It’s no secret that the cost of living is taking a toll on people’s pockets. Ducking into the supermarket for a couple of forgotten items can easily mean spending more than you budgeted for.
Tired of overspending, I went in search of some easy, tasty meals that fit the budget. Of course, the good people of Reddit came to my rescue.
Some recipe ideas were nostalgic, some were genius, and most could be made from ingredients you already have.
Top cheap meal ideas
Garlic fried rice with eggs
This was the dish that sparked it all. The user shared their Filipino-style garlic rice: day-old rice, half a bulb of garlic, salt, and a sunny-side egg. That’s it! “No recipe, just instinct. Don’t be shy with the garlic.”
Burrito bowls and rice + beans combos
People shared endless variations using beans, rice, hot sauce, corn chips, eggs, and cheese. “So much flavour for so little money.”
Soup and a cheese toastie
A classic. Bake your grilled cheese in the oven with garlic butter for a crispy, melty upgrade. “Just any kind of soup, really.”
Buttered noodles and aglio e olio
Boiled pasta with butter and parmesan, or garlic, olive oil and chilli. “It’s all about technique.”
Jacket potatoes with beans and cheese
Level it up with BBQ sauce and chilli mixed into the beans.
Lentil tacos and daal
Cheap and endlessly adaptable: sautéed lentils with taco seasoning, spicy daal with rice, or lentil and egg breakfast wraps.
Rotisserie chicken – A $12.50 BBQ chicken = roast dinner, sandwiches, noodle soup, and bone broth. Try these leftover BBQ chicken recipes.
How to make any recipe cheaper
To stretch your food budget further, try swapping expensive ingredients for more affordable options. Use frozen or canned vegetables instead of fresh. Bulk out meals with lentils, beans or rice, and choose cheaper cuts of meat like chicken thighs, mince or chuck steak.
Additionally, opt for dried or jarred spices instead of fresh herbs, and use what you already have in the pantry. Cooking from scratch, planning meals around weekly specials, and doubling recipes for leftovers can also help reduce costs without sacrificing flavour.
Budget-friendly recipes
If winging it in the kitchen isn’t your thing and you would prefer a recipe to follow, here’s a round-up of Better Homes and Gardens’ top budget-friendly recipes. These recipes go big on flavour and won’t cost a fortune.
Bean-based heroes
This budget-friendly curried cauliflower and chickpea soup is like a warm hug in a bowl — made from pantry staples and topped with spiced, roasted vegetables for added crunch.
Crispy on the outside, soft in the middle — these budget-friendly chickpea and zucchini fritters are a weeknight dinner winner.
This vegetarian cottage pie is the ultimate comfort food — packed with lentils, spinach and veg, and topped with creamy, cheesy mash, making it a deliciously filling meat-free dinner.
This one-pan coconut dhal is light yet hearty, packed with warming spices and split peas, and makes the perfect vegetarian dinner for the whole family. To make this one-pan coconut dhal more budget-friendly, consider swapping the entire spice blend for ground versions. Swap out the paneer for tofu or leave it out entirely. Serve with rice instead of roti and yoghurt to cut costs further, without sacrificing flavour.
Vegetable and lentil curry
This quick vegetable and lentil curry is a flavour-packed dish that’s ready in just 35 minutes — perfect for busy weeknights.
Colin’s lentils with tofu and vegetables is the ultimate vegetarian winter warmer—earthy lentils, soft tofu, mushrooms and eggplant are simmered with fragrant spices and curry leaves for a nourishing dish.
The ultimate budget-friendly meal is this air fryer sweet potato skins recipe with a delicious chickpea curry. Costing as low as $3.90 per serve, you’ll be watching as your savings go up as your hunger goes down!
Pasta that feels like a hug
Ready in 10 minutes, this pasta with garlic, chilli and cheese will hit the spot. And you’ve probably got all the ingredients in the cupboard.
Using whatever green vegetables you have sitting at the bottom of the fridge, it doesn’t get cheaper than Colin’s bottom-of-the-fridge green pasta.
Tuna pasta is known as a simple dinner recipe, but when you add capers, lemon and parsley, it’s flavour heaven! Better yet, this tuna linguine recipe costs $3.41 per serve so not only will it be on the table in less than 20 minutes, but it’s a budget-friendly option you can keep coming back to.
This easy tuna and vegetable pasta mornay is a budget-friendly one-pan dinner classic — creamy, comforting, and perfect for using up leftover pasta.
