In the fast-paced world, time and taste are everything. That said, are you the kind of person looking for cheap dinner ideas that can bode well with your tight schedule and are yummy? You’ve come to the right place.
Tightening the belt does not mean you have to do it figuratively. With a tight budget, you can still enjoy a sumptuous meal without having to break the bank or break a sweat in the kitchen. Our cheap dinner ideas provide an easy way of saving money on various ingredients.
Below are the top 40 cheap dinner ideas that don’t require any special cooking skills.
#1 Creamy Garlic Chicken and Rice
Who said you could not prepare sumptuous rice and chicken meal in less than 30 minutes. Well, the first cheap dinner idea on our list is that of creamy Garlic Chicken and rice. The meal is perfect for a family setup and can be enjoyed by both adults and kids.
Picture Source: Tablespoon
With this meal, all you need is chicken, spinach, garlic rice, and some seasonings, and you are good to go. Preparation is pretty easy. Toss the chicken breast into a bowl and mix with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Heat olive oil over medium heat and add the chicken breast, garlic and cook the mixture until browned.
Stir in rice after a minute and chicken broth. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 20 minutes, place baby spinach on top of the rice covers and let it sit for a few minutes. Remove the lid, and mix well in cream, and you are good to go.
#2 Cheddar-Bacon Chicken Breasts
Simplification is the perfect theme with this cheap dinner idea that needs only three ingredients. All you need to prepare this meal is six slices of gluten-free bacon chopped, four boneless skinless chicken breasts, a ½ tablespoon salt ¼ teaspoon ground pepper, and 1 cup of cheddar cheese.
Preparation is pretty easy. Simply heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, then add bacon and cook for about 7 minutes. Once it turns crisp, transfer to another bowl leaving behind at least one tablespoon of drippings from the skillet.
Picture Source: Tablespoon
Run chicken with salt, heat the skillet with drippings and then add chicken. Cook for about 14 minutes, turning once until chicken juice is clear. Remove from heat, top each breast with cheese, cover, and until cheese melts.
Finally, top the bacon, and you are good to go in under 30 minutes.
#3 Black Bean Tostadas
This is a perfect cheap dinner idea for those who don’t cherish complications in the chicken with only five ingredients. Preparation starts with preheating the oven to 3500. In a saucepan, simply add beans and 1 cup of water. Bring to simmer and let simmer until beans are warmed through. Smash the beans and add water to create a smoother consistency.
Picture Source: Delish
Afterward, you can place tostadas on a large baking sheet. Ensure cheese is sprinkled and bake until it melts. Your meal should be ready as you only need to top tostadas with beans, avocado slices, and hot sauce.
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#4 Vegetable Ramen Pad
Is your wallet at risk of running dry and wondering what your next meal will look like? Well, you don’t need to, as a vegetable ramen pad is sure to be friendly to your wallet and tasteful to your taste buds. This cheap dinner idea is perfect for college students as the requirements include a packet of ramen noodles, vegetable oil, an ounce of frozen mixed vegetables, soy sauce, hot water, and peanut butter.
Picture Source: Tablespoon
Cook the Ramen noodles while reserving flavor packets. Once everything is cooked, drain the noodles and set them aside. In a larger skillet over medium heat, add oil and frozen vegetable. Pour the reserved poaches and cook until the vegetable is cooked.
Remove the vegetable mix from the skillet, pour into the noodles, and pour on top soy sauce, peanut butter, and you are good to go.
#5 Penne with Tomatoes & White Beans
This is another easy to prepare pasta meal for people on the move. Cook pasta as usual and set aside. Heat oil and add some garlic, cook, and stir for one minute. Add tomatoes and beans and bring to boil.
Picture Source: Tasteofhome
Add spinach, olives, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir until spinach wilts. The dish is ready for consumption upon draining pasta and topping with tomato mixture and cheese.
