Your family's favorite cheap meal?

[DisneyPhD]

Here is something really simple: Brown a pound of hamburger, drain, and add 1 can of cream of mushroom soup. Serve it on a hambruger bun. If someone else has made this, please tell me what you call it. We use "hamburger goop." Doesn't that name make you hungry?

A little different, brown beef, add can of cream of mushroom soup, some onion flakes, and worhchester sause with a can of milk. Serve with pasta (we like Penne) We call it beefy mushroom. Haven't had it for a while since we are banning milk due to a recent dairy allgery in our family, but I look forward to the day we can reintroduce it. I am considering trying it with some soy based cream of mushorom soup, but a little fearful of it so we might just hold off for now.

We love spagettie around here. At least once a week.

Nothing more to add, but I want to suscribe to this thread!!!!!!!

 

[momx2]

I got this reciepe from this board about 6 months ago. My family loves it. Buy 5lb whole chicken, around $3.50 at walmart. Put that and 3-4 celery stalks, diced; 2-3 onions, quartered; 4 carrots, sliced; 2 cups water; 3 tbsp. Italian seasoning and 1 tsp. basil. Cook in a large crockpot on low for 8-10 hrs. It is delicious! I serve or rice or mashed potatoes. We like m.pots. better. We always have enough chicken left over for either potpie, DKs don't like so I do the potpie mixture, ie. chicken, frozen mixed vegs. and 1 can cream of chicken, over egg noodles. Or I buy 2 evelopes (2 for $1) of chicken gravy and mix with the chicken and serve with rice or m.pots.

I always have at least 2 meals, sometimes 3 out of this. The main meal is less than $5. The other meals only add about $2.

 

[kcbean]

These are super ideas! Thanks everyone! Keep them coming for all of us to enjoy!

Momx2, I have a dumb question! Then after it is doing cooking do you pull the chicken off the bone or do you eat it off the bone like fried chicken? Many thanks!

 

[momx2]

No dumb questions, ever! But you pull it off the bone. I like to take the pulled chicken and veggies and lay it all on mashed potatoes. I then take the broth that is left in the pot and pour over this. YUM!! My oldest DD (7) wants me to make this for Thanksgiving instead of turkey! I don't think I'll do this, but that's how much they like this! I do this at least once a month, sometimes 2x because I get so many meals out of it.

 

[DianeV]

Very easy..brown ground beef and cook elbow noodles at the same time. Add the ground beef to the drained noodles and add 2 cans cream of mushroom soup with some milk and add sour cream (taste to see how much you want) Add some canned or fresh mushrooms and mix it all together. It goes over really well here and you can also add peas if you want. We usually have this with some bread and salad

Also the new Banquet crock pot meals are pretty good too and usually around $5-$6

 

[The Sweetness]

Boxed mac&cheese, frozen veg (broccoli, cauliflower, sliced yellow squash), shreded chedar (cheaper to buy the block 8oz, and grate or slice yourself)

Pasta bake 1lb of diced chicken or crumbled beef, spg sauce, tomato paste, mozzerella

Whats wrong with having a grilled cheese or pbj night on a hectic day? With a salad, maybe a scoop of ice cream or some chips...

 

[Emme]

Here is another thread that was started. Some good ideas I thought you might be able to use

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=847214&highlight=Meals

 

[Lyn5]

This is really easy and the kids love it:

I brown a pound of hamburger in a little oil. After it is cooked completely I add a can or two of regular corn and a little black pepper and heat until the whole thing is warm. Then, I serve it with rice and ketchup.

 

[MsDisney23]

brown one lb. hamburger drain fat
one jar of ragu
elbow macaroni

add cooked macaroni and hamburger to sauce, stir and simmer for 20 minutes.
bread and butter, great re-heated!

 

[Disney Ontario]

Easy Mac&Cheese Lasagna

Brown your hamburg and add tomatoe sause. Make up your Mac&Cheese.Now take dish(I use loaf pan) start alternating both with putting grated cheese between layers. End with Mac&cheese on top, then sprinkle with more cheese. Bake 350* for 15-20 min.

 

[strasfamily]

For a cheap take out meal, we like to run into Little Ceasar's pizza and pick up one of their already made large pepperoni pizzas for $5.

 

[DisneyForLife]

also another good thing to make is taco soup.. I make a huge pot and it lasts for days....

Take 1 lb hamburger meat and cook it .. In a large pot, put 2 large cans of diced tomatoes (undrained), 2 cans pinto beans (undrained), 1 or 2 cans chili beans (undrained), 1 or 2 cans of red beans (undrained), 1 can corn (undrained), 1 can rotel (undrained) and one can yellow hominy (undrained)... Just mix all that together but dump all the can in including juice.. Put in one packet of taco seasoning in the pot.. once the meat is done put that in the pot too.. bring to boil than turn down and simmer for an hour or 2...

Its the bomb!! Its even better if you put some fritos in a bowl then spoon some of this on it and then a few pinchfulls of shredded cheddar cheese!!

This is less than $10 to make and lasts for several days.. Great for cold weather!

