Cheap Dinner Recipes, Priced
Every recipe here shows what each ingredient costs, what the whole dish costs, and the price per serving.
$0.98 per serving
Egg Fried Rice with Frozen Vegetables
Day-old rice, eggs and frozen vegetables turned into dinner in 20 minutes, for under $1 a serving.
$1.81 per serving
Black Bean and Veggie Quesadillas
Crispy quesadillas filled with black beans, peppers, corn and cheddar. Meatless, filling, and under $2 a serving.
$2.16 per serving
Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs with Rice and Broccoli
Crispy bone-in thighs roasted in a sticky honey-soy glaze, served with rice and broccoli. Dinner for four for under $9.
$2.55 per serving
One-Pot Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta
Spaghetti simmered in milk and broth with cherry tomatoes, then finished with basil and Parmesan. One pot, dinner for four.
$2.56 per serving
One-Pot Taco Pasta with Beef and Black Beans
Cheesy, creamy taco shells made in one pot, with half the beef swapped for black beans. Feeds four for about $10.
Where the prices come from
Each ingredient is priced for the amount the recipe uses, not the whole package. Every ingredient row names its source:
- BLS, Sep 2026: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Average Price Data, U.S. city average, September 2026.
- USDA, 2023: USDA Economic Research Service, Fruit and Vegetable Prices, 2023 (the latest year published).
- Estimate: Food Butler estimate of a typical U.S. store-brand shelf price, October 2026. Neither BLS nor USDA publishes an average price for these items.
Your store's prices will differ. Treat these as a guide to what a dish costs, not a quote.