#6 Italian Pesto Pizza
For pizza lovers, your needs are well-taken care of with this simple dinner idea. All you need is refrigerated pizza crust and pesto marinated, fresh mozzarella, prosciutto chopped fresh parsley, chopped fresh, and parmesan cheese.
Picture Source: Allrecipes
Roll out the dough as directed in the package and spread the pesto evenly on the crust. Be sure to arrange mozzarella slices over the pesto and the scatter prosciutto over the mozzarella.
Bake the contents in the preheated oven until the crust turns brown. This should take about ten minutes.
#7 Taco Salad
The quick and cheap dinner idea is prepared using a hamburger or ground turkey or ground chicken as well as lettuce and cheese. Other ingredients include salsa, tortilla chips, and green onions.
Picture Source: DailyBurn
Cook beef or turkey until browned. Stir to crumble for about 6 minutes and add taco seasoning and stir to combine. Remove from heat and sprinkle cilantro on top. Finally, divide lettuce salsa cheese scallion’s chips and beef evenly and serve with wedges.
#8 Spinach and Artichoke Melts
Spinach and Artichoke Melts is another cost-effective yet straightforward dinner idea sure to save on time and cost. The main ingredient includes spinach, artichoke hearts, cream cheese mozzarella, cheese, and sourdough.
Picture Source: PreventionRD
Preparation is pretty simple as open only needs to heat olive oil to medium heat in a nonstick skillet. Add spinach and cook. Once cooked, transfer to a mixing bowl and add artichokes, cream cheese feta, and mozzarella and mix well.
Finally, spread butter on one side of slices of bread and then distribute the spinach mixture evenly on the bread slides, which should be buttered on one size. Cook the sandwiches in a nonstick skillet for about three minutes. Remove from the heat and allow it to sit for 2 to 3 minutes before slicing into half.
#9 Fried Spaghetti
Have you ever made too much spaghetti put it in the fridge, and wondered what to do with it? Well, you might have a perfect recipe on your hands to turn some leftovers into an excellent meal at no extra cost.
Picture Source: Tablespoon
This cheap dinner idea is all about tossing the leftover spaghetti noodles in a rich tomato saucepan and savory parmesan cheese. Cook for about ten minutes, and voila! Your meal is good to go without cracking a sweat.
#10 Air Fryer Pork Chops
All you need is a few pork chops, grated parmesan, kosher salt paprika, and olive oil for this cheap dinner idea. Preparation is pretty easy as you only need to pat pork chops with paper towels. Coat both sides. In a bowl, mix parmesan and spices and dip the pork chops.
Picture Source: Delish
Place the mixture in a basket of air fryers and cook for 9 minutes in about 3750, flipping halfway through. Your meal should be ready for serving.
#11 Spring Pasta with Salmon Peas and Dill
Preparation starts with seasoning salmon with coriander, salt, and pepper. Roast on prepared baking sheet until cooked for about 15 minutes. At the same time, you can cook pasta according to directions while adding peas.
Picture Source: Countryliving
Once this is done, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet. Add some onion, salt and pepper. Cook while occasionally stirring until tender. Add pasta and ½ cup reserve cooking water and bring to a simmer.
It would be good to stick with canned salmon for this cheap dinner idea as it is an economical choice.
#12 Chicken Cordon Bleu
A classic gourmet dish also makes its way into the cheap dinner ideas list. With this classic French dish, all you need is chicken cutlets pounded thin, four slices of deli ham. Oz Swiss cheese grated, all-purpose flour, salt, black pepper, eggs, and a cup of Doritos.
Picture Source: Allrecipes
Preparation begins with preheating the oven to 350 F. While heating, seal the chicken cutlet into a plastic wrap. Pound until it is evenly thick. Take the plastic wrap out and add a slice of ham followed by grated cheese to the cutlet. Finally, wrap the chicken in plastic wrap and press it tightly.
