cheap recipes

[JAK]

Do any of you have any recipes for dinners that are cheap? Groceries are so expensive up here and I'm trying to stick to a budget. My grocery bill has doubled since we got here and I'm trying to bring it back down! I copied down AnnW's recipe for poorman's stroganoff from another post. Does anyboy else a "poorman's" recipe? TIA

[Sheryl]

Here is one of our favorites:

2 cups cooked noodles
1 package cooked bacon
1 can tomato soup
1 can of water
shredded or slice of cheese

Combine the cooked noodles, cooked bacon, soup, and water put into casserole dish. Add cheese to the top. Bake in a 350 oven for about one hour.


Chicken and Rice
-----------------------
shredded chicken
2 cups rice
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cups water

Combine and bake in a casserole at 350 for 1 1/2 hours.


I've bought ground turkey instead of ground beef, it is a dollar a pound cheaper. It doesn't make that much of a difference in casseroles.

What are your low cost foods?

[JAK]

I do normally buy ground turkey. I switched from ground beef about a year ago and love it! I can not stand the smell of cooking ground beef any more. Anyway, gound turkey is one of the cheaper items up here. To me everything is EXPENSIVE! I spend at least twice as much more per month than I used to.

I'll have to give your recipes a try!

Thanks

[tu2gen]

I was told of a cheap and quick recipe from my mother and it is very flexible for how many servings you want to make. All you need is:

*A head of cabbage (cabbage lasts a while so you can use the rest of it another time or in another recipe if you don't use it all)
*One package of Kielbasa. (I prefer the turkey version, but any works.)
*One package egg noodles
*Butter or margrine
*salt and pepper to taste

My usual measurements for 4 large servings is 1/2 a head of cabbage, 1/2 a bag of noodles, the whole package of kielbasa if I want it meaty (1/2 if wanting less), and about 1/2 a stick of butter (I do it to taste, sometimes I only use about 1/4 and sometimes more than 1/2)

The key to this recipe is using however much you want of each item to suite your taste.

Cook noodles according to package. Melt butter in a pot and add bite sized slices of kielbasa. I just heat it for a few minutes the toss in small torn off pieces of cabbage (small enough it won't be difficult to eat). I let the cabbage cook to desired texture, occasionally stirring while cooking and adding more butter if all butter is absorbed I choose to add more. When cabbage is done add in the drained noodles and toss in some salt and pepper to taste. Toss well to make sure all flavor is on noodles. Serve.

I believe you can easily buy all the ingredients for this meal for under $5 and you can get about 8 servings if you use all of everything.

[PamE]

Spaghetti sauce

1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 clove garlic
1 medium onion
Italian seasonings
salt/pepper to taste
1/2 stick butter

Saute' garlic and onion in butter till tender, add tomatoes and seasonings, simmer on low for about an hour, or until it's the thickness you like. You may have to add a bit more butter if the sauce is bitter (1T at a time). Adjust the # of cans of tomatoes and amount spices you use according to how many people you're serving.

You can add mushrooms or whatever other veggies you want. We use it for pasta, over chicken or whatever. It's less expensive than buying sauce in the jar and it tastes better. :)

[MaryL]

These "oldie" threads just crack me up!!! LOL Your spaghetti sauce recipe sounds good, Pam.

[PamE]

These "oldie" threads just crack me up!!! LOL Your spaghetti sauce recipe sounds good, Pam.

Thanks! :lol: I didn't realize it was an oldie till after I'd posted, walked away from the computer and started doing something else. Oh, well. :)

Welcome to the IB, tu2gen! :D

[Diane]

These "oldie" threads just crack me up!!! LOL Your spaghetti sauce recipe sounds good, Pam.

Ughhh... I just realized it was an old thread too. :rolleyes: LOL

[kat]

These "oldie" threads just crack me up!!! LOL Your spaghetti sauce recipe sounds good, Pam.

LOL! I didn't notice the date either. I will add that I too have swapped ground turkey for ground beef in alot of my recipes and I like it much better.

[kat]

Do any of you have any recipes for dinners that are cheap? Groceries are so expensive up here and I'm trying to stick to a budget. My grocery bill has doubled since we got here and I'm trying to bring it back down! I copied down AnnW's recipe for poorman's stroganoff from another post. Does anyboy else a "poorman's" recipe? TIA

Now in 2008 your food bill must be astronomical! I know mine is and the packaging is smaller. I know I got really ticked the other day when I needed 2 cups of parmesan cheese and the package now only contains 1 1/2 cups. I gotta remember to check that now-a-days.

(Side note - picked up some new eye cream the other day. Package said "new look" and said "yea, bigger packaging - smaller bottle inside")

Have fun with this old thread!