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With the rising food prices, finding healthy and cheap recipes that don’t require a lot of luxuries for a week can be challenging.
Fortunately, we’ve compiled a list chocked with cheap meals for a week for a family often on a tight budget.
These recipes are totally achievable by any family on the planet, whether using leftovers or making brand new meals from scratch.
We hope they’ll help you start making choices in your kitchen!
Cheap Meals For a Week For a Family
1. Halloumi And Watermelon Bulgur Salad
Halloumi and watermelon are a match made in heaven. But when we throw bulgur into the mix? We’re in for a real treat.
This salad is easy to make, requires no cooking, and is bursting with flavor—a perfect meal for picnics and barbecues this summer.
The best part? It’s gluten-free!
This vegetarian salad’s contrasting flavors and textures make it a satisfying meal. The crisp sweetness of watermelon slices cools the saltiness of the cheese.
You and your family would love it. Just get these ingredients handy:
- 200g bulgur wheat
- 50g pumpkin seed
- 3 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
- Cut 250g pack halloumi of cheese into 10-12 slices
- 1 cucumber, seeds scooped out, halved lengthways and cut into chunks
- Large bunch of either basil, parsley, mint, coriander, or a mixture. Chopped and reserve a few leaves to serve
- zest and juice 2 lemons
- ¼ watermelon cut into chunks, or you can use a 400g pack of ready-prepared
2. Chestnut Mushroom, Fennel And Bacon Fusilli
I prepared Chestnut Mushroom, Fennel, and Bacon Fusilli for the weekend.
This dish offers a beautiful combination of flavors. The bacon is crispy and salty, the fennel adds a nice crunch, and the mushroom is soft and delicious.
It’s also easy to prepare this dish. The ingredients have been combined in such a way that will give you the best taste and experience possible.
You will need the following ingredients:
- 50ml olive oil, plus 1 tbsp
- 2 fennel bulbs, finely sliced
- 2 onions, finely sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 red chilies, deseeded and finely sliced
- 4 tbsp tomato purée
- 250g pack streaky bacon, diced
- 350g fusilli
- 280g baby chestnut mushrooms, sliced
- small pack parsley, roughly chopped, to serve
- parmesan, grated, to serve
3. Cheat’s Beetroot Biriyani
I made this recipe for my family’s weekend getaway in the country.
And it was a great experience–we spent the entire weekend lounging on the lawn, playing games, eating delicious food, and hanging out with our friends. We had a great time!
The meal was simple and quick–just a few fresh ingredients from the farm.
It included beetroot biryani rice (which is not your average biryani), saffron rice, chicken curry (which I made myself), tomatoes (from my garden), green beans (from my garden), and coriander leaves (from my garden).
Try this recipe and thank me later!
4. Peanut Butter Chicken
Peanut Butter Chicken is one of the best chicken recipes you’ll ever make. It’s so simple and easy, but it tastes like something special!
This recipe is excellent for a weeknight meal because it’s ready in less than 30 minutes, and the ingredients are all-natural, so there are no preservatives or artificial flavors in this dish.
You can easily adjust the spices and flavors in this recipe to suit your tastes by adding more chili powder, salt, or black pepper.
If you want a little kick, add a little more cayenne pepper; if you want a little sweetness, add a little honey or brown sugar!
This is all you’ll need:
- 2tbsp avocado oil
- Cut 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs into chunks
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- finely sliced 2 red chilies. You can deseed it if you want less hot.
- 2tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 2tbsp garam masala
- 100g smooth peanut butter
- 400ml coconut milk
- 400g can of chopped tomatoes
- coriander, ½ roughly chopped, ½ leaves picked
- roasted peanuts to serve
- cauliflower rice to serve
5. Sloppy Joes
Sloppy joes, a simple but flavorful American dish, are perfect for feeding the whole family. Add spicy chipotle or smoky barbecue sauce to mince beef filling for some added zing.
It is one of the most iconic sandwiches in America, and for a good reason.
With a nice crusty bun, savory ground beef, melted cheese, and all the fixings your heart desires, there’s no wrong way to make it—and that’s pretty much what makes it so great.
It’s usually served on a bun with pickles, onions and mustard.
6. Spaghetti Puttanesca
Spaghetti Puttanesca is a classic Italian pasta dish with a rich tomato sauce and lots of basil. It’s a perfect dish for when you’re craving something hearty but don’t want to spend all night in the kitchen.
With just a few simple ingredients, it’s easy to make your puttanesca sauce at home, so you can cook up this delicious pasta dish whenever the mood strikes!
To make this dish, you’ll need:
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
- ½ tsp chili flakes (optional)
- 400g can of diced tomatoes
- 5 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
- 120g pitted black olives
- 2 tbsp capers, drained
- 300g dried spaghetti
- ½ small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
Cook this delicious classic in one pan and serve with spaghetti for a weeknight meal everyone will enjoy. It’s also budget-friendly, making it an excellent dish for families on the go.
7. Confetti Salad
The name comes from the fact that it resembles confetti, usually made of small, colorful pieces.
This salad is ideal at parties or special events where people gather around tables together and eat from large platters of food that have been arranged into little bowls of different colors—it’s like eating at an art exhibit!
Confetti Salad is a salad made from various vegetables and fruits that are cut into small pieces and mixed.
- Cut six cups of salad greens into bite-sized pieces
- 1 can (2 1/4 oz.) sliced ripe olives, drained
- 1 small red onion, sliced
- 1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup yellow pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup red cabbage, shredded
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
- Italian or dressing of your choice
Lastly, throw everything in one bowl and serve with dressing.
Makes 8-10 servings.
8. Indian Curried Sausages
If you’re a fan of spicy food, you’ll love Indian Curried Sausages. These sausages are made with a blend of spices and onions, and they’re sure to have your mouth watering as they go down! Take a look at some of our favorite ways to enjoy them:
- In a sandwich on your favorite bread with some fresh greens and tomatoes
- On top of pizza
- On top of rice or noodles
- As an entrée with some rice or noodles
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Conclusion
Each of the meals above provides a week-long food supply for a family of up to four. And each recipe is designed to be made for under 20 dollars.
This allows you to use the other half of that money to buy ingredients for snacks and lunches for the week as well.
The shopping list has been set up to buy everything in one trip. If you order an extra item (like tofu or bread), switching recipes is easy.
However, if you can’t find some of these ingredients at your local supermarket, they’re readily available on Amazon, so there is no need to worry!
