A Month of Cheap and Healthy Meals for Four (2024)

Week 1: Homemade Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Go meatless on a Monday with these black bean burgers. They make an excellent, low-cost, protein-packed alternative to traditional beef burgers. Serve on a toasted bun with a side of oven-baked sweet potato fries.

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Week 1: Penne Pasta with Spinach and Bacon

This quick, light pasta dish sneaks in some veggies alongside the bacon, including fresh spinach and diced tomatoes. Top it all off with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

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Week 1: Garlic Chicken with Orzo Noodles

Chicken is infused with garlic and red pepper and combined with orzo pasta, fresh parsley, and spinach to create a well-balanced dish that comes together in just 30 minutes on the stovetop. "People ask me to make this all the time!" raves reviewer Sam Erickson.

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Week 1: Spicy Tuna Fish Cakes

"Who needs crab and a deep fryer to enjoy these tasty delights? Tuna works great and a light pan searing does the job of cooking up this tasty treat without all the fat!" says recipe creator Raquel Teixeira. Canned tuna is a low-cost, high-quality source of protein that makes a great alternative to crab meat. Serve with a simple green salad or some veggies from the freezer.

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• 24 Recipes That Start with Canned Tuna

Week 1: Portobello Mushroom Caps and Veggies

Both low-calorie and satisfying, these mushroom caps are a great budget-friendly, vegetarian alternative to steak. Serve with a simple rice pilaf for a meal that's filling without being too heavy.

Week 2: Grilled Peanut Chicken

It's easy to overcook chicken breasts, resulting in a dry and bland dinner. Fortunately basting chicken in this flavorful combination of peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, garlic, curry powder, and cayenne pepper helps to lock in moisture. Serve over brown rice and sugar snap peas like reviewer jmbubble did.

Week 2: Garbanzo Stir-Fry

This veggie stir-fry is filling enough to enjoy on its own thanks to the garbanzo beans (chickpeas) that pack the protein. "This dish was a hit at my office potluck!" raves reviewer KARISADING.

Week 2: Chicken with Garlic, Basil, and Parsley

Keep things simple during the midweek rush; chicken is seasoned with garlic, parsley, basil, tomato, and red pepper flakes and baked. Paired with frozen vegetables or white rice, it doesn't get much easier than this.

Week 2: Chicken in a Pot

Chicken and mushrooms are simmered in a simple, tomato-based sauce. "This is a nice change from other typical chicken recipes," says reviewer sweetcooknj. Serve with rice or crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

Week 2: Zucchini Linguine

Not to be confused with zoodles, this zucchini linguine features both linguine pasta and shredded zucchini tossed in Cheddar cheese and nonfat yogurt. Reviewer calykatz says, "I've made this twice so far and it's been a hit at my house and a great way to use up a lot of zucchini without really realizing that it's in there."

Week 3: Greek Pasta with Tomatoes and White Beans

This Mediterranean-inspired dish couldn't be easier to whip up with canned tomatoes and cannellini beans, as well as fresh spinach, penne pasta, and feta cheese. A healthy and satisfying dinner is on the table in just 25 minutes, start to finish.

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Week 3: California Tacos

Celebrate Taco Tuesday with these vegetarian tacos loaded with fresh vegetables and zesty lime juice. Recipe creator WHIRLEDPEAS says it best: "They're quick and easy to make and they manage to be both healthy and very budget-friendly!"

Week 3: Slow Cooker Chicken Creole

Utilize your slow cooker to make a meal that manages to be easy, affordable, and healthy all at the same time, not to mention delicious! Creole-style seasoning and fresh jalapeño peppers bring the heat to this succulent dish.

Week 3: Erin's Indonesian Chicken

Chicken and green beans are tossed in a sweet and spicy peanut sauce and served over rice in this simple stir-fry. You can substitute low-fat peanut butter to make it a little lighter.

Week 3: Italian Style Flounder

Flounder is an affordable, low-fat, and nutrient-rich protein source. Here it's baked in simple form with a little butter, salt, pepper, lemon juice, tomato, basil, and garlic powder. It checks off all the boxes: Simple, healthy, and cheap. Serve it with steamed vegetables like broccoli.

Week 4: Easiest Spicy Cod

Another budget-friendly white fish makes its way into our meal plan. It may sound like an odd combination, but cod's mild flavor lends itself so well to spicy salsa. Pour it over the fish and bake, and you have yourself a super simple, low-carb dinner. This is one you'll want in your regular rotation. Serve over rice.

Week 4: "Skinny" Chicken Tacos

Here's a healthier take on chicken tacos that features chicken, bell peppers, red onion, jalapeño peppers, and cilantro. You can serve on multi-grain tortillas as suggested, or use the leftover corn tortillas from Week 3.

Week 4: Chicken Kabobs

Take your midweek meal outside with these easy chicken kabobs, no marinating required! Chicken, bell peppers, and onions are brushed in barbeque sauce and cooked on the grill. This is an easily customizable recipe that can be changed based on what fresh produce you have on hand.

Week 4: Aussie Beef and Peppers with Gnocchi

Flank steak is one of the most affordable cuts of steak, and it's paired here with onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, tomatoes, and packaged gnocchi for a dish that's sure to impress.

Week 4: Kadai Chicken

You've made it to the end of the month! Celebrate with one of the easiest chicken dishes you could possibly make: Chicken is simmered in a chile pepper-tomato sauce. Serve over quinoa, as pictured. "This is as good as it is easy," says Allrecipes Allstar Buckwheat Queen.

Related:

• Pictured: Quinoa Chicken
• 15 Cheap and Easy Dinners
• 20 Budget-Friendly Dinner Ideas for 2
• Browse our entire collection of Budget Cooking Recipes.