100+ Best Meal Ideas for Dinner

Cheap Recipes for Dinner – Best Meal Ideas

I wouldn’t necessarily call what I do meal planning.  It’s more of what else can I make with this ham, roast, chicken etc.  I am always looking for cheap recipes for dinner and how I can stretch our budget.  Here are the best meal ideas I’ve made for our family, to yours.

The goal is to take one meal and find ways to turn it into many meals, sometimes sandwiches down to soup.  I have put in links where I have actually made the meals.  We also have a kid friendly list of food ideas as well.

What are your favorite meals to make with leftovers?

Beans

5 layer taco dip, (refried beans)

Beans and Rice

Bean soup

Beans and rice with taco seasoning

Fancy Beans (JAR of Northern Navy beans drained, 1/2 cup salsa and chicken broth. Sprinkle cheese and sour cream on top. Very low in fat but filling)

Green Bean Casserole (cream of mushrooms soup and French onions in and on top on green beans)

Ham and Bean soup

Nachos – (cheese, chili/taco meat, sour cream, black beans, refried beans, served on tortilla chips)

One Pot Ham & Bean Soup

Tortillias (add bean, cheese, sour cream)

Veggie Bean soup (beans, ham, chicken stock, salt/pepper, celery, carrot) add pasta

More Easy Dinner Ideas

Ground Beef

Beef Stroganoff

Bow Tie Lasagna (Bow tie noodles, Sour Cream, spaghetti sauce, Italian seasoning, Beef and Shredded cheese)

Barbecue Short Ribs

Cheeseburgers

Cheddar Cheeseburgers

Cheeseburger soup

Chili (crock pot)

Chili – 3 bean

Corned Beef & Hash

Enchiladas

Goulash

Ground Beef w/Cream of mushroom soup and a little milk (over potatoes or bake it with cheese at 350, serve once cheese is melted)

Ground Bologna

Lasagna  Italian Meatball Lasagna

Lasagna Rolls

Lasagna with Spinach

Meatball sandwich

Meatballs

Meatloaf 

Pot Roast

Spaghetti

Spaghetti bake

Sloppy Jo Sandwiches

Stuffed Cheeseburgers

Tacos

Taco soup

Beef Roast

Beef over potatoes (chopped beef served over mashed potatoes)

Beef barley soup

Beef Pot pie  (chopped beef, veggies on hand, pie crust, corn starch, beef stock)

BBQ Beef sandwiches (chopped beef, bbq sauce)

Cabbage rolls, stuffed

Chuck Roast Chili

Crockpot Pot Roast w/potatoes/carrots/other veggies with beef stock

Fajitas

German Pot Roast

Irish Stew

Pot Roast

Prime Rib – while expensive, bought on sale, you can make a lot with left overs.

Stir fry

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Veggie Beef Soup

Breakfast Recipes

Apple Pie French Toast

Apple French Toast Casserole

Bacon and Egg Hashbrown Casserole

Buttermilk Pancakes

Cherry Scones

Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin Waffles

Tater Tot Casserole

Chicken

Start with a Rotisserie Chicken

BBQ Chicken (crock pot)

BBQ Chicken sandwiches (chopped chicken w/bottle of bbq)

Ala King, Chicken Ala King (chicken pot pie without crust or carrots served over potatoes)

Asian Orange Chicken

Chicken and Pasta

Creamy Chicken Alfredo

Easy Chicken Alfredo

Campfire Chicken meals

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chili, Chicken Chili (chopped chicken, navy beans, McCormick’s chicken chili)

Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken pot pie (chopped chicken, veggies on hand, pie crust, corn starch, chicken stock)

Chicken & creamy  mushrooms

Chicken Kebabs

Chicken Salad Pita Pockets

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Grilled Smothered Chicken

Creamy Tuscan Chicken Thighs

Fried chicken

Hawaiian Chicken

Lemon garlic chicken

Lemon Spiced Smoked Chicken

Sheet pan chicken dinner

soup, Chicken Soup (chicken stock, veggies on hand, chopped chicken with noodles or without)

Smothered Chicken Breasts

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Turkey Casserole

Turkey Breast – slow cooked

Eggs

3 Layer Omlet

Bacon Egg and Cheese Biscuit

Bread and egg casserole

Breakfast burritos

Breakfast casserole

Breakfast pizza

Cheesy eggs

Deviled Eggs

Egg in hole

Egg salad sandwiches

English Muffin breakfast sandwich

Frittata

5 minute hard boiled eggs

Hard Boiled Eggs

Ham & Cheese Quiche

Ham & Egg Croissant

Potato Salad

Sausage and egg casserole

Scrambled eggs

Fillers

Adding the following into dishes will help stretch them further (where appropriate)

