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Easy Budget-Friendly Dinners to Save You Time (and Money!)

By Pillsbury Kitchens
Updated October 3, 2018
Slow-Cooker 3-Ingredient Italian Chicken prepared recipe in a bowl
From inexpensive chicken and ground beef to low-ingredient, big-batch meals, you can get more bang for your buck with these easy dinner recipes. All of these budget-friendly meals start with an affordable grocery store staple, like chicken, ground beef or pasta. They will help keep your grocery lists short, your time spent on meals to a minimum, and make stretching meals over a few days way easier—but don’t worry, none of these recipes sacrifice taste. These cheap meals taste like a million bucks!

Ever heard of big-batch cooking? More and more people are turning to this method of cooking to spend more time with their families and save money. Preparing food in advance leads to less spending on dining out at restaurants, ordering delivery pizza or hitting the drive-thru on the way home from work.

Another great way to save money is to avoid food waste. According to a National Resources Defense Council study, the average American family throws away $2,275 in food annually. You make a few small changes to help cut down on food waste. For example, you can reorganize the food in your fridge so no food gets forgotten about it the back. Be aware of expiration dates and plan your meals with those in mind before food spoils. Also, freezing your food can also cut down on food waste and give you a quick dinner option on really, really busy weeknights.

Need help planning your meals for the week? We separate our recipes by meal or course to make planning ahead even easier! Browse our comprehensive list and get one step closer to a delicious meal your family with love.