20 Easy, Cheap Dinner Ideas That Are Seriously Impressive
From baked pasta to sausage burgers, these meals are easy on your wallet.
Greg DuPree
It’s getting more expensive to eat (and eat well), so the never ending quest for easy, cheap dinner ideas is more important now than ever. According to recent data from the United States Department of Agriculture, Americans spent more than 11 percent of their disposable income on eating—whether at home or at a restaurant—in 2022, the highest percentage since 1991. And while it can be difficult to bring the cost of your meals down, especially given moderate inflation and a bevy of rising food prices, it’s not impossible. In an effort to stretch your dollars further without sacrificing quality or taste, we’ve compiled a roundup of 20 delicious dinner recipes that won’t break the bank. Some of our favorite, inexpensive dinners include Chickpea-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, and Italian Sausage Burgers. Keep reading for more!
Related: How to Make a Cheap, Healthy Grocery List For Your Next Shopping Trip
Cheesy Baked Pasta
This cheesy, inexpensive dish combines orecchiette pasta with sausage, broccoli rabe, and a creamy marinara sauce. That creaminess comes from the secret ingredient—cream cheese—while grated Parmesan ups the cheesiness factor. Ready in just 40 minutes, this recipe is peak comfort food. To save even more money, omit the sausage or use frozen broccoli instead of broccoli rabe.
Chickpea-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are hearty, healthy, and relatively inexpensive to buy, Plus, they serve as an excellent base for other ingredients, as is the case here. In this recipe, the tubers are stuffed with chickpeas that are flavored with a spicy cinnamon and cumin combo, as well as flat-leaf parsley and chives. Considering you likely already have most of these ingredients on hand, you won’t need to buy much.
Lemony Linguine With Olives and Feta
This 25-minute pasta recipe packs plenty of zesty, tangy flavor without breaking the bank. Aside from the noodles and other common ingredients such as garlic, crushed red pepper, and Parmesan cheese, all you need is buttery Castelvetrano olives, pine nuts, and crumbled feta cheese. How’s that for a short grocery list?
Black Bean-Oat Burgers
The backbone of these vegan burgers is two cans of black beans, which are pretty much always moderately priced. Each patty is also made with other pantry staples, including rolled oats, garlic, soy sauce, chili powder, and scallions. Top each burger with jarred or freshly made salsa, lettuce, and sliced tomato on a hamburger bun and you're good to go.
Chicken Orzo Skillet
Jennifer Causey
Boneless skinless chicken breasts are the backbone of this one-pot meal, which is made with an array of ingredients you likely already have at home. Here, orzo is studded with the aforementioned chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and plenty of spinach. The balanced mixture boasts plenty of rich flavor thanks to some dry white wine, chicken stock, and creamy half-and-half.
Italian Sausage Burgers
Greg DuPree
In this 15-minute dinner recipe, reasonably priced Italian sausage is removed from its casings to form burger patties. Those flavorful patties are then topped with quick-pickled onions, a slice of provolone cheese, and jarred roasted red peppers. If you’re looking to save even more money, feel free to top the burgers with ingredients you already have at home instead.
Miso Noodle Soup
Greg DuPree
A trio of reasonably priced ingredients—tofu, vegetable stock, and ramen noodles—form the base of this savory soup. For even more flavor you’ll turn to pantry staples such as soy sauce, white miso paste, and dried seaweed snacks. If you can, pick up some fresh scallions to slice and top the soup with. They’ll add those unmistakable onion-y notes, and will make the finished product look even more delicious.
Crunchy Nacho Bake
Greg DuPree
This layered dish is a great way to serve a crowd on a budget, and calls for less than 10 ingredients. A robust base of ground beef, canned black beans, and canned diced tomatoes gets infused with flavor courtesy of cream cheese, shredded Colby Jack, and taco seasoning. That layer is then topped with tortilla chips and even more cheese. If you want a garnish, opt for jalapeño slices and fresh cilantro.
Tortellini With Sausage and Greens
Fred Hardy
Cheesy and creamy, this comforting dinner is on the table in just 25 minutes. The shortcut lies in the store-bought tortellini, which is easy on your wallet and perfectly complements the meaty hot Italian sausage and plenty of spinach. Top with a quick sprinkle of Parmesan and dig in.
