When you’re feeding a family daily, it can be difficult to find budget-friendly meals that everyone will enjoy. Don’t worry: We’ve done the number crunching and menu planning for you! From a zesty chicken on Monday to a twist on the baked potato bar on Friday, these recipes are healthy, crowd-pleasing, and doable for under $20 a meal.* Here, 10 affordable recipes to try this week.
*All prices were calculated based on HEB‘s online prices.
Skillet Chicken Caprese
This dish from Little Broken is chicken parm’s distant cousin. Follow along with the recipe to condense hours of work and mess into an easy one-pan meal. The staple ingredient, balsamic vinegar, can have an intense flavor, so feel free to substitute classic olive oil or truffle oil instead.
5-Ingredient Italian Sausage and Kale Baked Ziti
Gimme Some Oven’s recipe for an Italian pasta bake is timeless and incredibly filling. If you’re craving a little more spice, try Andouille sausage in place of the traditional Italian.
Instant Pot Potato Corn Chowder
Here’s a darn good soup recipe from Damn Delicious. Pull out your Instant Pot for this creamy soup with potato chunks, corn kernels, and bacon. With delicious savory flavors, just enough heat from the cayenne pepper, and the fact it’s effortless to make, we’ve got a new regular in our winter dinner rotation.
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Tacos
Time to update your Taco Tuesday menu with this enticing recipe from Creme de la Crumb. The best part is that it only takes 35 minutes in the Instant Pot. Then just add your favorite toppings, like avocado, tomatoes, cheese, and jalapeños.
Cilantro-Lime Chicken
There’s a reason for the saying “winner winner chicken dinner”! These chicken thighs are crispy, tender, and will please even the pickiest of eaters. Serve with some steamed cilantro rice and black beans to round out the meal. Pro tip: Chicken thighs always cost less than chicken breasts (plus, they’re more forgiving if you accidentally overcook them!).
BLT Soup
Canned tomatoes are a great pantry item to have on hand for speedy, delicious, affordable dinners. This BLT soup does the trick with crispy bacon croutons and a swirl of your favorite store-bought pesto (you can also turn any leftover herbs or greens into a quick pesto and save the money!).
Easy Caprese Pizza
Budget Bytes has cracked the code to easy, fun, and light caprese pizza with this recipe. Simply use the flavors and ingredients of a caprese salad—like fresh basil, tomatoes, and shredded mozzarella—on top of dough for your own personalized pizza that’s better than takeout.
The Ultimate Mac and Cheese
This creamy, crispy-edged crowd-pleaser is not only family-friendly, it’s easy on the grocery bill, too! Add some roasted broccolini and you have a full meal that everyone will love.
Baked Ham-and-Cheese Sliders with Everything Bagel Spice
These easy sliders come together with only a few ingredients. It’s worth the splurge for Hawaiian rolls here—the squishy buns are so addictive! Serve with a simple green salad on the side, and this easy recipe is perfect for the end of the week, when you’re running out of cooking steam! Pro tip: Assemble the sliders in the morning, then pop them in the fridge until you’re ready to bake when you get home from work.
Sweet Potato Taco Bowls
These twice-baked taco bowls are made with sweet potatoes, a vegetable rich in fiber and antioxidants. Let your family top their own with a crunchy slaw, avocado, sour cream, or cilantro! Don’t forget to serve with your favorite Mexican cerveza (you deserve it!).
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