Easy Recipes For One Person On A Budget

Easy Sausage And Potato Casserole

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 71p | Total cost:£2.83

Priced at Tesco

• Woodside Farms pork sausages £1
• Hearty Food Co Tomato and Herb pasta sauce 39p

This sausage and potato casserole is so cheap you could buy fancier sausages and still keep it under £1 a head. Though there is a pepper in the sauce, youll probably want to serve with another portion of veggies to add to your five-a-day. Curly kale goes really well with the tomato-y sauce and a 180g bag would take the spend up to 89p per person.

Get the recipe:Easy sausage and potato casserole

Cooking For One Or Two

When we live alone or with just one other person, it can be hard to scale down portion sizes so that you dont waste a lot of food or end up throwing your grocery money in the trash.

Its not only a poor financial investment, its just wrong to waste that much food! So how do we avoid tossing out as much food as we consume?

No. 1: Planning. Make out your menus for the week. Figure out what youll need for those dishes. If your list calls for one green pepper, dont buy three because they look nice! Dont just plan main meals, either plan how to use the leftovers, too. Write it down so you dont forget that you meant to make barbecued beef sandwiches with your leftover Sunday roast.

Ive always made menus for the week on Friday night, made a grocery list based on those menus and gone to the store on Saturday morning before it gets too busy. If I spot lettuce on sale but dont have it on my menu, I can do one of two things: Skip it or change the menu. Maybe make a taco salad instead of tacos.

If you find a grocery store with a friendly meat guy, he may break up a package of pork chops or chicken thighs for you. I havent found this guy, so I just break the package down when I get home.

The seafood case is a great place to get small portions. Theyll weigh out a quarter pound of salmon or six large shrimp, no problem.

RECIPE IDEAS

For more Living on the Cheap articles:

Apple Cranberry Steel Cut Oats From Muscle & Manna

Oatmeal is a budget-friendly whole grain that is fantastic for weight loss because it has a high fiber content to keep you full longer! This easy Instant Pot oatmeal recipe is healthy comfort food at its finest. Use just a little sweetener to keep the calories low and prevent blood sugar spikes. A delicious and filling breakfast for weight loss on a budget!

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What Should I Eat To Live Alone

• Tempeh Quesadilla. 15 min prep.
• Collard Greens & White Bean Soup. 20 min prep.
• Spicy Baja-Style Shrimp Tacos. 20 min prep.
• Quick Tandoori Chicken. 20 min prep.
• Basic Tomato Sauce. 20 min prep.
• Ricotta Mini Pizzas with Kale Pesto. 20 min prep.
• Mushroom & Egg Toast. 20 min prep.
• Black Bean Chili. 20 min prep.

Meals To Make When You Have No Money

On a super tight budget and need to eat cheaply? Here are some simple meals to make when you have no money!

Although things are fine now, there were quite a few times when my family needed some really cheap dinner ideas.

Weve gone through 4 job losses, two of which my husband John was the sole money earner. And with a young daughter, that can prove to be tough!

Each time though, weve gotten through it. I had to be super creative with food to keep a $30/week grocery budget for a family of 3, but we ate well and survived. In fact, all the recipes we made can be found in my e-book, Emergency Meals.

The following 16 meals are some cheap family meals. Those Oh crap, I dont have a lot of money next week meals. Theyre not fancy, but they get the job done. And when youre on a super tight budget, youre just looking for the cheapest meal ideas!

Whether youre looking for the cheapest meal to make, or what to make with no money, hopefully these meals will give you ideas on what to feed your family.

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Classic Chili Con Carne

Chili con carne can be served as a side or as the main entree, depending on what you put in it.

The best part is that it only needs a few ingredients, so its super cheap to make.

Just add some chili powder, ground beef, and red kidney beans to make a hearty meal that is perfect for cool weather.

You can add other ingredients like onions or tomatoes to kick it up a notch, but you can also keep it simple by serving it over a bed of rice.

Either way, your family will have plenty for seconds considering how inexpensive this dish is.

There arent many dishes you can make as cheap as a grilled cheese sandwich.

You can make the easiest lunch youve ever had for around two bucks.

You can make this dish with literally any kind of cheese or bread you have on hand.

Grilled cheeses were practically meant for tomato soup, so if you want a full meal you can prep some soup on the side and dip your sandwich for even more flavor.

Kids and adults will love it so its a nice meal you can make for cheap. You can also throw in some bacon or roasted tomatoes to take it over the top.

Sardines & Tomatoes On Toast

Tinned sardines are a cost-effective way to get more heart-healthy oily fish in your diet, so its worth keeping a few cans in the cupboard. Here, weve combined them with juicy cherry tomatoes, watercress and parsley on toast for a speedy no-cook supper.

Budget tip: Using regular wholemeal bread instead of sourdough will make it more budget-friendly weve got plenty more leftover bread recipes to use up the rest of your loaf, too.

