Easy and delicious weeknight dinners under $99.00
So many of us are on strict budgets right now during the pandemic. I have played around with some easy dinner dishes that are unique and delicious. Click to read more about last weeks dinner line up!
Minestrone Monday
Minestrone soup is super easy to make and there are so many variations of this recipe that I’ve found online and in cook books. Basically, this soup is considered “everything but the kitchen sink” soup. Meaning, any leftover vegetables, pasta or beans can be thrown into it.
So that being said, I threw in what I had leftover and in the pantry.
Ingredients:
- 1 box of chicken broth
- 1 box of a small pasta (Ditalini)
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 can or cup string beans
- 1 can cannellini beans (or kidney beans)
- Chopped onion, celery and carrots (or whatever other vegetable in your fridge)
- I added garlic (I put garlic in everything)
- 1 bag of spinach (or kale)
- (not shown in this picture) Grab your favorite tomato sauce (2 Tablespoons)
Directions
*Cook pasta first and set aside*
- In a big soup pot, cook garlic, oil and onions together about 3 minutes
- Add chicken broth
- Add carrots, celery and beans
- Add diced tomatoes
- Let simmer for about 20-30 minutes and taste test – add salt and pepper
- If needed, add in 2 tablespoons of your favorite jar tomato sauce (trust me it makes a difference) I used Newman’s
- Add spinach until cooked
- Put in your bowl and spoon pasta to liking
Taco Tuesday
Taco’s are a fan favorite and you can literally make anything into a taco. I’ve made lobster tacos, fish tacos, Asian style chicken tacos, Pulled pork tacos, the list goes on. I still always come back to the original beef taco.
Ingredients
- Organic Grass Fed Beef (I found 1lb at stop and shop for $6)
- Tomato diced or roughly chopped
- Shredded cheese
- 1 Yellow Onion diced
- Sour cream (or non fat plain yogurt)
- Your favorite taco sauce
- Cumin and Chilli lime seasoning (or McCormick taco seasoning)
Wednesday Maple-Mustard Lamb Chops
This recipe I actually got from Kristen Cavallari’s cook book, True Roots.
I highly recommend this cook book and it is on sale now on Amazon. Just click the link below.
Anyways, these lamb chops came out AMAZING and I have never made lamb chops in my life. They are surprisingly cheap, depending on where you get them. I definitely splurged a little with my weekly budget. They seem small and I definitely overbought, because they are very filling. My husband who can eat 2 lbs of meat by himself had 4 or 5 chops and was full. I had 3 or 4. I bought them in a package for $11 each and purchased 2 packages. For my side, we used whatever frozen vegetables we had in the freezer. I love eating chopped spinach with lamb.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (I used agave – it’s what I had)
- 1 tablespoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- Oil for pan
- Lamb chops or frenched racks of lamb
Directions
- Preheat oven 350 degrees and line baking sheet with foil
- In small bowl, mix mustard, syrup, parsley, paprika and garlic
- In a pan, lightly grease with oil and heat over medium high- once pan is hot sear the lamb 4-5 minutes on each side and remove to baking sheet
- Coat lamb in 1/2 the sauce and bake for 25- 30 minutes or until 140 degrees F
- Use other half for dipping sauce
Thursday Turkey Chili
Turkey chili is always a good dinner to make because you can put the chili on a baked potato or you can place over your favorite rice.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey meat
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 onion
- Chopped garlic to your liking
- Chopped mushrooms
- Kidney beans
- McCormick chili spice blend in mild
Directions
- Place a large tablespoon of olive oil in pan
- Cook garlic and onion together
- Brown the meat
- Place in beans, can of diced tomatoes and and seasoning
- Cook on high until combined together then simmer on low for 30 minutes to an hour.
- You can also place in crockpot *** on low for 6 hours
Friday Fried Rice and “Hibachi” Chicken
This meal was definitely a favorite of the hubby and super easy.
Ingredients
- 1 Yellow onion
- 2-4 chicken breasts ( I made 4 and cut them in small cubes)
- 1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Garlic powder
- Onion Powder
- Large tablespoon butter
- Large Brown bag of cooked rice (Bens or whatever brand you prefer)
- 1 scrambled egg
Directions
- Scramble egg in pan and remove
- Cook onion and half of garlic in pan using regular olive oil and a splash of sesame oil
- Add frozen Vegetables
- Add rice to pan with scrambled egg and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and another splash of sesame oil until cooked then remove and place aside
- In same Wok or pan, add tablespoon sesame oil, remaining garlic, butter and 1 tablespoon soy sauce to Wok with seasoned (salt and pepper) chicken.
- Cook until brown to your liking
- Combine together in same
I hope you enjoyed these delicious easy recipes for under $99
Comment down below what your favorite inexpensive meal is!
