5 Budget-Friendly Dinners That Taste Like Takeout
I saved my family over $10,000 a year simply by cooking at home more often.
And when I say cooking at home, I don't mean eating sad, boring meals just because we're trying to save money. Quite the opposite. We eat well, we eat until we're full, we make homemade meals, and we buy quality ingredients when we need them.
Because we're not constantly spending money on restaurants and convenience foods, we can also splurge every once in a while on something we really enjoy.
For this week of meals, I wanted to show you what I actually cook for my family, how long it takes, and how much it costs compared with eating out.
I made five dinners, and most of them made enough food for several meals.
And that's one of my biggest frugal cooking secrets: I don't cook a completely different meal every day. I make enough to have leftovers for lunch or another dinner.
My kids will happily pack leftovers for lunch, which means I don't have to make another meal from scratch the next day.
I also use whatever vegetables I have available. Some came from my garden, some were bought on sale, and some were simply vegetables that needed to be used up.
You don't need to have a garden to do this. Even if your ingredients cost a little more than mine, cooking at home can still be dramatically less expensive than ordering restaurant meals.
1. Asian-Inspired Beef & Vegetable Rice Noodles
This is one of those meals that feels like takeout but is incredibly easy to customize.
I used rice vermicelli noodles, thinly sliced beef, eggs and a whole bunch of vegetables.
The beautiful thing about this recipe is that you don't need to use exactly the vegetables I used. Use whatever you have in the fridge or garden.
I had kale, Swiss chard, Thai basil and chives from my garden, along with broccoli, celery, carrots and red pepper.
Servings
About 8 servings
Prep time
About 20 minutes
Cooking time
About 50 minutes
Approximate cost
About $16 total, or approximately $2 per serving
Ingredients
2 packages rice vermicelli noodles
About $8 worth of beef, thinly sliced
6 eggs
2 carrots, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
Broccoli, cut into small florets
2 celery stalks, sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 kale leaves, chopped
4 Swiss chard leaves, chopped
Thai basil, for garnish
Chives, for garnish
Sesame oil, for finishing
Cornstarch, for coating the beef
Oil, for cooking
A little water or homemade vegetable broth
For the beef
A small amount of baking soda
A splash of water
A little soy sauce
Cornstarch
The Sauce
I use equal amounts of three sauces:
1/6 cup regular soy sauce
1/6 cup Maggi seasoning
1/6 cup fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
This makes 1.2 cups of sauce before the sugar.
Because Maggi and fish sauce can be quite salty, don't automatically add the entire amount to your noodles. Start with about half and add more as needed.
You may not need all of it.
Instructions
1. Soak the noodles
Prepare the rice noodles according to the package directions.
For the vermicelli I used, I soaked them in water rather than boiling them.
Drain them while they're still slightly firm. They will continue cooking in the wok later.
2. Prepare the vegetables
Cut your vegetables into similar-sized pieces so they cook at roughly the same rate.
Don't throw away those vegetable scraps!
I saved my carrot peels to use later when making vegetable broth. I also saved the broccoli base and the stems from the kale and Swiss chard.
The stems are perfectly edible and add extra flavor.
3. Tenderize the beef
Slice the beef thinly against the grain.
Mix a tiny amount of baking soda with a little water and pour it over the beef.
Let it sit so the beef can absorb the mixture.
Later, add a little soy sauce and cornstarch.
The cornstarch creates a light coating that helps the beef brown while keeping the inside juicy and tender.
4. Cook the beef and eggs
Heat a little oil in a large wok or frying pan.
Cook the beef until browned and cooked through. Remove it and set aside.
Add the eggs and scramble them. Remove and set aside with the beef.
5. Cook the vegetables
Add a little more oil to the wok.
Sauté the garlic briefly, then add the carrots, celery, red pepper and broccoli.
Add a splash of water or homemade vegetable broth to create a little steam.
Cook until the vegetables are tender but still have some texture.
Add the kale and Swiss chard near the end so they can wilt.
6. Add the noodles
Add the soaked noodles to the wok.
Add a little broth or water and toss everything together. Keep an eye on the noodles because you don't want them to become mushy.
7. Add the sauce
Pour in about half of the sauce.
Toss everything together and let the noodles absorb the sauce.
Add more sauce gradually until it tastes right to you.
Then add the beef and scrambled eggs.
