What are your best frugal recipes that you have tried?

What are the best, cheapest recipes that you have ever made? How do you make them?What are your best frugal recipes that you have tried?
2 of my favorites:





Tuna and noodles


1 can of tuna


1 can of cream of mushroom (or chicken) soup


frozen peas


Enough boxed mac and cheese to feed everyone (I've used up to 3 boxes without adding any more tuna)


Boil your noodles. Add powdered cheese, tuna and soup, and peas. Stir. Great meal, cheep.





Cheep Lo Mein


Raman Noodles


Frozen mized veggies (your choice)


Cook noodles until almost done. Pour out most of the water. Add veggies and the seasoning package. Stir until veggies are heated through. If you want you can add cooked chicken. I don't, costs to much.





I can feed my 6 boys (ranging from 12-19) for under $10 for everyone! And they eat like there is no tomorrow. These are my standby meals while money is short.What are your best frugal recipes that you have tried?
A big egg scramble with whatever lunch meat/leftover meat is handy.





Anything with ground chuck...since it can be stretched a few miles with noodles or rice





A big tuna casserole with canned soups





A bowl of oatmeal, or cereal, or grits.





And the ';how'; of all these is pretty self-explanatory.
We're a family of 6, so I know frugal. When my budget is tight, I make ground beef and macaroni:


Brown up ground beef, along with a large onion. When cooked pour in ketchup. When heated through, add your cooked macaroni. I know, sounds cheap and awful, but you'd be surprised how good it is..tangy, sweet, and satisfying..the kids love it.


Chicken and rice casserole (I use thighs, since they're cheap):


Coat your chicken pieces in a combo of flour, paprika, and curry powder. Brown in a pan with olive oil and butter. When all chicken is brown, add 1 1/2 cups of rice to drippings in pan. Lay chicken down in a baking pan, add rice and 3 cups chicken broth. Now cover tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes at 350.


Both of those meals feed the entire family for under $6.00
Rice/Red Beans


Scrambled eggs with veggies/cheese


Homemade pizza (use dough, sliced bread, english muffins)
1 lb of hamburger meat


1 box elbow macaroni


2 cans crushed tomatoes


grated cheese





Brown hamburger meat.


cook macaroni


After meat is browned and macaroni is cooked,mix together add the tomatoes.Put in baking dish.put in 350 deg.oven till bubbly and cheese on top. cook till cheese is melted.This will feed at least six people for around $4. Add rolls and a small salad and you have a meal.
Some family favorites:





Baked Peachy Chicken


Place chicken pieces ( thighs and drumsticks are the most economical, but you can use whatever is on sale) in a baking pan, skin side up, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour a large can of peaches over the top and bake for 45 minutes at 350. Serve over rice, withsomething green on the side- green benas, brocolli, spinach, green salad, etc.





Italian Chicken


Place chicken pieces as above in a baking pan and sprinkle with italian seasoning. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 andremove from oven, pour a jar of spaghetti sauce on top and bake for 10 minutes more, serve chicken and sauce with hot spaghetti and a green salad.





Pepper Steak


Thin slices of beef (chicken, shrimp, or pork can be used)


Onion


Pepper (green)


oil to cover pan


ginger


garlic


light Soy sauce


Rice





Saute garlic and ginger ( you can buy a jar of minced garlic and ginger already together) in oil until soft, add steak and cook until seared, add peppers and onions and cook until soft, add soy sauce and serve over hot rice.
Taco Soup





Ingredients:





1 pound ground beef, browned and drained


2 large yellow onions, diced and cooked with ground beef


7 cups water (or use beef broth and omit concentrate below)


1 can (about 15 ounces) corn kernels


2 - 3 cups potatoes, diced


7 oz. can of diced green chilis


1 pkg Taco seasoning


1 can (about 15 ounces) diced tomatoes


1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup


2 tbsp. beef broth concentrate such as “Better than Bouillon”


1 can (about 4 ounces) sliced black olives


Preparation:


In a large pot combine water, corn, and potatoes. Bring to a boil. Simmer 20 minutes. Add green chilis, taco seasoning, tomatoes, and cooked ground beef %26amp; onions. Simmer 15 minutes more. Add cheese soup, olives, and beef bouillon. Simmer 5 more minutes. Makes 10-12 two-cup servings. Prep time: 45-60 minutes.





Notes:


The ingredients for this soup can be purchased for about $12.50 at most supermarkets, yielding a cost per serving of $1.00 to $1.25. Kris likes to serve this soup with sour cream and corn chips, which would increase your cost somewhat, but I prefer it without these garnishes. This recipe is easy to stretch by adding more corn, tomatoes, or potatoes, or even your favorite canned beans. This soup freezes well.





For nearly a decade, this recipe has been a favorite among one of our groups of friends. It’s never going to win any awards for health or taste, but we like it. It’s good, cheap, hearty fare — perfect for autumn evenings.





from - http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2007/1…
My favorite is an English dish known as Shepherd's Pie. It's very simple to make and has all the main food groups in it combined.





1 or 2 lbs. of Ground Chuck


1 Bag of Frozen Mixed Veggies


1 Bag of Shredded Cheese


1 Packet of McCormick Brown Gravy


4 or 6 Baking Potatoes





Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.


While the oven warms up, brown the chuck in the skillet, cook the bag of veggies in a pot of water, boil the potatoes and prepare the gravy. Once everything on the stove has finished cooking; mash the potatoes and spread the beef in the bottom of a casserole dish. Then pour half of the gravy on top of the meat; add the veggies next and then layer of the shredded cheese (I use the whole bag). Layer the mashed potatoes on top of the veggies. Pour the remaining gravy over the top of the mashed potatoes and bake for about 30-40 minutes until the potatoes are browning on top.





Let cool about 15 minutes and serve. It's the cheapest, easiest and tastiest dish I have ever found. Good Luck.