Here Are 17 "Broke Til Payday" Recipes I've Actually Tried And Loved
BuzzFeed··1 min read
Here Are 17 "Broke Til Payday" Recipes I've Actually Tried And Loved
Groceries are EXPENSIVE. These recipes help. View Entire Post ›
Anyone who's been to the grocery store lately (read: anyone who isn't disgustingly rich) knows that prices are out of control right now. So here is a collection of easy, affordable recipes that I've personally used — either to feed my family of three or just myself — and enjoyed. Hopefully you (and your wallet) enjoy them too!
1.Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
Protein can be pricey, so what makes this a great budget meal is that you have the option to use pretty much any cut of chicken you want (at least with the recipe I use, which is this one ). So if chicken thighs are much cheaper, go with those. If you have a bag of frozen chicken breast already, use that! You can serve this over rice or noodles to make it even more filling. Ingredients: Chicken, garlic, Italian seasoning, can of crushed tomatoes, veggies (I use onion and bell pepper, but mushrooms and zucchini are also great), and balsamic vinegar. Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore Andy Golder / BuzzFeed
This one started for me when I panic-bought a bunch of canned tuna during the pandemic, and later found myself with wayyyyyy too much tuna. Basically, you're making a crab cake but with canned tuna. It's super easy: About a tablespoon of flour, one egg, a can of tuna, a dash of soy sauce, salt and pepper, and then you can get creative with whatever else you want to add. I like to add green onion if I have it, but yellow onion is also great. Peppers also work, and kimchi or cabbage is excellent if you have it. Shape them into small pancakes and fry 'em in a pan with oil (I use sesame oil). If you want a dipping sauce, some people use soy sauce mixed with rice wine vinegar, but I usually use a spicy mayo or soy sauce mixed with mayo. Recipe: Korean Tuna Pancakes Sungsu Han / Getty Images
3.Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas
Quesadillas are a go-to cheap and easy meal for me, because I almost always have tortillas and cheese on hand. But a cheese quesadilla is a little unsatisfying, ya know? Enter the hero of any meatless pantry: black beans. Now you have some extra fiber and protein, and the meal is more filling. The corn adds a bit of sweetness, and if you're feeling really fancy, you can add a little goat cheese — it goes great with the corn and beans. Finally, my secret ingredient is a packet of Taco Bell's Fire Sauce, which adds just a little bit of kick (this is basically just spicy taco sauce, so hot sauce or plain taco sauce would also work). Ingredients: Tortillas (I use flour), your cheese of choice (I use shredded Mexican blend and goat cheese), drained can of black beans, drained can of corn, Taco Bell sauce packet. Serve with optional sour cream or salsa. Recipe: Black Bean and Corn Goat Cheese Quesadillas Bhofack2 / Getty Images
Literally one of my favorite foods in the whole world is Spam musubi. If you haven't had it before, it's a piece of pan-fried Spam on a base of sushi rice, wrapped in nori — kind of like a large piece of sushi made with Spam instead of fish. However, they're super annoying to make at home because you have to assemble them. So I decided, why bother assembling? Instead, I just fry up the Spam and put it over rice seasoned with furikake. It's like a deconstructed Spam musubi. Ingredients: Spam (sliced or diced), Bachan's Japanese BBQ sauce, jasmine rice, and furikake seasoning. Coat the Spam with the BBQ sauce (works best if you let it marinate for a while) and then fry it in the pan until cooked and slightly caramelized. Make the rice and sprinkle with furikake (or shredded nori and sesame seeds if you can't find furikake), and then top with the Spam. Done! Optional: Add an over-easy egg. Recipe: Spam Musubi Bowl kroganwarlord / Via reddit.com
6.Goat Cheese Egg Toast
I know, eggs are expensive right now... but frankly, they're still less expensive than beef or chicken! So if I want some protein that's super quick, this is one of the easiest (and most delicious, IMO) ways to get it. Just toast or grill some bread, spread it with goat cheese, and top it with a scrambled, poached, or fried egg. Kinda like avocado toast, but minus the avocado, because as we all know, if you use avocado, you won't be able to afford a house later. You can also get creative and add anything else that sounds good, like Trader Joe's Everything But The Bagel seasoning or roasted red peppers. canonanon / Via reddit.com