8. Finish
Toss everything together until hot.
Finish with Thai basil, chives and a drizzle of sesame oil.
And that's it!
You end up with a huge wok full of food that can feed a family for several meals.
Frugal tip: Don't feel like you need to buy every vegetable listed here. This recipe was specifically designed around what I had on hand.
2. Hidden Vegetable Meat Sauce Pasta
This is one of my favorite ways to stretch a small amount of meat.
I use ground beef, lots of vegetables and tomatoes, then blend the vegetables into the sauce.
My husband isn't a huge fan of big chunks of vegetables in his sauce, so blending everything makes everyone happy.
And it makes the sauce thick and delicious.
Servings
About 10 servings
Prep time
About 10 minutes
Cooking time
4–5 hours in a slow cooker
Approximate cost
About $15.20 total, or roughly $1.50 per serving
Ingredients
$6 worth of ground beef
2 jars pasta sauce, or whatever tomato sauce you have
1 can crushed tomatoes, about $1.65 in my case
1 can diced tomatoes, if desired
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
Kale
Swiss chard
Other vegetables you have on hand
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cheese, for serving
Pasta
Instructions
1. Chop everything
Chop your vegetables into small pieces.
This doesn't have to be pretty because we're going to blend them later.
I even used the base of my celery instead of throwing it away.
2. Slow cook the sauce
Add the vegetables, tomatoes and pasta sauce to a slow cooker.
Add a little broth to any jars that still have sauce stuck inside. Put the lid back on, shake the jar and pour it into the pot.
It's an easy way to get the last bit of sauce out while also rinsing the jar.
Cook for about 4–5 hours.
You can also make this in a regular pot if you don't have a slow cooker.
3. Add the greens
Near the end of cooking, add your kale and Swiss chard.
They'll wilt quickly.
4. Blend
Use an immersion blender to blend the sauce.
I like leaving a little texture rather than blending it completely smooth.
The vegetables make the sauce thicker and add plenty of flavor.
5. Cook the beef
Brown the ground beef with onion and garlic.
If you don't have garlic, don't worry. Onion alone works too.
6. Combine
Add the cooked beef to your vegetable sauce.
Cook your pasta separately according to the package directions, then combine everything.
Top with cheese if you like.
Frugal tip: This is a great recipe for using up vegetables that are getting a little tired. Once they're cooked and blended into the sauce, nobody needs to know exactly what went in there.
3. Crispy General Tao-Style Tofu and Stir-Fry
This one is my homemade version of Asian takeout, except I'm using tofu instead of meat.
The trick to getting tofu with a chewy texture is something I learned through experimenting: freeze it first.
When it thaws, you can squeeze out much more of the water, giving the tofu a firmer, chewier texture.
Servings
About 8 servings
Prep time
About 25 minutes
Cooking time
About 50 minutes
Approximate cost
About $10.70 total
Ingredients
2 blocks tofu
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
Maple syrup
Cornstarch
Rice
Kale
Swiss chard
Red pepper
Eggplant
Other vegetables you have on hand
Oil, for cooking
Instructions
1. Freeze the tofu
Freeze the tofu ahead of time.
Thaw it completely, then squeeze out as much water as you can.
I save the tofu water for watering my plants rather than pouring it down the drain.
2. Cut and marinate
Cut the tofu into bite-sized cubes.
Mix with:
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
A little maple syrup
Let it marinate in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook.
3. Prepare the vegetables
Chop your vegetables.
I used garden kale, Swiss chard, red pepper and eggplant, but you can use whatever you have.
4. Coat the tofu
When you're ready to cook, toss the marinated tofu with cornstarch.
The cornstarch gives the outside a crispy coating.
5. Cook
Cook the rice while you cook the tofu and vegetables.
Pan-fry or air-fry the tofu until crispy.
Stir-fry your vegetables separately, then combine everything.
Serve over rice.
Frugal tip: Tofu is an inexpensive protein, and freezing it before cooking completely changes the texture.
4. Vietnamese-Inspired BBQ Chicken with Rice
This meal is inspired by Vietnamese barbecue chicken and rice.
My husband's family is Vietnamese, and I love making versions of foods that remind us of family and restaurants, even when I don't have every traditional ingredient on hand.
That's another thing I love about cooking at home: you don't need every single ingredient to make something delicious.
