Having large families is an amazing thing! Looking for cheap and easy recipes to feed said large family, might not be as amazing.
When it comes to cheap and easy dinners some people might have a hard time coming up with ideas.
Lucky for you I have compiled a list of 8 amazing frugal meals for large families that are for sure going to be a hit.
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Tips for large families
Buy in bulk
When shopping you should look for things to buy in bulk that you can separate and freeze (if necessary). This will save money but also create easy dishes to make.
Stalk up
During really good sales you should stalk up on the item, this may not help on your food budget at the time BUT will help on your food budget in the long run.
Be careful not to fall for some sale tricks, always check to see how much you are actually saving off the sale price.
My rule of thumb is: if it’s less then $1 savings I opt out.
Utilize leftovers
I love using leftovers for the next day, and again this will create easy dishes to make over the next few days!
When making a meal always think ahead and ask yourself if you can make a meal out of this the next day.
A good example of this is buying a whole chicken, I can make 3 more meals out of that one chicken (of course this depends on size of chicken). You can always make a soup out of the leftovers!
Plan ahead
This is probably the most important tip, always plan ahead. Have a list ready for every trip to the grocery store, and always check for sales before you go.
Meal planning is always very important when trying to keep your food budget under control. It is a must for me especially, if I don’t meal plan I am a mess when grocery shopping.
Don’t like meal planning? Get the $5 meal plan and have that all taken care of for an amazing price.
Related: How Budgeting for Groceries can Save you Loads of Money
8 Frugal Meals For Large Families
Chili
Chili is a great meal for cooking on a budget when it comes to feeding large families, sometimes you may even have leftovers which you can freeze!
Chili
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 yellow onion
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 30 oz can of kidney beans
- 30 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 12 oz can of tomato paste
- 2 cups water
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 0.5 tsp cayenne powder
- 0.5 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add both to a large pot with the olive oil and cook over medium heat until they are soft and transparent. Add the ground beef and continue to sauté until the beef is fully browned.
- Drain the beans and add them to the pot along with the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 cup water, and all of the ingredients for the chili seasoning. Stir until well combined. Place a lid on the pot and allow it to simmer over a low flame for at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally (the flavor gets better the longer it simmers).
Toss all ingredients into slow cooker and cook on low heat throughout the day for an easy meal.
Lasagna
Surprisingly it is great for your food budget and easy to make it your own. Toss in anything you’d like and you can make a pretty large serving, add garlic bread and you have an amazing meal for large families.
Basic Lasagna (Base)
- 1 pound ground beef
- 4 cups tomato pasta sauce
- 6 uncooked lasagna noodles
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 2 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
- Cook beef in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Stir in pasta sauce.
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Spread one-third of meat sauce in a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish; layer with 3 noodles and half each of mozzarella cheese. (Add any other ingredients as you go) Repeat procedure; spread remaining one-third of meat sauce over mozzarella cheese. Slowly pour 1/4 cup hot water around inside edge of dish. Tightly cover baking dish with 2 layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
- Bake at 375° for 45 minutes; uncover and bake 10 more minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Remember this is just a base recipe, you can add any other ingredients you have on hand. This is a great recipe for cleaning out the fridge!
Beans, Chips and Cheese (Nachos)
This is a cheap and easy dinner, great for large families and who doesn’t love nachos! Add a salad for the side dish and boom, great meal for large families that even the kids will love.
Nachos
- 4 cups small round corn tortilla chips
- 1 cup Old El Paso™ refried beans (from 16-oz can)
- 1/2 cup Old El Paso™ Thick ‘n Chunky salsa
- 2 tbsp Old El Paso™ pickled jalapeño slices, drained, chopped (from 12-oz jar)
- 1/2 cup cup chopped green onions (8 medium)
- 2 cups cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
- Heat oven to 400°F. Line 12-inch pizza pan or 15x10x1-inch pan with foil; spray with cooking spray. Spread half of chips evenly on pan.
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In small bowl, mix refried beans and salsa. Drop about half of mixture by small spoonfuls over chips. Top with half each of jalapeño slices, onions and cheese. Repeat layers ending with cheese.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.
Add your own ingredients, clean out your fridge.
Tuna Casserole
This is a family favorite here, it is very easy on your food budget and makes a good amount. You can always substitute the tuna for chicken or something your family enjoys.
Tuna Casserole
- 2 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni noodles
- 1 can flaked tuna
- 1 jar Alfredo sauce
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup crushed soda crackers
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese ((optional))
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Boil noodles for 8 minutes or until desired tenderness. (Will cook more when baked in oven).
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While noodles are boiling prepare crushed crackers for topping. In a glass casserole dish mix Tuna, Sauce, and Mozzarella cheese.
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When noodles are ready, drain and add to casserole dish. Mix altogether.
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Sprinkle crushed crackers evenly on top. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese on top of crushed crackers.
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Bake at 350 Celsius for 20-25 mins or until cheese and crackers are browned.
Beef Stew
Any stew really is a great easy and cheap recipe idea for large families, you can easily freeze any leftovers.
Beef Stew
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups cups beef broth
- 2 pounds cubed beef stew meat
- 4 cups cubed potatoes
- 2 cups chopped carrots
- 1 cup fresh corn kernels (or frozen)
- 1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces (or frozen)
- 1 cup fresh peas (or frozen)
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
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Toss all ingredients into slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.
Add any spices you desire. Swap out any vegetables or add more.
Beef Goulash
This is another family favorite here. It is such a cheap and easy dinner to make, I actually make it once a week and always have leftovers for school lunches.
Beef Goulash
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 can Hunts tomato sauce (Or preferred )
- 21/2 cups Elbow Macaroni
- 5 thin cheese slices
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Start by adding ground beef to a skillet and cook on medium heat.
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Bring a large sauce pan of water to a boil and add macaroni, stirring occasionally.
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Once ground beef is cooked add the tomato sauce and stir together.
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Drain cooked noodles and add to the skillet, mix altogether.
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Stir in cheese slices until all melted together. Remove from heat and serve!
You can add any vegetables or spices to this recipe, this is just the most basic and budget friendly version.
Meatloaf
For feeding large families this is a great idea, make as many as you want and freeze them. One of the best easy dishes to make and also helps with cooking on a budget.
Meatloaf
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 2 eggs
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups dried bread crumbs (or crackers )
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 4 tbsp mustard
- 1 cup ketchup
- salt and pepper (to taste )
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
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In a large bowl mix the beef, egg, onion, milk and bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Separate into two equal parts. Place each in a lightly greased 5×9 inch loaf pan.
- In a separate small bowl, combine the brown sugar, mustard and ketchup. Mix well and pour over the meatloaf.
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Bake for 1 hour or until cooked through.
Make as many as you’d like and freeze for an easy meal later.
Hashbrown Casserole
This puts the “cheap” in cheap and easy dinners! This meal is super easy on the food budget and is great for leftovers. Kids seem to love this meal, so if you have picky eaters give this recipe a try.
Hashbrown Casserole
- 1 package frozen hashbrowns (thawed)
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (or mushroom soup)
- 1 container sour cream
- 2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded)
- 2 cups crushed soda crackers
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
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In a large bowl, combine hash browns, 1/2 cup melted butter, cream of chicken soup (or mushroom), sour cream, Cheddar cheese, salt and pepper. Place mixture in a 3 quart casserole dish.
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Sprinkle crushed crackers over top, then sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top of the crackers.
- Bake covered in preheated oven for 40 minutes.
Cooking on a budget for large families is actually not that bad if you plan ahead! I hope you enjoyed these recipes and if you have any frugal meals for large families you’d like to share please do so in the comments!
