Healthy Eating 101 Budget Cooking Guide Thrifty I'm a Dietitian & These Are the Easy Dinners I Make When I Didn't Meal Plan By Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Instagram Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, has been with EatingWell for three years and works as the associate nutrition editor for the brand. She is a registered dietitian with a master's in food, nutrition and sustainability. In addition to EatingWell, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens and MyRecipes. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on August 14, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos As a dietitian on a budget, I try to meal plan to start my week as it helps me save money, cut down on food waste and save time in the kitchen. That said, life gets busy and no one is perfect. Especially when I'm returning home from travel or after hectic weekends, it's harder to take inventory of my kitchen, meal plan and get to the grocery store. During those weeks, I rely on these healthy, super easy dinner recipes. Dishes like Black Bean Fajita Skillet and One-Pot Pasta with Tuna can be mostly made with pantry staples like canned beans, diced tomatoes and canned or frozen produce. Regardless of how bare my fridge gets, I know I usually have what I need on hand. Plus, these recipes are customizable to your palate and what's stocked in your kitchen. Don't have eggs for Shakshuka? Try adding a can of beans instead. Want to add frozen spinach to your Kitchen Sink Burrito? The world is your oyster. These meals are simple to make with whatever you have on hand while helping you feel full and nourished for a week you forgot to do your typical menu planning. For more budget-friendly beginner cooking tips, check out Thrifty. 01 of 11 Baked Eggs, Tomatoes & Chiles (Shakshuka) View Recipe This popular Israeli breakfast or brunch skillet recipe features eggs cooked on a bed of roasted tomato sauce. Serve with warm crusty bread and hot sauce. 02 of 11 One-Pot Pasta with Tuna View Recipe Joy Howard Use the one-pot pasta cooking method to make this tuna pasta recipe that calls for just 5 ingredients and is ready in just over half an hour. For extra crunch and a tuna noodle casserole feel, sprinkle this speedy pasta dish with toasted whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs. 03 of 11 Sweet Potato-Black Bean Tacos View Recipe Will Dickey Tender, smoky sweet potato is the star of these vegetarian tacos. A mashed black bean spread with onion holds everything in place. Serve with your favorite taco toppings. 04 of 11 Quinoa with Peas & Lemon View Recipe Ted & Chelsea Cavanaugh Green peas add a pop of color to this bright whole-grain side dish. Plus, choosing frozen saves you time—no shelling required! Want to save even more time? Use a pouch of precooked quinoa. 05 of 11 Easy Vegetarian Chili View Recipe Canned beans and tomatoes make this quick vegetarian chili recipe ready to go in just 30 minutes. Serve over rice or couscous, or with tortilla chips for added crunch, and add extra toppings as you see fit--sliced scallions, chopped fresh cilantro, diced avocado and sliced jalapeños are all tasty choices. 06 of 11 Black Bean Fajita Skillet View Recipe You can often find presliced and ready-to-cook fresh vegetables in your grocer's produce section. Use these to your advantage to cut down on dinnertime prep. Here, presliced fajita vegetables are sautéed with canned black beans and Southwest seasoning for a quick and easy Tex Mex-inspired meal. Plus, this recipe requires just three ingredients, not including basics like salt, pepper and oil. You can easily take your bowl up a notch by adding some cheese, sour cream or another tasty topping. 07 of 11 Tuna Casserole with Peas View Recipe Leslie Grow | Tuna Casserole with Peas Maya Feller, M.S., RD, CDN, of Brooklyn-based Maya Feller Nutrition, has worked with many low-income families and is well-versed in the realities of putting food on the table that is healthy, tastes good, isn't time-prohibitive and is affordable. "A traditional tuna casserole provides both protein and carbohydrates to keep you full, and is kid-friendly and easy to make," she says about this tuna casserole recipe. (This recipe was part of a feature story, "The Real Cost of Healthy Food," in EatingWell magazine and has not been tested by our Test Kitchen.) 08 of 11 Kitchen Sink Burritos View Recipe This vegetarian bean burrito recipe is perfect any time of day, from breakfast (add a scrambled egg) to a late-night snack. It's also ideal for days when you need an energy boost to get through a draining event like a soccer tournament or a marathon meeting. Bonus: You can wrap it in foil and eat it on the go. Excerpted from The Dinner Plan by Kathy Brennan and Caroline Campion, published by ABRAMS © 2017. 09 of 11 One-Pot Beans & Rice with Corn & Salsa View Recipe This one-pot dinner is like a deconstructed burrito bowl--especially when topped with salsa, sliced avocado or a dollop of Greek yogurt for a cool, creamy accent. You can also enjoy it as a meal on its own, or as a vegetarian taco or burrito filling or a side dish on taco night. 10 of 11 Hearty Tomato Soup with Beans & Greens View Recipe Garlicky kale and creamy white beans elevate simple canned tomato soup into a 10-minute lunch or dinner that really satisfies. Use a soup with tomato pieces for a heartier texture. Look for a brand that's low- or reduced-sodium, with no more than 450 mg sodium per serving. 11 of 11 Stuffed Sweet Potato with Hummus Dressing View Recipe Hearty yet simple to prepare, this stuffed sweet potato with black beans, kale and hummus dressing is a fantastic 5-ingredient lunch for one! Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit