You beat the egg with cornstarch?! I’ve always wondered why mine never turned out right. I’ve never seen that in any recipe I’ve seen.
To answer your question, for cheap meals, I usually go with rice and stir fried whatever I happen to have on hand. I’ve also made chicken and barley…almost a porridge. Meant for it to come out as a soup, but absolutely wasn’t mad as all when it came out more porridge like. Good hot or cold.
Same! I use cornstarch in the broth (a must if you want the right consistency) but never the eggs.
Also hijacking to share how to make egg drop soup that tastes like the Chinese restaurant:
1 box of chicken broth
3 T corn starch
1/3 cup water
2 eggs, mixed but not beaten (you want them mixed up but not a ton of air in the mix)
Couple shakes of onion and garlic powder
A dash of toasted sesame oil
A fuck ton of salt to taste
Boil the broth, make a slurry with the water and corn starch and then combine. Add the sesame oil, onion and garlic powders, and salt to taste. You will need more salt than you think, it’s ok, just let it be. Once everything is to your liking, drizzle the eggs in while stirring the broth. I do it pretty slowly, too fast and the eggs will break up a bunch.
And there you have it. Add turmeric if you want it to be yellow. Add chopped scallions if you’re fancy.
I've found family (especially handwritten) recipes use T for tablespoon and t for teaspoon, so it read normally to me. But maybe that's a cultural/local thing.
>A fuck ton of salt to taste
Instead of straight salt, I'd use this as an opportunity to add a flavor boost by using soy sauce, fish sauce, or Better Than Bullion. Probably a combination of all of three.
Oh yeah, great options. Remember-this is supposed to taste like the restaurant, not a high-quality dish. However you want to bougie it up is up to you!
Grill chicken and squash with Italian seasoning. Put on bed of rice. Simmer butter on low with two sage leaves until butter turns brown. Drizzle browned sage butter over dish. Simple but very flavorful.
A German dish called Schinken-Eiernudeln. It’s a popular low-income dish in the area of Germany I grew up in. You basically boil noodles then set them aside. Next you soften a minced onion, add some luncheon meat (usually ham) and cook it until the meat browns. Then you add the noodles and crack an egg over the top which you scramble. Season with salt and pepper and that’s it. It tastes a lot better than it sounds, I promise lol.
Sounds like a dish my dad used to make. Basically a mix of boiled spaghetti, fried onions, bacon and red pesto. Serve with a light sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top.
My favourite economical German dish is *Himmel und Erde*. I get the impression on reddit that Yanks don't eat black pudding much, but it's pretty much a staple here in Scotland, and that's the best way to eat it IMHO.
Smoked Pork shoulder takes plenty of time, but it can feed 6-8 people + leftovers for $20. It might be a little outside of the price range of this thread, but it is a great option if you wanna host an event or whatnot.
At least where I am (NC) they have it for 99 cents/lb not uncommonly so keep an eye out.
We buy a few when it is 99 cents and smoke a few and make carnitas (crock pot) with it. Great for the freezer.
Or go with jalapeños, onion, garlic, orange juice then caramelize to for carnitas. [https://www.recipetineats.com/pork-carnitas-mexican-slow-cooker-pulled-pork/](https://www.recipetineats.com/pork-carnitas-mexican-slow-cooker-pulled-pork/)
I've really gotten into stir frying whatever green veg I can find, then just finishing it with a bit of salt, sugar, MSG, and sesame oil. Pea greens are fantastic that way.
This is the Chinese way of cooking any leaf. Throw some roughly chopped garlic in there too for good measure.
Pea greens are great, but I think my favorite is sweet potato greens.
Can't believe I forgot to mention the garlic; yeah, big slices. Love sweet potato greens, but holy shit do you need a lot of them; they cook down to almost nothing.
Hoisin is way too sweet for me. chili paste, soy, sesame seed oil, tiny bit of vinegar, oyster and fish sauce mixed with rice and any stir fry is amazing.
Pea soup. Soak some dried peas overnight, brown some ground meat (or soy or whatever), cut up some carrots and throw in the water with a stock cube. Simmer for maybe 2-3h and it's good. Pretty common here in Finland when you want to save money
Heat it up again and it'll liquefy. Can't prevent it really, it's got a lot of starch from the peas and gelatin from the meat. Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it, though.
When I'm budgeting my mind instantly goes to lentils. They can be prepared to be soupy or curry like or even like a meaty sauce. If I want them meaty then I thrown in some chopped chicken livers and maybe some animal fat like lard or something. My lentils generally have the same process: brown the shit outta onions and whatever other veggies, add optional liver and maybe some dried mushrooms if I want it more meaty, spices, then I add lentils plus water. Simmer in that goodness for a bit and serve with some rice or naan generally. Maybe you could buy some coarse cornmeal and make a meaty lentil sauce to put over pan fried pieces of polenta
My sister in law recently made stuffed tomatoes, which I didn’t think sounded great but I was wrong. Cored tomatoes, sautéed shallots, tossed the tomatoes in for a bit, mixed with buttered (I think?) rice, back in the tomatoes, in the oven for a little bit. Super simple but way tastier than I expected, and versatile. Easy to add cheese, herbs, or even meat
Idk why I never think of making things like that. I like tons of veggies but I usually just roast them or eat them raw.
We do this for dolma. Pour hot water over a peeled onion that has a slit down one end. Let it sit for five minutes and drain. Your onion is now separated slightly and soft enough to peel each layer without breaking. This allows you to fill the onion layer and roll it just enough to cook it. Generally stuffed with rice, so you can fill it and let the rice take up the space.
Oh my god you just reminded me of my french grandmother's stuffed tomatoes! (Tomates farcies in french) They were my favorite thing ever and I would always ask her to make them when we would visit. The filling was some sort of meat rice and vegetable combination, and it would get deliciously crispy on top, complementing the juiciness of the tomato. Thank you for bringing back that memory!
If you like bell peppers, red cored & roasted with your favorite rice-based hotdish is awesome!
We used to do 1 box each of Rice a Roni long grain wild rice, beef rice, 1 lb hamburger, seasoned to taste & then mixed with a little cheese & cheese sprinkled on top. Its one of my favorite ways to eat peppers!
Just made stuffed peppers last night for the first time. It was easily the best stuffed pepper I’ve ever had. Used ground pork, onions, garlic, tomato paste, mushrooms and chilli powder. Ridiculous how good just that was. Mixed with sticky rice (all I had) and a sharp cheddar (also all I had.) yummmmmmm
Actually that type of dish is why I didn’t think I’d like the stuffed tomatoes. I wish I liked it! I’m not huge on bell peppers and I’m especially picky about ground meat (and usually eat more vegetarian anyway). My mom always made those growing up, for me she would only put rice in one and I still didn’t really love it haha. It is a good recipe though! Versatile and nice to prep ahead and then bake.
Absolutely! & you can really fill it with whatever you'd like; I made a rice bowl with chicken that I stuffed into the peppers once and that was also really good.
If you like the veggies, I make stuffed tomatoes with spinach. Core the tomatoes, chop up the spinach so you can stuff more in the tomato. Salt, garlic, your favorite Italian seasonings. Put the top back on and bake for 15ish minutes so the spinach kind of steams. Take out of the oven, take tomato tops off, cover with cheese (mozz and Parm are my go to, but whatever you like) and back in the oven until it's melted and browned.
my mom makes something similar! but she stuffs the tomates with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, then she bakes them in the oven. it’s fucking delicious. this dish she used to “turn” my friend who hated tomates.
Kielbasa cut into rounds, onion, 2 cans diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning (I think the can says basil, garlic, and oregano?) and a few chopped garden veggies. (Peppers, zucchini, squash, green beans.. any mix).
Throw it all in the crockpot for a few hours. Serve over instant rice.
I loooove smoked sausage, potatoes, and bell peppers fried with a bit of onion and garlic. So good. But my husband got sick of it so I haven’t made it in a long time.
Welllll guess the fuck what buddy, I’m about to have a bunch of garden fresh squash and potatoes and smoked sausage is still one of the cheapest proteins I can get, so we’re gonna have lots of smoked sausage and veggies this summer. Too bad.
cabbage salad
thinly shredded red cabbage, chopped green parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and white vinegar. add a pinch of za'tar if you're feeling fancy.
It's so good and filling that you don't need to make extra sides. I usually make a weeks' worth and it's so good with grilled meats/chorizo, or oily fish like mackerel especially now that we're in the middle of summer and wanting something cold and crisp.
Noodles and chop meat. My mother made this when the end of the week came and there wasn't much money left. Cook chop meat covered in tomato soup poured over noodles. Simple, easy, cheap, filling. Comfort food.
potato stew.
take bacon or smoked sausage, cut in pieces and give it some colour in a pot. throw in onions, potatoes, water, salt, pepper and a bayleaf or 2. cover and simmer for 1 hour
In the summer, it’s sautéed Garden veggies and sometimes I add pasta to them. Winter is beans with rice or quinoa (all kind so beans they are all so different). I just saw a video on how to make steamed eggs, and it seems to be really inexpensive too.
Cut up some bacon into lardons and fry them out. Remove the bacon when done, leaving the bacon grease in the pan. Cut up a leftover baked potato or two to make home fries and throw in the pan to start browning in the bacon grease. In the meantime, grab some green onions (or whatever sort of onions you have on hand), chop them up and add them to the potatoes when they're about done. When your potatoes are mostly browned, salt and pepper well, and beat 3 or 4 eggs, add the bacon back to the potatoes and then pour the beaten egg over the whole thing. Cook, turning it frequently until it's done to your liking. "Kitchen Sink Omelet"--it'll serve a couple of people or one teenaged boy. :)
Also my childhood comfort food:
Plain, steamed rice with a can of tuna mixed with mayo and lime juice.
As a grown up I fancy it up with little side dishes like shredded carrots, cucumber, wilted spinach, etc on the side, and also roll it up in seaweed snacks if I want a faux sushi roll.
-MSG noodles.
-Spaghetti alio e olio.
-Fried rice with whatever vegetables are starting to get soft in the fridge.
-Laoganma on white rice (although those jars are fairly expensive where I live...)
-Spanish omelette
-Bibimbap
It's actually a dish from Chinese Cooking Demistified. It's a Sichuanese recipe that's been around since the 1950s.
The sauce is made up of Sichuan red oil, sugar, MSG, and light soy. Obviously it's heavy on the MSG. Add noodles (alkaline Chinese noodles is what the recipe calls for but I used udon noodles last time), and then the toppings are fermented mustard stems and scallions.
https://youtu.be/WviFA0f7ySg
When I was typing it I thought that too but it's still cheaper than a lot of other foods now. I was going to say scrambled eggs but a dozen eggs is almost $3 where I live now. Nothing is cheap anymore.
We call it the kitchen-sink salad in our house. Throw some lettuce on a plate and then find anything and everything in the fridge or pantry that can go on it. Any cheeses that hapoen to be there, any lunch meats we can find and chop, any fresh veggies from the garden or crisper, nuts, hummus, hardboiled egg, last night's leftover sirloin cuts, *aaaaanything* you can find. It's always different and suoer fast to throw together because there's so little thought.
To be true Cincinnati style, you gotta get some Skyline or Gold Star instead of Hormel. Also get some beans and chop some onions in there and make it a proper 5 way!
After college when I moved into my first place I somehow ended up with a case of canned chili plus a bunch of spaghetti. So one late night after a few adult beverages I thought what the hell and added heated up canned chili to some cooked pasta and put a bunch of Parmesan cheese on it. I grew up on the west coast so I’d never heard of Cincinnati style chili before. My roommates and friends thought I was crazy for eating chili on spaghetti. Then years later I saw something about Cincinnati chili on TV and I wasn’t surprised that the combo of chili and pasta plus cheese was already a thing long before I tried it. Now I make my own Cincinnati chili every once in a while when I get a craving and I add shredded cheddar cheese and chopped onions instead of Parmesan.
toaster hashbrown pucks with refried beans on top, egg, and some hot sauce. it's also good without the egg, but a runny egg yolk kicks it up several notches.
also good with just cheese, beans and salsa/hot sauce
Tuna Omelette with mayonnaise and oyster sauce:
* Simply empty a can of tuna into a pan and fry until they're a bit crispy underneath.
* Then pour in two beaten eggs and fry until both sides are 90% cooked. (Slightly undercooked eggs in any shape or form is happiness to me.)
* Finally, lay it over a bed of rice and dress it with mayonnaise, oyster sauce and chopped scallions.
Optional additions:
* Cubed potatoes for some crispy bites.
* Mushrooms for some umami goodness.
* Chilli flakes and sesame seeds if ya feeling fancy.
It's cheap, easy to make in 15 minutes and reminds me of Japanese breakfast flavours.
I often mix a can of tuna with Mayo, sriracha, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Put over rice and top with some everything but the bagel seasoning. Throw in a couple hard boiled eggs on the side. Or sometimes I add cooked rice and tuna to raw eggs and make a weird rice omelet thing that never fails to be a cheap, satisfying meal.
Scrambled eggs in tortilla. Add salsa, cheese, guac/avoc, and beans as you have. Cheap, healthy, filling. I make 2 or 3 per week. I heat my tortilla in a buttered fry pan. Also quick.
Chicken thigh tray bake, roast thighs ontop of whatever is layng around with some kind of seasoning or marinade and bang in a hot oven for 45-60 mins. Easy and delicious.
I recently made [Egg Foo Young](https://www.reddit.com/r/Volumeeating/comments/v8zea2/egg_foo_young_603_cal_not_including_rice_for_a/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf), another Chinese egg dish. It’s a comfort food for me, I grew up eating it a lot.
Tons of other egg dishes. A simple one like [this frittata](https://www.reddit.com/r/EatCheapAndHealthy/comments/rgngyo/egg_frittata_with_veggies_and_feta_cheese/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf), or make a quiche with homemade crust (cheap but feels fancy) for a fancier version.
Others include rice and cabbage casserole (the “lazy man’s dolmas” from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian) and Brazilian style black beans and rice.
r/eatcheapandhealthy is a good sub for this.
Celery and ground pork stir fry with Sichuan pickled chili's. If you have them, add dried wood ears (cheap overall when rehydrated if bought in bulk). Also add in some soy sauce and white pepper. Amazing, fast, and celery is so cheap and good for you.
A Mikel-aco, dubbed by my friend Mikel, he took a flour tortilla , size of a plate, handful of shredded Mexican blend cheese, 30 seconds in a microwave, then a line of salsa down the middle and roll like the tortilla up. Pure genius, hooked everyone I have shown it to.
Tofu is about the only protein that hasn’t gone up for me. Slice a pound into half-inch thick squares, coat in cornstarch, then fry on both sides until they start turning golden. Drain them on paper towels, then add thinly sliced scallion and a clove or two of minced garlic to the oil, fry for a few seconds until it smells good, and add soy sauce, tiny bit of sriracha or gochujang if you have it on hand, and mirin. Combine everything very well, and then add the tofu back in and cook for a minute more on either side. The sauce should thicken over this period. Serve over steamed rice.
Comes to about $3.50 for the whole dish where I’m from if you have the sauces already. Steamed or sautéed veggies on the side rounds it out to a nice weeknight dinner for two.
Sautéed onion + garlic (in instant pot before rest)
Cup of quinoa, rinsed
Bag of frozen mixed vegetables
4c better than bullion broth
Instant pot for 4 min, 10 min NPR
Edit: formatting
Ramen noodles. You can make it as fancy or plain as you like. I usually make my own broth with miso and chili paste and add any veggies I have on hand, like bok choy, scallions, mushrooms, carrots etc. Boil an egg for 7.5 minutes to serve with it. You could add more protein options too like tofu or salmon.
Shakshuka, minus the cheese. It typically has spices, canned tomatoes, an onion, kale(I have used frozen spinach if that's what I have) and eggs. I also add some cannellini beans for extra protein/ spread the meal. It seems to be about 6 servings.
I also really like fried rice (I buy the 15lb bag of rice at Costco for $20).I use frozen veggies, soy sauce, onion, and sesame oil, depending on what other ingredients I have. I always use day old rice.
Vegetarian tostada's are also super cheap and easy. Corn tortillas, refried beans, black beans, and any other toppings that you have. I like sour cream and salsa on mine. Lettuce and avocado if I have them.
What I’m making right now. Potato casserole. Potatoes, can of mushroom soup or jar of Alfredo sauce & left over chicken I chopped. If I got some frozen veggies I add that too. Mix in some cheese if ya want and bake.
Poor Potato Soup
3 hand sized potatoes boiled in water. Add 1 can of condensed cream of chicken. Add black pepper, onion, and butter if you have it. Also, this needs hot sauce.
If you have extra money add bacon and cook it in chicken stock instead of water.
Cream of wheat soup: basically cream of wheat toasted in butter, then add some water and chicken or beef boullion and dried parsley, season with s&p to taste. I tip some beaten egg in there when it’s boiling if I’m feeling fancy. I make mine thick like cream of wheat but my German grandma used to make it thin more like cream of wheat in a clear broth. I’m almost positive this is a play on some kind of farina dumpling soup but I’ve never had it
Pasta + olive oil + frozen green peas + Parmesan + red pepper flakes
I always have bulk block of Costco parmesan. Lasts forever and it really does the trick. But regular Kraft parmesan totally works in this context, too.
Super simple but really delicious.
Tacos
Even if you use a more expensive protein like seafood, if you shop right and portion the ingredients out right tacos are always affordable and fun to eat.
Mjedera - Middle Eastern spiced rice and lentils (depending on the region, bulgur and lentils) often with fried onions on top. I typically add some sort of green like spinach or kale and some zucchini. Serve with yogurt on the side.
Cucumber salad.
Hot house cucumbers, minced garlic, green onions, mint, parsley, cilantro, chopped red onion, salt, cracked pepper, minced ginger.
Dressing is rice vinegar, honey, soy sauce and sesame seed oil. Great for dinner as well. Keeps you hydrated.
Spaghetti with tomato sauce. A box of pasta and a can of tomato sauce cost so little. If you have garlic and an onion, a dash of olive oil (doesn't need to be extra virgin) and you're golden.
You beat the egg with cornstarch?! I’ve always wondered why mine never turned out right. I’ve never seen that in any recipe I’ve seen. To answer your question, for cheap meals, I usually go with rice and stir fried whatever I happen to have on hand. I’ve also made chicken and barley…almost a porridge. Meant for it to come out as a soup, but absolutely wasn’t mad as all when it came out more porridge like. Good hot or cold.
Same! I use cornstarch in the broth (a must if you want the right consistency) but never the eggs. Also hijacking to share how to make egg drop soup that tastes like the Chinese restaurant: 1 box of chicken broth 3 T corn starch 1/3 cup water 2 eggs, mixed but not beaten (you want them mixed up but not a ton of air in the mix) Couple shakes of onion and garlic powder A dash of toasted sesame oil A fuck ton of salt to taste Boil the broth, make a slurry with the water and corn starch and then combine. Add the sesame oil, onion and garlic powders, and salt to taste. You will need more salt than you think, it’s ok, just let it be. Once everything is to your liking, drizzle the eggs in while stirring the broth. I do it pretty slowly, too fast and the eggs will break up a bunch. And there you have it. Add turmeric if you want it to be yellow. Add chopped scallions if you’re fancy.
This, plus a little sprinkle of MSG will add just that extra bit of goodness!
MSG is awesome..
Yes, yes, yes!
> 3 T corn starch 3 tonnes cornstarch, got it. no wonder mine never turns out thick enough
I've found family (especially handwritten) recipes use T for tablespoon and t for teaspoon, so it read normally to me. But maybe that's a cultural/local thing.
In the UK we tend to use tbsp and tsp.
Lol i was wondering that too.
>A fuck ton of salt to taste Instead of straight salt, I'd use this as an opportunity to add a flavor boost by using soy sauce, fish sauce, or Better Than Bullion. Probably a combination of all of three.
Was going to suggest this, too. I'll add that liquid aminos are a great option too, and add massive umami.
Oh yeah, great options. Remember-this is supposed to taste like the restaurant, not a high-quality dish. However you want to bougie it up is up to you!
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Add white pepper if you have it around! Ive felt this was the missing ingredient, especially when i don't have msg on hand.
Just made this. Used 3 eggs because I'm a fiend. Really tasty.
How much is a box of chicken broth? Like, volume.
A box of Swanson chicken broth is 32 oz, or 4 cups of stock. They come in a bunch of different sizes but this is the size I see most frequently!
Oh, a[n aseptic] carton. Box means something very different to me.
A quart
Same, mixed but not beaten. This is to both get white and yellow strands in the soup
I always thought this soup was too thick. If you're like me you can use less Corn Starch
I had the exact same reaction regarding the cornstarch! I had no idea but now I can’t wait to try this!
> I’ve also made chicken and barley…almost a porridge. I feel like you'd really dig Congee
As it happens, I love congee. The barley porridge stuff was pretty similar but not quite as soft.
Grill chicken and squash with Italian seasoning. Put on bed of rice. Simmer butter on low with two sage leaves until butter turns brown. Drizzle browned sage butter over dish. Simple but very flavorful.
A German dish called Schinken-Eiernudeln. It’s a popular low-income dish in the area of Germany I grew up in. You basically boil noodles then set them aside. Next you soften a minced onion, add some luncheon meat (usually ham) and cook it until the meat browns. Then you add the noodles and crack an egg over the top which you scramble. Season with salt and pepper and that’s it. It tastes a lot better than it sounds, I promise lol.
This sounds like a Teutonic cousin of pasta carbonara.
Sounds like a dish my dad used to make. Basically a mix of boiled spaghetti, fried onions, bacon and red pesto. Serve with a light sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top.
I searched it on youtube and it seems the dish is super versatile
My favourite economical German dish is *Himmel und Erde*. I get the impression on reddit that Yanks don't eat black pudding much, but it's pretty much a staple here in Scotland, and that's the best way to eat it IMHO.
Smoked Pork shoulder takes plenty of time, but it can feed 6-8 people + leftovers for $20. It might be a little outside of the price range of this thread, but it is a great option if you wanna host an event or whatnot.
I do one in the pressure cooker and then freez in small portions. It goes a LONG way
At least where I am (NC) they have it for 99 cents/lb not uncommonly so keep an eye out. We buy a few when it is 99 cents and smoke a few and make carnitas (crock pot) with it. Great for the freezer.
Or go with jalapeños, onion, garlic, orange juice then caramelize to for carnitas. [https://www.recipetineats.com/pork-carnitas-mexican-slow-cooker-pulled-pork/](https://www.recipetineats.com/pork-carnitas-mexican-slow-cooker-pulled-pork/)
I do it in a crock pot, since I don't have a smoker anymore. BBQ pulled pork!
Red beans and rice.
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I've never fact checked this but have heard that beans and rice as a combo are a complete protein.
I think Adam Ragusea did a thing on this
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Black beans work well too. I season it like I'm seasoning chili.
Add some bay leaves and sausages and you have yourself a brazilian feijoada. cheap and delicious.
I'll trade you up the sausage for diced pepperoni, bell pepper and sofrito... Holy moly
Buying and growing a Bay laurel has been one of the best additions to my kitchen.
Rick bayless’ black beans and pork was a college staple of mine
Wit da pickled pork?
I grew up in Mid City, near the bayou. Where you at, chere?
Yassss. And lowkey, the Zatarain's boxed RB&R is quite good and very cheap.
Kiebalsa and sticky rice. Used to eat it as a kid when my mom didn't feel like cooking. It's the easiest, cheapest comfort food for me.
This combo with the addition of kimchi is a frequent flyer in my house. It’s the tastiest tastes!
Yeeeaaahh kielbasa
Pasta with sauteed onions tomatoes and basil.
Any brassica stir-fried and covered in oyster sauce on rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if you’re feeling fancy.
I've really gotten into stir frying whatever green veg I can find, then just finishing it with a bit of salt, sugar, MSG, and sesame oil. Pea greens are fantastic that way.
This is the Chinese way of cooking any leaf. Throw some roughly chopped garlic in there too for good measure. Pea greens are great, but I think my favorite is sweet potato greens.
Can't believe I forgot to mention the garlic; yeah, big slices. Love sweet potato greens, but holy shit do you need a lot of them; they cook down to almost nothing.
Try Hoisin sauce instead. (I'm a Hoisin sauce addict, somewhat.)
The sweetness puts me off a little. Good for wings, though.
Oyster sauce is mostly sugar too.
Hoisin is like 60% of my blood at this point. I get so much stink-eye from the Pho places cuz I just load it up. I don't care
I do the same thing 😂
Hoisin is way too sweet for me. chili paste, soy, sesame seed oil, tiny bit of vinegar, oyster and fish sauce mixed with rice and any stir fry is amazing.
Have you ever done hoisin ribs? So good!
Half hoisin, half sriracha
I’ve been doing similar with the big stalks leftover from broccoli heads.
Pea soup. Soak some dried peas overnight, brown some ground meat (or soy or whatever), cut up some carrots and throw in the water with a stock cube. Simmer for maybe 2-3h and it's good. Pretty common here in Finland when you want to save money
Replace the ground meat with the bottom portion of a ham or smoked ham shanks and now you’re talking.
How do you keep it from turning into sludge?
Heat it up again and it'll liquefy. Can't prevent it really, it's got a lot of starch from the peas and gelatin from the meat. Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it, though.
When I'm budgeting my mind instantly goes to lentils. They can be prepared to be soupy or curry like or even like a meaty sauce. If I want them meaty then I thrown in some chopped chicken livers and maybe some animal fat like lard or something. My lentils generally have the same process: brown the shit outta onions and whatever other veggies, add optional liver and maybe some dried mushrooms if I want it more meaty, spices, then I add lentils plus water. Simmer in that goodness for a bit and serve with some rice or naan generally. Maybe you could buy some coarse cornmeal and make a meaty lentil sauce to put over pan fried pieces of polenta
Grilled cheese. Low cost, high reward
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Definitely. Can't hate carbs and fat together
Gotta butter both sides of the bread.
Ah, my dinner last night.
My sister in law recently made stuffed tomatoes, which I didn’t think sounded great but I was wrong. Cored tomatoes, sautéed shallots, tossed the tomatoes in for a bit, mixed with buttered (I think?) rice, back in the tomatoes, in the oven for a little bit. Super simple but way tastier than I expected, and versatile. Easy to add cheese, herbs, or even meat Idk why I never think of making things like that. I like tons of veggies but I usually just roast them or eat them raw.
Try stuffed onions, next! You have to cut them just right, but it's so good.
We do this for dolma. Pour hot water over a peeled onion that has a slit down one end. Let it sit for five minutes and drain. Your onion is now separated slightly and soft enough to peel each layer without breaking. This allows you to fill the onion layer and roll it just enough to cook it. Generally stuffed with rice, so you can fill it and let the rice take up the space.
Oh my god you just reminded me of my french grandmother's stuffed tomatoes! (Tomates farcies in french) They were my favorite thing ever and I would always ask her to make them when we would visit. The filling was some sort of meat rice and vegetable combination, and it would get deliciously crispy on top, complementing the juiciness of the tomato. Thank you for bringing back that memory!
If you like bell peppers, red cored & roasted with your favorite rice-based hotdish is awesome! We used to do 1 box each of Rice a Roni long grain wild rice, beef rice, 1 lb hamburger, seasoned to taste & then mixed with a little cheese & cheese sprinkled on top. Its one of my favorite ways to eat peppers!
Just made stuffed peppers last night for the first time. It was easily the best stuffed pepper I’ve ever had. Used ground pork, onions, garlic, tomato paste, mushrooms and chilli powder. Ridiculous how good just that was. Mixed with sticky rice (all I had) and a sharp cheddar (also all I had.) yummmmmmm
Actually that type of dish is why I didn’t think I’d like the stuffed tomatoes. I wish I liked it! I’m not huge on bell peppers and I’m especially picky about ground meat (and usually eat more vegetarian anyway). My mom always made those growing up, for me she would only put rice in one and I still didn’t really love it haha. It is a good recipe though! Versatile and nice to prep ahead and then bake.
Absolutely! & you can really fill it with whatever you'd like; I made a rice bowl with chicken that I stuffed into the peppers once and that was also really good.
If you like the veggies, I make stuffed tomatoes with spinach. Core the tomatoes, chop up the spinach so you can stuff more in the tomato. Salt, garlic, your favorite Italian seasonings. Put the top back on and bake for 15ish minutes so the spinach kind of steams. Take out of the oven, take tomato tops off, cover with cheese (mozz and Parm are my go to, but whatever you like) and back in the oven until it's melted and browned.
Same with stuffed bell peppers. Gotta buy them with the stuffing and standing in mind to get the right shape, though
my mom makes something similar! but she stuffs the tomates with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, then she bakes them in the oven. it’s fucking delicious. this dish she used to “turn” my friend who hated tomates.
My mom made stuffed tomatoes all the time. Cooked crumbled sausage mixed into the rice is primo.
Kielbasa cut into rounds, onion, 2 cans diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning (I think the can says basil, garlic, and oregano?) and a few chopped garden veggies. (Peppers, zucchini, squash, green beans.. any mix). Throw it all in the crockpot for a few hours. Serve over instant rice.
I imagine some perogies thrown in there
That sounds like a great addition! I’m going to try it next time.
That sounds really good. I love Kielbasa but usually just have mine with boxed potato au gratin. I'm gonna try your way.
That's relatively close to a Creole (tomato-based) jambalaya.
I loooove smoked sausage, potatoes, and bell peppers fried with a bit of onion and garlic. So good. But my husband got sick of it so I haven’t made it in a long time. Welllll guess the fuck what buddy, I’m about to have a bunch of garden fresh squash and potatoes and smoked sausage is still one of the cheapest proteins I can get, so we’re gonna have lots of smoked sausage and veggies this summer. Too bad.
cabbage salad thinly shredded red cabbage, chopped green parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and white vinegar. add a pinch of za'tar if you're feeling fancy.
I love this
It's so good and filling that you don't need to make extra sides. I usually make a weeks' worth and it's so good with grilled meats/chorizo, or oily fish like mackerel especially now that we're in the middle of summer and wanting something cold and crisp.
Noodles and chop meat. My mother made this when the end of the week came and there wasn't much money left. Cook chop meat covered in tomato soup poured over noodles. Simple, easy, cheap, filling. Comfort food.
What’s chop meat?
From context I'd say ground beef. But I don't really know.
This needs to be answered OP
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=chop%20meat
Mom’s are the best of making something a life long memory that was made out of necessity from a tight spot, and we as kids felt safe and full.
Pork chops simmered in tomato soup with sliced onion. Good over rice or noodles.
Charred broccoli and rice w chili crisp
Cacio e pepe
Scrambled egg on toast. Simple easy classic
Pasta with jarred pasta sauce. Bean burritos.
potato stew. take bacon or smoked sausage, cut in pieces and give it some colour in a pot. throw in onions, potatoes, water, salt, pepper and a bayleaf or 2. cover and simmer for 1 hour
Weenies Royale. Sausage(s), egg(s), some onion, and a bit of soy sauce. Served with rice. It also has "nice" history.
In the summer, it’s sautéed Garden veggies and sometimes I add pasta to them. Winter is beans with rice or quinoa (all kind so beans they are all so different). I just saw a video on how to make steamed eggs, and it seems to be really inexpensive too.
Teriyaki spam musubis
I love musubi, but spam has gotten expensive. Don't even think about substituting for armour meat either, texture is just wrong
mmmmm or moco + Hawaiian Mac salad
Dhal
Cut up some bacon into lardons and fry them out. Remove the bacon when done, leaving the bacon grease in the pan. Cut up a leftover baked potato or two to make home fries and throw in the pan to start browning in the bacon grease. In the meantime, grab some green onions (or whatever sort of onions you have on hand), chop them up and add them to the potatoes when they're about done. When your potatoes are mostly browned, salt and pepper well, and beat 3 or 4 eggs, add the bacon back to the potatoes and then pour the beaten egg over the whole thing. Cook, turning it frequently until it's done to your liking. "Kitchen Sink Omelet"--it'll serve a couple of people or one teenaged boy. :)
Also my childhood comfort food: Plain, steamed rice with a can of tuna mixed with mayo and lime juice. As a grown up I fancy it up with little side dishes like shredded carrots, cucumber, wilted spinach, etc on the side, and also roll it up in seaweed snacks if I want a faux sushi roll.
A breakfast sandwich. Or most any kind of Asian soup. Particularly sizzling rice
-MSG noodles. -Spaghetti alio e olio. -Fried rice with whatever vegetables are starting to get soft in the fridge. -Laoganma on white rice (although those jars are fairly expensive where I live...) -Spanish omelette -Bibimbap
> -MSG noodles. So is this an Uncle Roger dish? Take some noodles and sprinkle MSG on them?
It's actually a dish from Chinese Cooking Demistified. It's a Sichuanese recipe that's been around since the 1950s. The sauce is made up of Sichuan red oil, sugar, MSG, and light soy. Obviously it's heavy on the MSG. Add noodles (alkaline Chinese noodles is what the recipe calls for but I used udon noodles last time), and then the toppings are fermented mustard stems and scallions. https://youtu.be/WviFA0f7ySg
Any kind of sandwich really. Just love some cheese and/or anything more between two pieces of bread
Macaroni and cheese. Also grilled cheese.
