One of the secrets of great budget cooking is knowing how to lean on shelf-stable pantry staples. Jarred red peppers, for example, can add sweetness and tang to a wide variety of dishes. Or make this fantastic pasta, topped with garlicky bread crumbs.

Looking for easy and cheap meals to make on your grill? In this simple, hearty salad, black beluga lentils and summery produce play important supporting roles. But crispy cheese is the star. The recipe calls for bread cheese, but Halloumi or paneer would work as well.

Looking for ways to use up the rest of your lentils? We have a few lentil recipes to help with that. Use any leftover rolls for making egg sandwiches for breakfast. Drizzle any leftover sauce over some rice or sautéed greens.

Gotta go shopping? Toss the cooked beans with red onion and a lemony cumin dressing, then wrap in lettuce and eat with your hands. Pan-sear these salmon patties in a little olive oil, then dollop with a tangy mix of plain yogurt, Dijon mustard, and fresh dill.

The rice and garlic both get crispy and aromatic. Top with an egg to round out the meal. The nutty flavor of whole wheat pasta pairs well with bold ingredients like capers and anchovies.

Breadcrumbs are a budget-friendly topping that adds crunch and personality—no expensive wedge of Parm required. This is one of those cheap meal ideas that gets even cheaper because of its flexibility.

They can be baked whole, chopped and roasted or added to soups, or of course mashed and grated too. Eggs are an excellent source of lean protein, with 6 grams of protein and less than 2 grams of saturated fat in a hard boiled egg.

The best way to get a deal on eggs is to buy them in bulk. You can also use them to make a frittata, strata, in fried rice or in a sandwich.

Canned Tuna. Canned tuna is another great source of protein that can be purchased inexpensively or on sale. Albacore varieties tend to be somewhat more expensive, but some prefer the taste over light tuna.

Light skipjack varieties generally have lower levels of mercury than albacore; something to consider depending on how often you are eating tuna. You are also given the choice to buy canned tuna in water or in oil.

Canned tuna in water has less calories and fat, although a majority of the oil in canned tuna provides healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Think beyond the tuna sandwich and add canned tuna to a pasta, casserole, or salad.

Rotisserie Chicken. Buying rotisserie chicken on sale can feed your family for several meals and can be incorporated many different ways, from tacos to salads to sandwiches. Rotisserie chicken is a great source of protein and key vitamins and minerals, but can also be high in sodium so be careful to eat it in moderation.

Tofu is a wonderful meatless source of protein and fiber and is much cheaper by the pound when compared to meats. Tofu is great in stir-fries, salads, or really any dish that you would normally add meat to. Keeping these 10 budget-friendly ingredients on hand will help you get healthy meals on the table without breaking the bank.

Tweet this Share it to Facebook. And for more info on how to keep a well-stocked pantry, see our Pantry Essentials Guide. I acknowledge by requesting this info, I'll be added to Cook Smarts' newsletter list. I can unsubscribe at any time.

In-season fresh fruits and vegetables Unfortunately, fresh fruits and vegetables, which tend to be among the healthiest foods for us, can also be the most costly ingredients. Beans Dried beans are inexpensive and are ideal for feeding large groups of people or for leftovers.

Canned tomatoes Purchasing tomatoes paste, crushed, or diced in a preserved form canned, tubed, or boxed can save you time, money and add flavor to lots of dishes. Grains and Pasta Grains such as rice, farro, and quinoa and dried pasta are easy to buy in bulk at a reduced price and can generally be stored for long periods of time.

For a well-stocked kitchen, be sure to check in on your dried herb collection now and then. Dried herbs will last for a long time, and you only need a tiny bit to get the job done.

They're a great, cost-effective way to add flavor to your meal. When it comes to cooking, oils often get a bad rap. While some oils are loaded with unhealthy fats, other oils are great for you. Oils are a necessary ingredient in many cooking styles. Styles include everything from sautéing to grilling and roasting.

Oils can also be used to make creamy dips, sauces, spreads and dressings. Not sure which oil to choose? We recommend selecting those that are high and healthy fats. Oils that include healthy fats are olive oil, avocado oil and coconut oil, among others. When purchasing oil, make sure it's one that you will use, or else it will likely sit at the back of your cupboard unnoticed.

