51 Healthy Frugal Dinner Recipes You Can Make for Under $2 Per Meal

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On a tight budget? Yeah, I know that feeling. You know the budget-friendly classics: rice, beans, cabbage, and chicken. It can get old after a week or two. Here are some various healthy, easy, uncomplicated recipes to make for dinner. We carefully vetted that all will come under $2 per meal or less.

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Table of Contents

Budget Seafood Recipes

Black Olives, Sundried Tomatoes & Salmon Pasta

The 99 cent chef is a great blog for those on a budget. Recreate this scrumptious recipe with simple Dollar Store items, mix and enjoy!

Tuna Puttanesca

Most of the ingredients needed in this recipe are already available in the kitchen. This meal is attractive in the eye as well as delicious.

Popular Poultry Recipes

Curry Egg Salad Sandwiches

One batch of this sandwich can feed up to 12 people. Not to mentiont that this recipe will only cost $1 per serving.

Orchard Chicken Salad

Want to make an easy chicken salad that can last up to 3 – 5 days? Look no more — this chicken salad is tasty, inexpensive, and a healthy meal.

Spicy Chicken & Broccoli

Craving for something spicy? With a few basic kitchen ingredients and jasmine rice, you can have a fancy meal.

Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

If you’re a fan of light but creamy broth, this recipe is a must try. The recipe serves 8 people with $0.91 per serving.

Southwest Chicken Skillet

Flavorful and seasone with Mexican spices, added with lemon juice and leftover chicken. Southwest Chicken Skillet serves 4 people and is ready after an hour.

Chicken Spinach Quesadillas

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Love chicken? Spinach? Tortillas? You can have all of these three easy to make and cheap recipe.

Pesto Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli

Pasta is inexpensive and great for stretching that hard earned dollar. With this recipe, the vibrant flavor and tangy creem cheese will still provide you a fancy dinner.

Chicken Quiche

You now have a reason to love refrigerated pie crust. This recipe is perfect for leftover vegetables and chicken.

Chicken and Pumpkin Soup

Want to whip up pumpkin soup? Chicken and pumpkin might sound weird, but once you tried this recipe, nothing can go wrong with your pumpkin soup cravings.

Cheesy Salsa Chicken + Cauli Rice

Keto Diet doesn’t always have to be about meat and bread. This keto recipe fills your carb intake while protecting your pennies.

Chickpea Alfredo With Veggies

Are you looking for a new chickpea recipe. Chickpea Alfredo with Spring veggies is a nutritional meal that yields 6 servings in one cooking.

Shredded Chicken Tacos

Get ready for an explosion of flavor. This recipe enables the chicken to absorb all the flavors from other ingredients and making it a unique experience.

Basic Egg Fried Rice

Fried rice is a good way to reuse all the leftovers and make something good out of it. A filling and cheap meal is always welcome.

Turkey Ham and Beans

Simple Turkey Ham and Beans recipe that is cheap and easy to make. With only 15 minutes, you have delicious comfort food on your plate.

Homemade Sushi

Not the easiest thing to prepare, but Sushi can offer your tongue a pleasant combination of flavor and texture. Its ingredients can also found easily in your fridge.

Budget Beans & Lentil Recipes

Black Bean, Bell Pepper Wraps

Have you ever wonder if a meatless wrap would taste good? These wraps are flavorful enough to make you forget meat for a while.

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Sriracha Chickpea Burrito

Another recipe for the chickpea lover, but this time, its on the wraps. You can put all the leftover vegetables in this recipe.

Slow Cooker Lentil Chili

Slow Cooker Lentil Chili will surely appeal to Vegetiarians who craves for this meal. It is freezer friendly and can serve 6 people for $0.77.

Walnut-Lentil Patties

When doing this recipe, be sure to press chopped walnuts into the patty before cooking. Walnuts provide a great crunch for the meal.