Crackers (in meatloaf)

Roasted Garlic Cloves

Pasta (added to most beef and chicken dishes will stretch them)

Baked Cheese and Ravioli

Baked Mac and Cheese

Meatless Lasagna

Noodles (added to most dishes and making a gravy are a hit)

Veggies (will stretch dishes and are healthy)

Fish

Salmon – Place in foil, sprinkle with lemon pepper and cook in the oven until light pink & flakey.

Lemon and Tarragon Trout

Tuna Casserole

Ham

Bourbon Glazed Ham

Breakfast casserole

Broccoli, ham and cheese soup

Brown Sugar Ham with Pineapple

Cabbage soup with ham

Crock pot Bean Soup (beans, ham, chicken stock, veggies (if you desire) salt/pepper)

Cubed – soup, egg omelets, salads

Fried sliced ham (breakfast)

Ham Potato Frittata

scrambled eggs with ham & cheese

Ham

Ham and bean soup

Ham and potato soup (slow cooker)

Ham salad

Omelettes with ham and veggies

Omelettes with ham and cheese

Orange Rum Glazed Ham

pizza with ham and other toppings

Potato Soup (slow cooker)

Potato and ham chowder

scalloped potatoes and ham

Sliced ham – sandwiches

Split pea soup with ham

Sweet Potato Casserole

Pork

Watch for pork loin to go on sale.  You can have it cut into slices at the store or at home and make them into pork chops (cheaper than buying pork chops and without the bone!)

Apple Cider Pork Loin

Bacon Egg & Cheese Sandwich

BBQ Pork Ribs (crock pot)

Pork Chops (Preheat oven to 400. cut up some potatoes, place pork chops in the pan, place sliced potatoes on top, Velveeta cheese chunks, Cream of mushroom soup and milk as needed to coat bottom of pan. Bake until potatoes are done. YUM… cook ½ hour)

Pork Chops –  throw them in the crock pot with diced up apples and some cinnamon and a little sugar.  Throw in a couple spoonful’s of apple sauce as well with a little water.

Pork chops with BBQ sauce in crock pot.

Pork chops with Teriyaki sauce in crock pot.

lo mein, Pork lo mein. dip in vidalia onion sauce and then panko crumbs and bake.

Pork fried rice – minced pork with rice.

chops, Pork chops – serve with brown gravy and rice

Pork Chops with cream of mushroom

Pork chops -Add layer of pork chops, ranch packet and pork chops.  Sprinkle ranch packet on them. Add a can of cream of chicken soup in with them. Couple hours on high until cooked.

Pork chops Sauteed, add cream of mushroom with can of water and simmer until cooked. Serve over rice or noodles or alone.

Pulled Pork sandwiches  Instant Pot Pulled Pork

Sausage Patties

Sausage, Biscuits & Gravy

Stuffed Pork Chops

Potatoes

Amish hash browns

Au Gratin Potatoes

Baked Potatoes

Breakfast casserole

Corned beef hash

Cheesy fried potatoes

Cheesy potatoes (chicken stock, potatoes chopped, chopped bacon, corn starch, cheese)

French fries

Fried potatoes

Garlic mashed potatoes

Ham and potato soup 

Hashbrown Casserole (cream of chicken soup, hash browns, cheddar cheese, minced onion, salt & pepper)

One Pot Potato Soup

Potato pancakes (from mashed potatoes)

Mashed potatoes

Potato Salad

Potato Soup (slow cooker)

Old Fashioned Potato Soup

Potato wedges

Roasted red potatoes

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

Shepherds pie

Smoked Baked Potatoes

Twice baked potato skins

meal planning – use veggies

Add into Soup/Casseroles (stretches dishes farther and healthy)

Artichoke Hearts

Beans – drained great for kids to eat (just like Cheerios)

Cabbage Stew

Canned veggies, last longer

Carrots – Boil/steam, chopped into soups, inexpensive

Celery , chopped, serve with peanut butter, raisins

Eat Raw

Frozen Veggies easy to add in as needed

Grilled Corn on the Cob

Roasted/Grilled on the oven

Smoked corn on the cob

Steamed cauliflower or broccoli served with cream of cheese soup

What are you favorite cheap recipes?