Cheap Healthy Meals: 15 Budget Dinner Ideas That Fill You Up

Eating healthy on a budget is mostly about what you build meals around. Beans, eggs, grains and frozen vegetables are cheap, filling and nutritious. Meat becomes a flavor, not the base.

The 12 best budget ingredients

1. Dried or canned lentils and beans
2. Eggs
3. Rolled oats
4. Rice and pasta
5. Potatoes
6. Frozen vegetables (as nutritious as fresh, no waste)
7. Cabbage, carrots and onions
8. Canned tomatoes
9. Bananas and apples
10. Canned tuna or sardines
11. Chicken thighs (cheaper and juicier than breast)
12. Natural yogurt bought in a big tub

15 cheap healthy meals

• Red lentil soup
• Chickpea curry
• Egg fried rice
• Black bean quesadillas
• Tuna pasta
• Creamy tomato pasta
• Shakshuka
• Vegetable frittata
• Overnight oats
• Crispy roasted potatoes with eggs
• Bean chili with rice
• Cabbage and sausage stir-fry
• Baked potatoes with beans and cheese
• Pasta e fagioli
• Rice bowls with canned salmon and cucumber

7 ways to spend less

1. Plan before you shop and buy only what the plan needs.
2. Check your fridge first and use what you have.
3. Cook double and eat leftovers for lunch.
4. Buy store brands for staples like pasta, rice and canned goods.
5. Use frozen fruit and vegetables.
6. Compare price per kilo, not per pack.
7. Waste nothing: turn leftovers into frittatas, fried rice and soups.

Let RecipeMe plan it

Tell RecipeMe you want budget meals and it will build a weekly menu from affordable ingredients, then turn it into a shopping list. It also suggests dishes from what you already have, so less food ends up in the bin.