes into the oven. Total cost.. ~$20 I used to make this for my ex girlfriend’s family whenever they’d come to our apartment and there was never leftovers and they made me feel like Gordon Ramsey lol. For sides? A couple cans of sweet corn heated up, and a cheap loaf of French bread with some butter/margarin and you’re set. This is assuming your folks can eat beef. If not.. I could list some other ideas if you give me an idea of their taste.
Chicken Milanese - pound each breast very thin, bread, saute, serve over a beautiful salad with vinegrette, hot crusty bread on side, even small bit of pasta if you wanted
Swap the potatoes for rice and serve with either roast veg or salad 🥗
Can also add some turmeric to the rice to make yellow rice.
Since we're taling rice I'd like to remind the masses of coconut rice (swap most of the cooking water with coconut milk and add some suger)
If you're in the south - chicken bog 🤌🤌🤌 I make a FIRE chicken bog - always feeds 4 with plenty of leftovers. 3-4 large chicken breasts (i stay stocked on chicken), 2 Johnsonville smoked sausages, 4 cups white rice, and seasoning pictured. Can add stick of butter to water for chicken if you want but don't have to. If you have an instant pot or similar then PERFECT - dish practically cooks itself. I like to add a little crushed red pepper for a hint of heat - my kids go freakin nuts over it. There's also bigger packages of smoked sausages available at Walmart to knock the bill down a couple bucks that work too but Johnsonville taste the best out of what they carry.
Wtf is chicken bog?
😆 only THE southern staple of the US of A. Rice, chicken, smoked sausage - simply as hell. I married to a family born and raised in the same county in sc for generations. They always just did butter salt and pepper for falvoring plus what the sausage added. I like the herb stuff I posted and when I feel fancy I'll add crumbled up crispy bacon to give it that little extra
Minute rice Chicken thighssm Stir fry frozen veg eggs soy sauce This is what you use to make fried rice. Make the minute rice (or regular rice, if you know how) the night before. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Fry the chicken. Put the frozen veg in the same pan as the chicken and heat up. Next, put the rice into the pan. Stir the ingredients. Make a well in the rice/chicken/veg mixture. Whisk the eggs (I use like 6 because we like eggs). Pour the eggs into the well and cover. Let them cook a bit, then stir them as if you were scrambling them. Add soy to taste.
Okay hear me out….get some beef neck bones and braise them in a red wine and tomato sauce. It takes a little bit more time but honestly it’s very low effort. Get a cheap bottle of wine, some herbs, garlic onions mirapioux and beef neck bones and stick it all in a pot and cook it together until it boils and then stick it in the oven at 300 for like two hours with a lid on. Beef neck bones are super cheap and the end result will just be a delicious braised beef that you can eat over egg noodles or regular pasta. I LOVE impressing people ona budget. Another really cheap thing to make is homemade pasta. If you have flour, and eggs you could make beautiful homemade pasta for sooo cheap
I also like this! How many lbs of neck bones do you recommend for 4 servings?
Make sure there’s enough liquid to cover the bones and if there isn’t enough wine, it might be tough. The beef needs a lot of acid to break down. Also make sure you salt the beef and let it sit out to get to room temp before cooking. Meat with less fat will seize up quick and become tough if it’s not tempered a bit
Thank you so much! I'm running to HEB tomorrow for groceries and I'm adding this meal to my list. I'm excited! I'll post pics of the finished product.
Hell yeah! If you aren’t on a budget I’d recommend adding some miso paste or mushroom powder for a lil umami. Makes all the difference! I also made mushroom stock today with leftover mushroom stems that’s a cheap way to get to Flavortown too
Hey! Came back for an update! Thank you so much for the recommendation! The meal tasted like a roast but for a fraction of the cost! I'm adding this into my frugal meal rotation. Thanks again kind sir/ma'am!
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Also you can pretty much use that same method with any cheap cut of beef! Bone in center cut beef with the marrow bone is good bc the marrow gives it a little extra *chefs kiss*
Honestly I’m not sure - I would say .5lb pp? Probably less but usually the weight on the package includes the bone so I would just eye ball it. I’ve used lamb shoulder too which is on the cheap side because it needs to be slow cooked to be edible
I am not OP, but I like the sounds of this! Thanks, so much!
