15 cheap dinners under $3 a serving

A good cheap dinner hits three marks: it's filling, it's fast, and it doesn't taste cheap. These all land around $3 a serving or less depending on your store and portion sizes.

Beans, grains & eggs do the heavy lifting

• Black-bean & rice burrito bowls
• Loaded baked potatoes
• Veggie fried rice with egg
• Lentil soup with crusty bread
• Chickpea curry over rice

One pan, minimal cleanup

• One-pot pasta with tomato & garlic
• Sheet-pan sausage & veggies
• Fried rice with whatever's in the fridge
• Shakshuka (eggs poached in tomato)
• Stir-fried noodles with cabbage

Stretch a little meat a long way

• Turkey chili (a pound feeds a crowd)
• Chicken-thigh & rice skillet
• Tacos with seasoned ground beef or beans
• Pasta with a meat-and-veg sauce
• Soup with shredded rotisserie chicken

The trick to keeping these cheap week after week is reusing ingredients across meals — which is exactly what Grovio plans for you when you set a budget.