35. Frugal Chicken Enchiladas (Recipe This) – Easily customize this cheap family meal by adding extra veggies (ex. green peppers) to your enchiladas.
36. Cornish Pasty Stuffed Bread Bowls (Recipe This) – What can you get for a dollar? Well, if you’re whipping up this cheap meal for large groups, you can get a hearty, mouthwatering dish complete with crusty bread. Seriously, this dish costs less than $1 per person to make!
37. Instant Pot Chili (My Wife Can Cook) – Have an instant pot? Then you have to whip up this flavorful chili recipe. It’s filling, and the leftovers (assuming there are any) taste as good as the first time you made it. Yep, chili, with or without an instant pot, is one of my favorite cheap family dinners.
38. Spaghetti Squash Pizza Casserole (My Wife Can Cook) – You may have noticed that many cheap meals for family dinners aren’t exactly lite on the carbs. If you’re trying to cut back on carbs (or count calories), you’ve got to meet this healthy yet delicious casserole. Instead of noodles, you use spaghetti squash. No, really, give it a try.
39. Easy Lentil Vegetable Soup (Money Wise Moms) – Nothing warms you up quite like homemade soup, am I right? If you could use some comfort food, look no further than this tasty vegetable soup. Bonus: It smells almost as good as it tastes!
40. Creamy Garlic Pasta (Dancing Through the Rain) – This simple pasta dish is sure to be a family favorite. It’s the perfect indulgence after a terrible Monday or a hump day that just won’t end. Serve this dish with a simple salad for a complete cheap family meal.
41. Stuffed Poblano Peppers (Dancing Through the Rain) – Looking for something a little different for Taco Tuesday? Look no further! Tip: Serve this flavor filled dish without meat to make it a true cheap meal for large families.
42. Sheet Pan Dinner Easy Sausage & Veggies (Must Have Mom) – This dish is easy on prep time (just 10 minutes) and easy on cleanup (since it’s a one sheet meal). That makes it perfect for hectic weeknights, overbooked moms, and it even works as a cheap healthy meal for college students with a full course load!
43. Instant Pot Ranch Pork Chops With Rice (Must Have Mom) – This cheap recipe for families is ready to dish up in just about 30 minutes! The ranch in this recipe gives everything a little extra something and really takes those pork chops from bland to BAM! 🙂
44. One Pot Pasta! Cheesy Polish and Pepper Pasta (Must Have Mom) – Having a big family dinner or get-together? Don’t want to spend the entire evening in the kitchen doing dishes? Then this one pot inexpensive meal for large groups is going to be your new BFF! It’s super easy to clean up and easy on your budget without sacrificing on taste.
45. Juicy, Crispy Chicken Parmesan (Must Have Mom) – I bet you didn’t know you could make authentic chicken parmesan in less than a hour, did you? Yep, with this recipe, you can be serving up this Italian favorite in just 30 minutes.
46. Turkey Tater Tot Casserole (Penny Pincher Jenny) – 15 minutes of prep time is all that stands between you and this picky eater approved cheap family dinner. Seriously, that’s less time than it would take you to run the whole family through a fast food drive-thru!
47. Friendship Casserole (Penny Pincher Jenny) – Need cheap meals for large groups? This easy casserole recipe can really feed a crowd! Even if you’ve got a small family, it’s a great option as you can make one casserole and freeze the other for use later in the week.
48. Easy Tuna Casserole (Penny Pincher Jenny) – I don’t know about you, but when I was growing up tuna casserole was a staple among cheap meals for family dinners. This wasn’t exactly the recipe my mom used but it seems pretty similar, and it was fun to whip up a dish I remember from my childhood.
49. Spaghetti Bake (Mission to Save) – “Traditional” spaghetti and meatballs gets a makeover with this recipe. Tip: Want to make this recipe healthier? Replace the spaghetti noodles with spaghetti squash.
50. “Kitchen Sink” Sheperd’s Pie (Mission to Save) – I hate wasting food for a myriad of reasons, one of which is it’s just throwing money straight into the trash can. If you agree and are always looking for ways to use up leftovers or items lurking in your kitchen, allow me to introduce you to this tasty cheap family meal.
51. Pressure Cooker Chicken Enchiladas (This Old Gal) – Do you frequently forget about dinner until well, dinner time? If so, a pressure cooker should be on your Christmas list! With a pressure cooker you can easily (and quickly!) make cheap meals for large families. For instance, this recipe calls for frozen chicken.
52. Mexican Pressure Cooker Chicken Taco Burrito Bowls (This Old Gal) – What college co-ed doesn’t like tacos? Here’s a cheap healthy meal for college students that’s made in a pressure cooker.
53. Ham and Asparagus Spaghetti (Organized Island) – Okay, of all the cheap recipes for families in this article, this one may sound the strangest (at least to me), but I encourage you to give it a try. It really is a tasty combination that your family (and your budget) will love!
54. Quinoa Black Bean Pumpkin Soup (Avocado Pesto) – If pumpkin is your go-to flavor for fall, you won’t want to miss this soup recipe!
55. Bacon Spinach Rigatoni (Organized Island) – Bacon can make any meal better, right? 😉 I love how the simple flavors come together in this cheap family meal. Pair with some steamed broccoli or a salad to up the nutritional value.
libby ackeberg says
I have recently had a drastic reduction in my finances and my former partner is no longer required to pay me child support for our daughter who is 7 and our son who is 6. He provided paperwork to the judge and said my $34,000 a year income is way more than he makes farming and working a full time job. I am struggling to find ways to make extra money, as I, myself have been employed with the same company for 20 years. Thank you for these recipes. I will definitely be trying them with my kids and I.
Kelli says
Hi Libby, I am so happy these recipes will come in handy. Thanks for sharing! 🙂 Kelli