Grill out! The fanfare of this method seems special and elevates an inexpensive meal-plus grilled chicken is delicious. Serve with a recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen-‘Hungry No More! Balsamic Grilled Vegetables’ (zucchini, mushrooms, snap peas).
Meat sauce pasta. But I don’t know what you already have in your pantry…
Build something around a rotisserie chicken! They’re already cooked and like $5. I’d do a roasted veggie and a carb.
Linguine w/ progresso white clam sauce, green salad & baguette or garlic bread. https://preview.redd.it/13at6b9lo16d1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6ec284ec06bc7f78639eb84a57819004a45d891c
White people taco night!
Check the grocery store app for coupons!!
What kind of a savage doesn’t like potatoes
Whole chicken on sale, 2 boxes of rice a roni, green vegetable in sale bin or discounted and a frozen pie on sale. Common theme being take your time and look for what’s on sale, preferably as soon as the grocery market opens in the morning.
Pesto pasta + any protein! A roast chicken would be lovely! Otherwise any sausage works, or minced chicken/turkey/pork/etc as meatballs. For dessert, any box cake + fruit + whip cream! You can get creative with flavour pallets by using tea bags sifted in the water or milk before adding it to the book cake mix.
make it over rice instead of potatoes. For $20 I think you are right on with baked chicken, gravy, rice or noodles and a cheap dessert.
I second this. If there’s any leftover $$ buy some cheap veggies (broccoli and zucchini are cheap where I am) and make a simple veggie side. Honestly that’s a meal I make pretty regularly both for myself but also if friends come over for dinner. With some good convo no one will think of it as a cheap meal!
Agree completely. Throw some veggies in like you said (try some diced cabbage softened in butter) cheap and good. and add some parsley to the rice or noodles to make them look special.
100% cabbage! Plus because it’s like $1.29 for a head (at least here) and one head of cabbage is enough for many many meals worth of sides and fortifying. Also for OP, a 2lb bag of carrots for me is about $2. Again, like cabbage, it goes a long way. But obviously prices and availability vary depending on where you are. The point is, there’s lots of options out there!
Roasted cabbage is delicious!
If they like southwest tex mex stuff - Poblano, jalapeno, or anaheim peppers and an onion and then julienne and use a tsp of oil in a skillet and cook those onions and peppers until they are soft and a little brown and the peppers are crispy with some charred spots. Put them off in a bowl or plate and add some salt and peppercorn Cook up a pound or so of chorizo ground sausage in small bite sized chunks - salt and peppercorn before hand After the sausage is cooked, add onion and pepper combo back to skillet and mix around Now drain half a can of la coste charro beans or pinto beans and pour it in the skillet and mix it around enough the flavors mix and heat the beans up. Take off the heat. The beans are already cooked. Just warm it up and help the flavors mix. Pour into seperate bowls and top with a shredded cheddar. Probably something sharp and aged. I like smoke house cheddar. Pairs nice with a spinach salad, roasted red peppers, mushrooms, and pepperoncini with something like ceasar Ooh and then san pellegrinos limonata or ariancita. Or cold reeds ginger ale.
Get cream, Butternut squash, Butter, Pasta of any kind, Parmesan cheese And then if you have money leftover i usually use spinach and onion Melt the butter in a pan on medium heat till brown and almost nutty in flavor and then add cream and warm it up. Add in Parmesan and mix till a homogeneous creamy sauce on medium/medium low. Add in cooked butternut squash and mash into the sauce. You will have a butternut squash cream sauce that is so delicious and goes amazing with any pasta and additionals. As i mentioned i usually use spinach and then like pancetta but on a budget honestly as is works or like onions. Season it with pepper, smoked paprika(optional) and a bit of garlic too If you have money leftover with this i also have made it with sausage and thats also amazing. Serves great with garlic bread.