Mix flour, salt, pepper, whisking eggs, and crushing cool Ranch chips to prepare the breeding ingredients. Finally, unwrap the chicken pieces and dredge in flour and pour some cheese, and lastly, the cool Ranch crumbles. The chicken cordon bleu should be placed in the baking dish, where it is baked for about 30 minutes from where it is served.
#13 Southwestern casserole
Some cheap dinner ideas are designed to taste wonderful and bode well with the pockets on budget. For the southwestern casserole, all you need to do is cook macaroni according to instructions. In another saucepan, cook beef and onion over medium heat add garlic. Once cooked, drain macaroni and stir into the beef mixture.
Picture Source: Tasteofhome
Transfer the macaroni mixture into 2 greased 2-qt baking dishes. Top with cheese and jalapenos, cover, and bake at 3750 in the oven for 30 minutes. Finally, uncover bake until bubbly and heated for about ten minutes. You can serve your meal with a casserole.
#14 Avocado and Black Bean Quesadillas
Cheap dinner ideas don’t have to be straightforward. Likewise, this idea comes with a twist on how traditional quesadillas are leveraged to create a perfect meal under 20 minutes. In a pan, heat sauté onion and bell pepper for 2 minutes until tender.
Picture Source: Gimmedelicious
Add black beans and taco seasoning. Cook for another minute and transfer mixture into a small bowl, and set aside. In another pan, drizzle a light layer of oil or spray with cooking spray.
Mash avocados and stir in cilantro and juice of ½ lime. Season with lime salt pepper to taste. Spread a portion of smashed avocado onto half of tortilla and top with a bean mixture and some cheese.
Fold the tortilla closed with veggies. Cook in medium heat for 2-3 per side until the outside is crispy and cheesy melts. You can now serve.
#15 Mac and Cheese
No household ever goes wrong with macaroni cheese. Likewise, it is one of the cheapest dinner ideas for people who do not have ample time on their hands. In less than 30 minutes, you are always assured to be on the table filling the taste buds.
In addition to the microwave, all you need is 4 cups of water, 2 cups of uncooked elbow macaroni, 1 package of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, milk butter, and salt.
Picture Source: Allrecipes
In a microwavable bowl, mix water and macaroni. While uncovered, microwave the content for about 11 minutes, stirring until the pasta becomes tender. Drain and remove the content from the bowl. Use the bowl to mix cheese, milk butter, and salt. While uncovered, microwave for about five minutes until cheese and butter melt.
The mixture is drained from the bowl and stir in the macaroni and left to stand for 2 minutes, after which it can be served.
#16 Cheesy Ground Beef Tacos
With a few ingredients, this cheap dinner idea is sure to recreate a zesty, flavorful filling made up of cheesy and beefy goodness. Cook onion until soft and add beef in a skillet. Cook until the pink color disappears, and then add tomatoes and black beans.
Picture Source: Delish
You can add taco seasoning and season with salt. Stir until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Finally, spoon mixture into flour tortillas and fold. You can garnish with green onions and serve with sour cream.
#17 Peas & Pasta Carbonara
For this cheap dinner idea, 1 package of fettuccine, 2 cups of peas, butter, garlic, clove minced, and 1 cup of milk will be the ingredients. In an oven, cook fettuccine according to directions while adding peas during the last 3 minutes of cooking.
Picture Source: Tasteofhome
Melt butter, add garlic, and cook for one minute. Likewise, add milk and cream cheese, cook, and stir until everything blends. Stir in prosciutto and parmesan cheese.
Finally, drain fettuccine and peas, toss with sauce and sprinkle with pepper.
#18 Grilled Hot Dogs
Hot dogs will always be an economical dinner. In this case, you will need 8 hot dogs and hot dog buns as the main ingredients. When it comes to preparation, simply grill the 8 hot dogs over medium heat until slightly charred.
Picture Source: Countryliving
Stir together pickles, white onion, fresh flat parsley, and whole grain mustard in a bowl. You can season with kosher salt and black pepper.
