I’ve searched for years trying to find cheap dinner ideas. A little fact about me – I hate cooking! I’d rather be doing laundry than having to cook and I’ll do anything that’s easy, quick and cheap!
To keep our dinners cheap I create a meal plan at the beginning of each week. This way I only have to go to the store once and can first use what I actually have in my pantry or fridge.
You can get the free monthly meal plan that I use in the Freebies Page.
These 9 cheap dinner ideas are on repeat at our house because they all have ingredients we typically have on hand, are super easy to make and on the cheap!
Top 9 Deliciously Cheap Dinner Ideas:
Rhodes Rolls Pizza Pockets
Recipe found at Six Sisters Stuff
Like any normal person, I’m a pizza lover. Buuuuuuuut, I’m not the biggest fan of how greasy take out pizza can be. We made this delicious pizza pockets and were not disappointed! They’re easy, we ALWAYS have all the ingredients on hand and everybody LOVES them!
Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken
Recipe found at Urban Bliss Life
One of my fave fast food places is Chic-Fil-A. When I searched for the recipe to subside my craving for those tasty nuggets I found all the recipes used pickle juice and that was a heck no from me! I decided I don’t want to know how those tasty Chic-Fil-A nuggets are made (I’d rather just order them and be happy) and found this awesome popcorn chicken recipe instead. We are OBSESSED with our air fryer (this is the air fryer we got on Amazon) and use every excuse to cook with it.
Chicken, Bacon and Pineapple Skewers
This is my personal, thrown together recipe but is my absolute favorite! The flavors are soooo good and it’s as easy as putting it on a skewer and grilling!
Ingredients:
Cubed chicken
Cubed pineapple
1 C. Brown sugar
Bacon strips (uncooked)
Season All Seasoning
1/4 C. Melted Butter
You’ll also need:
Kabob Skewers (these are my favorite skewers from Amazon.
There’s no exact amount for ingredients because we make it based on how many people we’re feeding. If it’s just us two we use two chicken breasts and two strips of bacon.
Directions:
Melt the brown sugar and butter together in a bowl and stir, place pineapple chunks in bowl to lightly coat. Cut up bacon into squares. Cube chicken and coat with Season All seasoning. Using the skewers, place a piece of cube chicken onto skewer until it reaches the other end, next place a bacon square on the skewer and last a pineapple cube. Continue this sequence until skewer is full. (Leave 1/2 to 1 in. on either side to pick up and rotate on grill.) Continue filling skewers until you reach the desired amount. Place on grill, turn skewers every 5-7 minutes until meat is completely cooked.
Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken and Rice
Recipe found on Six Sisters Stuff
We’ve loved our instant pot because again …. EASY! This is such a great, filling recipe for everyone. My favorite thing is that you can completely customize it to what your family likes and include different vegetables. Everyone leaves full after making this! (There is also a slow cooker option if you don’t have an Instant Pot!)
Cheesy Chicken Noodle Soup
Okay anything with cheese is a huge yes in our household. This is my favorite chicken noodle soup recipe because it’s super simple and well…. delicious!!
Ingredients:
2 to 3 C. Cooked Chicken
4 to 6 C. Chicken Broth
1 C. Milk
1 C. Diced Celery
10 3/4 oz. Cheddar Cheese Soup
8 oz. Package Egg Noodles
1 C. Diced Carrots
2 C. Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients except milk and cheese in a large stockpot, bring to boil over medium heat. 2. Reduce heat; simmer until noodles are soft. Stir in milk. Spoon into bowls and sprinkle with cheese.
BBQ Marinated Chicken
One of the most simple, but flavorful, chicken marinades. This is a constant grill repeat at our house because of how great the flavor is. I have such a hard time cooking chicken because I feel like it always tastes the same no matter what I do – not with this one! Get ready for the best BBQ chicken of your life!
Marinade:
2 C. Sprite
2 C. of Canola Oil
2 C. Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
Marinade covers approximately 6-8 large chicken breasts.
Marinate chicken for at least an hour. Grill on barbeque.
Instant Pot BBQ Pork
Recipe found at The Salty Marshmallow
This one is so easy and is the best dinner to use as leftovers. We always make extra because it lasts quite a few days and tastes just as good heated up!
Chicken Parmesan Pasta Casserole
Recipe found at Six Sisters Stuff
Chicken parmesan is always a good choice. But, what I didn’t expect was a fantastic casserole that tasted EVEN BETTER than the regular chicken parmesan. Bonus points if you have leftovers for tomorrow night!
Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas
Recipe found at Life Made Sweeter
Occasionally we mix it up and throw some steak in there (can you tell I’m a chicken person?!) We’re all about the flavors and this tops the best seasonings list! The amazing thing is you can easily convert this to chicken, turkey and even shrimp!
MY 3 TOP TIPS FOR MEAL PLANNING
Creating a meal plan can completely change your budget for the better. If you haven’t noticed already, I’m all about SIMPLE. That’s why my meal plan is simple and easy to follow (even if you’re a beginner!) These cheap dinner ideas will be fantastic to add to your meal plan!
TIP 1 – Write down all your meals that your family will actually eat on a sheet of paper to refer to when making your meal plan.
TIP 2 – Only plan one week in advance. Schedules change especially for busy families. Don’t make it miserable for yourself and plan only one week ahead.
TIP 3 – Write down all your meals for the week and put a dot next to the ones you still need to get groceries for. That way you’re prepared the day of. Cooking definitely isn’t my strong suit but it’s helped us eat a little healthier and save some extra in our budget!
Want more cheap and easy meal ideas? Follow me below on Pinterest!
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