Welcome to my second edition of 20 Dinners That Cost 5 Dollars or Less! My first edition is the second most popular post on my blog, and you can find it here. I totally revamped my list this time around to include more recipes!
In my last post, I tried to keep the entire cost of dinner under 5 dollars. Meaning, if you wanted tuna melts for dinner, I included the entire loaf of bread and a whole bag of cheese in the cost. With this post, I only added up the cost of ingredients just for that recipe. So some of these will come out to more than $5.00 at first, but you can use what’s left over to create more dinners, essentially saving more money! These prices are based on what I find at Aldi, so your mileage may vary.
Also, the list below only includes the main entree. Add a couple fresh vegetables for a more well-rounded meal! Take your time and hopefully you’ll come out with more meal ideas and motivation to keep it simple and cheap! Would you add any to this list?
- 1 pound ground beef: $2.59
- Parmesan cheese: $.30
- Bread crumbs: $.30
- Milk: $.10
- Seasonings: $.10
- Total: $3.39
- Flour: $.07
- Baking powder: $.02
- Milk: $.14
- Egg: $.13
- Parmesan cheese: $.60
- Mozzarella cheese: $.52
- Pizza sauce: $1.00
- Pepperoni: $2.29
- Seasonings: $.20
- Total: $4.97
- Tortillas: $1.79
- Pizza sauce: $1.00
- Pepperoni: $1.00 (Half the bag)
- Mozzarella cheese: $1.00 (2 cups)
- Total: $4.79
- Biscuits: $1.39 (or much less if you make your own!)
- Ground sausage: $1.99
- Flour: $.04
- Milk: $.28
- Total: $3.70
- Wild rice: $1.20
- Kidney beans: $.59
- Half an onion: $.20
- Chicken broth: $.50
- Diced tomatoes: $.55
- $3.04
- 1 pound chicken breast: $1.89
- Panko bread crumbs: $.35
- Parmesan cheese: $.41
- Oil: $.05
- Flour: $.05
- Eggs: $.26
- Total: $3.01
- Garlic toast: $1.79
- Pizza sauce: $1.00
- Pepperoni: $1.00 (Half the bag)
- Mozzarella cheese: $1.00
- Total: $4.79
- Ground beef: $1.30 (Half pound)
- Green chiles: $1.00
- Enchilada sauce: $1.00
- Crescent rolls: $1.39
- Shredded cheese: $1.00
- Total: $5.69
- Refried beans: $2.00 (Recipe for homemade beans is above)
- Tortilla shells: $2.78
- Cheese: $.50
- Total: $5.28
- Puff pastry: $2.00
- Ham: $2.00
- Cheese: $.50
- Egg: $.13
- Total: $4.63
- Chicken: $3
- Rice: $.50
- Cream of mushroom soup: $.65
- Shredded cheese: $.50
- Total: $4.65
- Bacon: $.75
- Chicken: $1.88
- Garlic: $.05
- Onion: $.25
- Chicken broth: $.50
- Diced tomatoes: $.55
- Milk: $.10
- Pasta: $1
- BBQ sauce: $.25
- Shredded cheese: $.50
- Total: $5.83
- Sour cream: $.50
- Tortillas: $1.39
- Shredded cheese: $1.00
- Enchilada sauce: $1.00
- Total: $3.89
- Pasta: $.75
- Bay leaves: $.10
- Butter: $.33
- Celery: $.30
- Carrots: $.30
- Garlic: $.10
- Flour: $.05
- Milk: $.11
- Chicken: $1.88
- Shredded cheese: $.75
- Total: $4.67
- Butter: $.11
- Buns: $1.00
- Bacon: $.30
- Ground beef: $2.59
- Onion: $.20
- Cheese: $1
- Ketchup: $.05
- Relish: $.05
- Total: $5.30
- Onion: $.30
- Garlic: $.05
- Olive oil: $.02
- Ground beef: $2.59
- Stewed tomatoes: $1.10
- Macaroni: $.50 (Half a box)
- Total: $4.56
- Buns: $1.00
- Hot dogs: $1.00
- Chili: $1.00
- Shredded cheese: $1.00
- Total: $4.00
- Pork: $4.00
- Onion: $.20
- BBQ sauce: $.50
- Garlic: $.05
- Total: $4.75
- Ham: $1.50
- Onion: $.30
- Bell pepper: $.60
- Oil: $.05
- Eggs: $.39
- Rice: $.40
- Pineapple: $1.00
- Total: $4.24
Broccoli, Ham, and Mozzarella baked with Eggs
- Broccoli: $1.79
- Ham: $1.50
- Mozzarella cheese: $.50
- Eggs: $1.04
- Total: $4.83
What are your favorite cheap dinners? Share in the comments below!
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