Simple Meals for Under $20

[AvitorJake]

Does anybody know of any good (Simple) recipes for under $20?

I'm looking for some ideas on to get into cooking. I don't like complex dishes, something simple is best for me to get started.

What do you have?

 

[kyonu]

How long do you need the $20 to last you?

 

[Hereandthere]

Chop up some veggies and put them in a big pot to cook, along w a bit of olive oil or water. Add some ground meat (beef, turkey, whatever... we get yak from a nearby yak ranch). Stir it. Season it with salt and pepper or sometimes with cayenne or curry powder. Yum! And any leftovers make a good breakfast.

 

[AvitorJake]

How long do you need the $20 to last you?

At least one week.

 

[anm]

One of my favorite cheapo meals is brown rice (the cheapest you can get, it's usually the best for you too), half a chicken bullion cube, and frozen peas. I usually splurge and eat it with a little soy sauce. Sometimes if I'm really feeling flush I'll throw in a handful of that frozen, cooked chicken strips (the stuff intended for fajitas). I put it all in the pot together, with the exception of the soy sauce and cook it 'til the water is absorbed. It's good and it's good for you, and if you buy bulk brown rice and the cheapest frozen peas, it's easy on the pocket book too...

 

[Sameer]

1 jar pearl onions
1 can green peas
1/2 of a cube of 'real' butter' or Ghee about 1/8th of a cup
White Rice
Curry Powder
Melt butter or ghee in pan and add 2 heaping tablespoons of Curry Powder. Stir and let cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add pearl onions and can of peas and let cook very low for 10 minutes. Pour over White Rice......YUM! YUM!

 

[akrvbob]

Chili dogs: a can of chili, 2 hot dogs and 2 slices of bread.
Bob

 

[Van-Tramp]

The majority of my meals are $1 or less.

My blog post:
Simple foods for a frugal traveler
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/simple-foods-for-a-frugal-traveler/

 

[VanFan]

Thank you. You've just helped validate what's in Moby's food box.
Vickie

 

[LongInTheTooth]

If u have access to local library you can find cookbooks with loads of frugal recipes... Or you can go online to Rachel Ray's website or others like hers. The recipes listed will make enuf food for several people, so it will last u several meals.

You can't go wrong with rice and beans. Or those packets of flavored Lipton noodles and sauce then throw in a can of tuna or chicken or whatever u prefer. And then there's always good old Ramen! I'm a starving student so I have lots of experience with budget meals

 

[anm]

Chili dogs: a can of chili, 2 hot dogs and 2 slices of bread.
Bob

I second that, there's nothing like a chilli dog! All this talk is making me hungry...

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One of my favorite store bought meals is Zataran's red beans and rice. It's dehydrated and all you need do is add water (and a little butter or oil I think) and cook it! 25 minutes later you're eating it. I think it's about $1.70 from Walmart, and they have a number of other dehydrated meals too...

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Addendum:
You can also add meat to it if you have any, anything at all, sausage, chicken, beef, squirrel...

 

[LeeRevell]

I often begin with white rice, brown rice or a baked potato, and then add what seems good. The meat in foil packets is a good addition.
A whole Rotisserie Chicken from the local Publix store will make four or five meals - seven bucks plus a cheap side or two. Pretty economical.
Fishing at the local lake or fishing hole gives us cheap meat too.

 

[anm]

I think the more-or-less common thread here is to start with a starch, be it rice, potatoes, or pasta, and add whatever is available to it. The starches can always be found cheap, and with a little poking around you can usually find something inexpensive to add to it. Just make sure you have a nice assortment of spices, they can make all the difference...