Food and Recipes Quick and Easy Dinners 18 Budget-Friendly Quick-Fix Meals the Whole Family Will Love By Southern Living Editors Updated on November 2, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Greg Dupree Everyone in your home will love the taste of these budget recipes—even the kids! Inexpensive and fast—those are magic words for busy cooks who don't want to shortchange flavor just to save a few pennies. Our budget-friendly dinner recipes are low on cost and high on creativity. Feel like Italian? Try Cast-Iron Chicken Piccata or Zucchini-and-Spinach Lasagna. Leaning toward Tex-Mex? Whip up an easy recipe like our Southwest Chicken Rice Bowl or Taco Dinner Mac and Cheese. Please your crowd on a weeknight with our Beef and Brussels Sprouts Stir-Fry or Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken Cutlets with Broccoli and Parmesan Cream Sauce. We've even got budget-friendly dinner recipes for comfort foods, such as Easy Chicken and Dumplings, and Sloppy Joe Casserole. Need kid-friendly? Done. Budget-friendly Pecan-Crusted Chicken and Tortellini with Herb Butter Sauce or Pizza Pepper Poppers will have the whole soccer team racing to the table—but you won't be racing to the bank to cover your grocery bill. 01 of 18 Southwest Chicken Rice Bowl Greg Dupree Recipe: Southwest Chicken Rice Bowl Spice up dinner with a Tex-Mex classic at home with this easy, warming Southwest chicken recipe, served on a bowl of flavorful rice and topped with a sprig of cilantro. Lime juice gives it a summery zest while cayenne and jalapeño pepper add a nice kick. Perfect for pairing with margaritas. 02 of 18 Grilled Chicken 'N' Cheese Sandwiches Southern Living Recipe: Grilled Chicken 'N' Cheese Sandwiches What if you could make a grilled cheese nutritious? Add a little chicken salad to the mix and you've got yourself a ready-in-20-minutes dinner that everyone will love. 03 of 18 Beef-and-Brussels Sprouts Stir-Fry Greg DuPree Recipe: Beef-and-Brussels Sprouts Stir-Fry You can substitute any veggie that your family prefers in this stir-fry that packs just a little bit of heat. The best part is it's ready in just 30 minutes. 04 of 18 Grilled Chicken-and-Veggie Tortellini Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Grilled Chicken-and-Veggie Tortellini Jazz up store-bought tortellini with tasty grilled chicken, zucchini, pesto, and tomatoes, and your family will think that you picked up dinner from the local Italian restaurant. 05 of 18 Cast-Iron Chicken Piccata Greg Dupree Recipe: Cast-Iron Chicken Piccata The best part of this chicken piccata is it only requires one dish to make, and we recommend a cast-iron skillet. It will heat more evenly than a nonstick pan, yielding a delicious cutlet that's tender with crisp skin. 06 of 18 One-Pot Pasta with Tomato-Basil Sauce Becky Luigart-Stayner Recipe: One-Pot Pasta with Tomato-Basil Sauce You'll want to make this easy dish every week. 07 of 18 Pecan-Crusted Chicken and Tortellini with Herbed Butter Sauce Photo: Jennifer Davick Recipe: Pecan-Crusted Chicken and Tortellini with Herbed Butter Sauce This is always a winning meal for busy weeknights. Play it safe for the kids with cheesy pasta and crunchy chicken, and impress an adult-palate with a nutty, toasted flavor from pecans mixing into the fragrant herbed butter sauce. 08 of 18 Salmon Burgers with Creamy Tartar Sauce Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Salmon Burgers with Creamy Tartar Sauce Form the patties for these delicious salmon burgers right after work and let them chill while you help the kids with homework. Top with your go-to fixings for a simple and no-brainer weeknight meal. 09 of 18 Taco Dinner Mac and Cheese Southern Living Recipe: Taco Dinner Mac and Cheese If your family loves mac and cheese, try a twist on the traditional by adding ground beef and taco seasoning. The add-in opportunities are endless! 10 of 18 Easy Chicken and Dumplings Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Easy Chicken and Dumplings Canned biscuits turn into delicious dumplings in this quick-and-easy version of the traditional recipe. Use deli-roasted chicken to save time; one roasted chicken yields about 3 cups, the amount needed for this recipe. 11 of 18 Chicken-Bacon Ranch Casserole Alison Miksch Recipe: Chicken-Bacon Ranch Casserole A short ingredient list, easy prep, ready in under an hour, and three crowd-pleasing ingredients – what's not to love about this casserole? 12 of 18 Zucchini-and-Spinach Lasagna Jennifer Davick Recipe: Zucchini-and-Spinach Lasagna Your kids won't even realize they're eating veggies in this creamy lasagna dish. 13 of 18 Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Rishon Hanners Prop Stylist: Christina Daley Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese Take your favorite game day dish and turn it into a weeknight staple. Add a salad to the mix and you have a filling, nutritious, and tasty meal. 14 of 18 Grilled Cheeseburger Nachos Caitlin Bensel; Prop Styling: Lucy Barr; Food Styling: Liz Mervosh Recipe: Grilled Cheeseburger Nachos Your kid's favorite fast-food meal just got turned into an easy school-night recipe. For easy clean up you can wrap your pan in tinfoil before cooking the nachos. 15 of 18 Sloppy Joe Casserole with Dinner Rolls Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Rishon Hanners, Prop Stylist Heather Chadduck Recipe: Sloppy Joe Casserole with Dinner Rolls We gave this mom-approved classic a one-dish upgrade. Plus, dinner will be on the table in just 30 minutes. 16 of 18 Buttermilk Chicken Tenders with Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans Greg DuPree Recipe: Buttermilk Chicken Tenders with Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans Your kids won't complain about eating their veggies when they're served with these chicken tenders. 17 of 18 Chicken Parmesan Pizza Recipe: Chicken Parmesan Pizza A frozen garlic bread loaf and deli fried chicken strips ensure this five-ingredient pizza will be ready for the oven in only 15 minutes. Serve it with a simple romaine lettuce salad tossed with grated Parmesan cheese, croutons, and your favorite bottled Caesar dressing. Watch: Chicken Parmesan Pizza 18 of 18 Pizza Pepper Poppers Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christina Daley Recipe: Pizza Pepper Poppers These bite-sized pizzas are ideal for smaller appetites. Serve along freshly cut veggies and dips for a quick weeknight meal. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! 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