Many people struggle to provide their families with a nutritious, whole food diet on a tight food budget. I often hear from people who are looking for frugal, healthy dinner recipes to help keep their food spending in check.
Fortunately, homemade food is usually less expensive than its store-bought counterpart. If you make the commitment to cook most of your food from scratch, you’ll be able to zero in on a grocery budget that works for your family. I’ve gathered 30 healthy dinner recipes from around the web. Each recipe costs less than $1 per serving. By plugging one or two of these recipes into your meal plan each week, you’ll bring down your grocery spending and add some variety to your dinner menu.
For detailed guidance about how to meal plan, you’ll want to check out my book, Conquering Your Kitchen. It has everything you’ll need to get organized in the kitchen.
30 Frugal, Healthy Dinner Recipes
American Chop Suey $.97/serving
Black Bean Salad $.70/serving
Black Bean Soup $.40/serving
Baked Pasta Casserole $.74/serving
Calzones $.78/serving
Carrot Soup $.49/serving
Chicken Enchiladas $.94/serving
Chicken Pot Pie $.96/serving
Chicken Soup $.78/serving
Coconut Black Beans $.82/serving
Corn Chowder $.69/serving
Creamy Tomato Soup $.51/serving
Dumpling Soup $.21/serving
Fajita-Style Quesadillas $.43/serving
Fried Rice $.49/serving
Leek and Mushroom Tart $.69/serving
Lentil Sweet Potato Casserole $.75/serving
Macaroni and Cheese Muffins $.46 per serving
Mushroom Soup $.93/serving
Potato Leek Soup $.59/serving
Pumpkin Macaroni & Cheese $.68/serving
Refried Beans & Brown Rice $.46/serving
Rice Noodles with Peanut Sauce $.96/serving
Sauteed Chickpeas with Broccoli and Parmesan $.80/serving
Smoky Red Lentil Stew $.62/serving
Southwestern Chicken Soup $.90/serving
Squash Chili $.58/serving
Swiss Chard Tomato Quiche $.82/serving
Taco Salad $.94/serving
Zucchini Potato Frittata $.49/serving
Cost Analysis
Your cost may vary based on the ingredient prices in your area. Check out my price chart to see typical prices in my area of Massachusetts. I’ll be updating this price chart soon to take into account the great real food deals I’ve found at Costco. You can download my Costco Real Food Savings Chart here. Do you have other suggestions for healthy meals that cost less than $1 per serving? Please share them in the comments.
Mimi says
Thanks for all the great links. WIll be trying some of these recipes and sharing them with my readers (link to your website)l Thanks.
Kirsten says
Annemarie,
What a great selection of dishes! You’ve got something for every eating style and season here.
Thanks!
Food Done Light (@FoodDoneLight) says
So many great options to have a healthy dinner at a fantastic price.
amindfullmom says
I am about as frugal as they come in the kitchen. I HATE food waste, so am always looking to be creative with bits of this and that which are leftover. This is a great round-up!
JJ says
Feed two for 50¢ in the summer. Pasta salad: spaghetti pasta, 1/8 green pepper diced, 1/8 onion chopped, 1/4 tomato diced, sliced olives (about 10), 1/8 cucumber sliced, and about 2 TB Italian dressing.
2 slices of bread toasted with garlic powder and butter.
Rachel B says
Thanks so much for this list! I aim to make pretty much all my recipes for $.85 or less per serving, and it’s so nice to have the math done for me! 🙂
Annemarie says
That’s an impressive goal, Rachel! Hopefully this list will help.
Melody says
I’m excited to find this link! To think I can make my own ricotta cheese! I’m psyched. My fiance and I realized we’re cutting it very close on our wedding budget, so I found your site in an effort to cut my grocery budget (which already knew we would need to do once we live together). I’m making a couple of these recipes tonight and freezing a lot of what I make so I can still have easy freezer meals during all the chaos!
Annemarie says
So glad you found me! I’d love to hear how the recipes turn out.
Rebecca {foodie with family} says
This is a fantastic resource for affordable meals. I am pinning and recommending this!
Annemarie says
Thanks so much, Rebecca!
Amy @Very Culinary says
I hear that a lot, too. People don’t realize that you’re paying so much extra for all that packaging. Great list!
Annemarie says
Thanks, Amy. So true about the cost of packaging, not to mention factory production, shipping, etc. DIY is the way to go. 🙂
Christine |Taste of Divine says
Hi Annemarie! I think this is a great list of healthy but still affordable meals! Definitely sharing this one! I noticed you are involved with The Recipe ReDux. I just got accepted this month and can’t wait to start 🙂
Annemarie says
Thanks for sharing, Christine! And welcome to the Recipe Redux. It’s a great group with lots of fun opportunities. I’ll look for your post next month. 🙂