Budget Recipe Ideas

[billjriv]

Got any budget recipes that are simple to make,post them here.Sounds weird but makes a great side dish
I put cream of mushroom(condensed)soup and Enchilada sauce (El Pato mild)equal parts to a couple pounds of cooked rice.Makes a great side dish.You could even throw in some cooked bacon if you wanted.

[Nutritious Jane]

I think miso soup is the king of all budget foods - but what are your objectives? volume? cheapest possible? has to be healthy? vegetarian? needs protein? I putting together a recipe book for recent divorcees whose spouses ran them dry.

[pitterpatter]

Lentil soup, lentil stew, lentil salad.
Beans and rice, spicy or not, means perfect protein.
The cheapest cut of beef or chicken thighs made into slow simmering stew with root vegetables.
Roasted carrots and potatoes, together or separately.
Any kind of bean soup.
Pasta with butter and grated parm.
Baked ziti when ricotta is on sale.
Omelettes, poached eggs, scrambled.

I lived on all of these as a poor college student, and think I ate rather well.

I don't really have any recipes. I toss whatever is available into the pan and season heavily with whatever herbs and spices strike my mood.

[billjriv]

thanks good ideas.

[HillJ]

Twice baked potatoes are easy and inexpensive
Grilled tomatoes with parm cheese
Broccoli and cheese
Sauted spinach with olive oil & garlic

[billjriv]

Thanks for all the great ideas.These all sound good.

[JenMarie66]

i'm going to be honest -- that dish sounds downright narsty to me. of course, i'm sure i have a bunch of tried and true recipes in my bag of kitchen tricks that would make other people cringe. that's the beauty of taste, i guess.

here's a recent, long similar topic thread which has TONS of great budget ideas
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...

[OnceUponABite]

Make 'kitchen-sink' frittata. Use whatever leftover vegetables, meats, cheese, I've used even pasta. Crack a few eggs, add your items, stir and bake inside a sprayed pan.

Leftover rice is definite fried rice fodder.

[MightyMac]

Whenever I got a few tomatoes lying around that are about to go south, I quarter them up and make a fresh pasta sauce. Here goes:

Boil water & Salt.

In a saute pan, heat with EVO, throw in quartered tomatoes, cook down a bit til mushy, add about a cup of white wine (whatever extra you got laying around, throw in some basil, Salt, pepper, chili flakes, reduce a bit, add non-salted butter (a good amount, this is a restaurant style recepie, probably 1/4 stick if not more), reduce some more. At this point, I taste, add lemon juice if there's some around, add in some sausages or whatever leftover chicken or meat I have lying around. Throw in pasta, toss, and serve.

[billjriv]

Thanks MightyMac I like that one.-Happy Eats