Related: 35 Perfect Pasta Recipes You'll Want to Make for Dinner Tonight (and Every Night)
Cheesy Chicken Nachos With Avocado and Radish
Load up tortilla chips with cheese and leftover rotisserie chicken, bake for about 10 minutes until melty, and then top things off with fresh ingredients such as salsa, radishes, jalapeño slices, and cilantro. The chips and chicken won’t cost much, and since you have total control of the toppings, you can decide how much you’d like to spend on those extra ingredients.
Cheesy Potato Frittata
This rich and filling frittata serves eight, and calls for just 10 ingredients. Here, thinly sliced potatoes join forces with custardy eggs and salty Manchego cheese for a simple dinner everyone will enjoy. Heavy whipping cream adds creaminess and decadence to this frittata, while yellow onion and jarred roasted red bell peppers bring even more flavor.
Sheet Pan Smashed Potatoes and Broccoli With Fried Eggs
Yes, eggs have been a more pricey purchase over the last several months, but you likely have a carton stashed in the fridge since they’re so versatile. This recipe only calls for four eggs, in addition to some more affordable foods like Yukon Gold potatoes and broccoli florets. Serve with crumbled goat cheese and fresh dill (or cilantro) for even more flavor.
Chimichurri Chicken Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries
This lighter take on a standard hamburger and fries calls for a chicken burger topped with melted Cheddar cheese and an herby chimichurri. Since that duo adds plenty of flavor, you don’t need other, more costly ingredients such as lettuce, onion, and fresh tomato. Serve with oven-baked sweet potato fries, which complete the meal and are healthier and more flavorful than regular fries.
Wild Mushroom and Spinach Stuffed Shells
Who doesn’t love stuffed shells? This take on the hearty and comforting meal uses a combination of spinach and mushrooms in place of ground meat, yielding a vegetarian baked pasta dish that everyone will love. Save any leftovers and enjoy them throughout the week.
Greek Chicken and Potatoes
This sheet pan dinner calls for a whole chicken, but you’ll cut it into several pieces before the cooking even starts. Then, all the pieces will be marinated in an oregano-spiced lemon marinade, which helps to flavor and tenderize the meat. As a final step, the chicken is baked in the oven alongside small red potatoes and broccolini before being served. Not only is this balanced meal easy to make, but it won’t cost much.
Cheesy Baked Beans and Tomatoes
This recipe transforms relatively inexpensive pantry ingredients, like canned beans and tomatoes, into a comforting and easy weeknight dinner. Fragrant oregano and garlic help coax pizza-like flavors out of these everyday staples, resulting in a bubbling, saucy skillet perfect for mopping sauce up with toasted bread. If you have fresh basil on hand, top each serving with a few leaves to enhance the pizza vibe.
Artichoke Mac and Cheese
Grab that jar of artichokes from the back of the pantry and use it to jazz up your mac and cheese. In this recipe, which calls for just eight ingredients, marinated artichoke hearts mingle with fontina cheese and macaroni to create a deliciously comforting dish. Half-and-half adds plenty of richness, while grated Parmigiano-Reggiano ups the cheesy factor.
Zucchini-Butter Spaghetti
The key to this healthy pasta recipe is the zucchini butter combo, which sounds fancy and expensive but really isn’t. To make the backbone of this dish, you’ll saute grated zucchini with garlic and shallots, as well as some salt and pepper. Once the veggie mixture is spreadable, you’ll combine it with cooked spaghetti and a pat of butter. Easy enough, right?
Related: 16 Zucchini Recipes to Add More Green to Your Plate
Creamy Miso White Bean Soup
This vegetarian soup recipe is as delicious as it is easy to make. It also won’t break the bank. Pantry staples like cannellini beans and vegetable broth are elevated courtesy of white miso, which brings layers of nuanced flavor to whatever it touches. Serve this soup with toasted, crusty bread so you can sop up every last drop and go to bed feeling full.
Roasted Broccoli Pesto Pasta
This veggie-packed pasta is inexpensive to make, in part because you’ll be using frequently discarded broccoli stems (and some florets) to whip up a vibrant pesto. The rest of the florets mingle with the meat-free pasta, alongside arugula and plenty of cheese, which pull double duty in the sauce as well.
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