Servings
About 8 servings
Prep time
About 5 minutes
Cooking time
About 30 minutes
Ingredients
Chicken legs or thighs
Rice
Cucumber
Other vegetables you have on hand
Marinade
Use a simple Vietnamese-inspired marinade with ingredients such as:
Soy sauce
Fish sauce
Garlic
Sugar
Sesame oil
Optional chili
Quick dipping sauce
I usually eyeball this rather than measuring everything.
Use approximately equal amounts of:
Fish sauce
Water
Lemon or lime juice
If you don't have lemon or lime, apple cider vinegar works too.
Then add:
A little sugar
Minced garlic
Fresh chili or hot pepper
Mix everything together.
Instructions
1. Marinate the chicken
Mix the marinade ingredients together.
Coat the chicken and refrigerate for a few hours, or overnight if you have time.
2. Cook the chicken
Place the chicken in an air fryer.
Cook at about 390°F until cooked through and nicely browned, flipping halfway through.
My chicken took about 30 minutes.
Always check that chicken is fully cooked before serving.
3. Make the sauce
While the chicken cooks, mix together the dipping sauce.
4. Serve
Serve the chicken with rice, cucumber and whatever vegetables you have.
Drizzle or dip the chicken in the fish sauce mixture.
Frugal tip: The best part of this meal is that most of the work happens before dinner. Marinate the chicken, put it in the fridge, and when you come home you can put it straight into the air fryer.
5. Beef & Bean Wraps with Homemade Fries
This was my take on the kind of meal you might get from a fast-food or Mexican-style restaurant.
Instead of using only beef, I mixed beans into the meat.
It's an incredibly simple way to make your meat go further while adding protein and fiber.
And honestly, once everything is mixed together, you barely notice the beans.
Servings
About 10 servings
Prep time
About 20 minutes
Approximate cost
About $19.75 total, or approximately $2 per serving
Ingredients
$6 worth of ground beef
18 tortilla wraps, about $5
$2 worth of cheese
1 can beans, about $2.25
Potatoes, about $1.15 worth
About $2 worth of vegetables
Salsa
Onion
Garlic
Seasonings of your choice
Oil
Salt
I used black-eyed beans because that's what I had in the fridge. Black beans, kidney beans or refried beans would also work.
Instructions
1. Make the fries
Cut the potatoes into fries.
Toss with a little oil and salt.
Place them in the air fryer and cook until crispy, shaking or flipping them as needed.
2. Prepare the vegetables
Chop the vegetables very finely.
This is another great opportunity to use whatever vegetables you have.
3. Cook the beef
Brown the ground beef in a large pan.
Add the finely chopped vegetables and your preferred seasonings.
4. Add the beans
Stir in the beans.
If you're using larger beans, you can mash some of them into the beef mixture.
This helps everything hold together and makes the meat mixture stretch even further.
5. Assemble the wraps
Fill each tortilla with the beef and bean mixture.
Add cheese and salsa.
You can also add avocado, lettuce, tomatoes or any other toppings you have.
Fold the tortilla and serve with your homemade fries.
Why I Cook This Way
Cooking at home doesn't have to mean spending hours in the kitchen making everything from scratch.
A lot of the meals in this week of cooking were actually pretty hands-off.
I'll chop a bunch of vegetables, prepare something that can marinate or slow cook, and then come back later to finish dinner.
I also don't make a separate breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.
For breakfast, I usually have a bean breakfast, while my kids have oatmeal with fruit and yogurt.
For lunch, we often eat whatever we had for dinner the night before.
Leftovers are one of the easiest ways to make a home-cooked meal even more affordable.
And I don't try to make my groceries as cheap as humanly possible.
If I want good beef, I'll buy good beef.
If I want quality ingredients, I'll spend the money.
The savings come from not paying restaurant prices for the preparation, convenience and markup every single day.
That's the part of frugal living that I think gets misunderstood.
It's not about eating the cheapest possible food.
It's about being intentional with where your money goes.
I'd much rather make a giant pan of delicious noodles at home, eat until I'm full, have leftovers for tomorrow, and occasionally spend money on something that really matters to me.
You don't need to have a garden either.
If your version of these meals costs $3 or $4 per person instead of $2, that's still a huge difference compared with spending $20–$30 per person at a restaurant.