7.Scalloped Potatoes with Sausage
This dish is a little on the labor-intensive side (unless you get boxed scalloped potatoes, which is much easier but a bit pricier!), but the payoff is great. You end up with a hearty, filling dish that costs very little, depending on how you shop and what you have on hand. Generally, sausage is a more affordable protein than beef, and potatoes are always a reliable and filling option. Ingredients: Sausage, potatoes, onion, cheese, flour, milk, butter, sour cream, and seasoning. Recipe: Scalloped Potatoes with Sausage O-coast101 / Via reddit.com
8.Homemade Crunchwrap Supreme
Crunchwrap Supremes are literally my favorite fast-food item, and while they never quite turn out the same way at home, this homemade version is still super tasty. Basically, you make some taco meat (or meat substitute, or black beans), spread it on a flour tortilla, top it with cheese (ideally nacho cheese) and then a crispy corn tortilla, and then top that with lettuce, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, and sour cream. Then you fold over the flour tortilla and grill the whole thing in a pan. Recipe: Homemade Crunchwrap Supreme (Spicy Version) Dells51 / Via reddit.com
9.Meatball Sub
This one is a staple for me, because I often find that I have that random package of ground beef in my freezer that I don't know what to do with, because if I have spaghetti bolognese one more time, I'll pass out from boredom. The meatballs are easy to make, you can use jar sauce, and pretty much any cheese will work (although I would say provolone and parmesan are the best). Ingredients: Ground beef (or alternative), bread crumbs, eggs, garlic, seasoning, bread rolls. Recipe: Meatball Sub Fdastudillo / Getty Images
10.Kimchi Fried Rice
This is about as easy as it gets: Take some rice, mix it with a jar of kimchi (plus the juice), maybe add some gochujang, and stir-fry. Add in whatever else you might want, but I always feel like just the rice and kimchi are enough. Recipe: Kimchi Fried Rice Sungmin / Getty Images
11.Sheet Pan Ratatouille
The sausage makes this a heartier meal IMO, but if you're vegetarian, kosher, or you just don't like sausage, you can go veggie-only. Essentially, you just need a selection of vegetables you like (the recipe calls for onion, squash, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and eggplant), some seasoning, and olive oil, and you just roast it all in a pan. Super easy! Recipe: Sheet Pan Ratatouille Sydney Martin
12.Chickpea Curry
This is another one where just removing meat and replacing it with a vegetarian protein source cuts a ton of cost. You can usually get canned chickpeas for about $2–3, and you can either make the curry sauce yourself (cheaper and tastier IMO if you have the ingredients) or buy it in a jar. Serve with rice, and bam, there's dinner. Recipe: Chickpea Curry Asife / Getty Images
13.Meatless Carbonara
I basically live off of pasta with butter and parmesan, because it tastes great, is incredibly easy to cook, and is cheaper than dirt. But you can only eat so much buttered noodles, ya know? So, in looking for a way to elevate my pasta a bit, I found this vegetarian carbonara recipe that replaces panchetta or bacon with caramelized mushrooms. I'm a big mushroom fan, so this was a hit for me! Recipe: Meatless Carbonara Andy Golder / BuzzFeed
I love this one because, frankly, I don't like ground turkey very much — but when it's prepared this way, I don't mind it at all. In fact, the original recipe I started using called for ground beef, but I started making it with ground turkey instead because I actually liked the combination of tastes slightly better! Original recipe: Korean Ground Beef and Rice Bowl (to do it my way: sub ground turkey for the beef, and if you want to make things easier, use a bottled teriyaki sauce!) Promo_link / Getty Images
16.Sheet Pan Chicken Parmesan
If you (or anyone in your family) isn't a fan of marinara sauce, this will be your new favorite recipe. This is an easy way to make a big batch of chicken parm on a sheet pan, with no red sauce required. And here's a tip you can take or leave: I once found out that I had run out of bread crumbs, so I crushed up some Cheez-Its and used that as breading instead. It made everything a little extra cheesy-tasting. Recipe: Sheet Pan Chicken Parmesan Sydney Martin
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