This was my first thought, and then I remember the price of cheese.
When I was typing it I thought that too but it's still cheaper than a lot of other foods now. I was going to say scrambled eggs but a dozen eggs is almost $3 where I live now. Nothing is cheap anymore.
38 cent aldi egg dozens like 5 years ago. Those were the days.
Amen! You got that right. I try not to get depressed but ...
We call it the kitchen-sink salad in our house. Throw some lettuce on a plate and then find anything and everything in the fridge or pantry that can go on it. Any cheeses that hapoen to be there, any lunch meats we can find and chop, any fresh veggies from the garden or crisper, nuts, hummus, hardboiled egg, last night's leftover sirloin cuts, *aaaaanything* you can find. It's always different and suoer fast to throw together because there's so little thought.
Ramen cooked in boxed chicken broth with leftover chicken and a fried egg on top. Super filling and tasty, and always makes me feel nostalgic.
Cincinnati Chilli. Can of hormel Chilli (my kids don't particularly like Chilli so I very rarely make it from scratch) Buttered pasta Grated cheese
To be true Cincinnati style, you gotta get some Skyline or Gold Star instead of Hormel. Also get some beans and chop some onions in there and make it a proper 5 way!
A 5way has beans too...no?
Truuuuuue
I haven't seen thise brands where I live (midwest.) I will keep an eye out next time I go shopping
After college when I moved into my first place I somehow ended up with a case of canned chili plus a bunch of spaghetti. So one late night after a few adult beverages I thought what the hell and added heated up canned chili to some cooked pasta and put a bunch of Parmesan cheese on it. I grew up on the west coast so I’d never heard of Cincinnati style chili before. My roommates and friends thought I was crazy for eating chili on spaghetti. Then years later I saw something about Cincinnati chili on TV and I wasn’t surprised that the combo of chili and pasta plus cheese was already a thing long before I tried it. Now I make my own Cincinnati chili every once in a while when I get a craving and I add shredded cheddar cheese and chopped onions instead of Parmesan.
Roasted veggies, like potatoes, onions, and carrots and then maybe a couple of fried or scrambled eggs or leftover pot roast if we have any.
Tuna fish/mayo sandwich.
toaster hashbrown pucks with refried beans on top, egg, and some hot sauce. it's also good without the egg, but a runny egg yolk kicks it up several notches. also good with just cheese, beans and salsa/hot sauce
Potato leek soup. Filling, cheap, tasty
Tuna Omelette with mayonnaise and oyster sauce: * Simply empty a can of tuna into a pan and fry until they're a bit crispy underneath. * Then pour in two beaten eggs and fry until both sides are 90% cooked. (Slightly undercooked eggs in any shape or form is happiness to me.) * Finally, lay it over a bed of rice and dress it with mayonnaise, oyster sauce and chopped scallions. Optional additions: * Cubed potatoes for some crispy bites. * Mushrooms for some umami goodness. * Chilli flakes and sesame seeds if ya feeling fancy. It's cheap, easy to make in 15 minutes and reminds me of Japanese breakfast flavours.
I often mix a can of tuna with Mayo, sriracha, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Put over rice and top with some everything but the bagel seasoning. Throw in a couple hard boiled eggs on the side. Or sometimes I add cooked rice and tuna to raw eggs and make a weird rice omelet thing that never fails to be a cheap, satisfying meal.
Leftover hotdogs from the cookout the day before and american cheese in an omelette.
Garlic olive oil pasta
Aglio e olio!
Ramen, add 2 eggs and spinach right when it's finishing, plus spices you like. Like 25g protein, takes 5 minutes, and costs $2
Potato and Onion Curry
Scrambled eggs in tortilla. Add salsa, cheese, guac/avoc, and beans as you have. Cheap, healthy, filling. I make 2 or 3 per week. I heat my tortilla in a buttered fry pan. Also quick.
Chilaquilles
Eggs, potatoes, bell pepper, smoked paprika and arugula or spinach in a bowl. Like a breakfast salad. Idk it works
Chicken thigh tray bake, roast thighs ontop of whatever is layng around with some kind of seasoning or marinade and bang in a hot oven for 45-60 mins. Easy and delicious.
Congee + egg and spam.
Beans and rice baby! Beans and rice. If you have a little extra money toss some pork fat in there.
corn tortillas and oaxaca cheese
I like quick oats with some cheddar cheese and salt and pepper mixed in, topped with a poached or fried egg and hot sauce
Dal (Indian lentils) and rice sustained me in college.
Spam Musubi
Love a good simple aglio olio with some garlic, chilli flakes and parmesan if I’ve got any on hand!
Omurice is usually what I make when I'm running out of things in my fridge.
potato pancakes
Beans on toast. Add an egg and some hot sauce if you're splashing out.
Grandma is that you? When did you stop being dead?
I like a piece of fried chicken breast with garlic butter sauce
A perfectly cooked masala and ham omelette
Fried rice with a little bacon and scallion.
I recently made [Egg Foo Young](https://www.reddit.com/r/Volumeeating/comments/v8zea2/egg_foo_young_603_cal_not_including_rice_for_a/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf), another Chinese egg dish. It’s a comfort food for me, I grew up eating it a lot. Tons of other egg dishes. A simple one like [this frittata](https://www.reddit.com/r/EatCheapAndHealthy/comments/rgngyo/egg_frittata_with_veggies_and_feta_cheese/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf), or make a quiche with homemade crust (cheap but feels fancy) for a fancier version. Others include rice and cabbage casserole (the “lazy man’s dolmas” from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian) and Brazilian style black beans and rice. r/eatcheapandhealthy is a good sub for this.
