5 Family Dinners Under $25 Each

For a family of four, dinner can get expensive. One way I combat that is by planning ahead as often as I can and by shopping sales to stock up. Many of the recipes shared below require ingredients like onions, garlic, peppers, rice, pasta, seasonings/spices, etc. that we usually keep stocked at the house. I also buy extra when there is a good sale on meats that I can keep it in the freezer, but the costs I share below include every ingredient minus seasonings and oil. 

1. One Pan Chourico and Veggies- This is one of our favorite dishes. The dish calls for onions, potatoes, carrots, and asparagus, but it would be easy enough to use any blend of vegetables you prefer.  The dish costs about $15/$16, but if you are like me and prefer to serve it with pasta or rice you can add another $2 or so to the cost. 

2.  The Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes recipe from Dinner Then Dessert makes another great meal. We made them without mushrooms and served white rice on the side. Our total cost was just under $20. 

3. Pizza Chili- A great twist for pizza night. You could use ground beef or ground turkey. I like serving it over pasta because I love carbs, but you can skip that it you want. Total cost is about $25 if you need to pick up all ingredients including the pasta.

4. 3 Ingredient Savory Air Fried Boneless Pork Chops- Using ingredients you likely already have at home, the pork chops are quick and easy to make. You can round out the dish with rice and veggies, or with a salad and ramen like we did. Total cost is under $20, depending on which sides you choose.

5. Another idea for pizza night! Takeout is great, but staying around $25 can be tricky. We have a pizza night a couple Fridays a month and we absolutely love making our own. Our favorite is what we call "GB Pizza". We grab a few boxes of Texas toast (found in the freezer section), a jar of sauce, shredded cheese, olives, and mini pepperoni. We start by following the directions on the box; bake 3-4 minutes and then flip and cook for 2 additional minutes. When we flip the toast, we add a spoonful of sauce, some shredded cheese, and our favorite toppings then pop it back in the oven. 2 pieces seem to be filling enough for everyone in our family, especially when we have a nice side salad. All said and done, with the salad ingredients included, we spend about $17 or $18. 

Hope that you will try some of these recipes! Be sure to show love to the original posts available through the links.