The more you begin to cook at home, the easier it will be to identify healthy, budget-friendly meals. Keeping a well-stocked pantry of these 15 items is necessary for flavorful cooking on a budget. Now, that doesn't mean you have to purchase all of these ingredients at once.

Instead, we encourage you to choose a few ingredients from this list that you enjoy and work them into your weekly meal rotation. Once you have your basics determined and ready to go, you can begin adding more ingredients to your shopping list.

Of course, the ingredients you choose and use from this list is entirely up to you. Because each person's taste preferences vary, there are likely to be items on this list that appeal to you and others that do not. To make your decision easier, think back to the foods you enjoyed as a child. Did your family cook with a lot of olive oil?

Maybe a sweet potato mash was a family tradition around fall? Whatever ingredients stand out to you, add them to your pantry. And remember, at the end of the day, this is just a suggestion. These foods are versatile, nutritious and delicious.

It just depends on how you choose to use them in your kitchen. Your email address will not be published. Copy Link Print Pinterest Facebook. Home Our Blog Healthy Living 15 Cheap Ingredients You Should Always Have on Hand.

Fresh Fruits and Veggies It's no secret that fruits and veggies are great for you. Frozen Fruits and Veggies Now, if you're still craving fruit that is out of season and want to find a more cost-effective way to purchase it, then buying frozen goods is the way to go.

Beans If you genuinely want to save money, then purchase dried beans. Canned Tomatoes Purchasing canned tomatoes, instead of fresh tomatoes, is a great way to extend your ingredients' shelf life.

Grains It's no surprise that we'd put grains in this list; we love them! Sweet Potatoes Sweet potatoes have recently grown in popularity in the health industry, and it's no surprise as to why. Eggs Eggs are a great way to stretch your dollar.

Precooked Meats Purchasing pre-cooked meat like a rotisserie chicken is a great way to save time and money. Tofu Looking for more plant-based ways to add protein to your diet? Protein Powder For an efficient and budget-approved way to add more protein to your meals, purchase flavorful protein powder.

Beans Canned tomatoes Grains and Pasta

Discount cooking ingredients - Frozen fruits and vegetables Beans Canned tomatoes Grains and Pasta

These 15 budget-friendly pantry recipes lean hard on staples you probably already have on hand—and whatever you might be missing is easy and inexpensive to pick up. Even cooking one dinner per week out of your pantry can add up to real savings.

Here's what to make out of your pantry tonight! Stacey Ballis is a novelist, cookbook author, freelance food and lifestyle journalist, and recipe developer who specializes in culinary fiction, and empowering home cooks to create extraordinary cooking and dining experiences for themselves and their loved ones.

Dried lentils are a wonderful protein-packed legume, with the added benefit of not needing soaking before cooking. When made into soup with some simple fresh aromatics, they are hearty and satisfying. If you want your soup a bit creamier, you can puree a couple cups of the finished soup and stir it back in.

Red lentils are really a style of split pea, and since they have been hulled before drying, they cook super fast.

This dish only takes 10 minutes to prep and 40 to cook, so you can put it on as soon as you get home from work and have dinner ready for your family by the time you have changed and walked the dog. Serve over rice for a complete meal.

Need a great pantry dish for vegans? Look no further than this sweet potato chickpea curry, which is luxurious and satisfying enough to please even the meat eaters at the table. Serve over rice, or with naan or pita breads for sopping up all the spicy sauce. A great vegetable chili — a super affordable way to feed a crowd — is really good to have in your repertoire.

This recipe calls for fresh corn and tomatoes, but you can sub in canned versions when they are out of season or if you have them in your pantry.

This Asian-inspired rice bowl pairs equal amounts of rice and tuna by weight to ensure that the one-pot meal is a perfect balance of protein and carbs.

Make a double batch and eat leftovers cold over chopped lettuce for a great lunch salad. Taco Tuesdays get an affordable pantry makeover by featuring canned black beans cooked in a rich sauce of canned green salsa and savory spices.

