Family Food

8 Cheap Dinner Ideas Guaranteed to Help the Family Budget

Stretch the grocery budget with 8 easy, family-tested cheap dinner ideas — from one-pot soups to leftover-friendly chicken, chilli and more.

admin Updated July 2026 · 6 min read

When money feels tight — after Christmas, during a long pay month, or just any ordinary week — a few reliable, budget-friendly dinner ideas can take a lot of the stress out of meal planning. These are family-tested recipes that stretch a little further, use simple ingredients, and often give you enough for lunches the next day too.

Here are 8 cheap dinner ideas guaranteed to help the family budget.

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8 Cheap Dinner Ideas Guaranteed to Help the Family Budget

#1. Soup and Sandwiches

It may not sound like much, but a good homemade pot of soup with grilled cheese sandwiches is delicious, full of nutrients, and kind to the grocery budget.

Here are some favourite MyKidsTime soup recipes worth trying:

Try making a batch of grilled cheese toast — a few splashes of Worcester sauce mixed into the grated or sliced cheese before grilling adds extra flavour — to help fill everyone up alongside their soup.

#2. 1 Chicken 3 Ways

Start by roasting a chicken, for example for a Sunday dinner. Once you’ve had your roast chicken dinner, strip off any extra meat and set it aside for another meal, then use the carcass to make stock.

Just cover the chicken bones with water, add an onion, a carrot, a bay leaf and some seasoning, bring to the boil, and simmer for an hour. Set the stock aside for meal number three.

We like chicken fajitas or stir-fried chicken and rice for the second meal.

Then you could make a soup like this chicken noodle soup, or use the stock for a risotto with mushrooms and peas for the third meal — all from one chicken.

You might also find this useful: Download Our Free Meal Planning Sheet

#3. Big Pot of Chilli

Add plenty of veggies (chopped finely or puréed) to a favourite chilli recipe to boost the nutrients and stretch it to twice the usual amount. Chopping mushrooms very finely is a great way to sneak them in for fussier eaters who think they don’t like them.

Serve one half with rice, then a day or two later, bake some potatoes and serve the second half with sour cream and grated cheese. Make a bit extra and there’s enough for lunches too.

You might also enjoy: White Chicken Chili

#3. Inspired Beans

An inexpensive but healthy meal we call “posh beans on toast” in our house — made with chilli sauce and cherry tomatoes.

Or try these delicious Real Baked Beans with Ciabatta. Double the batch and you’ll have enough left over for lunches.

You could also try Bean & Cheese Burritos, using mixed or black beans instead of minced beef in your tortilla wraps.

You might also enjoy: Chilli Bean Burritos with Corn Salsa

#4. Lamb Shanks

Cheaper cuts of meat like lamb shanks just need longer, slower cooking, but they’re full of flavour and easy on the budget. Ask your butcher for advice on the best value cuts.

This Lamb Shank Tagine recipe uses spices such as cumin, coriander and chilli powder, and served with couscous makes for a lovely Sunday dinner.

Use any leftover lamb for a midweek casserole with potatoes, stock and other veggies, or turn it into a Mid Week Lamb Curry.

You might also enjoy: Leftover Lamb Pasta

#5. Macaroni and Cheese

The ultimate cheap but comforting family dinner.

This recipe for macaroni and cheese uses leeks and bacon bits for extra flavour, with a breadcrumb-cheese topping for texture.

Make double for leftovers to use in lunches too.

#6. Homemade Pizza

Homemade pizza is inexpensive to make, and kids love helping with the sauce, kneading and rolling the dough, and choosing their own toppings.

Start with your pizza dough, then make a simple homemade tomato sauce with:

a garlic clove, crushed or chopped finely
a tin of chopped tomatoes (plum tomatoes work too, just chop them up a little)
some passata or tomato purée
a few basil leaves
a teaspoon of sugar

Fry the garlic gently for a couple of minutes, add the rest of the ingredients, then simmer for 25 minutes and cool before using on your pizzas. Toppings can be as simple as grated cheese, ham or olives.

A slice of leftover pizza in the lunchbox makes a nice change from sandwiches too.

You might also enjoy: Neapolitan Pizza

#7. Tomato Pasta

One of our standby cheap family dinners: tomato pasta. It’s not only inexpensive but quick, which is great when time is tight.

Make a quick tomato and basil sauce for your pasta, ready in under 20 minutes — cook the sauce, then start the pasta about 10 minutes in. (If you have more time, the sauce only improves with longer simmering.)

Add bacon bits or leftover sausage to vary it, though often the simplest version is the favourite — served with grated parmesan.

You might also enjoy: How to Cook a Complete One Pot Pasta Dish in 9 Minutes

#8. Cheap and Cheerful Chickpeas

Chickpeas (or garbanzo beans) are a good source of protein and fibre, and an affordable base for a satisfying family dinner.

This Chickpea, Sweet Potato and Chorizo Stew is a great midweek dinner — prep it in advance and reheat the next day.

Or try Pasta with Chickpeas (Pasta e Ceci), a quick and delicious Italian classic. Adding spinach and curry spices makes a lovely Chickpea and Spinach Curry.

You might also like: Crispy Chickpeas

Over to you now — do you have a standby budget recipe of your own? Tell us in the comments below.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the cheapest meals to cook for a family?

Meals built around beans, pulses, pasta, rice and simple soups tend to be the cheapest, especially when you bulk them out with vegetables. Recipes like tomato pasta, macaroni cheese, chilli and chickpea stews all stretch well and reheat easily for lunches the next day.

How can I make one piece of meat go further?

Buying a whole roast chicken and using it across two or three meals — roast dinner, a stir-fry or fajitas, then soup or stock-based risotto — is one of the easiest ways to get more meals from one shop. The same idea works with a lamb shank or joint: use the leftovers in a curry or casserole.

Are cheaper cuts of meat as good as more expensive ones?

Cheaper cuts like lamb shanks simply need longer, slower cooking to become tender and flavoursome. Your local butcher can point you toward the best value cuts for slow cooking.

Can these recipes be frozen?

Many of them freeze well, particularly soups, chilli, and chickpea stews. Cooking a double batch and freezing half is a handy way to build up a stock of ready meals for busier evenings.

Save These Ideas for Later

Short on time to cook tonight but want to come back to these later? Bookmark this page or save it to your recipes folder so you’ve got a ready list of budget-friendly dinners for busy weeks.

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8 Cheap Dinner Ideas Guaranteed to Help the Family Budget