Frugal Wife Shares Four $15 Dinner Recipes That Can Easily Feed A Family Of Four
These meals are easy to prepare, delicious, and best of all, they won't break the bank!
Hasloo Group | Canva Pro It can be difficult to come up with a meal that the whole family will enjoy, is easy to prepare, and is budget-friendly.
Weekly grocery bills add up quickly and sometimes you may have to pass up your favorite foods to be able to afford the essential items on your list.
Luckily, one frugal wife shared some of her favorite dinner recipes that are relatively easy to prepare and won't break the bank.
The frugal wife shared four $15 dinner recipes that could easily feed a family of four:
Kendriyana Wilson, author of the cookbook “It’s So Good Yall!” said that cooking on a budget may not yield the same delectable-looking platters you see on the cover of recipe magazines, but they can still taste pretty good!
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She took to TikTok to share just a few of her favorite budget-friendly meals that can feed up to four people — and all of them are $15 or less!
1. Orange glazed Tenderloin
For this recipe, Wilson got most of her ingredients from Aldi, which is usually pretty cheap. You will need pork tenderloin, oranges, brown sugar, soy sauce, and a crockpot.
Wilson instructed viewers to mix together around a cup’s worth of freshly squeezed orange juice, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Toss the liquid into a crockpot along with the tenderloin and some sliced oranges for three hours on high.
While you can choose whichever side dish you like for this meal, Wilson offered some advice when it comes to side dish budgeting.
“The way that I budget for sides every month is that I will literally just stockpile sides when they’re on sale,” she shared.
Wilson also recommended placing fresh vegetables in the freezer to make them last and to use them within a month for best results.
Wilson insisted that you couldn't tell that the tenderloin only cost $4 because it is so tender and flavorful.
2. Mozzarella Chicken Sliders
This budget-friendly meal is perfect for families with picky eaters. All you need are chicken filets, marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese and any sandwich rolls of your choosing.
All you have to do is cut your sandwich rolls in half, place a spoonful of marinara sauce, a slice of mozzarella cheese, and a chicken filet between them, and bake them for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.
For more flavor Wilson suggested adding some melted butter and Italian seasoning on top of the buns.
Not only are these sandwiches delicious, but they are also filling. “Personally, just two of these little rolls filled me up!” Wilson exclaimed.
3. Lasagna Fritters
This is perfect for all of the lasagna lovers who do not want to spend hours prepping the traditional dish.
According to Wilson, all you need is lasagna noodles, ricotta cheese, parmesan, parsley, and Italian seasoning for the actual lasagna pieces.
To make them into fritters, you’ll need bread crumbs and eggs. Coat them in the eggs and bread crumbs before placing them in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before frying them into a pan with cooking oil until they turn golden brown.
If you want to add meat sauce, you’ll need ground beef, marinara sauce, salt, pepper, sugar, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and oregano.
Wilson noted that if you do not have eggs or bread crumbs on hand, this recipe might be a little over $15.
“I would say this recipe that made six lasagna fritters would honestly feed two adults and two kids,” she said. “They are so massive.”
4. Pepper Steak
Wilson credited her mother for this easy pepper steak recipe. Being a single mother, she didn’t have the time or budget for fancy dinners, but she always somehow found ways to make delicious meals that her whole family would enjoy.
All you need is Angus beef, pepper steak seasoning, chicken broth, gravy, and a pan. To add some veggies to the dish, Wilson sauteed onions and bell peppers in the steak pan.
She also fixed up some green beans and white rice as a side, and we have to say, it looks better than some dishes at a steakhouse!
Groceries are already expensive as it is. According to the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, the average American family spends around $270 at the grocery store per week.
However, families with kids can spend up to 41% more than the average household to ensure that every family member gets fed.
Cost should definitely be considered when meal planning if you’re already on a tight budget.
As Wilson demonstrated, however, some of the most delicious and filling meals don’t have to break the bank. They can be easy, simple and something that even your picky children won’t be able to get enough of.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.