No time to pick up tortillas? Serve over lettuce for a taco salad, or pile into baked white or sweet potatoes. Fried rice is an ideal way to use up leftover rice, but this dish is so good, you will want to make rice fresh just to cook it! This recipe features quick-cooking brown rice for a great texture along with plenty of vegetables in the mix, including frozen peas.

If you want to up the ante with protein, stir in some scrambled eggs or strips of omelet at the end. Having canned salmon in your pantry is a wonderful and affordable way to get more fish into your diet without breaking the bank.

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Discount cooking ingredients - Frozen fruits and vegetables Beans Canned tomatoes Grains and Pasta

But there's no reason not to get creative with lentils too, and there are plenty of options for how to serve them. They can be added to rice bowls, mixed into salads, or even pressed into burgers. Technically not a nut but a type of bean, peanuts are historically a cheap staple food.

There's a reason, after all, that underpaid workers talk about being "paid peanuts. Some people should skip this one because of allergies, but peanut butter is quite a nutritious foodstuff.

It's high in fats, albeit healthy ones like oleic acid, while at the same time being low in carbohydrates, making it a fine choice for anyone on a low-carb diet. Additionally, it's an excellent source of protein and vitamins B and E, with a good amount of manganese, copper, and magnesium.

Peanut butter is usually thought of as a sweet food in Western countries, where it's usually enjoyed in sandwiches, but it can also be included as an ingredient in many savory dishes.

It's an essential ingredient in making Southeast Asian recipes like chicken satay , and African recipes like Ghanian groundnut soup. For a cheap and easy way to give your home recipes an extra boost in protein and flavor, peanut butter can be a surprisingly good option.

When using it in cooking, it's probably best to try and find some without too much added sugar. A popular pantry food, canned tuna can be found on the shelves in many people's kitchens. Meats tend to be among the most expensive items on most people's grocery lists, making canned tuna an attractive option on a tight budget.

Its long shelf life makes canned tuna a handy thing to keep in the cupboard for times when money is tight. Tuna is also an oily fish, making it rich in healthy omega-3 oils.

As well as being packed with protein, it's also a good source of vitamin D and selenium. Canned tuna isn't for everyone but, while the flavor and texture may not be as good as with fresh tuna, it's certainly one of the cheapest seafood options out there.

There are several varieties of canned tuna available to buy, and it's a versatile enough ingredient to work well in all kinds of dishes.

A simple tuna salad is a classic choice, and canned tuna also tastes delicious in a wholesome casserole. As leafy greens go, spinach is a particularly good choice.

It's famously rich in iron, but is also a good dietary source of magnesium, potassium, and vitamin E. Eating spinach is linked with a range of health benefits, including improved skin, hair, and bone health, and helping your body control blood sugar levels.

Spinach is also inexpensive, with retail prices of around 91 cents per pound. The cheapest option for spinach is to buy it frozen and, perhaps surprisingly, frozen spinach can actually be more nutritious than fresh leaves.

After being picked, fresh leafy vegetables tend to gradually lose their nutrients over time, but freezing locks them in, keeping frozen spinach as rich as when it was freshly harvested.

Helpfully, in many dishes, frozen spinach can work just as well as fresh leaves. It can be mixed with feta cheese and baked into a buttery Greek spinach pie, spanakopita, or can be combined with spices and diced potatoes to make a mouthwatering Indian spinach curry, saag aloo.

Tomatoes are one of those foods that are ubiquitous in world cuisines, and one of the cheapest ways to use them in your cooking is to buy them canned. Tomatoes are a good source of vitamins, B, C, and K, as well as potassium, but the main reason they're so popular is for their distinctive flavor.

One of the simplest ways to use tomato purée is in tomato soup , as a comfort food that's both wholesome and easy to prepare. Tomatoes are an essential ingredient in cuisines from all around the world though, from Italy to India, so there's no shortage of inspiration. Whether you're spreading it onto a pizza base or making a rich pot of murgh makhani butter chicken , you'll need some of this versatile ingredient.

Of course, tomatoes are originally from Mesoamerica, so they're used in all kinds of Mexican dishes. An easy and satisfying one is to combine it with rice to make arroz rojo. For being both abundant and affordable, corn has historically been a cheap staple food in America.

