Budget-friendly dinners
Cheap cuts and pantry staples, cooked so they taste like more. These lean on ingredients that are usually among the lowest-cost in the store: drumsticks, lentils, beans, cabbage, eggs and rice.
- Sheet-pan chicken drumsticks with potatoes and carrots: Paprika-rubbed drumsticks roasted on one pan with potatoes and carrots until the skin is crisp. (50 min, about 570 cal · 43 g protein · 39 g carbs · 27 g fat)
- Red lentil and carrot soup: A thick, warming soup of red lentils, carrots and cumin, finished with lemon. Pantry staples, big flavor. (35 min, about 460 cal · 23 g protein · 73 g carbs · 10 g fat)
- Ground pork and cabbage stir-fry: Savory ground pork and shredded cabbage stir-fried with ginger and soy, over rice. Half a cabbage goes a long way. (25 min, about 530 cal · 25 g protein · 50 g carbs · 24 g fat)
- Stovetop tuna noodle skillet: Classic tuna noodle casserole made in one pot on the stove: egg noodles, peas and tuna in a creamy cheddar sauce. (25 min, about 590 cal · 34 g protein · 61 g carbs · 23 g fat)
- Red beans and rice with smoked sausage: A quick take on the New Orleans classic: canned red beans simmered with smoked sausage, peppers and Cajun spice. (35 min, about 545 cal · 22 g protein · 73 g carbs · 18 g fat)