5 Easy Budget-Friendly Dinner Recipes

Chicken Alfredo tortellini soup

1. Melt three tablespoons of butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat.

2. Add in a sliced carrot or some matchstick carrots, and 1 ½ cups of broccoli florets. Season with onion powder (or alternatively use diced onions) and sauté for about five minutes. Add in a big spoonful of minced garlic and cook for a couple of minutes.

3. Add ¼ cup of all-purpose flour, stir to coat all the veggies, and cook that out for a couple of minutes.

4. Add in two cups of heavy whipping cream and stir that in well, so there are no lumps.

5. Add in five cups of chicken stock or chicken broth, and season with garlic powder, kosher salt, and plenty of black pepper. Make sure to stir very well.

6. Turn the heat to medium high and bring to a simmer. Then, cook for eight minutes until the veggies get soft and the soup thickens.

7. Add in nine ounces of tortellini together with two cups of cold shredded rotisserie chicken. Cook for about seven minutes, or until al dente. Add in two cups of shredded parmesan cheese and let it melt for a couple of minutes.

8. Serve with garlic breadsticks.

Bacon and egg cheeseburgers

1. Cook up some bacon and drain with paper towels.

2. Toast up some buns with butter in a cast iron skillet.

3. Divide a pound of ground beef into four sections. Pour some bacon grease onto a pan and lay out the meat, pressing it out to form patties. Add your seasonings (I used Kinder’s blend seasoning and Worcestershire sauce). After a few minutes, flip those over and season the other side.

4. Once done, add a slice of sharp cheddar cheese on top of each patty and remove them to a plate.

5. In the same pan, fry up some eggs for whoever likes that on their burger.

6. Serve with fries.

Oven fried chicken

1. Preheat your oven to 425 F. Put half a stick of butter in a large cast iron skillet then place in the oven until the butter melts.

2. In a pie pan or shallow dish, mix an egg and two tablespoons of water to make egg wash.

3. In a large Ziploc bag, mix a cup of panko breadcrumbs, ¼ cup of all-purpose flour, half a teaspoon of pepper, a teaspoon of salt, some garlic powder and a teaspoon of Montreal steak seasoning (this is the key to the incredible flavor), and shake it together.

4. Roll the chicken legs around in egg wash, then dip into the bag one by one. Go in with your hands and press them into the breadcrumbs so they stick well.

5. Add the chicken legs into the skillet, leaving space in between. Drizzle some olive oil over the chicken legs and pop them in the oven at 425 F for 30 minutes.

6. Pull the skillet out and turn over the chicken with some tongs, then cook for an additional 20 minutes.

7. Serve with air fried potatoes and broccoli and cheese.

Smoked sausage and cream cheese pasta

1. Heat up a bit of olive oil in a large skillet, add in a package of chopped up smoked sausage, season with onion powder and brown for a few minutes before adding in some fresh minced garlic, then cook for a couple of minutes. Once done, scoop it out into a bowl.

2. Cook up half a box of rotini pasta.

3. To the same skillet, add a cup of chicken stock and a block of room temperature Philadelphia cream cheese. Season with some Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Smush the cream cheese with a spoon to make it melt quicker, and let it cook for a couple minutes to turn into a smooth creamy sauce.

4. Add the sausage and garlic back in, and add in half a cup of drained canned corn. Toss it all to coat and let it cook for a few minutes, and finally toss in the pasta. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Serve with sourdough bread toasted with butter and garlic.

Mini tacos and cheesy fiesta potatoes

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.

2. Get a pound of diced potatoes into a bowl, add three tablespoons of oil and toss it gently to coat.

3. In a little bowl, make the seasoned coating mix by mixing a tablespoon of flour, a tablespoon of cornstarch, a tablespoon of taco seasoning, a quarter teaspoon of pepper and half a teaspoon of salt. Mix with a fork and dump that on top of the potatoes. Fold together with a spatula.

4. Dump the potatoes onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and spread that out evenly.

5. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes, then flip it around and cook for another 20 minutes.

6. In the meantime, let’s get started on the tacos. Brown up a pound of ground beef in a skillet.

7. Heat up a can of Rico's nacho cheese sauce in another skillet.

8. Drain off the grease off the meat, add ¼ cup water to the meat skillet, and season with a taco seasoning blend. Cook for a few minutes more.

9. Brush some oil over one side of your tortillas, and place it all side down on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Add a tablespoon of taco meat mixture onto each tortilla. Add a little shredded quesadilla cheese onto each taco.

10. Pop it in the 425 degree oven for about a minute, then fold them over with a spatula. Sprinkle a little bit of salt over the tortillas and bake them for 10 minutes, flipping them halfway through.

11. Pour the hot nacho cheese sauce over the potatoes, together with a dollop of sour cream. Add the tacos with some crumbled up queso fresco over the top, and lime wedges on the side.

Easy budget-friendly dinner recipes

I hope you will try these easy budget friendly dinner ideas at home. If you do, let me know which one is your favorite! Also, if you have other family meal ideas you want to share, do not be shy, leave those in the comments!

Next, check out these 4 Easy Slow Cooker Recipes That My Family Is Loving.