I made a cheap chicken and rice meal out of desperation one week and now I look forward to it everyday when i'm headed home from work. I started adding onions and a good sauce and somehow it tastes better than most fast food meals. Funny how the budget meal ended being my favorite thing to eat.
I wait for ground beef to go on sale and buy at least 10 pounds. I cook about 4 pounds at a time and it saves me so much time compared to making a soup or other meals that take forever.
What are your "broke meals" that you ended up loving?
What are your "broke meals" that you ended up loving?
byu/James_B84Saves inFrugal
Posted by James_B84Saves
14 Comments
There’s a Mexican cabbage, rice and beans recipe that I invented to use up leftovers and have since made intentionally several times.
Ingredients:
– Half an onion, diced
– 2 cloves of garlic, smashed and rough chopped
– 1 chub of Mexican chorizo
– 1-2 cups of leftover rice
– 1 can of beans
– 2 cups of shredded cabbage
Directions:
– Saute the chorizo until it hits 170F. It’s very greasy so it won’t brown like beef unless you seriously overcook it.
– Add the onion. Sauté until slightly translucent.
– Add the garlic. Cook for 30 seconds.
– Add the rice and beans. Sauté, stirring occasionally until the rice starts to get crispy in places.
– Add the cabbage. Pour in half a cup of water and cover with a lid. Let it steam for about 5 minutes or until the cabbage is soft.
It’s crazy flavorful, and has plenty of veggies and fiber.
I’ve made several versions. Canned lentils instead of beans. Kale instead of cabbage. You can skip the rice and add vermicelli pasta at the end.
Looking back at my childhood, anything my mom made me.
Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Not necessarily a meal… but a can of French cut green beans, oil, vinegar, salt pepper.
Oh also poor man’s carbonara. Basically scrambled eggs on spaghetti noodles with sprinkle parm
Bacon rice. 2 strips of bacon, and the cooked off fat, on a bowl of rice. Maybe a bit of tajin, yuzu, or something else tangy to give it a bit of acid flavor. Because you’re using the fat the really cheap bacon works well.
I absolutely love a really cheap vegetable casserole. Just potatoes, carrots and onions covered with a can of tomatoes and vegetable stock, flavoured with garlic, smoked paprika and cumin. It was born of desperation but I don’t have to be desperate to come back to it.
I also started baking bread to save money and that’s a real treat.
Eggs, scrambled with a tbsp of mayo, and sliced, pan fried hot dogs in rice. Bacon or ham works in place of hot dogs.
Also, rice with salsa in it, and shredded cheese on top, if you’re extra fancy.
Chicken wings, pork ribs, tacos.
Oh they’re all super expensive now. What happened?
Any pasta, any casserole. (Easy to prep big, cheap portions and then freeze.) Quesadillas / burritos over sandwiches. Corned beef and anything – rice or hash. Chicken & rice, you’re not wrong there either…
More ghetto? Mayo / Miracle Whip sandwiches, with cheese if you’re lucky. Macaroni, Ketchup and Chili Powder. Fried Bologna sandwiches.
White rice and a fried egg or spaghetti with spam
Rice and refried beans together. Cheddar cheese melted on top
beans and rice. so many ways to make it.
Childhood faves…top ramen, tuna sandwiches, grilled cheese with tomato soup, over-easy eggs & hash browns mixed together, rice & beans jazzed up with peppers and spices