50+ Frugal Meal Ideas That Use Minimal Ingredients

Looking to save money on your grocery bill? These frugal meal ideas will help you keep your family fed without spending a lot of money on food.

Grocery budgets can always be a struggle but lately, they just seem out of control. We are currently shopping completely differently. 

I usually shop once a month but that much time in a store doesn’t work right now plus items are being limited so that kind of stock up doesn’t work as well. 

At the same time, we need to shop less often so no quick trips to the store if we forgot things. And that means I’m making sure we always have a good stock of basic ingredients.

Between that and using Instacart for contactless delivery so I can’t bargain shop in the same way and the delivery fee, our grocery budget has gone up quite a bit.

Sure we are saving money in other ways right now but I’d still like to keep our grocery budget down. We have no idea how long things will last or how bad the recession will be so being more frugal-minded is important.

To help with all of this I’ve found some frugal meal ideas that don’t use any crazy ingredients and are still natural. These will hopefully help us create simple meal plans that are delicious and frugal.

Frugal Meal Ideas

I have divided these meals based on the type of protein used since right now meat supplies are hit or miss. There are also meatless options in case that is your dietary choice. Meatless meals are also a great way to stretch your food budget and lessen your environmental impact. 

Poultry 

• Easy Chicken Pot Pie
• Chipolte Burrito Bowls
• Easy Homemade Ramen
• Instant Pot Whole Frozen Chicken
• Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
• Easy Filipino Chicken Adobo
• Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken
• Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup
• Turkey Meatloaf Muffins
• Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken
• Healthy Chicken Fingers

Beef

• Oklahoma Onion Burgers
• Cabbage Roll Casserole
• Beef and Beans
• 4-Ingredient Quick & Easy Goulash
• Cabbage Roll in a Bowl
• Easy Pot Roast
• Sloppy Joes

Pork

• Ham and Cheese Pancakes
• Red Beans and Rice
• Field Peas with Ham
• Ham and Bean Slow Cooker Soup
• Baked Beans with Sausage
• Broccoli and Sausage
• Instant Pot Pork ‘n Beans
• White Bean Soup

Seafood

• Tuna Pasta
• Salmon Patties
• Easy Cheesy Tuna Casserole
• Macaroni Tuna Mornay
• Creamy Tuna Pasta Bake
• Easy Canned Tuna Pasta
• Tuna Patties
• Easy Cheesy Tuna and Rice Skillet

Meatless

• Haluski (Cabbage Dish)
• Easy Tortilla Casserole
• Cheesy Black Bean Enchiladas 
• 10 Minute Peanut Butter Curry
• Lentil Tacos
• Instant Pot Jambalaya
• Black Bean Burgers
• 10 Minute Chickpea and Spinach Curry
• Easy Peas and Rice Soup
• Parsley Parmesan Pasta
• Ramen with Poached Eggs
• Moroccan Chickpea Soup in Instant Pot
• Instant Pot Pasta Fagioli Soup
• Brothy Bean with Garlic Toast
• Leftover Rice Fritters
• Stuffed Shells with Spinach and Ricotta 
• Buckwheat Patties
• Beans and Rice Taco Soup

With all of these great ideas, you won’t have to be bored with dinner anymore and you can stick to a budget.

Even More Recipes

Need some side dishes and desserts? Try these delicious recipes.

• Delicious Recipes for Yeast-Free Bread
• Simple Side Dishes
• Amazing Old-Fashion Cake Recipes

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

I have put together a Grocery Shopping bundle to help during this tough time. It includes my meal planning printables, my Once a Month Grocery Shopping Guide, Meal Planning Guide, and a PDF with information on grocery shopping less often.

You can get the full bundle of items for only $5 which is what I usually charge for just the meal planning printables. I hope it helps you during this tough time!

Just want the meal-planning guide? Get it for free below.