Beef and Black Bean Chili

Beef and Black Bean Chili can be made with under $3 and can make up to 8 servings. This makes this savory and tasty chili to be under $1 per serving.

Red Beans and Sausage

Beans are healthy and cheap food for people who want to save money. Red Beans and Sausage is the ultimate comfort food recipe for people who like flavorful, filling, and cheap meal at the same time.

Lentil Beef and Red Pepper Soup

Another beef recipe for in this entry. If you’re for a French meal, this soup is flavorful but low on calories.

Tuna and White Bean Salad

This tuna salad can be paired with pita bread or cracker for a quick and delicious lunch. Add pepper, a pinch of salt, and you have yourself a delicious meal.

Curried Chickpeas w/ Fried Potatoes

When you have most of the ingredients in this recipe, the serving will only cost $1.53. This recipe is also good for weight loss.

Victorious Veggie

Roasted Salad with Raspberries

Raspberries in a salad? Here’s a way to enjoy your favorite fruit that his healthy and delicious!

Kale and Swiss Mushroom Strata

Pro-tip: if not fond of Kale, you can substitute spinach for this recipe. It needs a lot of time for preparation, but it will all be worth it.

Vegan Winter Lentil Stew

Vegan Winter Lentil Stew is a rich and hearty meal that goes perfectly with bread or cracker. A perfect combination with your morning toasts and can serve up to 12 cups.

Mushroom Stroganoff

This recipe turns basic materials into a creamy and flavorful dish. It is ready to serve in ust 30 minutes.

One-Pot Eggplant Pasta

A recipe with three easy step: Place, Heat, Add. One-Pot Eggplant Pasta is ready in 30 minutes.

Apple-Dijon Kale Salad

When it comes to healthy lunches, Apple-Dijon Kale Salad could be your number one choice. It can also be stored for 3-4 days.

Peanut Fettuccine with Roasted Cauliflower

It doesn’t have to be expensive to eat healthy. Peanut Fettuccine with Roasted Cauliflower can serve 4 people for $2 per serving.

Vegan Fajita Rice Bowl

Fancy a Fajita? This Vegan Fajita Bowl is packed with nutritious ingredients and only costs $1.70 per serving.

Creamy Vegetable Linguine

With a luscious cream sauce and high protein content, this linguine is the perfect dish for vegans. It also costs only $1.50 per serving.

Spinach, Mushroom, and Feta Quiche

Crustless Quiche? No, this is not a Frittata. With the rich texture from the baked egg and cheese custard, it’ll melt in your mouth.

Sweet Potato Quinoa Casserole

This quinoa recipe can feed 6 people. What’s good with this is that although the cook time is long, the prep time is just ten minutes.

Budget Pork Recipes

Bean Bacon Tomato Stew

What makes this recipe a good budget meal is that it only costs $1.50 per servings. It keeps well in the fridge, so you can make batches and divide your consumption.

Five-Spice Pork Kabobs

These five spices came from the Chinese five-spice powder. Marinated for 20-30 minutes, then you’re done.

Jamaican Pork Stir-Fry

A stir-fry is easy to make, healthy, flavorful, and cheap. With this Jamaican Pork Stir-Fry, soy sauce and peanuts can be added for flavor.

Pinto Beans with Chorizo

Pinto Beans with Chorizo is perfect if you want a fancy meal but you only have an instant pot with you. You can use Bettern Than Bouillon if a low-sodium chicken broth is not available.

Cilantro-Lime Pork

Slow cooker noms! You only need five different ingredients for this recipe. Flour tortillas can be omitted or not based on your preference.

Spaghetti Squash and Meat Sauce

A new kind of spaghetti for the adventurous eater. Spaghetti squash and meat sauce is an easy and cheap recipe that can yield up to 6 servings.

Oven Pepperoni Pizza Bites

Have you ever wonder what it would feel like to eat pizza in bite-size pieces? Polka Dot Pizza can make that pizza experience possible. The topping choices are up to you, but chicken and pork are the most budget friendly!