Healthy Budget-Friendly Recipes

Featured Recipes

Chicken Piccata with Pasta & Mushrooms

Our chicken piccata, served over whole-wheat pasta, has a rich lemon-caper sauce that's made with extra-virgin olive oil and just a touch of butter for flavor. If you like, you can use a mild fish like tilapia or even shrimp instead of chicken breast.

» Chicken Piccata with Pasta & Mushrooms

Hawaiian Ginger-Chicken Stew

This chicken stew has a bold ginger-flavored broth and provides a whole serving of dark leafy greens in each bowl. We tried it with frozen chopped mustard greens (available in large supermarkets) and it was even quicker to prepare and just as delicious. Serve with brown rice.

» Hawaiian Ginger-Chicken Stew

Barbecue Portobello Quesadillas

This smoky mushroom-filled quesadilla is reminiscent of pulled pork. A touch of chipotle chile pepper adds extra heat. Serve with coleslaw and guacamole.

» Barbecue Portobello Quesadillas

Creamy Avocado & White Bean Wrap

White beans mashed with ripe avocado and blended with sharp Cheddar and onion makes an incredibly rich, flavorful filling for this wrap. The tangy, spicy slaw adds crunch. A pinch (or more) of ground chipotle pepper and an extra dash of cider vinegar can be used in place of the canned chipotles in adobo sauce. Serve with tortilla chips, salsa and Tecate beer.

» Creamy Avocado & White Bean Wrap

Italian Vegetable Hoagies

This delightfully easy, and somewhat messy, sandwich packs a punch with sweet balsamic vinegar, artichoke hearts, red onion, provolone cheese and zesty pepperoncini. We love it for dinner as well as lunch. If you're packing the hoagies to take along, keep the ingredients separate and assemble right before eating to avoid soggy bread. Serve with tomato and cucumber salad.

» Italian Vegetable Hoagies

Chicken with Whole-Grain Mustard & Zucchini in Packets

Mustard and thyme flavor chicken and veggies in this easy dinner.

» Chicken with Whole-Grain Mustard & Zucchini in Packets

Eggplant Pomodoro Pasta

Diced eggplant turns tender and tasty sautéed with garlic and olive oil. Toss with fresh plum tomatoes, green olives and capers and you have a simple light summer sauce. We like it over angel hair pasta, but any type of pasta will work.

» Eggplant Pomodoro Pasta

Enjoy these healthy budget-friendly recipes for under $3 per serving.

An easy way to save money is to eat fewer meals out and make more meals at home. Plus you’ll have greater control to create healthy, delicious meals. Your health and your pocketbook will thank you by making some of our healthy budget-friendly recipes for dinner. Each of these recipes can be made for $3 or less per serving, and we've included a variety of cheap dinner options, including budget-friendly chicken recipes, budget-friendly vegetarian recipes and more easy budget-friendly recipes.

Download a Free Budget Dinner Recipe Cookbook!

COMMENTS	POSTED
PLEASE! More delicious vegetarian recipes, especially in these tough economical times. Thanks so much! —Tammy, Chandler, AZ — Anonymous	09/01/2009 - 5:27pm
I would like to see more vegan recipes...I came to this site to see what you offered in that category... —Sher, Monterey, TN — Anonymous	09/01/2009 - 5:29pm
Do you realize that there are a lot of single middle-aged people trying to eat healthy within a budget, too. Your recipes may sound great for a family, but one person can't budget all those ingredients. How about a section for singles? I have just about given up meat, dairy, and desserts and still have a hard time with my $74 a month food stamp allowance. — Anonymous	09/25/2009 - 6:57pm
Re "cheap and single" buy cheap meat with (or without) bones, dredge in flour and panfry in a bit of oil. Add water, onion, carrot and simmer an hour or two. Remove the meat, cool the broth and then skim off fat. Mash any remaining veggies into the broth. When meat is cool, discard bones, gristle, fat and cut meat into bitesize pieces. Divide the broth into single servings and divide the meat up between them. Freeze the single servings. For soup for one, thaw a serving, add chopped raw veggies of your choice, a bit of salt (or bouillion cube so then nix the salt). Add a 1/4 can of beans in tomato sauce for variety or extra flavor. Freeze the other 3/4 can (again in single servings). Buy little ziplok bags for such storage - buy at the dollar store, even better! Another hint - to thicken without flour, use mashed potatoes - yum! Another cheap... buy navy beans or lentils. Beans should be soaked in water overnight, but not necessary with lentils. Cook in water, or broth, or tomato sauce, or any combination of these. Add bits of ham or other meat if desired, also any veggies which appeal. Even cheap hamburger makes an appetizing soup. The key is not to worry that you are making more than one serving... use the little freezer in the top of your fridge. There are 2 of us, and I have managed for years, making these basics and freezing them for quick and easy meals. Lots of things freeze very well - eg. salmon loaf (can use canned tuna if its cheaper), meatloaf, even cooked chicken livers! I hope this encourages some of you to cook soup from scratch. It really is easy and you shouldn't even have to measure. good luck! Carol, Vancouver Canada — Anonymous	10/24/2009 - 1:56am
at last someone else feels like i do, like to see some budget healthy recipes for single people. — Anonymous	10/26/2009 - 9:43pm
never buy cheap meat! — Anonymous	05/17/2010 - 8:12am
I'm not sure why cooking for one or two people seems to be so difficult. If you have leftovers, freeze them and eat some over the next few days. I make huge amounts of food for just my husband and myself, and we somehow manage to eat the leftovers at some point. — Anonymous	05/20/2010 - 7:58pm
I'm single and I always cook enough to have leftovers. Then I can bring lunch to work that's more interesting than sandwiches. — Anonymous	05/21/2010 - 2:42pm
I agree with one of the previous commenters. More recipe's that work around $1.50-2.00 or less per serving. — Anonymous	07/15/2010 - 4:08pm
I agree that $3 per serving is a little steep, considering that the recipes make 4-6 servings--that's almost $20 a meal in some cases--and they're not really meals, but just entrees! I also cook from scratch and in bulk for just ol' single me, and most of my recipes turn out cheaper than this. However, the recipes look like a very nice option for special occasions when I want to watch my budget. I'm all for the sentiment of cheap, healthy food! I have an ancient book called "The Staying Thin Cookbook," by Perkins, and most of the recipes in there are healthy and have a few simple ingredients, so they end up being pretty cheap, too. And easy to prepare, for the most part. — Anonymous	07/21/2010 - 8:36pm