#19 Quick and Easy Calzones
All you need to fulfill this cheap dinner idea is pizza crust dough, marinara sauce, shredded mozzarella, cheese, pepperoni, Italian seasoning, and little butter. With the ingredients, simply preheat the oven to 4000 degrees and spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
Picture Source: Six Sisters Stuff
Cut pizza crust into 6 equal-sized squares. Place marinara sauce shredded cheese in the middle and add pepperoni slices. Fold the dough into a triangle. Brush the top with butter while sprinkling the Italian seasoning and grated parmesan cheese.
Finally, bake in the oven for ten minutes until the tops are golden brown. Finally, you can serve with extra pizza sauce for dipping.
#20 Chicken Alfredo Bubble Up Bake
Cheap dinner ideas stand out in part because they do not require so many ingredients. That is also the case for this recipe that requires a maximum of 30 minutes. The five elements needed in this case are 2 cups of chopped deli rotisserie chicken, a cup of chopped fresh baby spinach, 1 jar of Alfredo pasta sauce, 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese, and 1 can of Pillsbury grand.
Picture Source: Tablespoon
Heat the oven to 3500 F and spray 13 x9 inches of glass baking dish with cooking spray. Separately, mix chicken and spinach as well as Alfredo sauce, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Conversely, separate the dough into small biscuit size. Cut each into 6 pieces and bake for about 30 minutes until deep golden brown biscuits are cooked.
#21 Crockpot Chicken Noodle
Nothing beats the taste of a homemade chicken noodle. For this simple dinner idea, combine chicken, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaf, rosemary, and season generously with salt and pepper.
Picture Source: Delish
Remove the chicken once tender and shred with forks. Discard all the herbs and bay leaf. Cook on low covered until al dente. You can then serve the meal.
#22 Cheesy Bow Tie Chicken
For this super simple dish, all you need is frozen spinach and artichoke cheese dip, as well as bow tie pasta and rotisserie chicken, and some common spices. Preparation begins with heating cheese dip according to package instructions. Similarly, cook pasta according to instructions and drain, reserving only ½ cup pasta.
Picture Source: Tasteofhome
Stir the chicken in cheese dip and peppers. You can also add some olives, salt, while adding the reserved pasta water for a creamy consistency. Heat through, and your super Italian dish should be ready in less than 30 minutes.
#23 Carolina style vinegar BBQ Chicken
This cheap dinner idea is sure to take your taste buds to a whole new level. With this dinner idea, all you need to do is mix in a large bowl 2 cups of water, 1 cup of vinegar ¼ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon of reduced-sodium chicken base, I teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, and ¾ teaspoon salt.
Picture Source: Tasteofhome
Likewise, place chicken in 3-qt and add vinegar mixture. Cook until the chicken is tender. Finally, remove the chicken and shred it with forks. If desired, serve the chicken mixture on buns.
#24 Chili Chicken Lettuce cups
Some cheap dinner ideas are designed to get rid of monotony in the kitchen. With this idea, you are sure to shake up your routine. You only need to thoroughly mix some chili sauce and soy sauce. Likewise, it is crucial to add some lime juice, oil, ginger, and garlic for this dinner idea.
Picture Source: Delish
Add chicken breasts to the mixture and toss with marinade. With a large grill pan over medium heat, add the chicken breasts and cook until golden with grill marks. Your meals should be ready.
#25 Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs
For those who cherish chicken thighs over chicken breasts, then this might as well be the perfect cheap dinner idea. In a skillet, heat oil. At the same time sprinkle some salt on chicken and pepper. Conversely heat until golden. Transfer to a cooker.
Picture Source: Allrecipes
For this meal you will need to mix some soy sauce honey and garlic. Likewise, add some ketchup, honey ginger and sriracha in the same bowl. Finally you can sprinkle some sauce over chicken and toss. Cook until chicken no longer pink.
You can serve the chicken thighs over rice.
#26 Stuffed pepper soup
For soup lovers, then this is sure to go well with any meal. For this super idea, add bell pepper and onion and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add some ground beef and season with salt and pepper.
Picture Source: Delish
Likewise, bring to boil a mixture of crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes, broth. After some minutes add some rice and let it cook until it is tender. The super meal is complete upon garnish with some cedar and parsley.
#27 Bean and Cheese Burritos
For Mexican-inspired cuisine lovers, there is something to smile about in the form of bean and cheese burritos. This is an excellent cheap dinner idea that involves just four ingredients. All you need to set the table is fried beans, cheese, tortillas, and taco seasoning mix and you are good to go.
Picture Source: OldElPaso
Heat the oven to 3750. Set up a Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper or foil. In a bowl, mix the beans, cheese, and taco seasoning mix. Scoop a quarter of the mixture and pour onto each tortilla just below the center. Fold from bottom to edge of each tortilla and overfilling fold side and roll up from the tortilla’s bottom.
Bake for about 12 minutes and immediately serve the outcome.
#28 Easy Tater Tot Hotdish
A classic tater tot hotdish is a firm favorite in most households as it is one of the easiest and cheapest dinner ideas. All that is needed to prepare this tasty meal some ground beef with green beans and tater tots, and melted cheese.
Picture Source: Tablespoon
The preparation process begins with preheating the oven to 3500 F to come up with a brown beef. Mix the brown beef with salt pepper. Add some cream of mushroom and mix with green beans, and then pour in casserole. Place the tater tots in the tip of the beef mixture, and then add the cheddar cheese. Wrap in a foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and you are good to go.
#29 Skillet smoked sausage and rice
If you are exhausted and don’t want to spend too much time on the chicken, then a skillet smoked sausage and rice would be a perfect cheap dinner idea for the day. All you need in this case is smoked sausage and some broccoli. You will also need some cooked rice, and cheese.
Picture Source: allthingsmamma
Even if you still need to cook the rice, you can still have the meal in less than 30 minutes. For this, heat the skillet over medium heat and then add sliced smoked sausage and let it cook for about five minutes. Once the sausage turns brown, add broccoli and cover. Remember to reduce the heat. After about five minutes, add cooked rice and garlic powder and onion salt.
Remove from the heat after 3 minutes, and you are ready to go.
#30 Skillet Burritos
All you will need for this cheap dinner idea are chopped onions, ground beef, diced tomatoes fresh, kidney beans, tortillas, and cheese. With the ingredients in place, simply heat olive oil in a skillet, adds onions and season with salt, and cook for 2 minutes.
Picture Source: diethood
Add beef and cook until browned. Return to heat and season the meat with cumin, paprika chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir tomatoes and kidney beans, and add tortilla wedges and cheese.
Cover skillet and let it stand for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. You can garnish with yogurt or sour cream, avocado, and green onions.
#31 Smoky Slow Cooker Beef
All you need is a few tortillas, steamed rice, and beef for this dinner idea. Likewise, simply combine tomato sauce with chipotle adobo sauce cumin and ½ teaspoon salt in the slow cooker. Stir some garlic, onion, and steak.
Picture Source: Countryliving
Cook until the meat is tender. Shred the beef and serve with tortillas, sour cream, or Pico de Gallo alongside.
#32 Marinated chicken and onion kebabs
For this cheap dinner ideal, all you need is a few spices, red onion, and some boneless breasts, and you are good to go. Combine yogurt, garlic ginger gram masala, turmeric, lemon zest, and juice with a ½ tablespoon of salt and pepper in a bowl.
Picture Source: Countryliving
Add the chicken and stir to combine. Once marinated for about 15 minutes, heat, grill at medium heat, and thread chicken and onions onto six large skewers. Grill, occasionally turning until chicken is cooked in less than ten minutes.
You can serve your meal with kebabs and flatbread with cucumber.
