51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (2024)

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On a tight budget? Yeah, I know that feeling. You know the budget-friendly classics: rice, beans, cabbage, and chicken. It can get old after a week or two. Here are some various healthy, easy, uncomplicated recipes to make for dinner. We carefully vetted that all will come under $2 per meal or less.

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (1)
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Table of Contents

Budget Seafood Recipes

Black Olives, Sundried Tomatoes & Salmon Pasta

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (2)

The 99 cent chef is a great blog for those on a budget. Recreate this scrumptious recipe with simple Dollar Store items, mix and enjoy!

Tuna Puttanesca

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Most of the ingredients needed in this recipe are already available in the kitchen. This meal is attractive in the eye as well as delicious.

Popular Poultry Recipes

Curry Egg Salad Sandwiches

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One batch of this sandwich can feed up to 12 people. Not to mentiont that this recipe will only cost $1 per serving.

Orchard Chicken Salad

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Want to make an easy chicken salad that can last up to 3 – 5 days? Look no more — this chicken salad is tasty, inexpensive, and a healthy meal.

Spicy Chicken & Broccoli

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Craving for something spicy? With a few basic kitchen ingredients and jasmine rice, you can have a fancy meal.

Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

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If you’re a fan of light but creamy broth, this recipe is a must try. The recipe serves 8 people with $0.91 per serving.

Southwest Chicken Skillet

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Flavorful and seasone with Mexican spices, added with lemon juice and leftover chicken. Southwest Chicken Skillet serves 4 people and is ready after an hour.

Chicken Spinach Quesadillas

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Love chicken? Spinach? Tortillas? You can have all of these three easy to make and cheap recipe.

Pesto Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (10)

Pasta is inexpensive and great for stretching that hard earned dollar. With this recipe, the vibrant flavor and tangy creem cheese will still provide you a fancy dinner.

Chicken Quiche

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You now have a reason to love refrigerated pie crust. This recipe is perfect for leftover vegetables and chicken.

Chicken and Pumpkin Soup

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (12)

Want to whip up pumpkin soup? Chicken and pumpkin might sound weird, but once you tried this recipe, nothing can go wrong with your pumpkin soup cravings.

Cheesy Salsa Chicken + Cauli Rice

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (13)

Keto Diet doesn’t always have to be about meat and bread. This keto recipe fills your carb intake while protecting your pennies.

Chickpea Alfredo With Veggies

Are you looking for a new chickpea recipe. Chickpea Alfredo with Spring veggies is a nutritional meal that yields 6 servings in one cooking.

Shredded Chicken Tacos

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Get ready for an explosion of flavor. This recipe enables the chicken to absorb all the flavors from other ingredients and making it a unique experience.

Basic Egg Fried Rice

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Fried rice is a good way to reuse all the leftovers and make something good out of it. A filling and cheap meal is always welcome.

Turkey Ham and Beans

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Simple Turkey Ham and Beans recipe that is cheap and easy to make. With only 15 minutes, you have delicious comfort food on your plate.

Homemade Sushi

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Not the easiest thing to prepare, but Sushi can offer your tongue a pleasant combination of flavor and texture. Its ingredients can also found easily in your fridge.

Budget Beans & Lentil Recipes

Black Bean, Bell Pepper Wraps

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (18)

Have you ever wonder if a meatless wrap would taste good? These wraps are flavorful enough to make you forget meat for a while.

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Sriracha Chickpea Burrito

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (19)

Another recipe for the chickpea lover, but this time, its on the wraps. You can put all the leftover vegetables in this recipe.

Slow Cooker Lentil Chili

Slow Cooker Lentil Chili will surely appeal to Vegetiarians who craves for this meal. It is freezer friendly and can serve 6 people for $0.77.

Walnut-Lentil Patties

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (20)

When doing this recipe, be sure to press chopped walnuts into the patty before cooking. Walnuts provide a great crunch for the meal.

Beef and Black Bean Chili

Beef and Black Bean Chili can be made with under $3 and can make up to 8 servings. This makes this savory and tasty chili to be under $1 per serving.

Red Beans and Sausage

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Beans are healthy and cheap food for people who want to save money. Red Beans and Sausage is the ultimate comfort food recipe for people who like flavorful, filling, and cheap meal at the same time.

Lentil Beef and Red Pepper Soup

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Another beef recipe for in this entry. If you’re for a French meal, this soup is flavorful but low on calories.

Tuna and White Bean Salad

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (23)

This tuna salad can be paired with pita bread or cracker for a quick and delicious lunch. Add pepper, a pinch of salt, and you have yourself a delicious meal.

Curried Chickpeas w/ Fried Potatoes

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (24)

When you have most of the ingredients in this recipe, the serving will only cost $1.53. This recipe is also good for weight loss.

Victorious Veggie

Roasted Salad with Raspberries

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Raspberries in a salad? Here’s a way to enjoy your favorite fruit that his healthy and delicious!

Kale and Swiss Mushroom Strata

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Pro-tip: if not fond of Kale, you can substitute spinach for this recipe. It needs a lot of time for preparation, but it will all be worth it.

