11 Cheap Dinners for a Family on a Budget
Feeding your family well doesn’t have to drain your wallet or take hours in the kitchen. With simple ingredients and the right recipes, you can make cheap dinners that are hearty, flavorful, and satisfying for everyone at the table.
These cheap dinners prove that budget-friendly cooking can still feel like a treat after a long day. It’s all about making the most of what you have and enjoying it together.
1. Bubble Up Pizza Bake
Refrigerated biscuit dough turns into a fun pizza casserole when baked with sauce and mozzarella.
Just four ingredients total means you can keep this on rotation without breaking the bank, and the dough puffs up golden while the cheese gets bubbly for a kid-approved dinner that costs way less than delivery.
Get the Recipe: Bubble Up Pizza Bake
2. Ground Turkey Tacos With Sweet Potatoes
These ground turkey and sweet potato tacos are a hearty, flavorful dinner that’s ready in under 30 minutes. Plus, they cost around $1 per serving, making it a great budget-friendly option.
Get the Recipe: Sweet Potato Turkey Tacos
3. Smoked Sausage and Potatoes
Everything roasts together on one sheet pan while the sausage releases its juices over seasoned potatoes and bell peppers. Potatoes and sausage are both wallet-friendly staples that fill you up without costing much, and you just toss it all in the oven and walk away until dinner’s ready.
Get the Recipe: Smoked Sausage and Potatoes
4. Baked Chicken Drumsticks
A simple marinade of lemon juice, seasonings, and olive oil turns drumsticks into something special. Drumsticks are one of the cheapest cuts of chicken, and the skin crisps up beautifully in the oven.
Get the Recipe: Baked Chicken Drumsticks
5. Tomato Basil Pasta
This simple tomato basil pasta is delicious on its own, or you can bulk it up with a smaller portion of an affordable protein like Italian sausage or chicken thighs.
Get the Recipe: Tomato Basil Pasta
6. Wet Burritos
These burritos get baked until the tortillas turn golden, then they’re smothered in enchilada sauce and topped with melted cheese. You can make a whole batch for a fraction of the price of getting takeout from your favorite Mexican restaurant.
Get the Recipe: Wet Burritos
7. Ground Beef and Broccoli Teriyaki
Ground beef replaces pricey steak in this teriyaki stir-fry that comes together in one skillet with frozen broccoli. Using ground beef instead of sirloin cuts the cost dramatically, and the sweet and savory sauce thickens perfectly over rice for a takeout-style dinner.
Get the Recipe: Beef and Broccoli Teriyaki
8. Cabbage and Sausage Skillet
Kielbasa and cabbage come together in this hearty skillet meal that’s full of smoky flavor. Inexpensive cabbage and sausage make it easy to feed the whole family without breaking the bank.
Get the Recipe: Cabbage and Sausage Skillet
9. Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes
Ground beef gets the Philly cheesesteak treatment, with sautéed peppers, onions, and provolone piled onto toasted buns. You get all the cheesesteak flavor you crave without the expensive ribeye, and cleanup is easy.
Get the Recipe: Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes
10. Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
Bone-in thighs need just a quick seasoning rub before they roast to crispy-skinned perfection.
The dark meat stays moist and flavorful with almost no effort, and thighs are one of the most economical cut of chicken you can buy, costing significantly less per pound than breasts while delivering way more flavor.
Get the Recipe: Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
11. Meatball Casserole
Frozen meatballs bake right in the dish with uncooked pasta and marinara, so everything cooks together without dirtying extra pots.
Keeping a bag of frozen meatballs in your freezer is a wallet-friendly move since they’re versatile for so many recipes, and this dump-and-bake casserole turns them into a meal that tastes like you spent all day in the kitchen.
Get the Recipe: Meatball Casserole