#33 Greek Salad
If the light is the theme for dinner, then very few cheap dinner ideas come close to the Greek salad. The preparation entails stirring together tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and red onion in a large bowl, then gently fold into feta.
Picture Source: Delish
In a small bowl, make some dressings by combining vinegar, lemon juice, and oregano and season with salt and pepper. Add some olive oil whisking to combine. You can drizzle the dressing over salad.
#34 Fried Rice
Some of the best cheap dinner ideas are known to make good use of leftovers that often look like a waste. Likewise, fried rice would be a perfect fit in this case. This dinner idea uses fish sauce and is served along with an additional garnish.
In a bowl, combine chills and fish sauce and set aside. In a skillet, season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil, adds chicken, and cook for about five minutes. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
Picture Source: Delish
Heat a tablespoon of oil, add carrots and cook until softened in a skillet. Add garlic, green onions, and ginger. Cook for one minute, and then add rice and 3 tablespoons of the fish sauce mixture, and your meal is ready for serving.
#35 Hay and Straw
Some cheap dinner ideas are not only quick and easy to prepare but pretty too. Hay and straw is simply a pasta dish that brings some of the best ingredients like julienned ham and parmesan cheese together. You will also need some peas, and linguine. For this simple dish, all you need to do is cook linguine according to package instructions.
Picture Source: Tasteofhome
In a skillet, cook ham in butter, add peas, and heat through. Drain the linguine and toss with ham mixture, parmesan, cheese, and cream. Well, now your quick dinner is ready for serving.
#36 Sassy Chicken and Pasta
Sassy chicken and pasta is a quick and healthy meal that tastes like a naked taco. For this simple, cheap dinner idea, all you need to do is sprinkle chicken with seasoning. In a skillet, cook the chicken for 5 minutes on medium heat and keep warm.
Picture Source: Tasteofhome
Likewise, fry some onion and peppers until it is crisp-tender. Make sure to stir the result in salsa and lime juice. You can likewise sprinkle the mixture over chicken.
#37 Soupy Chicken Noodle supper
In a saucepan, heat butter, adds some carrots, celery, and onion. Cook for about 6 minutes. Stir in some water, bouillon, and seasonings and bring to boil.
Picture Source: Tasteofhome
Cook noodles until tender. Finally, stir in some chicken soup. If possible, serve with some stuffing.
#38 Chicken and Mushroom Alfredo
For this simple dinner idea, the preparation is pretty simple. In a skillet, cook some chicken until it turns brown and transfer into a cooker. Mix broth with onion and mushrooms, in a bowl. Add garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour the mixture over the meat, and let it cook for about 5 hours until the chicken is tender.
Picture Source: Tasteofhome
Cook some fettuccine and drain and remove the chicken from the cooker and keep warm. Afterward, stir in cream cheese until melted. With everything ready, you can serve chicken and sauce with fettuccine.
#39 Northern Bean Stew
Another perfect dinner idea for taking away the winter chills involves turning beans into a sumptuous meal. In this case, all you need is to cook sausage and onion in a large saucepan until the meat is no longer pink.
Picture Source: Tasteofhome
Once cooked, you can add onion, tomatoes, chopped cabbage, carrots, white vinegar, salt, paprika, and pepper. Simmer for about 30 minutes until the vegetable is tender
Finally, stir in parsley and cook for about five minutes. Your meal should be ready for serving.
#40 Taco Soup
Very few cheap dinner ideas come close to a pot of soup inspired by ground beef tacos. In this case, you can make a sumptuous meal leveraging beans and some corn. In a Dutch oven, medium heat some oil and add onion, cooking until soft.
Picture Source: Delish
Add some ground beef and cook until no longer pink. After a few minutes mix some beans, corn and fire-roasted tomatoes with taco seasoning. Finally, you can garnish with sour cream and green onions.
More Cheap Dinner Ideas?
These cheap dinner ideas are both healthy and scrumptious! Have you tried any of these dinner ideas or have more ideas? Let us know in the comments!
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