Back in June 2019, I challenged myself to shop at Dollar Tree for groceries for a full week for my family of 3. It started as an experiment to see if I could feed my family full meals and keep them relatively healthy.
I made a few posts, recorded a Youtube video showcasing my grocery haul, and didn’t think much of it afterward. People here and there told me they liked my posts, but that was it.
But now that I’m more active on Youtube, I’ve realized that this single video I made on a whim is one of my top-searched videos on my channel. This means more people than I thought are looking for Dollar Tree meals!
And I’m happy to say that I’m here to deliver! Every month, I’m going to showcase 3 meals from Dollar Tree. Here are my criteria:
- Each meal will cost 5 dollars or less
- They have to be relatively healthy
- They should feed between 2-4 people. Sometimes the packaging is smaller at Dollar Tree so I may not get as much out of them as at a regular store.
I’m also looking for ideas! If you see an item at Dollar Tree, or think of a meal you want to see made, please leave a comment. My goal is to help you eat healthier food on a budget!
With all that said, here’s what I bought at Dollar Tree this time:
Dollar Tree Meals
- Chicken Ravioli Alfredo
- BBQ Meatballs
- Lentil Burritos
All of this came to $14.00. The only meal that cost less than $5.00 was the BBQ meatballs because I just couldn’t find one more thing to add to the meal. Let me show you details of how I made everything:
Chicken Ravioli Alfredo
- 1 package frozen cheese ravioli
- 1 can Alfredo sauce
- 1 can chicken
- 1 bag frozen broccoli
- 1 box frozen garlic toast
First I boiled water in a large pot, then added the ravioli and broccoli to cook for 3-4 minutes. Next I put the garlic toast in the oven to bake for 5-8 minutes.
After the ravioli was heated, I drained the pot and added the Alfredo sauce and chicken.
Overall, the meal was really good! I misread the ravioli bag though; I thought it said 4 servings, but the serving SIZE was 4 ravioli. The entire bag served 2, and the Alfredo sauce served 7. Next time, I’ll omit the chicken and get an extra bag of ravioli to stretch out the sauce.
BBQ Meatballs
- 1 bag Italian meatballs
- 1 bag Knorr cheddar broccoli pasta side
- 1 bottle BBQ sauce
- 1 can green beans
- 1/2 cup milk (Optional, but the pasta side calls for it)
In a saucepan, I combined the meatballs with 1/3 cup BBQ sauce and let it heat up. In another pan, I cooked the pasta according to the directions. Then I heated the green beans in the microwave. Overall, dinner took about 20-25 minutes to cook!
I was skeptical of this meal, but surprisingly it was delicious and filling! I’ve had the meatballs before so I knew they were good. Once again though, this meal only served 2.
Lentil Burritos
- 1 bag lentils (I only used 1 cup for the recipes
- 1 bag frozen pepper stir fry
- 1 block (5.3 oz) pepperjack cheese
- 1 package tortillas
- 1 jar salsa
For this recipe, I used my Instant Pot to cook the lentils- 1 cup of lentils, 2 cups of water, and some spices I had at home. You can find a full recipe on this post; but I cooked the lentils for 15 minutes, then did a 10 minute natural release.
I cooked the pepper blend in the microwave and shredded the cheese, and I was done in 30 minutes!
This meal can definitely serve at least 4- more if you cook more lentils. My only complaint was that the pepper blend was a little wet and made the tortilla soggy. I also overfilled it so I had to use a fork! Everything was really good though- even the cheese, which was REAL cheese and not a cheese product!
Final Thoughts on These Dollar Tree Meals
Overall, these weren’t really that bad. I suggest reading the labels carefully to make sure you’ve got enough food to feed your family. The serving sizes of the containers can be smaller than you think!
I think our favorite meal was the ravioli. There was definitely too much sauce, but that can be changed by adding more ravioli. I’m adding that ravioli to my growing list of good Dollar Tree finds!
Check back next month for three more Dollar Tree meals! Have any suggestions on what you want me to make next? Find something at your Dollar Tree you want me to use? Please leave a comment and let me know! And if you try any of the meals above, tell me what you think!
Jaime is a Nutrition Coach through the ISSA and professional writer. She has 4 years experience coaching and 9 years experience in writing. She enjoys cooking easy meals, running, and learning more about food.
Jaime specializes in helping women with ADHD learn to meal plan and cook healthier meals without getting overwhelmed.
Donna Howard
Tuesday 7th of March 2023
The lentil burritos look really good. I remember once making lentil shepherds pie. I think you could do that from Dollar Tree items: lentils, brown gravy, frozen veggies, mashed potatoes, cheese.