Our Top 50 Budget-Friendly Recipes

The rich, comforting, and hearty notes that sing from this traditional soybean paste stew hinge on thrifty items commonly found in a Korean kitchen: beef, various vegetables, tofu. It all comes together in an Instant Pot, which makes it even easier to pull together.

Stocking up on canned chickpeas will prep you to have endless meals, like lemony-bright aromatic stews. It gets great zing from fresh-squeezed lemons, while herbs on top provide freshness.

The tastiest, easiest, and most budget-friendly pumpkin soup, thanks to a can of pumpkin and your spice drawer.

You can channel all the flavors of stuffed cabbage rolls and ingredients into this hearty, just-as-flavorful, budget-friendly soup instead. How's that for a good and cheap meal?

This weeknight chicken chili — which relies on whole vegetables and pantry staples — pulls inspiration from chowder, but warm cumin and a trio of fresh, punchy toppings firmly plant it in chili territory. If you want, you can use leftover rotisserie or shredded chicken.

With just a few aromatics and broth, a pile of carrot coins transforms into silky spoonfuls of soup brightened with fresh dill and lemon.

A package of frozen tortellini is a must-have to stash in the freezer because it’s cheap, lasts for months, and studs this creamy, tangy tomato soup that comes together in 20 minutes.

You don't need to spend a lot to feed a whole mess of people. Got pasta shells, ricotta and mozzarella, and a jar of marinara sauce? Grab a few more ingredients and a Sunday supper comes alive.

Meet your go-to summer pasta. Due to the affordability of in-season vegetables, this easy and meltingly tender pasta will cost you less than 10 bucks for four servings.

It turns out gnocchi on a weeknight is a more-than-doable dinner and it won't cost you an arm and a leg. This one-pan dinner of roasted gnocchi and vegetables doesn't even require you to boil the dumplings.

This rich and savory Bolognese is easy on the wallet, comes together quickly, and yields plenty of leftovers.

A whole spaghetti squash gets the ultimate star treatment when cooked in the air fryer. Although it's not technically a pasta, it serves up major pasta vibes. The veg-forward spin on an Italian comfort dish is cheesy and perfectly al dente with an affordable ingredient list to boot.

Take what's left over of the buttery caramelized cabbage from this dish and pile it onto crusty bread or rice with eggs, or tuck it into a sandwich for lunch the next few days.

A minimal-ingredient recipe for creamy broccoli-cheddar risotto that's both family-friendly and fit for a weeknight.

This vegetarian rendition of the iconic barbecue chicken pizza from CPK trades the chicken and crust for glazy beans. No need to cook beans from dry — just grab a can of white beans, such as butter or Great Northern.

This hearty, satisfying main-course salad can be made with rice or whatever grain from your pantry: farro, millet, quinoa, etc. Orzo or couscous are also great options.

Here's how to go to town on barbecue and stay meat-free, too. A pack of tofu takes on crispy, jagged edges and a crunchy coating in the oven before it gets cloaked in a sticky blanket of BBQ sauce.

Whether cobbled together from leftovers in the fridge for a weeknight dinner, or served as an over-the-top spread for a party, a baked potato bar is a dependable way to entertain and feed on a budget.

The finished dish is full of contrasting flavors and textures — tender (but not too tender) roasted cauliflower, chewy dried cherries, al dente lentils. Plus there’s that yogurt sauce to pull everything together. At $8.55 for four servings, it’s a fine-dining dish at a fraction of the price.

These mini starch-on-starch quesadillas with melty cheesy and spicy mayo make for a yummy, cheap, vegetarian dinner that’s worth putting on repeat.

This caprese salad tucks in more heft with the addition of grilled eggplant, turning the dish into the perfect meatless main event.

Rice and lentils are as forgiving to cook as they are cheap. As this meal-prep meal demonstrates, they can be made ahead on a Sunday and stored in the fridge until the end of the work week. When you need a vegetarian lunch at a moment's notice, you can build a brown rice and lentil bowl with caramelized onions, a healthy spoonful of harissa, and a sprinkling of pine nuts and top with a fried egg.

Adding rice to a beef meatball mixture yields more saucy, satisfying meatballs for less money.

Trader Joe's is a destination for top-notch affordable frozen foods, and their frozen Mandarin orange chicken is in a league of its own. This recipe bulks up a bag of the chicken with vegetables and brown rice to create a family-friendly weeknight dinner.

These tuna patties are a fun and cheap way to turn a few cans of tuna, vegetables, and herbs into super-satisfying meal.

Turkey is a low-cost type of meat that can take on a generous amount of flavor in any way you see fit. Case in point: This Juicy Lucy turkey burger oozes with hot cheese filling and, as the name suggests, a lot of juice. Ready the napkins!

With minimal effort, ingredients, and overall price, this chicken breast soaked in zesty Greek marinade is a budget-friendly dream.

Cream can be pricey. Luckily, you don't need it to make the best creamy corn — just some butter and broth will do the trick. With the sautéed greens and seared salmon, you get the perfect combo of tastes in every single bite.

Bagged slaw makes this "egg roll in a bowl" a cinch to make.

Serve nachos as a skillet dinner dip using four canned staples: black beans, corn kernels, diced tomatoes, and green chiles.

A can of coconut milk is one ingredient that's needed to make the best one-pan braised chicken.

Need a fun way to breathe new life to a pack of instant ramen noodles? We got you: Toss them with Spam and spinach, then cook it omelet-style until the noodles are crispy.

This casserole breaks down pineapple pizza to its most essential (and best) elements: cheese, pineapple chunks, and a buttery crust. This pantry recipe doesn't involve any chopping.

Don't stress about costly store-bought vegan meat products. Our recipe for spiced-up, saucy vegan enchiladas have a simply delicious filling made from mushrooms and chopped walnuts mixed together with tofu. It's cheaper and, dare we say, meatier than what you can buy.

There's quite possibly no dish that stretches out a few eggs as well as a strata. If you want to eat your eggs and make the most of one carton, make this hearty breakfast bake that's packed with cheese and spinach, then baked until golden-brown and well-puffed.

Jollof rice is a smoky, spicy tomato- and pepper-based rice dish that's a staple throughout West Africa.

This hearty casserole easily feeds a hungry crowd and is an all-in-one meal with protein, vegetables, and frozen tater tots.