Delicious food doesn’t have to be expensive! Koch-Mit now has 15 recipes that can be made on a budget.
Cheap recipes for little money
You’re strapped for cash again and can’t see pasta with tomato sauce anymore? We’ll show you our favorite recipes that keep you from getting bored behind the stove despite tight budgets. Let’s go!
Cheap shopping – Tips& Tricks
Inexpensive cooking doesn’t start with dishes, but with shopping. You can, with a few little tips and tricks, so save a little more money. For example, it’s best to go shopping for a whole week and write yourself a shopping list that you can work through. This way you don’t buy unnecessary products and keep a close eye on your budget. Above all: don’t go shopping hungry! Otherwise, you’ll quickly be tempted to stray from your shopping list.
If there are vegetables or other ingredients left over, just try to put them in other recipes. Casseroles, for example, are an excellent way to use ingredients effectively.
Cheap recipes: Breakfast
Frozen Berry Yogurt Smoothie
Of course, there are also inexpensive recipes for breakfast: smoothies are a great way to start the day quickly and optimally satiated. You can also guarantee the absorption of important nutrients through the pureed breakfast. Our recipe with frozen berries is especially suitable for the cold season, when the fruit offer in the supermarket consists mainly of apples and oranges. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on this, as the frozen fruit packet is enough for several smoothies and yogurt is also an inexpensive ingredient.
Ingredients
- 100 g frozen blueberries
- 100 g frozen blackberries
- 150 g natural yogurt
- 200 ml soy milk vanilla/almond milk/cow’s milk
- 1 banana
Preparation
Put all the ingredients in the blender and mix well. Stir after about 30 seconds, then mix for another 30 seconds. You can also prepare a larger portion of the smoothie and store it in the refrigerator for up to three days. This will save you not only money but also time.
Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
Especially filling, prepared in no time and not expensive: the peanut-banana smoothie gives breakfast dessert character and is still healthy. You don’t have to invest much money either, peanut butter is enough for many smoothies and can also be used as a spread or in sauces.
Ingredients
- 2 frozen bananas
- 1/4 jar peanut butter
- 1 cup of nut milk or cow milk
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- Honey
- 1 pinch of salt
Preparation
Put all the ingredients in the blender and blend for approx. Mix for 30 seconds. If desired, garnish the finished smoothie with chopped peanuts.
Eggs Breakfast Muffins
If you prefer savory, but still don’t want to invest a lot of money and time, these egg breakfast muffins are perfect for you. With just a few ingredients and without breaking your food budget, you can whip up a filling meal or even the perfect lunch snack for the office.
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 50 g cooked spinach
- Diced ham to taste
- Some grated cheddar or gouda cheese
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease the muffin tin or line it with baking paper. Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Whisk together with a hand mixer or whisk attachment. Then add the spinach, ham cubes and cheese and mix again. Pour the mixture evenly into the muffin cups and bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the desired degree of browning.
Spinach Cheddar Microwave Quiche
Like a real main course, but much faster to prepare and still super tasty: the microwave quiche is the perfect meal for those who like it hearty. From the ingredients you can also see that inexpensive dishes can also be healthy!
Ingredients
- 100 g spinach leaves
- 1 egg
- 80 ml of milk
- 50 g grated cheddar cheese
- Ham
- Salt and pepper
Preparation
Squeeze the cooked spinach leaves until they are free of excess water. Beat an egg in the cup and add the spinach, milk, cheese, ham, salt and pepper. Mix everything together. Put the cup in the microwave on high for 3 minutes.
Tips and tricks about the microwave can be found here: 11 ingenious hacks for the microwave
Sweet polenta
Polenta comes in many different varieties. This one stands out for its great creamy texture, sweetness and fruity berries. This is a sweet and perfect way to start the day, without much effort and expense. Polenta is really cheap and can be combined with many other ingredients.
Ingredients
- 300 ml milk
- 2 tbsp. honey
- A little salt
- 100 g polenta
- 150 berries of your choice
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp ground nuts
Preparation
First heat the milk in a pot. Dissolve the honey and the salt in it and then add the polenta. Let swell for 20 minutes while stirring. Meanwhile, wash the berries.
Divide the finished, creamy polenta into bowls, sprinkle the berries on top, along with the sesame seeds and ground nuts.
Cheap recipes: Main dishes
Stuffed potato with cheddar cheese and bacon
Even for lunch you need inexpensive recipes that are filling and tasty. Potatoes are the perfect food for thrifty people, because they are cheap and keep you full for a long time. These stuffed baked potatoes are additionally an absolute feel-good meal due to cheddar cheese, bacon and sour cream.