Vegan Winter Lentil Stew

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Vegan Winter Lentil Stew is a rich and hearty meal that goes perfectly with bread or cracker. A perfect combination with your morning toasts and can serve up to 12 cups.

Mushroom Stroganoff

This recipe turns basic materials into a creamy and flavorful dish. It is ready to serve in ust 30 minutes.

One-Pot Eggplant Pasta

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A recipe with three easy step: Place, Heat, Add. One-Pot Eggplant Pasta is ready in 30 minutes.

Apple-Dijon Kale Salad

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When it comes to healthy lunches, Apple-Dijon Kale Salad could be your number one choice. It can also be stored for 3-4 days.

Peanut Fettuccine with Roasted Cauliflower

It doesn’t have to be expensive to eat healthy. Peanut Fettuccine with Roasted Cauliflower can serve 4 people for $2 per serving.

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (30)

Vegan Fajita Rice Bowl

Fancy a Fajita? This Vegan Fajita Bowl is packed with nutritious ingredients and only costs $1.70 per serving.

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (31)

Creamy Vegetable Linguine

With a luscious cream sauce and high protein content, this linguine is the perfect dish for vegans. It also costs only $1.50 per serving.

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Spinach, Mushroom, and Feta Quiche

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (33)

Crustless Quiche? No, this is not a Frittata. With the rich texture from the baked egg and cheese custard, it’ll melt in your mouth.

Sweet Potato Quinoa Casserole

This quinoa recipe can feed 6 people. What’s good with this is that although the cook time is long, the prep time is just ten minutes.

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (34)

Budget Pork Recipes

Bean Bacon Tomato Stew

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (35)

What makes this recipe a good budget meal is that it only costs $1.50 per servings. It keeps well in the fridge, so you can make batches and divide your consumption.

Five-Spice Pork Kabobs

These five spices came from the Chinese five-spice powder. Marinated for 20-30 minutes, then you’re done.

Jamaican Pork Stir-Fry

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A stir-fry is easy to make, healthy, flavorful, and cheap. With this Jamaican Pork Stir-Fry, soy sauce and peanuts can be added for flavor.

Pinto Beans with Chorizo

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (37)

Pinto Beans with Chorizo is perfect if you want a fancy meal but you only have an instant pot with you. You can use Bettern Than Bouillon if a low-sodium chicken broth is not available.

Cilantro-Lime Pork

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (38)

Slow cooker noms! You only need five different ingredients for this recipe. Flour tortillas can be omitted or not based on your preference.

Spaghetti Squash and Meat Sauce

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (39)

A new kind of spaghetti for the adventurous eater. Spaghetti squash and meat sauce is an easy and cheap recipe that can yield up to 6 servings.

Oven Pepperoni Pizza Bites

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (40)

Have you ever wonder what it would feel like to eat pizza in bite-size pieces? Polka Dot Pizza can make that pizza experience possible. The topping choices are up to you, but chicken and pork are the most budget friendly!

Frugal Beef Recipes

Beef, Cabbage, and Tomato Soup

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (41)

What makes this recipe very good is the combination of savory flavor from the main ingredients. Its the perfect soup for those who feels lazy in winters.

Beef, Mushroom, and Barley Soup

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (42)

It’s hard to feed a lot of people when you just have a few dollars to spare. With this recipe, you can feed your whole family and have some leftovers for tomorrow.

Chili-Pasta Skillet

Chili-Pasta Skillet is a cheap meal that can be ready for 35 minutes. Add your favorite cheese and you’re all set for the day.

Beef & Broccoli (Instant Pot)

During a lazy day, this is perfect for people who just want to have a meal done without a lot of preparations. Best served with rice.

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (43)

Simple Beef Stew

This is another meal for those who only have an instant pot. It is a fast recipe, but the taste feels like it is slow-cooked.

Italian-Style French Dips

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (44)

Want a sandwich on a rainy day? Partner iwth a hot cocoa, this sandwich can yield four servings.

Cheater Korean Beef

51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (45)

The Korean Beef is usually eaten over rice or in a lettuce wrap. The beef stays juicy after absorbing all the sweet and spicy flavor from other ingredients.

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51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal (2024)

FAQs

What is the cheapest meal you can make for dinner? ›

65 Easy And Cheap Dinner Ideas That You'll Want To Make On Repeat
  • Sweet Potato And Black Bean Burritos. tasty.co. ...
  • Barbecue Beer Can Chicken. tasty.co. ...
  • Zucchini Noodles with Kale Pesto. ...
  • One-Pot Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta. ...
  • Chicken Alfredo Penne. ...
  • Avocado Quinoa Power Salad. ...
  • Tofu Scramble. ...
  • Egg Pizza With Scallions.
Dec 21, 2023

What to make for dinner when you have no food or money? ›

Here are some additional cheap easy meals to make when you're broke:
  • Tuna Melts.
  • Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
  • Lentil Soup.
  • Fried Rice.
  • Potato Soup.
  • Vegetable Soup.
  • Hamburger Stew.
  • Macaroni and Cheese.

