Recipe: Pastina An entire pound of frozen spinach is the real star of the dish, which becomes velvety soft as it braises in a warmly-spiced coconut milk mixture. It also makes this dish astonishingly cheap, since using the fresh stuff would likely cost three times as much, if not more. And if I’m being 100% honest, using fresh spinach doesn’t give the same luxuriously soft mouthfeel, either. All this to say, this recipe is why I always keep a bag of frozen spinach in my freezer and a block of tofu in my fridge. Side note: If tofu isn’t your thing, plenty of other cost-effective proteins will work just as nicely. I’ve tried this recipe with canned chickpeas, lentils, and even shredded rotisserie chicken and have thoroughly enjoyed each and every iteration, so customize away. Recipe: Creamy Curried Spinach and Tofu The photo above was taken in the dead of winter so I used torn kale and cubed butternut squash, but this dish is equally delicious when you can add in gorgeous, budget-friendly summer produce like zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and shucked corn. Basically, this dish makes an appearance in my kitchen each and every season, and I love that for me. Recipe: Back-Pocket Chicken and Rice Skillet Recipe: Crispy Black Bean Tacos If you hit a paywall when accessing the recipe above, you can find a very similar version here. Since the cauliflower is stewed in sauce until it’s cooked through, I’ve found that using even-cheaper frozen cauliflower can save you more money with very little difference to the final dish — just defrost the cauliflower before you cook with it and pat it dry to remove any residual moisture. Recipe: Coconut Butter Cauliflower
- Bring 2 cups of water to a rolling boil in a small saucepan. Add one single-serve packet of frozen udon noodles (250g) or another instant noodle of your choosing. Cook according to the package instructions, reserving 1/4 cup of the boiling water for your sauce. Drain and reserve.
- Return the reserved water to your saucepan and add 1 tablespoon white miso and 1 tablespoon chili crisp. Whisk the mixture together over medium-low heat until creamy and fully combined.
- Add the cooked noodles to the sauce, stirring to coat each noodle, and eat immediately. I love a budget recipe that you can easily stretch when it’s time to eat leftovers, and this one’s as stretchable as they come. Eating this dish with crusty bread is highly recommended, both so you can soak up all that delicious broth and because the addition of bread keeps the cost per serving incredibly low. And when you’re running low on leftovers, try bulking up this dish by adding more broth and some cooked rice to turn it into a filling soup. Trust me, I’ve done this more than a handful of times, and it’s nearly unbelievable how many days I can make this simple dish last — in all its various formats. Recipe: Creamy Skillet White Beans with Parmesan I could eat these nightly and be perfectly happy, and if I were to do so, my wallet would be thrilled with me. The only work you’ll have to do is chop up some veggies and chicken, toss them with some taco seasoning and olive oil, and roast until cooked through. Five minutes of hands-on work, tops. Recipe: Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas Even if you’re not a tofu person, I have a feeling you might end up loving this one. Though it seems backward, simmering the tofu in water actually draws out some of its moisture, so you’re left with tofu that has a substantial and satisfying chew. Almost like…dare I say…meat. But, you know, not meat, obviously. Recipe: Warm Tofu with Spicy Garlic Sauce You can easily bulk it up with some toasted bread or even some homemade croutons, like the ones above, but I honestly think it’s a perfect lunch or light dinner all on its own. And listen, y’all: I know the pre-chopped packages of squash at the store seem amazing and convenient, and they are, but if you want to make this meal on the cheap, opt for whole butternut squash. It’ll cost you half as much, and I promise they’re much easier to break down than you might think. Recipe: Curried Butternut Squash Soup Recipe: Soy-Seared Tofu