This light yet zingy angel hair pasta combines garlic, olives, fresh herbs, and a touch of chilli, making it a quick, budget‑friendly weeknight dinner (and it comes together in under 20 minutes!).
Your opinion of greens will be transformed after trying this delicious broccoli risotto with pickled apple and walnuts. Costing $4.28 per serve, it’s the perfect budget and easy dinner to add to your meal plan ASAP!
This comforting eggplant pasta is a budget-friendly twist on the weekday classic — roasted eggplant and garlic tossed with pasta and finished with fresh herbs for big flavour at minimal cost.
This creamy zucchini and ricotta pasta shell recipe is a budget-friendly twist on a classic—fresh zucchini ribbons, soft ricotta, and tender shells make for a satisfying weeknight pasta that’s quick and affordable.
Linguine with creamy mushroom sauce
This linguine with creamy mushroom sauce is a rich-yet-budget-friendly dinner. Featuring earthy mushrooms, garlic, cream, and pasta come together for this one-pan meal that feels indulgent without the cost.
This spinach and ricotta lasagne is a comforting, budget-friendly vegetarian dish. Layers of spinach, creamy ricotta, and cheese make it feel luxurious, yet it uses simple, affordable ingredients.
This cheesy taco pasta combines budget-friendly pantry staples with taco seasoning and melty cheese for a zesty, satisfying dinner that feels indulgent but costs next to nothing.
Soups and tray bakes
This thick and creamy pumpkin soup is the ultimate winter comfort food. Made with budget-friendly butternut pumpkin and ready in under an hour.
This hearty ham hock minestrone is a flavour-packed mashup of two classics — with shredded slow-cooked ham, tender veg, pasta and beans, it’s the ultimate winter comfort soup.
This easy gnocchi tray bake is packed with Italian-style sausages, tinned tomatoes and a bold sundried tomato pesto — the ultimate one-pan weeknight dinner.
This homemade potato gnocchi is tossed in nutty brown butter with crispy sage, lemon juice and walnuts — simple, satisfying and packed with texture.
Layered with sweet potato, pesto-tossed veg and a golden sourdough topping, this colourful vegetarian bake is crunchy, cheesy and packed with flavour in every bite.
Meat meals that stretch further
This one-pan beef stroganoff gnocchi bake is a hearty, budget-friendly twist on a classic. Slow-cooked chuck steak meets creamy sour cream sauce and pillowy gnocchi for the ultimate comfort food dinner.
This vibrant tofu, lemongrass and Vietnamese mint stir-fry is a quick and zesty noodle dish packed with fresh herbs, crunchy almonds and golden tofu – a weeknight winner for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.
While not a recipe, mince is one of the cheapest ways to a meat to your diet. We have a collection of beef mince recipes, and pork mince recipes, with something that will sure to suit your tastebuds.
Don’t look past this teriyaki meatball rice bowl, it’s the ultimate dinner packed with protein and vegies. With succulent meatballs and an edamame salad, this recipe costs less than $5 per serve. It’ll keep everyone happy at the dinner table while keeping your wallet full.
A marvellous mash-up of two recipes, baked potatoes and cottage pie. Simply scoop out your spuds, fill with a classic beef mince mixture, top with creamy mashed potato and bake. These stuffed potatoes are so satisfying, they’ll have you hooked after one bite.
Chicken classics the whole family will love
Use your leftover barbecue chicken to make a hearty salad. Throw in roasted capsicum, mozzarella and anchovies (trust us!), to create a punchy, Mediterranean-style dish that’s ideal for a light lunch or dinner. The best part is, it’ll only take you 15 minutes to make!
Everybody loves a good, hearty roast chicken recipe and with our delicious braised fennel and cannellini beans as a side costing only $4.95 per serve – it’s a real winner winner, chicken dinner!
If you’re sick of serving up apricot chicken the same way every week, then these apricot chicken wings are for you! Not only are they more affordable to cook with, but they’ll also turn your dinner into a juicy, crispy-skinned delight that the whole family will love!
Fried chicken is always a favourite, but Colin Fassnidge’s fried chicken is something extra special. He’s showing us his own secret herbs and spices mix, and making fried chicken that would rival any fast food joint or American diner.
Everything tastes better with cheese…including last night’s roast dinner! Dressed up with some garlicky croutons and a zesty lemon-mustard dressing, your leftover roast meat and potatoes will be even yummier than they were the night before.
This chicken dumpling soup from Colin is not ordinary in any way – it’s got pearl barley and a heap of spices and herbs.