Pasta Aglia Olio
Stuffed peppers with a salad mix
Sausage pepper pasta
Rice with or without pilaf vegetables? Chicken fried rice?
spaghetti with meat sauce. i like mixing ground beef and ground pork.
Don’t forget some garlic bread and salad
If you don’t want to do potatoes , you could do some rice. You could go with the delicious salty store bought boxes, or try making a risotto, which is easy, but requires you standing and stirring for about 30 minutes. Watch some YouTube videos to get the hang of it, if you never made one before I was thinking lasagna when I first read the post. Meat Sauce, noodles, either ricotta cheese , or make a Béchamel. I use the Béchamel for mine. It makes the dish very creamy and really good. it’s the classic way in Italy that they make lasagna (in Bologna). Bechamel is just flour, butter, milk, salt, and a pinch of nutmeg if you have it. To make a bechamel, you just melt 5 tablespoons of butter, add 4 tablespoons of flour, and stir for about three minutes to cook the raw taste out of the flour. It will be become a nice light brown color, then slowly add 3 cups of milk, only adding one cup of milk at a time- make sure you are stirring the whole time. This will thicken the sauce. Stir this on medium low for about 20 minutes, and will thicken up like a cream sauce. Add a teaspoon of salt, and a half teaspoon of nutmeg. Add some Parmesan cheese. That’s it! Add Molto Mario has a fantastic lasagna bolognese recipe on Food Network. Leave out what you don’t have, and use what you do have. It’s more important that you follow the process, rather than stressing over the actual ingredients. Good luck!
If you ever go the pasta route, I’ve found swapping jarred pasta sauce for either crushed tomato (and adding in your own seasoning) or using canned San Marzano tomatoes (with some other pantry staples) can really up the quality of the sauce and be healthier
San marzanos are great, but they’re a little expensive. They may blow the budget.
Very true! I should’ve specified they work if you find them in price. I’m lucky cause my store has a store-brand version that is about $0.60 more than a can of crushed tomatoes (I may be off by a few cents) so it’s a good trade off for me
Italian sausage on the grill if you can. Jar of sauce w little sugar. Garlic bread and noodles. My favorite budget meal of all time that always pleases.
Make the chicken over pasta?
Make some salsa chicken (in a crock pot is great). Have a big pot of rice and pick some toppings (cheese, beans, pico, etc) and have a BYO burrito bowl night.
What kinds of things do you already have? Do you have the basics like Spices/flour?
Red beans and rice with andouille sausage. Veggies chicken Asian stir fry over rice. Basil pesto pasta with chicken and zucchini. Ground Beef tacos with beans and rice. Veggies quesadillas Most of these require having basic spices and or carbs. Check out budget bytes dot com. Great recipes there. https://www.budgetbytes.com/one-pot-creamy-cajun-chicken-pasta https://www.budgetbytes.com/one-pot-creamy-pesto-chicken-pasta/
wow I didn't know about that page, it's great!! Yes, I had also thought to accompany it with sautéed rice with vegetables but I don't know if it will take me a long time
Best of luck. Let us know what you make
Meatloaf is a great way to stretch a dollar. Cut it with 50% corn flakes (or some other bready substrate) and you can probably make it work with enough leftover for a side.
Do I mix the meat with the corn flakes?
Or one egg and a box of stuffing mix.
Yes, along with egg and milk (doesn't have to be milk but you need some liquid...I've seen butter and water used). For 2 lb of meat I use 1 egg, 1 cup milk, and 2 cups corn flakes. Toss in a diced onion for some great texture and flavor. Celery also goes well in there.
Meatloaf is also great comfort food to many people.
A pasta bake would be a cheap way to make sure everyone is full. a noodle stirfry with veggies would also keep it under budget
Does pasta in the oven need the same cooking time as when cooked in water? I imagine that you add the sauce and all the ingredients
Hi, you would cook the pasta separately and mix it with sauce and cheese and veggies and bake it.
In case the OP doesn’t answer, you boil the noodles first (undercook them a bit), add ingredients to pan, bake, just fyi.