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    Whats the cheapest meal you regularly make that actually tastes good?

    I'm trying to eat healthy on a budget and i'm tired of eating bland food. what are some cheap meals under $3 per serving that's actually good? i want to know what you all regularly cook that dont feels like a punishment. Bonus points if it's filling and hits protein macros looking to swap out my usual rice and beans rotation for something with more flavor. I'm open to any cuisine and don't mind spending a bit of time cooking if it tastes amazing.
    what are your go to cheap meals that acutally make you excited to eat?

    Whats the cheapest meal you regularly make that actually tastes good?
    byu/Adventurous-Pilot448 inFrugal



    Posted by Adventurous-Pilot448

    32 Comments

    2. patterson_2384 on

      spaghetti and red sauce with a lovely amount of parmesan cheese… and a little side salad.

    3. VaultBoyKobe on

      Just a big ass salad, whole head of iceberg or romaine lettuce. 1 serving of thousand island dressing. Protein, either cut up deli meat or hard boiled eggs. Something crunchy, like cheez its or corn nuts. Healthy, cheap, very filling, and to me doesn’t feel like dieting, because it tastes good.

    4. Leighgion on

      All kind of depends on what local prices are.

      Recently, I discovered the Carrefour Markets in my city regularly sell pork loin roast for 4,75€/kilo. I pot roast/stew them with onion, carrots, and some small potatoes. Add starch like rice and that’s probably 3 servings per kilo or more. I haven’t broken the math down, but it’s pretty cheap.

    5. WyndWoman on

      Flavor is adjustable. Add more spice, herbs and aromatics.

      Cook your rice in broth. Spice up your plate with a drizzle of shiracha, chili crisp or even ranch dressing.

    6. Forsaken-Network1748 on

      What kind of foods do you like? Or better yet, what foods do you hate?

    7. CyberDonSystems on

      I can make two 16″ pizzas for about $10. Homemade dough, $4 for cheese, $1.50 for sauce. $3 for pepperoni. $2 for mushrooms. Not the healthiest option but not bad and feeds the family with leftovers for the next day. I love cold pizza for breakfast.

    9. Inevitable_Tea_5841 on

      if you like indian food: chana masala

      in olive oil fry an onion, cumin seeds, and whatever other whole spices you want

      throw some tomatoes (pureed) in, continue cooking

      add some spices (salt, garam masala, chili powder, turmeric, coriander, etc.)

      add cooked chickpeas

      add lemon juice

      —

      If you pressure cook your own chickpeas you will save a ton of money. I go through about 4lbs dry chickpeas every 2 weeks for the two of us, and we eat it almost every night. 4lbs costs like 6$ at Lotte.

      WHat I like about this is you can make it restaurant quality if you want, just add a bunch of butter/ghee in place of the oil, add more salt, and maybe a bit of sugar if it needs it.

    11. Dannon35 on

      I find bone in pork shoulder (4-5 lbs) on sale under $2 lb. Put it in a crockpot with a spice rub ($1) for 8 hours. Add BBQ sauce at the end ($1). I use a very simple recipe found on the Betty Crocker website. Easily 8 portions, maybe more.

      You can make sandwiches, tacos, nachos, serve over rice etc.

    12. sohereiamacrazyalien on

      Dahl is delicious

      Egg fried rice

      Okonomiyaki

      Sautéed cabbage

      Borscht 

      Minestrone

      Split pea soup

      Chili can be vegan and delicious

      Vichy carrots if you like cooked carrots

      Curried carrot soup

      Pumpkin soup

      Onion risotto

      Pumpkin risotto

      Tomato rice

      polenta

      Aloo Gobi

      Tom kah gai is sooooo good 

      Roasted root veggies 

      Lentil koftas

      Falafels with your beet or whatever salad (canned beets are cheap)

      Chickpea curry

      Frittata with potatoes and onions (and even other veggies like frozen mix)

      Chicken briyani

      EDIT TO ADD :

      I made this today and it was super yummy
      https://www.reddit.com/r/povertykitchen/comments/1t3jpdv/super_cheap_filling_yummy_easy_soup/

    13. Diabettie9 on

      Spinach, beans, toast. Sprinkle some cheese. Alternatively a lentil soup with plenty of veg. Oatmeal. The flavor is in the spices/toppings/cooking.

    15. Sunshine2625 on

      I like a nice hot dog. Bonus points if it’s cut up and in Mac and cheese!

    16. Stickyv35 on

      Black bean and cheese tacos! Add some avocado and/or egg, if you can, a dab of hot sauce and it’s bomb!

      Bean and cheese only is about 35 cents each for the ingredients only.

      Add egg and avocado about it’s roughly 70 cents each.

      Bonus points because it has a decent amount of fiber!

    17. my_loser_name7 on

      I make taco meat with ground chicken or turkey instead of beef. Dice onion/pepper really small and cook with the meat and a ton of seasoning. We’ll eat as tacos or taco salad or add to eggs the next day. Pretty cheap and versatile

    19. KeyTheZebra on

      Chicken drumsticks are like $1 per pound.

      I season them and bake them for 40 minutes at 400 degree on a sheet.

    20. spkoller2 on

      Cheeseburgers, Mac n Cheese, egg sausage cheese sandwiches, grilled cheese, bratwursts, meatloaf, frozen pizza, baked Italian subs, rice, pork chops with dry beans in crockpot, sloppy joes, tacos, ramen, tuna salad sandwiches, loaded baked potatoes, casseroles

    21. Zborny on

      Refried pinto beans topped with red enchilada sauce and cheese, baked until it’s all melted together and served with chopped raw onions, spinach, and tortillas.

    22. KnockItTheFuckOff on

      I love, love, love a bowl of pinto beans with cheese melted on it. I season with onion and garlic powder and red chili flakes. I scoop onto warmed and browned corn tortillas and top with sour cream. 

      This is my go-to broke meal. 

    25. Butterwhat on

      the cheapest I actually make regularly are chicken stir fry and chicken pot pie, but i adjust the veggies to what I got on sale and make the pie crust to cut costs. thought it would be way harder but it’s pretty easy. I’m in a lcol so these cost me about $1 to $1.25 per serving.

    26. Scary_Sarah on

      We do a lot of tacos and quesadillas with black beans instead of meat. I season with cayenne, paprika, garlic salt and black paper.

    28. crlynstll on

      Bone in chicken thighs roasted in the oven with carrots, potatoes and onions.

    29. ProbablySomeWeebo on

      Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken veggies and bacon bits. Per meal it’s around 3$

    30. Baghins on

      I do bulk burritos, both breakfast and regular. Beans, Spanish rice, onion, bell pepper, and preferably chicken but you can do another cheap meat. For breakfast I do eggs, ground turkey (easy to spice at home), onion, bell pepper, and seasoned breakfast potato. You can do huge batches and freeze the pre-assembled burritos for pretty cheap.

    31. sleeps_late on

      Red Lentil Dahl. Hubby makes a big pot and I eat it for several days. For breakfast I put a fried egg on top. Delicious!

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