12 Cheap Dinners That Don’t Taste Cheap at All
Eating on a budget doesn’t mean sacrificing flavor or comfort. These 12 cheap dinners prove you can make satisfying, delicious meals without spending a fortune. Packed with simple ingredients and big taste, each recipe delivers the kind of dinner that feels way more expensive than it is. Your wallet—and your taste buds—will thank you.
Easy Penne Puttanesca
Penne puttanesca is a variation of the traditional spaghetti alla puttanesca, a traditional Neapolitan pasta dish that’s quick to make with just a few pantry staples. The extremely fragrant sauce makes it an excellent speedy meal for those days you want a treat and you want it now.
Krumplis Tészta Hungarian Potato Pasta
Krumplis tészta is a gloriously satisfying, cheap and easy Hungarian “homestyle” meal that combines potatoes with onions, pasta and paprika. This dish is not just easy and cheap to make, it is also pretty quick and it will go from your kitchen cupboard to your table in around 30 minutes.
Vegan Mushroom and Onion Hotpot
Vegan mushroom “Lancashire-style” hotpot loaded with chunky mushrooms and dried porcini, cooked in a rich gravy and topped with potatoes.
Savoury Mince Beef with Marmite
Savoury mince beef, a cheap and cheerful meal that takes me back to my childhood, I have of course added a few tweaks to turn up the flavour. Anchovies and marmite add wonderfully umami notes and the bacon… well bacon just makes everything better.
Cheesy Tortellini Casserole with Spinach
This cheap & cheesy Tortellini Casserole is a weeknight favorite done in 25 minutes with just 5 ingredients but lots of flavor. Just boil the tortellini halfway, then dump, bake and serve! It also heats up really well for delicious leftovers!
Hungarian Nokedli Dumplings
Hungarian nokedli dumplings are a classic simple noodle-style side dish similar to pasta that are delicious, quick, easy & cheap to make. Four base ingredients form the dumplings, egg, flour, salt and water, they take 15 minutes to cook and are superb tossed with butter and herbs and then served alongside paprikash!
Vegan Stew
Try this vegan stew for a hearty and satisfying meal that comes together in 35 minutes! Wholesome vegetables like carrots, mushrooms, and potatoes are combined with savory herbs before being bathed in a savory tomato broth. Serve your bowl with a side of grains or a salad for a quick yet comforting weeknight dinner!
Vegetable Pot Pie Recipe
This vegetable pot pie recipe is a showstopper recipe for entertaining, featuring a kale and white bean filling and a cornmeal Parmesan biscuit crust.
Spanish Chickpea and Sweet Potato Stew
A super healthy vegan stew that’s easy to make and oh-so-satisfying, this Spanish chickpea and sweet potato stew is ready in under an hour. The stew is naturally vegan and gluten-free and has well-balanced flavours for the perfect winter comfort meal.
Homemade Vegetarian Glamorgan Sausages
Glamorgan sausages are essentially cheese, bread and leek “croquettes” from South Wales, and they are as good as vegetarian bangers get.
Filipino Beef Kaldereta (Caldereta)
Beef kaldereta (caldereta) is a delicious, hearty Filipino stew loaded with veggies that bears a striking resemblance to European variants.
Beef Mince Stew and Dumplings
Beef mince stew and dumplings, the best of British comfort food, it’s delicious, relatively cheap, hearty and the perfect winter dinner.