Sardines & tomatoes on toast

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Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

Seeing a frying pan sizzling from fajita meat in a restaurant is a sight to behold.

It makes your mouth water just looking at it but youll quickly change your mind when you look at the price tag.

Luckily for you, you can make your own fajitas for cheap at home by making this tray of chicken with peppers.

All you need to do is cook the meat and veggies with some spices in the oven for about 20 minutes.

This will make your kitchen smell like fajitas without having to pay an arm and a leg for dinner.

Recipes For One Person On A Budget

What should I make for dinner tonight? This might just be the number one question that we ask ourselves almost daily over here.

Then you have come to the right place, we have rounded up 15 recipes for one person on a budget that we have shared over the years.

Plus, there is such a variety of flavours in these recipes, so you are sure to find something for you. Most of these recipes are quick and easy ones made especially for busy weeknights.

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Tuna And Potato Layer

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 93p | Total cost:£3.73

Priced at Asda

• Growers Selection Baby potatoes , 90p
• Colmans Cheddar Cheese sauce mix 65p
• 2 x Asda Smart Price Tuna Chunks in Brine , £1.18p
• Asda Sweetcorn in Water , 40p
• 1 pint Grahams Whole Milk, 60p

This layered potato bake is packed with sweetcorn and tuna. Weve taken the cheese out of the original recipe and used a cheesy sauce instead, to give the flavour for less cost.

Normally milk comes under our store cupboard staples, but since this recipe uses a large amount weve included it in the costings.

Get the recipe:Tuna and potato layer

Learn How To Make A Big Batch Of Vinaigrette To Toss With Everything From Salads To Roasted Vegetables

Food52 will walk you through how to make a delicious dressing with any seasoning blend you like best, or you can follow a simple recipe. Depending on your ingredients, the leftover will keep for at least a few weeks.

Once you have a combo down, though, save time by tossing everything into a mason jar, screwing the lid on tightly, and shaking to emulsify.

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Pasta With Juicy Cherry Tomatoes

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 89p | Total cost:£3.55

Priced at Asda

• 4 x Asda Farm Stores Cherry Tomatoes, £2
• Fresh basil bunch 55p

You need a lot of cherry tomatoes for this fabulous pasta dish a whole kilo. But its really worth it. The tomatoes get roasted down in herbs, oil, and sugar to really concentrate the flavour and the sweetness. Then you just toss them in the cooked pasta with plenty of torn basil and hey presto. A brilliant summer pasta supper that feels anything but budget.

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Spicy Sausage And Cheese Bake

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 88p | Total cost:£3.53

Priced at Tesco

• Hearty Food Co pasta shapes 32p
• Woodside Farm pork sausages £1
• Creamfields Mild Cheddar Slices , 99p
• Fresh cut thyme 47p
• Creamfields mozzarella 75p

You may already have some of the ingredients, such as butter, flour, and milk, to make this delicious sausage and cheese bake. Prep in just 15 minutes. We used normal pork sausages instead of spicy ones to keep the recipe on budget. Slice the mozzarella ball thinly so you get lovely gooey layers of soft white cheese in the dish.

Get the recipe:Spicy sausage and cheese pasta bake

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Roast Sweet Potato Soup

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 52p | Total cost:£2.10

Priced at Asda

• Asda Farm Stores Cooking Bacon , 75p

Sweet potato makes a delicious, velvety soup that is a welcome treat at lunchtime or as an evening meal. You could double the batch of this by simply buying one more onion .

Freeze any portions you do not intend to eat in the next three days and the spend per portion drops to an incredible 28p per portion. You can add also a crusty baguette for dipping for another 80p.

Get the recipe:Roast sweet potato soup

Mango Salad With Peanut Dressing

Instead of going savory with your cheap dinner meals, try something that is light and refreshing.

A mango salad with peanut dressing is perfect because its full of flavor but also has a light feel to it.

The best part is that you only need four ingredients to make this, so its super easy and fast to prepare.

This is a much better option than just ordering takeout or making something that your family wont appreciate as much.

Theyre sure to enjoy all the effort put into this dish even though its easy to make.

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Stuffed Sweet Potatoes With Mediterranean Quinoa

Roast a sweet potato while you make the filling with quinoa, chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and spinach. If you don’t feel like making the tahini dressing from scratch, opt for a store-bought dressing instead. Get the recipe for stuffed sweet potatoes with Mediterranean quinoa here.