It still comfortably fits this role, with cornmeal available for just under 70 cents per pound. A starchy foodstuff, cornmeal also contains some protein and fiber, as well as being a good source of potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium.

Traditionally used in working-class foods in the US, cornmeal is essential in a few classic recipes from the Southern states, like hot water cornbread or grits. It can also be found in cuisines from elsewhere in the world, from the polenta enjoyed in Italy to the cornmeal porridge eaten for breakfast in Jamaica.

While many people may overlook cornmeal, it is a nice and cheap addition to add to your grocery list and it has a good shelf life. A little can go a long way in your cooking! Not everyone eats meat, but for those who do, cuts that are still on the bone are typically the cheapest option, and bone-in chicken is one of the most affordable.

As well as being a good source of protein, like other meats, chicken is also rich in potassium, phosphorus, and B vitamins. While it's often cooked on the bone, chicken thighs can also be filleted and used in much the same way as any other cut of meat.

To be truly frugal, it's best not to throw those bones away either. Chicken bones can be boiled to make a wholesome chicken stock , which can be used to add some umami depth and nutrition to other dishes like soups or noodle bowls. Pan-sear these salmon patties in a little olive oil, then dollop with a tangy mix of plain yogurt, Dijon mustard, and fresh dill.

The rice and garlic both get crispy and aromatic. Top with an egg to round out the meal. The nutty flavor of whole wheat pasta pairs well with bold ingredients like capers and anchovies.

Breadcrumbs are a budget-friendly topping that adds crunch and personality—no expensive wedge of Parm required. This is one of those cheap meal ideas that gets even cheaper because of its flexibility.

Follow the recipe to the letter if you wish, or swap out the potatoes for any leftover cooked vegetables that you have in your fridge. The best cheap dinner ideas get the most flavor possible out of every ingredient—here, you crisp some bacon so that you can char peaches and bread in the rendered fat.

All that gets paired with with tomatoes tossed in a garlicky, spicy brine. Joe Sevier. Kendra Vaculin. The Smart Cook Linkbanner Make a Food Budget. Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich.

Get This Recipe. Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson. Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton. Photo by David Loftus. Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Heather Greene, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou.

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell. Buying rotisserie chicken on sale can feed your family for several meals and can be incorporated many different ways, from tacos to salads to sandwiches. Rotisserie chicken is a great source of protein and key vitamins and minerals, but can also be high in sodium so be careful to eat it in moderation.

Tofu is a wonderful meatless source of protein and fiber and is much cheaper by the pound when compared to meats. Tofu is great in stir-fries, salads, or really any dish that you would normally add meat to. Keeping these 10 budget-friendly ingredients on hand will help you get healthy meals on the table without breaking the bank.

Tweet this Share it to Facebook. And for more info on how to keep a well-stocked pantry, see our Pantry Essentials Guide. I acknowledge by requesting this info, I'll be added to Cook Smarts' newsletter list. I can unsubscribe at any time.

In-season fresh fruits and vegetables Unfortunately, fresh fruits and vegetables, which tend to be among the healthiest foods for us, can also be the most costly ingredients. Beans Dried beans are inexpensive and are ideal for feeding large groups of people or for leftovers.

Canned tomatoes Purchasing tomatoes paste, crushed, or diced in a preserved form canned, tubed, or boxed can save you time, money and add flavor to lots of dishes. Grains and Pasta Grains such as rice, farro, and quinoa and dried pasta are easy to buy in bulk at a reduced price and can generally be stored for long periods of time.

Potatoes Potatoes often get a bad rap for their fry and chip form, but potatoes are actually a nutrient-dense vegetable that can be very good for you in moderation. Eggs Eggs are an excellent source of lean protein, with 6 grams of protein and less than 2 grams of saturated fat in a hard boiled egg.

Canned Tuna Canned tuna is another great source of protein that can be purchased inexpensively or on sale.

Rotisserie Chicken Buying rotisserie chicken on sale can feed your family for several meals and can be incorporated many different ways, from tacos to salads to sandwiches. Tofu Tofu is a wonderful meatless source of protein and fiber and is much cheaper by the pound when compared to meats.

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