Ingredients
- 4 large potatoes
- 50 g butter
- 50 g spring onions
- 200 g grated cheddar
- 50 g sour cream
- 6 slices of bacon
- salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Prick the potatoes with a fork, wrap in aluminum foil and bake in the oven for about an hour, until soft. Unwrap the potatoes and cut them in half. Carefully scoop out the insides of the potatoes with a spoon and put them in a bowl. Add butter, sour cream, green onions, half of the cheddar and the bacon and mix everything together. Season with salt and pepper. Put the mixture back into the hollowed out potato and sprinkle the remaining cheddar on top. Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted.
Enchilada soup
Super cheap and super filling: enchilada soup warms on cold days and can easily be pimped individually with different toppings. Who said inexpensive recipes can’t be fancy?
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- Oil for sauteing
- 250 ml red enchilada sauce or salsa sauce
- 400 g canned black beans
- 400 g canned corn
- 1 fresh red chili pepper
- 400 g canned tomatoes
- 800 ml chicken broth
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
Toppings:
- fresh coriander
- Tortilla strips
- Sour cream
- grated cheese
- Avocado
Preparation
Chop the onion and garlic and saute in the oil. Chop the chili as well and add. Briefly saute again. Then pour in the chicken broth and bring to the boil. Drain the cans and add with the enchilada sauce. Boil everything for 20 minutes and season with salt. Finally serve with toppings of your choice.
Stuffed zucchini in tomato sauce
Stuffed zucchini tastes good to just about anyone, isn’t expensive, and is also perfect for low carb diets.
Ingredients
- 4 zucchini
- 300 g feta cheese
- 250 ml soy cream or cream
- 1 bunch of fresh oregano
- 500 g strained tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt, pepper
- 1 bunch of fresh basil
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Then wash and halve the zucchini. Then remove the inside with a spoon and put 3/4 of it in a bowl. Add half of the feta. Add half of the (soy) cream and season with salt, sugar and pepper and mash lightly with a fork. Mix the strained tomatoes with the rest of the cream and season with the oregano leaves, salt and pepper and place in the baking dish. Place the zucchini in the mold with the opening facing up and pour in the feta mixture. Crumble the rest of the feta and sprinkle over the zucchini. Bake the whole approx. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Finally, sprinkle fresh basil over the zucchini for garnish. Serve with bulgur or rice.
Caprese chicken: cheap recipes from the oven
With this caprese chicken, you’ll bring Italian flair to your plate easily and inexpensively.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- 6-8 tablespoons basil pesto
- 1-2 Roma tomatoes
- 200 g mozzarella cheese, grated
Preparation
Place the chicken breast in an oiled baking dish. Spread 1-2 tablespoons of pesto on the chicken breast. Slice the Roma tomatoes and spread them on the pesto chicken. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top. Bake at 200 degrees for 30-40 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Serve with pasta or rice.
Broccoli and ham casserole
The classic cheap recipe. It is very easy and cheap to prepare, because you have most of the ingredients for the broccoli casserole at home anyway. It also makes you feel full for a long time and tastes good to everyone.
Ingredients
- 1 broccoli
- 200 g potatoes
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 200 g ham
- 150 ml of cream
- 150 ml milk
- 3 eggs
- 200 ml vegetable broth
- Salt
- Pepper
- 150 g grated Gouda
Preparation
Preheat oven to 160 degrees convection. Wash the broccoli, remove the stalk and divide it into florets. Peel the potatoes, onion and garlic cloves. Slice the potatoes and dice the onion and garlic. Heat some salted water in a pot and blanch the broccoli briefly in it, then rinse in a colander with cold water.
Cut the ham into pieces. Put the cream and the milk in a bowl, beat the eggs in it and mix everything together. Season with plenty of salt and pepper. Now put all the ingredients in a casserole dish, pour the broth and mix. Sprinkle with cheese and put in the oven for 45 minutes.
Potatoes with herb curd
Ingredients
- 500 g potatoes, waxy
- 300 g curd cheese
- 100 g yogurt
- 2 stalks of parsley
- ½ bunch of chives
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt
- pepper
Preparation
Put enough water in a pot, add salt and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, clean the potatoes from the coarsest dirt and then cook them for approx. Cook in water for 25 minutes.
Put the curd cheese and the yogurt in a bowl. Wash the parsley and chives, chop them both. Add to the curd together with the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and leave to marinate in the refrigerator.
Drain the potatoes, divide them on plates and serve together with the curd cheese.
Hearty hunter’s pan
Ingredients
- 350 g mushrooms
- 1 onion
- 100 g peas
- 100 ml cream
- 4 chicken breast fillets
- A little paprika powder, rose hot
- Salt
- Pepper
- Oil for frying
Preparation
First cut the spring onions into thin rings. Clean the mushrooms and cut them into slices. Peel the onion and chop into coarse cubes.
Wash the chicken fillets, dab dry and cut into coarse cubes. Then heat the oil in a frying pan and saute the mushrooms. Then take the mushrooms out of the pan and put them aside.
