This week, we will share some of our favorite cheap family dinners. Finding recipes that can be done over and over again is beneficial. And it can be your go-to meal when times are tough and when drones are easy.
Some of the recipes below are freezer meals, and others are not. They can be frozen after you make them and then defrosted and reheated later. It is an excellent option for anyone who wants to have a warm meal. Feel free to click on the link below each recipe to get more details.
Jump to:
Pumpkin Black Bean Corn Soup Recipe
The Cheap family dinners' first recipe is an excellent soup for colder weather. The soup has lots of beans and corn and cooks nice and thick for a hardy vegetarian dinner.
Italian Meatloaf Recipe
The Italian meatloaf recipe makes a large amount. This recipe can be frozen. We even made them into mini meatloaves and froze them into individual pieces. We can pull them out and defrost them individually.
Vegetarian Crock Pot Lasagna Recipe
Pasta recipes are truly an affordable way to make a family meal on a dime. I found that slow cooker pasta recipes are easy to make and can be cooked within 4 hours.
Note: Pasta in slow cookers doesn’t take nearly as long as a regular meat dish in the slow cooker, so consider that when making this dish.
Quick Tomato Sauce Recipe
I wanted to share with you a quick tomato sauce recipe I grew up with when I was a kid. It was a recipe my mother, who comes from Italy, made almost weekly. She used whole tomatoes, which only took about 20 minutes to cook. It’s super easy and cheap. And, if you buy several canned whole tomatoes, you can make a batch and freeze it for later use. It defrosts well.
Easy Turkey Chili Freezer Meal Recipe
And the last cheap family dinner is a turkey chili recipe that can be served with nachos or bread. It freezes well. You can buy turkey in bulk at a wholesale place and cut it into 2-3 family-size dinners. You may even have leftovers for the next day, depending on how many people eat them.
I hope these Cheap family dinners save money and feed your family for many years. Feel free to visit our other weeknight quick recipes for more inspiration. Below are some additional posts I found online to help you stay on budget.
26 Favorite Cheap-and-Easy Meals
60 Cheap Dinner Ideas for Under $10
Meal Planning Tips:
Planning is key for Cheap family dinners. On Sunday, schedule your daily meals. If you have leftovers each week, incorporate a day for leftovers to be eaten or recooked into another meal.
It's helpful to use pantry items you can find on sale and stock up. Look through your store's app and add coupons to the grocery list where applicable. Sometimes a printed circular may have coups as well.
Then, decide what you will be making and write it down in an area everyone can see. Sticking to a regular daily dish may be helpful. Check out our meal planning tips at HOW TO MAKE A MEAL PLANNING SYSTEM THAT WORKS.
Now, get people involved. Schedule each person a day that works for them to prepare dinner. Having one person responsible for the entire week's meals can be tough. I love getting the kids involved on days I am busy and have to work a little later. Be patient during this new process. They need to learn how to cook just like all of us did.
