Feed the Family on a Budget with These Cheap Dinner Ideas (2024)

It's hard to beat a Crock Pot for turning inexpensive ingredients into a heavenly meal. Chicken thighs work best in this dish, dark meat especially, but nearly any chicken can work.

Skip the wine if you need to (replace it with stock), but don't use cooking wine, or anything you wouldn't drink.

Get the recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup.

This simple vegetable soup is surprisingly sustaining. With beans and broccolini, tomato and quinoa, it'll make a belly-filling bowl that can power you through an afternoon, or quench a serious dinner hunger.

Get the recipe for Vegetable Soup.

Nothing beats mac and cheese for filling bellies! What makes this extra easy is that the macaroni cooks right in the sauce. So you don't have to boil it ahead of time!

Get the recipe for Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese.

Puff pastry makes this extra-yummy pot pie both simple and delicious!

Get the recipe for Chicken Pot Pie.

Serve this staple-filled soup with good, crusty bread for a simple, effective, and delicious meal.

Get the recipe for Slow Cooker Potato Soup.

Perhaps the only thing more warming and delicious than chicken soup on a cold day is chicken and dumplings.

Get the recipe for Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings.

This fast stovetop recipe skips roasting, but is steeped in flavor. And with just a few ingredients (mostly squash), it's easy on the wallet! You can skip the brandy and use a little more cider to save some cost.

Get the recipe for One-Pot Butternut Squash Soup.

Some chicken cutlets and pantry staples — and plenty of Parmesan, of course — can quickly turn into this family favorite.

Get the recipe for Chicken Parmesan.

The underrated tuna melt, that staple of diners and lunch plates everywhere, deserves to be making a big time comeback.

You probably have most of the ingredients in your fridge right now. What are you waiting for?

Get the recipe for Tuna Melt.

If you're looking for a way to use ground beef in a spicy, simple dinner that'll make the whole family happy, then you've just found your recipe for tonight!

Get the recipe for Tamale Pie.

This ground beef enchilada dinner is especially a winner. A little taco seasoning, some corn tortillas, a can of enchilada sauce, cover it with cheese and boom! You've got a powerhouse meal for four (or for two, with leftovers) ready to go.

Get the recipe for Beef Enchiladas.

Want to make your whole family feel taken care of? Treat them to a baked pasta dish. It's easy, it's cheap, and it's super filling.

Get the recipe for Classic Stuffed Shells.

Who's in the mood for a 10-minute dinner? Besides gnocchi and frozen spinach, all you need for this meal is some cream, some cheese, and a few pantry spices.

Get the recipe for Gnocchi with Creamed Spinach.

Tuna salad has been the centerpiece of a number of cheap and easy snack dinners in our household. Add some crackers, some cheese, a little fresh fruit, and you've got a meal!

Get the recipe for Tuna Salad.

How do you make lasagna in 25 minutes? Like this.

Broken noodles simmer in a tomato broth with sausage and spinach, capped off with a big dollop of blended cheese. NOM.

Get the recipe for Lasagna Soup.

An easy way to save on dinner costs? Have breakfast for dinner. This simple but delicious mix of eggs, tortillas, and sausage is a fun way to go all out while still saving some cash.

Get the recipe for Migas with Chorizo.

If you're craving a tasty pasta dish that's a little more grown-up than jarred red sauce, give this dish a whirl. We're pretty sure it'll become a regular part of your dinner plans.

Get the recipe for Salmon and Creamed Spinach Fettuccini.

We always seem to have the makings for tuna salad around, and elbow macaroni is not expensive. So when we're on a budget, this tuna mac makes a dinner that's fun, filling, and fast.

Get the recipe for Classic Tuna Macaroni Salad.

Is there a more classic cheap dinner than mac 'n cheese? While this recipe costs a smidge more than the boxed stuff, it's better by so many leagues that we think you'll agree it's worth the extra [does math] $1. Especially because this recipe shows you how to cook the pasta and make the sauce all in the same pot, no draining required!

Get the recipe for Easy-Peasy Stovetop Mac 'n Cheesy.

Known around the Upper Midwest as "hot dish," this pure comfort-food classic is easy, inexpensive, and plate-lickingly good.

Get the recipe for Tater Tot Casserole.