Again add some oil, season the chicken with salt and fry it all around for 8 minutes and then add the two kinds of onions for another 2 minutes and fry them as well. Pour the cream, bring to the boil and add the peas. Simmer everything for 5 minutes. Finally, add the mushrooms, season with salt, pepper and paprika powder and serve.
Pasta salad with feta and arugula
Ingredients
- 350 g noodles
- 1 onion
- 1 clove of garlic
- 10 cherry or snack tomatoes
- 150 g of feta
- 2 handfuls of arugula
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp honey
- ½ tsp mustard
- Salt
- Pepper
Preparation
Put some water in a pot, salt it and cook the noodles al dente in it. Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the onions and garlic. Wash the tomatoes and the arugula and drain them as well as the feta
Drain the pasta and rinse with a little cold water. Put the vinegar in a small bowl, mix it with a little salt until it dissolves and then gradually add the olive oil and the honey. Then thicken with a little mustard and season with salt and pepper. Put the pasta in a large bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and pour the dressing over it. At the end mix everything and enjoy.
Cheap recipes: Desserts
Quark casserole with cherries
Cheap recipes for afterwards? We have. This quark casserole tastes delicious, although flour is completely omitted. This not only makes it super light and fluffy, but also pleases all low carb fans. Be sure to try!
Ingredients
- 600 g of cherries from a jar, drained
- 1 packet vanilla sugar
- 4 eggs
- 150 g ricotta
Preparation
Drain the cherries well in a sieve. Separate the eggs and whisk the yolks with the vanilla sugar until frothy. Mix the whole with curd cheese. Beat the egg whites until stiff and gently fold into the curd mixture. Put the cherries in the baking dish and cover with the curd and whipped cream mixture. Preheat the grill function of the oven. Let the casserole brown for about 5 minutes. If liquid is still visible after cutting, bake for another 2-3 minutes at top/bottom heat. If you like it sweeter, you can sprinkle the casserole with powdered sugar at the end.
Apple Walnut Crumble
Not only on cold winter days, this Apple Walnut Crumble is a great dessert, for which you don’t need many ingredients at all.
Ingredients
- 2 large apples
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 50 g walnuts
For the batter:
- 50 g flour
- 60 g cold butter
- 50 g brown sugar
Preparation
Mix all the ingredients for the dough in a bowl with your hands and crumble apart. Put them in a cool place. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Peel and slice the apples. Brown the apples in a pan with a little sugar for a few minutes. Then place the apples in a buttered baking dish and sprinkle half of the walnuts on top, then cover with the crumbles. Finally, add the remaining walnuts and bake for about 15 minutes. Served warm, it goes well with vanilla ice cream.
French Toast
French toast tastes good as breakfast, but can also be eaten as dessert.
Ingredients
- 8 slices of brioche or white toast bread
- 2 eggs
- 30 ml milk
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- Butter
Preparation
Beat the eggs in a bowl with sugar until fluffy. Then add the milk while stirring. Heat some butter in a frying pan. Pull the bread slices through the eggs. When they are well moistened on both sides, put them in the pan with the butter. Brown lightly on both sides over medium heat and serve immediately. Honey, maple syrup, jam or fruit goes well with it.
Video: Hearty Cheeseburger French Toast
By loading the video you accept the privacy policy of YouTube.
Learn more
Always unlock YouTube
Pig’s ears
Did you know that the popular pig’s ears can easily be baked at home without many ingredients?? All you need is puff pastry and sugar.
Ingredients
- Puff pastry
- 350 g sugar
- Cinnamon
Preparation
Lay out the (defrosted) puff pastry on a baking sheet. Brush with water and sprinkle with sugar. Roll up on both sides and roll again in sugar. Put in the freezer until the dough is hard and easy to cut. Cut into slices and place the ears on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake in a 180 degree oven approx. Bake for 10 minutes. Depending on taste, dip one side additionally in melted chocolate coating.
Tiramisu in a glass
Italian delight in mini format. These little desserts are easy to make and are great for coffee as well as a quick, inexpensive dessert. If you have enough glasses, you can make as many as you like in advance and store them in the refrigerator. This is a great and inexpensive dessert to have on hand for a party or family reunion. Enjoy it!
Ingredients for 4 glasses
- 8 ladyfingers
- 100 ml espresso or coffee
- 150 g mascarpone
- 100 ml cream
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 package of vanilla sugar
- Cocoa powder for sprinkling
- Optional: coffee beans
Preparation
First break the ladyfingers into rough pieces. Pour half of the crumbs into the glasses and drizzle with half of the coffee. Mix mascarpone with cream and the two kinds of sugar. Divide half the mixture between the glasses. Then layer ladyfingers on top again, drizzle with a little coffee and add the cream on top again. Finally sprinkle with cocoa powder and possibly coffee beans and put in the fridge. The tiramisu tastes better if it has been in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
You can find even more simple dessert ideas here: Quick desserts without baking