25 Dirt Cheap and Delicious Meal Ideas

It doesn’t matter whether you’re barely making ends meet, or you just want to shave some money off of your grocery bill. We all need some cheap meal ideas from time to time to help stretch our grocery budget.

I put together a list of inexpensive family meal ideas that are not only delicious but are dirt cheap! These meals work great for big or small families and can be adjusted easily to meet your needs.

Of course, if you can use garden fresh or home canned goods, then it’s even more affordable. Family meals on a budget don’t have to be boring or bland! Any of the recipes on this list of easy cheap meal ideas are sure to please the whole gang!

25 dirt cheap and delicious meal ideas

Grocery shopping can really kill your monthly budget, but we all have to eat. Learning how to feed your family on a budget is a skill that’s worth learning.

As you cruise through these recipes, I’ve also included some tips for making the most out of what you have. So be sure to check those out while you’re hunting for something to make for dinner. 🙂

Chicken recipes

Buying chicken in the store can get expensive, but you can save money by purchasing a whole chicken and breaking it up yourself. Watch this video to learn how to cut up a whole chicken to use in thse dirt cheap dinner ideas.

Chicken Parmesan Casserole
Mexican Chicken Spaghetti
Easy Sesame Chicken
Crock Pot Chicken and Gravy

Broccoli, cheese, rice casserole - a cheap and delicious family meal recipe

Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice
Oven Baked Drumsticks
Garlic Butter Chicken and Veggies
Chicken Rice Casserole
Slow Cooker Chicken Soup with Butternut Squash

More frugal living resources:

Beef recipes

You can still feed your family delicious beef meals on a budget. Ground beef lends itself to lots of cheap quick meal ideas. You can make these cheap meal ideas go even further by learning how to get more meals out of 1lb of ground beef.

Poor Man’s Lasagna
Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Baked Spaghetti
Sloppy Joe Sliders
Cheap Beef Stroganoff
Cheesy Beef-a-roni

Cheap dinner recipe with ground beef. Cheesy and delicious.

Sour Cream Rice Bake
Tomato and Macaroni Soup
Easy Meatloaf
Beef Enchiladas
Pizza Layer Casserole
Walking Tacos

Turkey Recipes

Healthy Stuffed Peppers With Ground Turkey

Pork Recipes

Egg Roll in a Bowl
Cheese Potato Stuffed Pork Chops
Apple Cider Glazed Pork Chops

Vegetarian Recipes

Even if you’re a meat eater, it’s fun to add in some vegetarian meals on occasion. Why not have breakfast for dinner?! You can also sub in beans or mushrooms for meat in any recipe.