These Delicious Meals For One Are Easy To Make And Totally Satisfying

By: Kristin Anderson, Editor, RecipeLion.com

Cooking for one can be a challenge, but we are here to make it a little bit easier!These delicious home cooked meals for one person will leave you full and satisfied. We’ve got everything from the cheesiest sandwich you’ve ever seen to a delicious meat-and-potatoes dish that will remind you of a dinner your grandma used to make.These easy recipes are the perfect solution if you live alone but want to eat out less. They can even save you money by preventing food waste. Plus you’ll get the satisfaction of cooking a delicious meal exactly the way you want it. Relax, pour yourself a glass of ice tea or red wine, and enjoy your dinner!Get started with this easy recipe for Maple and Mustard chicken! And for more great free recipes,

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Leek & Sage Risotto With Crisp Bacon

A quick risotto easily made into a vegetarian dish by leaving out the bacon and adding two or three large, grilled mushrooms

Bean And Root Vegetable Casserole

Serves: 4 | Cost per person:£1 | Total cost:£4.01

Priced at Sainsburys

• Hubbards Foodstore Chopped tomatoes, 28p
• 2 x KTC Red Kidney Beans , £1
• Sainsbury’s Fresh Grated Parmigiano Cheese 60g, £1.35

This hearty bean and root vegetable casserole is filling and so easy to make. We’ve used dried herbs to keep it cheaper but bought a small amount of fresh Parmesan cheese because it gives such an amazing flavour. However, if you want to save even more money, use dried grated Italian hard cheese, £1.05.

Get the recipe:Bean and root vegetable casserole

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Fried Potato And Sausage Salad

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 90p | Total cost:£3.58

Priced at Tesco

• Iceberg lettuce, 50p
• Tesco Honey & Mustard Dressing , 90p

This fried potato and sausage salad is filling and delicious. Plus, its a great way to convert non-salad-eaters into having some greens. Weve swapped the bagged leaves for iceberg lettuce which goes further and has a much better shelf life.

If you already have condiments like oil, vinegar, and ketchup at home, you can make up a dressing very cheaply. Add a little mustard or mustard powder and honey if you have it, or a pinch of sugar if you dont.

Get the recipe:Fried potato and sausage salad

Easy Budget Friendly Meals For One

I used a 3 quart instant pot for the chicken, but its not needed.

1. Chicken alfredo pasta

Aldis has a bag of pre-cooked frozen chicken cut up into tiny pieces. I stick this on the stove, make the spaghetti, add alfredo sauce, and mix together. If Im feeling extra lazy I dont even make the chicken, I just eat alfredo pasta. If Im feeling luxurious, Ill add frozen shrimp, which I just unthaw with the pasta cooking.

2. Chicken fried rice

I have a mini rice cooker , but you can make rice on the stove. The best rice for chicken fried rice is at least a day old and refrigerated. All you need is eggs, soy sauce, and fried rice seasoning packets . I also add sesame oil to mine and it tastes just like take out. Add some chicken for protein and youre all set! I typically make two cups of rice, which lasts me a couple of nights.

Ive found SO many ways to eat pasta. I seriously love this recipe.

9. Chicken breasts

Get used to just eating chicken breasts and mix it up with a variety of spices!

10. Pancakes from muffin mixes

Use 2/3 cup of milk and an egg to turn a muffin mix into pancake batter. Make over the stove. These are quick, easy, and DELICIOUS!

11. Pork crescent rolls

Ive recently gotten pulled pork from Meijer and stuff crescent rolls with it. Add some cheese and youre good to go.

I LOVE sweet potatoes, and this recipe is super easy to make.

13. Ground beef tacos

14. Mac and cheese with hot dogs

15. Grilled cheese sandwich

16. Taco spaghetti

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Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

When youre feeling under the weather a classic bowl of chicken noodle soup is the way to go.

Packed with flavor, your soup will be done in only a few minutes because the Instant Pot gets it cooking really fast.

This is a great meal for when youre sick since its easy to prepare and you can even add other ingredients if you want to make it heartier.

It doesnt matter what time of year it is because everyone loves a good bowl of noodle soup.

What Should I Have For Dinner 1 Person

Easy Dinner Ideas For One

• Pork Stir Fry For One. A pork stir fry recipe thats easy to make and filled with flavor.
• Chicken Caprese For One.
• Salisbury Steak Recipe For One.
• Chicken and Rice Casserole For One.
• Steak Fajitas For One.
• Lemon Garlic Chicken For One.
• Sausage and Peppers Sheet Pan Meal For One.

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Meal Plan For One Person On A Budget

Do you need a meal plan for one person on a budget? I have the perfect solution for you. A meal plan template is a chart that provides all the foods a person needs to eat each day to maintain healthy eating habits. All of the required foods and portions are listed in the chart so that you know how to plan meals for yourself. This information will help keep you on track and achieve your goals for keeping a healthy diet.

Courgette Bacon And Chilli Pasta Bake

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 99p | Total cost:£3.96

Priced at Sainsburys

• Hubbards Foodstore Pasta Shapes , 58p
• Fresh cut basil 47p

The smoked bacon, garlic, and basil infuse this pasta dish with plenty of flavour. Rather than topping with cheddar, which can be very expensive, weve used a ball of mozzarella. Cut it into chunks and lay it over the top of the pasta when you pop it in the oven for a lovely, creamy cheese finish. We also swapped the fresh chillies for dried ones from the store cupboard, which give just the same spicy kick.

Get the recipe:Courgette, bacon and chilli pasta bake

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