I personally know some folks who spend all their money on fast food, and then online it seems pretty common folks not knowing how to cook causes massive financial problems.
My super duper cheap meal that takes no effort is “lazy rice veggie soup”: Can of peas and carrots cooked with a bouyon cube until cube is dissolved Add cooked rice to mix, and heat until rice is flavorful with absorbed broth
I do a cup of dried rice, and a can of peas and carrots which means the soup has 800ish calories and I think it’s pretty good as it’s either 2 small meals that you can have sides with, or one large one!
So what are your cheap meals you like to make? The less well known, the better!
Simple vegetarian chili:
1 cup dried pinto beans
1 cup dried navy beans
1 cup dried lentils
1 cup dried or canned corn
10 cups of water
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
2-4 tbsp ground cumin (by bulk bags online for $7 instead of overpriced jars in store and grind yourself with a cheap Mr. Coffee)
10 tsp or to taste of vegetable better than bouillon
Black pepper, chili powder, paprika to taste
Put in instant pot, pressure cook normal for 45 minutes, natural steam release, switch to slow cooker on low until meal time.
Makes multiple dinners for a family of 5. Serve on its own, over rice, or in burritos. Pairs well with sour cream, diced peppers, siracha, etc.
Obviously the more you can but in bulk the cheaper it gets per person.
Vegetarian black bean soup:
1 pound dried black beans rinsed
1 large onion peeled and diced
2 medium bell peppers seeded and diced
2 quarts vegetable broth
1/3 cup Franks Cayenne Hot Sauce
6 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper
Combine in instant pot, pressure cook normal for 45 minutes, natural steam release. When done, use inversion blender until smooth.
Possible Toppings:
Chopped scallions
Cilantro
Jalapeno slices
Shredded cheese
Lime wedges
Sour cream or plain yogurt
Fritos
I think it’s called an immersion blender. Unless you want to turn those beans inside out.
Lol, you are right but I like the kind of weird the typo brings to the recipe. 😂
How could I forget lentils! Another good one is lentil burgers
Chilli is s great thing to learn to riff with. You almost can’t go wrong adding things to it. What you list here is a good starting point, but I’d almost certainly add onions and peppers to it.
Farro or cracked wheat can add a little meaty texture to a veg chili. The best veg chilli I ever had had sweet potato, something I’d never have thought of.