Any really good but cheap recipes?

I am looking for some good cheap recipes. We're on a very tight budget and don't have much to spend at all. We pretty much like everything except for seafood.Any really good but cheap recipes?
Try a lot of vegetarian recipes. They are always less expensive.


Beans and rice- you can add some ham for flavor if you like.


Mac and cheese.- Make it homemade and make enough for a couple of days.


Grilled Cheese with tomatoes.


Salads with luncheon meat and all sorts of your favorite veggies.


Make a pot of soup every week.You can also try chili.


Eggplant parmigiana


Tuna melts with fresh veggies.


Pancakes. Corn pancakes.


Eggs any way you like them with toast or a bagel.


Stuffed artichokes , stewed tomatoes .





I hope that gave you a good start.You can find recipes for all these from friends and on the Internet.


Enjoy.Any really good but cheap recipes?
I tend to use a lot of lentils, since a bag is so cheap and they are full of protein, iron and fibre.





Mjdarra - Middle eastern lentil %26amp; rice


3 big yellow onions, cut in half and sliced


1/4 cup vegetable oil


1 1/4 cups brown or red lentils (dry)


1 1/4 cups long-grain white rice (dry)


Salt and pepper


Cook the lentils in 3.5 cups water until they're cooked but still un-mushy. Brown the onions in a frying pan with the oil, then add them, a load of pepper, and the rice to the pot. Cook for another 20-30 minutes until cooked. Add the salt and eat.





Lentil Dal - a kind of Indian lentil stew, usually served with some nan breads.


1 tablespoon butter/margarine


1 onion, finely diced


2 cloves garlic, minced


1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric


1 teaspoon ground cumin


1/2 teaspoon ground coriander


1/2 teaspoon cayenne


1 tablespoon curry powder


4 cups water


1 teaspoon salt


1 cup dried lentils


1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice


Saute the onion and spices in the butter, in a BIG pot. Add everything but the lime/lemon juice. Cook for 1 hour or until the lentils get mushy. Add the lime juice, then eat.





Split Pea Soup


You can also make a super cheap split-pea soup by frying a cup of diced carrot and a diced large onion in your leftover bacon fat from the morning's breakfast, then adding 2 cups of dry yellow peas, 5 cups of chicken or veggie broth, a teaspoon of garlic paste, a teaspoon of dry, ground rosemary, and boiling until the peas become liquidy. You can add a little shredded up ham or crumbled bacon to the top of it.





If I'm up for more complicated food, or guests are coming around, this site has lots of 'cheap food' ideas:


http://www.cheapcooking.com/recipes.htm
Baked chicken w/ rice. Pour into a pan one can of cream of mushroom soup (store brand, about a dollar), one cup white rice (about a dollar for a one pound bag), one cup water. Place a few chicken breasts (or buy split chicken and cut into pieces, get on sale) on top of this mixture and bake at 375 for 30 to 40 min. So creamy and good!
Ham %26amp; Cheesey Potatoes





1 turkey ham, cut into cubes


4 large potatoes, sliced thick


1 medium onion, diced


1 clove garlic, minced


2 c. milk


4 T. butter or margarine


1 regular size can cream of mushroom soup


salt/pepper to taste





Mix all ingredients together in a large casserole. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F. for appr. 1 hour, or until potatoes are tender...stirring occasionally. Top with your favorite grated cheese, if desired; return to oven for appr. 5 minutes to melt.





serves 6 to 8.
Spaghetti Pie...





This lasts a long time and you can add anything to it!





Enjoy!





12 servings





Ingredients





3 tablespoons butter, softened


1 pound spaghetti


salt, for pasta


12 eggs, lightly beaten


1 ½ cups grated parmesan cheese


¼ cup extra virgin olive oil


1 garlic clove, very finely minced


½ cup Italian parsley, chopped


salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste


1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded





Equipment





9” x 12” baking dish, preferably glass€





Preparation





Lightly grease the inside of a 9” x 12” baking dish with the butter. Preheat the oven to 350° F.





Prepare the spaghetti according to the package directions and undercook by 2 or 3 minutes. It should be very al dente. Drain and rinse with cool water. Set aside.





Beat the eggs lightly to combine. Stir in the grated parmesan cheese, extra virgin olive oil, finely minced garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.





[Chef’s Note: Be sure not to add too much salt as the cheese has plenty of salt already.]





Add the egg mixture to the spaghetti and mix until all the spaghetti is well blended with the eggs. Pour into the buttered baking dish and spread the spaghetti mixture evenly in the pan. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes or until the eggs are completely set. Uncover the spaghetti pie and sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over the top and bake, uncovered, for another 5 minutes or until the mozzarella is melted and slightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool.





Service





Spaghetti pie is best served at room temperature. It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If longer storage is required, it can be wrapped in plastic wrap and then in foil and placed in the freezer for up to a month. Thaw and bring back to room temperature before serving.





Variations





Spaghetti pie is one of those delightful recipes that can be creatively adapted to individual tastes. Feel free to add your own special ingredients such as pepperoni, prosciutto, maple ham, sun dried tomatoes, blanched vegetables or other types of grated cheese. You can also substitute whole wheat or spinach spaghetti, or even linguine or fettucine
You could always have breakfast for dinner, its and inexpensive meal....pancakes, biscuits and gravy, you know the usual. And you can make things like chilli or beef stew in your crock pot, those meals can strech for a couple of days. Make chicken and dumpling. Pasta, its always cheap. Good luck!
Knorr beef or chicken broth cubes, add any veggies you can find.. Soup!


Ground beef browned, add to mac n cheese... really cheep, and easy....


Cooked chicken, flour tortillas, cheese, onion, jalapeno peppers and salsa. put chicken cheese onion and jalapenos inside flour tortilla, use a little veg oil in pan and brown both sides, add salsa.. serve


Chicken salad.. serve with lettuce...
1lb browned ground beef


browned with


1c chopped onion


1c chopped celery


add


1 box uncle bens long grain and wild rice


3c water


1 can chicken broth


1/2 pkg cooked and crumbled bacon





makes a good inexpensive soup... I always double it, so we have leftovers.
Fried rice is pretty cheap. I have a great recipe at home--I am at work now, or would share it with you. But you can make it with leftovers.





Also, vietnamese chicken noodle soup.





See if you can find a cookbook called ';More With Less';--it's a classic and has lots of good, inexpensive recipes in it.
Anything with pasta or rice goes a long way and is cheap. Look for recipes for spaghetti, or tuna noodle casserole, and things like that. You can also make home made beans, like white beans with ham, or chili beans with hamburger, and they last a long time too.


I grew up in a single parent home, so we always ate cheap. I now love chili bean tacos.... Mom made them because she couldnt afford meat, and we loved tacos.


Get creative, shop sales, visit discount stores for discount groceries and clip coupons.


good luck.