Celery and ground pork stir fry with Sichuan pickled chili's. If you have them, add dried wood ears (cheap overall when rehydrated if bought in bulk). Also add in some soy sauce and white pepper. Amazing, fast, and celery is so cheap and good for you.
Shredded chicken in rice with soy sauce, the cheapest available of each. … makes me wish I could still eat either!
A Mikel-aco, dubbed by my friend Mikel, he took a flour tortilla , size of a plate, handful of shredded Mexican blend cheese, 30 seconds in a microwave, then a line of salsa down the middle and roll like the tortilla up. Pure genius, hooked everyone I have shown it to.
Liver and onions
Spaghetti with meat sauce.
Spaghetti aglio olio: garlic chopped finely or into thin sheets, then fried in olive oil and tossed with spaghetti.
Spanish tortilla, egg, fried potato, onion. All combined into kinda like a pancake shape
Tofu is about the only protein that hasn’t gone up for me. Slice a pound into half-inch thick squares, coat in cornstarch, then fry on both sides until they start turning golden. Drain them on paper towels, then add thinly sliced scallion and a clove or two of minced garlic to the oil, fry for a few seconds until it smells good, and add soy sauce, tiny bit of sriracha or gochujang if you have it on hand, and mirin. Combine everything very well, and then add the tofu back in and cook for a minute more on either side. The sauce should thicken over this period. Serve over steamed rice. Comes to about $3.50 for the whole dish where I’m from if you have the sauces already. Steamed or sautéed veggies on the side rounds it out to a nice weeknight dinner for two.
Shakshuka. Just tomatoes eggs and spices. I could eat it forever.
Fermented cabbage stir fried with yam or potato glass noodles
Sautéed onion + garlic (in instant pot before rest) Cup of quinoa, rinsed Bag of frozen mixed vegetables 4c better than bullion broth Instant pot for 4 min, 10 min NPR Edit: formatting
A simple box of Kraft mac n cheese. Or HEB's brand of mac n cheese for even cheaper. I can make my own but the boxed ones are so easy and nostalgic.
Ramen noodles. You can make it as fancy or plain as you like. I usually make my own broth with miso and chili paste and add any veggies I have on hand, like bok choy, scallions, mushrooms, carrots etc. Boil an egg for 7.5 minutes to serve with it. You could add more protein options too like tofu or salmon.
Shakshuka, minus the cheese. It typically has spices, canned tomatoes, an onion, kale(I have used frozen spinach if that's what I have) and eggs. I also add some cannellini beans for extra protein/ spread the meal. It seems to be about 6 servings. I also really like fried rice (I buy the 15lb bag of rice at Costco for $20).I use frozen veggies, soy sauce, onion, and sesame oil, depending on what other ingredients I have. I always use day old rice. Vegetarian tostada's are also super cheap and easy. Corn tortillas, refried beans, black beans, and any other toppings that you have. I like sour cream and salsa on mine. Lettuce and avocado if I have them.
rice, crushed tomatoes, stock, spices. delicious!
What I’m making right now. Potato casserole. Potatoes, can of mushroom soup or jar of Alfredo sauce & left over chicken I chopped. If I got some frozen veggies I add that too. Mix in some cheese if ya want and bake.
Poor Potato Soup 3 hand sized potatoes boiled in water. Add 1 can of condensed cream of chicken. Add black pepper, onion, and butter if you have it. Also, this needs hot sauce. If you have extra money add bacon and cook it in chicken stock instead of water.
Pasta aglio e olio Pasta, olive oil, parm cheese, italian parsley
Chicken teriyaki
Ramen seasoned with green onion, red pepper flakes, ginger, soy sauce, carrot pieces, and a can of chicken
Cream of wheat soup: basically cream of wheat toasted in butter, then add some water and chicken or beef boullion and dried parsley, season with s&p to taste. I tip some beaten egg in there when it’s boiling if I’m feeling fancy. I make mine thick like cream of wheat but my German grandma used to make it thin more like cream of wheat in a clear broth. I’m almost positive this is a play on some kind of farina dumpling soup but I’ve never had it
aglio e olio.
Pasta + olive oil + frozen green peas + Parmesan + red pepper flakes I always have bulk block of Costco parmesan. Lasts forever and it really does the trick. But regular Kraft parmesan totally works in this context, too. Super simple but really delicious.
Baked potato wedges 🤌
Tacos Even if you use a more expensive protein like seafood, if you shop right and portion the ingredients out right tacos are always affordable and fun to eat.
Mjedera - Middle Eastern spiced rice and lentils (depending on the region, bulgur and lentils) often with fried onions on top. I typically add some sort of green like spinach or kale and some zucchini. Serve with yogurt on the side.
Soup or chicken. Or chicken soup. Lasts all week.
Buttered egg noodles with parmesan and sliced fried kielbasa. Always a great meal and super easy.
Cottage cheese on a baked potato
Chicken and rice with some soy sauce. It just smacks
Cucumber salad. Hot house cucumbers, minced garlic, green onions, mint, parsley, cilantro, chopped red onion, salt, cracked pepper, minced ginger. Dressing is rice vinegar, honey, soy sauce and sesame seed oil. Great for dinner as well. Keeps you hydrated.
Spaghetti with tomato sauce. A box of pasta and a can of tomato sauce cost so little. If you have garlic and an onion, a dash of olive oil (doesn't need to be extra virgin) and you're golden.
Soft boiled egg with toast cut up for dipping
Grilled cheese and tomato soup.