Make All 5 of These Weeknight Dinner Ideas for Under $50
Check out these 5 family-friendly weeknight dinner ideas using inexpensive pantry ingredients.
Could you create 5 weeknight dinner ideas for under $50?! I’m up for the challenge.
Having a meal plan for the week including a grocery list sure makes life run smoother! Everything feels a bit more organized and manageable when we know what’s for dinner ahead of time. Keeping a family fed each evening can sometimes feel overwhelming, so I cooked up a weeknight meal plan to help you out. Use these ideas to serve your family dinner for a week under $50!
If you love easy and affordable meals like me, this post is for you! Check out these 5 delicious weeknight dinner ideas your family will love. Plus, I included a grocery list you can shop from or print!
Print this weeknight meal plan and let’s get to cookin’ our weeknight dinners!
I’ve done all the prep work for ya on this simple yet tasty meal plan! To grab your ingredients for the week, print the grocery list and take it with you to the store or shop online using the links I’ve included on the printout. Even better, you may already have lots of these grocery staples on hand so be sure to shop your pantry first.
As far as the meals being under $10 each, I am counting the main ingredients and not optional ingredients or pantry staples like spices, seasonings, oil, butter, etc.
Note that prices may vary by location or by date purchased. The prices of the meals below are adjusted to reflect the amount of the ingredients used. For example, the cost reflects the price of 1/4 cup of bread crumbs versus the entire container.
Ready to make these meals? Print Your FREE Weeknight Dinner Grocery List.
Watch Lina share the recipes from this meal plan on YouTube!
5 Weeknight Dinner Ideas Under $50:
1. Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
Warm up a bowl of this hearty chicken chili with beans, green chiles, and corn. It has lots of delicious flavors, with minimal effort of simply popping all the ingredients into the slow cooker.
Cost of recipe: $8.22 via Walmart.com
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken thigh meat, cut into one-inch pieces
- 2- 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes, undrained
- 4 oz. can green chiles
- 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed, & drained
- 11 oz. of sweet corn, undrained
- 1 envelope onion soup mix
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro *optional topping
Recipe Directions
2. Sausage, Green Beans, & Potatoes One-Pot Dinner
Get a warm and comforting meal on the table in a snap with this yummy sausage and potato dish. It has a buttery broth, and the sausage seasons the potatoes and green beans nicely, for a delicious stew-like meal from the Dutch oven.
Cost of recipe: $8.86 via Walmart.com
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 pounds red potatoes, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning, or to taste
- 12 oz. fresh green beans, trimmed
- 12 oz. packaged smoked sausage or kielbasa, sliced
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
Recipe Directions
3. Everything Bagel Seasoned Chicken Tenders
Everyone’s favorite bagel seasoning featuring dried garlic, onion, poppy seeds, and sesame seeds gets tossed with panko-style breadcrumbs for the ultimate crunchy chicken tenders. You can make these in 15.5 oz. can black beans or the oven for convenience!
Cost of recipe: $11.09 via Walmart.com
INGREDIENTS:
- 3/4 cup panko style or traditional breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup everything bagel seasoning
- 2 pounds raw chicken breast tenderloins
- 2 eggs
- coconut oil spray
- sliced celery or carrot crudites as a side dish
Recipe Directions
4. Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs
Turn an ordinary bag of frozen meatballs into tender slow-cooked cranberry glazed meatballs with lots of sweet and savory flavor! They make a delicious meal served over rice with a steamed veggie. This actually makes closer to 6 servings in my opinion. We had leftovers so it makes up for being a little over budget!
Cost of recipe: $11.87 via Walmart.com
INGREDIENTS:
- 32 oz. frozen pre-cooked meatballs (or make your own)
- 14 oz. can cranberry sauce
- 12 oz. chili sauce
- fresh broccoli crown
- 4 servings white rice, cooked
Recipe Directions
5. Skillet Chicken Fajitas
Zesty chicken fajitas are a cinch to make using a skillet on the stove! This idea takes such little time and effort, and yet the results are filling and delicious.
Cost of recipe: $9.66 via Walmart.com
INGREDIENTS:
- 1.5 pounds fresh chicken breasts, sliced into strips
- 3 bell peppers, any color, sliced
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- juice from one lime
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- pinch of pepper
- tortillas for serving
Recipe Directions
Don’t forget to print your free weeknight shopping list!
I can’t get the PDF to load
Oh bummer! Sorry for the troubles.❤️ That link is still working for me now as I click through. Maybe try a different browser or switch to desktop view if using a mobile device. I had success using the Chrome browser on my desktop. Hoping it works for you soon! 🤞💞
This is such an awesome idea! Thank you for the post.
Glad you like this post Maria! Thanks for commenting 🙂
Wow some great recipes. If it was only me I would love to try them.
Thanks Patricia!
how to download the recipes
Click on “recipe directions” and it will take you to each recipe post where you can save or print the entire recipe. Hope that helps Lana!
Thank you so much for sharing! I will be making a couple of these this week for dinner.
Oh good, thanks Lolie!
Lina’s recipes are always good. There’s a sheet pan chicken pot pie I printed years ago — it’s a family favorite! Thanks Lina…keep ’em coming. Like you, I have so little time to cook!
Oh that’s so sweet Mindy, thanks!
I’d love to have this recipe! Any idea where to find it?
Hi Nikki! Here’s a link to that recipe for you! Enjoy! ❤️
The challenge isn’t difficult. What’s difficult is feeding breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a family of 4 for $50.
FOR A WEEK! Now that’s living!🤣🤦♀️
#3 recipe doesn’t show bagel seasoning in ingredient list
So sorry about that! It’s been updated, if you’d like to check back! 💕
I can do it! I generally spend between $35- $48 a week for groceries and household items for a family of 3 adults.
Great recipes, but celebrities are out of touch with reality. Anyone remember Gwyneth Paltrows grocery store trip on $29 a few years back? Yeah-
https://www.today.com/food/gwyneth-paltrow-fails-29-week-food-challenge-after-4-days-t15846