Stay on track with your grocery budget and feed your family well with cheap family meals to share with the kids. With easy, affordable options that are also nutritious, use this list to make everything easier in your kitchen!
I know how hard it can be to stick with a grocery budget or just to feel like we are able to feed our families without spending a fortune, so these meals are designed to help. They are my go-to options built on affordable ingredients that come together into delicious meals for both kids and adults.
There are vegetarian options that rely on inexpensive staples such as beans, potatoes, and eggs; recipes with meat that use the more expensive ingredients strategically; and many fast nutritious ideas to use basic pantry staples you might already have on hand.
Look below for easy options and comment at the end with any questions!
(For more easy ideas, you may also like my make-ahead Toddler Dinners, Weeknight Family Meals, and a week of quick kids meal ideas.)
Your toddler won’t eat? Help is here!
Sign up for our email updates to get tips and ideas sent to your inbox.
Quick Lentil Sauce for Pasta
I’m always looking for easy ways to add iron to meals—especially since it’s one nutrient that can be more challenging for the kids to get enough of. And this easy pasta sauce is a new favorite option.
Learn this easy technique to add iron and fiber to pasta sauce without impacting the flavor or texture. This is a great option to make a meal a little more satisfying and as an iron-rich vegetarian meal. (You can start with half the amount of lentils to start to ensure the kids like the sauce, if desired.)
Quick Lentil Sauce for Pasta
Quick Pasta with Peas
We rely on pasta to make easy vegetarian meals, and this version with peas in the mix is one of our staples. It’s rich in vegetarian protein, it’s very fast, and it’s easy for little kids to eat—and for grownups to enjoy, too.
With just a few ingredients, you can make a satisfying vegetarian meal to share with the kids. This Pasta with Peas is fast, simple, and so yummy
Quick Pasta with Peas
One-Pot Taco Pasta
I love easy dinners that require less cleanup and simple cooking methods, and this one-pot pasta is SO good. It has the best of both pasta and tacos, requires just one pan, and is so versatile.
Made in one skillet and ready in under 30 minutes, this One-Pot Taco Pasta is an easy family dinner win. It has the comfort and flavors of both pasta and tacos, and it’s super versatile so you can tailor it to the preferences of your own family.
One-Pot Taco Pasta
Quick Orzo Soup
This soup is super versatile in that you can season it with Italian or Greek flavors. You can also change up the vegetables according to what you have, use chicken or Vegetable Broth, and serve it with more or less liquid according to what’s easiest for your kids.
With a quick cooking time, a veggie-loaded base, and most comforting flavor, this easy Orzo Soup is an all-time favorite family meal. It’s soothing when illness strikes and just makes for a fast and yummy meal when you need it.
Quick Orzo Soup
Easy Chickpea Fritters
These are easy to adjust for allergies, can be made on the stovetop or in the air fryer, and are great with a range of dipping sauces including Cucumber Yogurt Sauce, salsa, guacamole, hummus, and ketchup.
With just a few ingredients and a quick cooking time, these Chickpea Fritters are a protein–packed meal that’s ready in under 20 minutes. (And they reheat well for the future, too!)
Easy Chickpea Fritters
Vegetarian Quesadillas with Beans and Cheese
Transform beans and cheese into delish Vegetarian Quesadillas in less than 10 minutes for family dinner tonight—or a go-to kids meal for anytime. They’re easy to make, whether you make one or a pile, and reheat so well for leftovers.
Easy Breakfast Burritos
These easy burritos are so straightforward to make and are one of my favorite make-ahead breakfast options. I love that I can make a pile of them at once and store them in the fridge or freezer to warm up on future days.
With just 4 simple ingredients, these easy Breakfast Burritos can be made ahead and reheated, or made in minutes and served right away. They’re a protein-packed breakfast to share with the kids.
Easy Breakfast Burritos
Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
This Black Bean Soup is easy, nutritious, and really yummy. I love that it has veggies blended in and that it’s easy for me to throw together even when I’m in a rush!
Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
Baked Sheet Pan Nachos
This is a meal that everyone in my house loves—and it is a safer way to serve nachos to young toddlers who can’t safely chew a tortilla chip. The sliced potato base is soft and tender, but it actually makes for an excellent base for the loaded nacho toppings.
These Baked Sheet Pan Nachos have a tender potato base and are topped with black beans, cheese, salsa and veggies. They’re a total family dinner hit. (You can add some of the ingredients to some of the areas—leaving the spinach off, adding more salsa or spice—to customize for everyone at the table.)
Baked Sheet Pan Nachos
Easy Sloppy Joes
This easy weeknight dinner has been a favorite of my kids ever since I started making it when we lived in Iowa. It’s a version of the Sloppy Joe Pockets in my cookbook Dinnertime SOS but with more veggies.
With two veggies in the mix and a super simple method, these Easy Sloppy Joes work as well for toddlers as it does for big kids and adults. Plus, you can make the whole dinner in less than 15 minutes!
Easy Sloppy Joes
Quick Pizza Beans
I love being able to turn pantry staples into quick family dinners and this recipe for Pizza Beans has become a staple in my house. It’s such a simple meal, yet it also manages to be flavorful and satisfying without much work at all.
With just a few ingredients and a super easy method, this quick Pizza Beans recipe is here to make fast work of meal time. (Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
Quick Pizza Beans
Easy Sheet Pan Eggs
With kids in the house, cooking is often chaotic, so I love recipes like this that feed a lot of people without needing to stand over the stove. Plus, cooking eggs this way—which is similar to a frittata but cooks in less time—is an easy way to make them ahead of time and reheat them when you need them.
Baking a whole tray of eggs on a sheet pan to use for a holiday brunch, inside breakfast sandwiches, or just as a hands-off way to make breakfast is a total game changer. Here’s my go-to method.
Easy Sheet Pan Eggs
Easy Zucchini Slice
This is such a fun way to use zucchini since it slices into bars that are easy to hold and dip. That means it’s a great baby-led weaning breakfast, it’s an easy lunch or snack for any age, and it’s perfect to make ahead and stash in the fridge until everyone is hungry.
Transform basic ingredients—including a pile of zucchini—into this protein-packed Zucchini Slice to share with the kids. It’s an easy breakfast or lunch that stores well and is easy to make ahead. (See the Notes for options to up the flavor as desired.)
Easy Zucchini Slice (to Share with the Kids)
Easy Cheesy Rice (with Veggies!)
I love this approach to Cheesy Rice because the four flavor variations make it easy for kids (and adults!) to eat, the veggies are soft, and there’s just enough cheese for it to be creamy and yummy.
This Cheesy Rice recipe has four options to add in veggies and has been a staple of my family’s diet for a few years now. It’s SO easy and versatile—and stores wonderfully in the fridge. And it’s downright delish!
Easy Cheesy Rice (with Veggies!)
Easy Baked Salmon Cakes
Learning how to make Salmon Cakes is easy—plus, it’s a convenient and cheap family meal and a way to serve healthy fish to a family. They can be made with pantry ingredients that are easy to keep on hand.
These tender Salmon Cakes are easy, flavorful, and an affordable way to serve salmon to the whole family. Try over salad, grains, or tucked into a roll as a salmon burger.
Easy Baked Salmon Cakes (Salmon Patties)
Frequently Asked Questions
Beans, lentils, pasta, eggs, toast, peanut butter, and tortillas are some of my favorite options for cheap family meals.
Look to include fiber and vegetarian protein from inexpensive sources such as whole grain pasta, grains, beans, cheese, yogurt, and whole grain breads.
Rice, potatoes, sliced apples, canned fruit in 100% juice, pasta with butter or olive oil, canned vegetables, frozen vegetables warmed through, whole grain bread, or other grains.
Best Tips for Success
- Check each individual recipe for the specific cooking tips and storage information.
- Look at the prices of comparable store branded products to potentially save on groceries.
- Batch cook dried beans and store portions in the freezer, which is a little bit less than the cost of buying canned beans.
- Look for meat on sale and freeze it in portions to use in future meals.
- Add your go-to cheap family meals in the comments to share!