How to make a low cost meal? ›

Vegetables and fruit are less expensive when they're in season. Frozen and canned choices are also a good buy and can be just as nutritious. Plan to use leftovers. If you're cooking roast chicken with rice and vegetables for Sunday night's supper, then make chicken sandwiches for Monday's lunch.

What is the cheapest meal to live on? ›

Cheapest Foods to Live On:
  • Oatmeal.
  • Eggs.
  • Bread.
  • Rice.
  • Bananas.
  • Beans.
  • Apples.
  • Pasta.

How to feed a family of 4 on $10 a day? ›

Ten Healthy Family Meals Under $10
  1. Healthy Fried Rice.
  2. Pasta Salad.
  3. Fettuccini Alfredo… or Bowtie, or Shells, or Rotini.
  4. Rosemary White Bean Soup or Turkey White Bean Chili.
  5. Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos.
  6. Black-eyed Peas and Pork…with Kale.
  7. Enchilada Casserole.
  8. Down-home Macaroni and Cheese.

Can you live off $10 a day for food? ›

If you try to do it all the time, you'll go insane (believe me, I almost did when I went a month without splurging at all), but if you can live with being boring most of the time (and get on a first-name basis with everyone who works at your local grocery store), you can eat a balanced and healthy daily diet for less ...

What kind of food can you afford on $1? ›

Basic pantry items: Bread, flour, sugar, leavening, seasonings, coconut oil, olive oil, lard, peanut butter and jam, homemade granola, cornmeal, oats, whole wheat, rice, dried beans, lentils and split peas, several varieties of pasta, pasta sauce, home canned tomatoes, fruits and vegetables.

How can I eat on $50 a month? ›

Some affordable and healthy staple foods to include in a $50 monthly food budget are rice, beans, lentils, oats, frozen vegetables, canned tuna or sardines, eggs, and affordable fruits like bananas and apples. These foods are nutritious, versatile, and budget-friendly.

What to cook when you're broke? ›

  • Creamy pasta carbonara. A lovely, creamy version of a well-known favourite.
  • Best Spaghetti and Meatballs. ...
  • Mongolian Beef Stir-Fry. ...
  • Devilled sausages. ...
  • Potato and leek soup. ...
  • Lemon chicken. ...
  • Salt and pepper chicken. ...
  • Chicken and bacon carbonara.

How to eat when you are broke? ›

  1. Apples. “Apples are an affordable, nutritious fruit to purchase year-round. ...
  2. Bananas. ...
  3. Beans. ...
  4. Brown Rice. ...
  5. Chicken. ...
  6. Corn Tortillas. ...
  7. Eggs. ...
  8. Flour.
Jan 16, 2024

What is the cheapest meal to cook? ›

Cheap Family Meals Under $10
  • Spanish Rice Soup. ...
  • Ramen Noodle Stir Fry with Vegetables. ...
  • Crescent Roll Sausage Egg Casserole. ...
  • Chicken and Rice Casserole with Broccoli. ...
  • Creamy Tomato Bacon Pasta. ...
  • Easy Cheese Manicotti. ...
  • White Bean and Spinach Soup. ...
  • Black Bean Enchilada Casserole.
Apr 2, 2023

How to feed 100 people cheaply? ›

Serving budget-friendly cuisines like salads, sandwiches and pasta dishes can be a very cost-effective choice. Or, if you're looking for a more casual option, how about a barbeque? Burgers, hot dogs and other grill-oriented foods are sure to be crowd favorites, and they won't rack up a big bill.

What should I eat on a tight budget? ›

Budget recipes
  • Sausage ragu. A star rating of 4.6 out of 5. ...
  • Sticky Chinese five-spice chicken traybake. ...
  • Spaghetti puttanesca. ...
  • Speedy lentil coconut curry. ...
  • App onlyPulled chicken bowl. ...
  • Cheesy ham & broccoli pasta. ...
  • Chipotle sweet potato & black bean stew with cheddar dumplings. ...
  • Teriyaki & lime-glazed chicken wings.

What can I cook for $20? ›

Top 20 Recipes Under $20 Dollars
  • Chicken Kiev. Recipe Cost – $11.46. ...
  • Retro French Chicken. Recipe Cost – $11.85. ...
  • Mexican Breakfast Casserole. Recipe Cost – $13.12. ...
  • Best Homemade Lasagna. Recipe Cost – $13.34. ...
  • Country Fried Steak. Recipe Cost – $13.44. ...
  • Mac and Cheese Pizza. ...
  • Crock Pot Chicken Pot Pie. ...
  • Loaded Baked Potato Soup.
Aug 11, 2023

What is a good substitute for dinner? ›

With that said, let's look at some of the best meal replacement foods we've found.
  • Store-Bought Shakes and Drinks. ...
  • Homemade Smoothies. ...
  • Bake-your-Own Energy Bars. ...
  • Soups and Bone Broths. ...
  • Classic Crunchy (Healthy) Snacks in a Bag.
Mar 10, 2021

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