I make this also minus the hominy (not sure what that is being from the northeast) Anyhow, this is so good and filling. It does make a lot but it goes quick in my house because we usually eat it for lunch and dinner when I make it. Yes, it is that good!!!!!

 

[ThreeMusketeers]

I second Chili..b/c it will last the week. As well as a cassarole of homemade mac and cheese, Stew..., Calzones are cheap to make too.

 

[*NikkiBell*]

Here's a few Italian favorites...

1. Peas & Pasta - Take a box of elbows (usually 99 cents on sale or cheaper), a can of peas, and an onion and 1-2 cloves of garlic. Brown the chopped onion and garlic in pure virgin olive oil while the pasta is boiling. Once the garlic is tan, but not brown, add the entire can of peas with the juice and all. Simmer for a bit, until warm, and add pepper, salt, and other seasonings like crushed red pepper. Pour pasta into a large bowl and top it with the peas. Mix it together and you are done in under $5.00! You can also do this with rice.

2. Lentils and Spaghetti - Boil the spaghetti while you brown onion and garlic like in the above recipe. Take a can of Progresso lentil soup and add it to the mixture and let cook for a few minutes until boiling slightly. Pour spaghetti into a bowl and top with the lentils. Mix together and add parmesean cheese.


Yummy!

 

[krcit]

How about pasta fagiole(I know I spelled that wrong, lol-pasta w/ beans)

In a little olive oil, saute garlic, chopped onion and celery and a few of the celery leaves. When the onion is translucent add a can of cannelinni beans w/ the liquid and then fill that can up 2 or 3 times with water and add that to it, add a small can of Delmonte tomatoe sauce, bring to a boil and add about a 1/2 lb of dittalini pasta(small tubes) cook it until the pasta is cooked and serve. Sprinkle some grated parmesan on top. Add a loaf of Italian bread and a salad and you have a quick, CHEAP dinner!!!

 

[staceyfe]

This the the best chicken & dumplings I've ever had! DS9(picky) loves it and it is SOOOOOOOOOOOO easy:

2 chicken breast--boneless/skinless ($1-2 on sale)
1 can cream chicken soup (Aldis-$.43)
2 T margarine
2 cans cheapest bisquits you can find ($.50)
1 soup can of water

Put the chicken breasts in a crockpot, top w/ soup, margarine, and water. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. Then, shred the chicken w/ 2 forks and stir. 45 minutes before serving (turn to "high" if cooking on "low"), add cut up bisquits (I use a pizza cutter and cut them into fourths) and let cook until done. Serve and enjoy!

I've taken this to church potluck twice and get rave reviews. I still can't believe how easy it is! I serve w/ mashed potatoes and peas or green beans. Total cost: approximately $4-4.50. Not super cheap but sure is good!

 

[DisneyPhD]

This the the best chicken & dumplings I've ever had! DS9(picky) loves it and it is SOOOOOOOOOOOO easy:

2 chicken breast--boneless/skinless ($1-2 on sale)
1 can cream chicken soup (Aldis-$.43)
2 T margarine
2 cans cheapest bisquits you can find ($.50)
1 soup can of water

Put the chicken breasts in a crockpot, top w/ soup, margarine, and water. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. Then, shred the chicken w/ 2 forks and stir. 45 minutes before serving, add cut up bisquits (I use a pizza cutter and cut them into fourths) and let cook until done. Serve and enjoy!

I've taken this to church potluck twice and get rave reviews. I still can't believe how easy it is! I serve w/ mashed potatoes and peas or green beans. Total cost: approximately $4-4.50. Not super cheap but sure is good!

This sounds really good, I can't wait to try it. For our family I need to locate some dairy free cream of mushroom soup and bisquits, but I think I can. If not I will keep it filed for when DD's has outgrown her milk food allergy.

 

[fun & fancy free]

Grill cheese with soup. We love this also we have breakfast for dinner. You know pancakes, eggs.

 

[Lynn CC]

Ground/chicken and Turkey Meatball Subs

I buy ground turkey and ground chicken (perdue or whatever brand is on sale, a lot of times they are buy one, get one free in our grocery store), mix together in large bowl, a couple of eggs, 1 and 1/2 cups romano cheese, garlic powder and onion powder, parsley and oregano flakes, 1/2 cup of raw onions and mushrooms diced really small.

make into SMALL balls and fry in olive oil.

Add to 3 large cans of sauce (one puree and 2 kitchen ready, any brand that's on sale) Let balls cook in crockpot on high for 3 hours and then turn to low until your ready to put them in sub rolls.

This makes a Ton of meatball subs, it's about $10 to make,and my family loves them!

 

[tbelfonti]

Pierogies and Turkey Kielbasa

We buy frozen pierogies either at BJ's in bulk or the Price Chopper brand when it's $1 for a box.

Turkey kielbasa has been BOGO for a while so we buy and freeze until we need it.

Make it one of two ways:

Recipe 1:
mix kielbasa, pierogies, chopped onions, peppers and butter (1/2 stick) in 9x13 baking pan. Cover and Bake for 35 mins

Recipe 2:
Pan fry above ingredients (minus butter) until done.