Cheap dinner ideas for a romantic night
Cheap dinner ideas for an evening can turn your date night at home into a great night. A romantic night at home does not sound too bad these days. Suppose you are planning a romantic night at home but need some cheap dinner ideas.
We have some cheap dinner ideas if you want to make a nice dinner at home and have a budget.
What are some cheap dinner ideas to try with your partner?
There are a lot of cheap dinner ideas that you can try with your partner. Sometimes we do not have to spend a lot of money to make a nice and romantic dinner.
There are many store-bought foods that you can turn into a wonderful dinner.
Cheap Dinner Ideas to Try with Your Spouse
Cheap dinner ideas are not always unhealthy either. We have some recipes for a few cheap dinner ideas that you can try with your partner. These dinner recipes are surely great for a romantic evening.
Spaghetti Carbonara
- Yields: 4 Prep Time: 20 Minutes Total Time: 20 Minutes
Ingredients:
- 12 oz spaghetti
- Kosher Salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Eight slices of bacon
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Freshly chopped parsley
Directions:
- In a large pot of boiling water, cook spaghetti as the package says. Drain, save 1 cup of pasta water.
- In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and Parmesan until combined well.
- In a large skillet, cook bacon until crispy, on medium for about 8 minutes. Place cooked bacon on a paper towel to drain grease.
- In the same skillet, add garlic and cook until it is fragrant, usually 1 minute. Add cooked spaghetti and stir until fully coated in bacon fat. Then take off the heat. Pour egg and cheese mixture and stir until creamy.
- Add pasta water if needed. Season with salt and pepper and stir in cooked bacon. Add olive oil and garnish with your choice.
- If you want a dish that is not pasta and wants to add some chicken, we have a great recipe for just that occasion.
Skillet-Roasted Chicken with Cabbage
You get the whole chicken with this recipe, including the chicken breast, chicken wings, and chicken thighs. You are getting the most out of your money by cooking the whole chicken.
This recipe serves 6 cooks in one hour, it takes 15 minutes to prepare, and it is only 629 calories.
Ingredients:
- 1 Head of Green Cabbage
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 whole chicken about 4-5 pounds
- 2-3 tsp taco seasoning rub
Cooking Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Add shredded cabbage to a large cast-iron skillet or roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Top cabbage mixture with spatchcocked chicken.
- Coat chicken with taco seasoning rub and place in oven.
- Cook for 50-60 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Remove meat from chicken and serve on the bone alongside braised cabbage.
What is the cheapest dinner you can make?
Sometimes, the best choices are too expensive when you do not know what to cook and budget. Do not worry. We have some cheap and easy recipes for these days as well. This article contains some recipes that will not break the bank if you want easy weeknight dinner ideas.
We have a few slow cooker recipes that are great and cheap dinner ideas. Typically these recipes take anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours.
Slow Cooker Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp parsley
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup ketchup
Glaze:
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions:
- Add beef, onion, eggs, breadcrumbs, garlic, milk, Italian seasoning, parsley, salt, pepper, and ketchup in a large bowl.
- Mix gently using your hands or a spoon until it is all combined well.
- Line a crockpot with aluminum foil, place the meat mixture into a pot and shape it into a loaf.
- Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours.
- Drain off any grease, then remove meatloaf with aluminum foil and place on baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, whisk together ketchup, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce until combined, and brush all over the whole meatloaf.
- Place in oven and broil for a few minutes until bubbly and baked on slightly.
Nutrition Facts:
- Calories: 648 kcal
- Carbs: 54g
- Protein: 32g
- Fat: 33g
- Saturated Fat: 13g
- Cholesterol: 164mg
- Sodium: 649mg
- Potassium: 692mg
- Fiber:1g
- Sugar: 39g
- Iron:5mg
If you do not have a slow cooker but want something different, you can always try out this delicious recipe.
Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
Serves: 6 Cook Time: 15 minutes Prep Time: 5 minutes 366 Calories
- 1 lb Rigatoni pasta
- 1/2 cup Chicken or Vegetable Stock
- 1 cup Heavy whipping cream
- 8 Fresh basil leaves
- 12 oz Jar roasted red peppers, liquid drained
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- Half a tsp Red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
- In a blender on high speed, add heavy whipping cream, stock, roasted red peppers, basil, salt, and red pepper flakes. Blend until smooth.
- Cook pasta until al dente (about 6 minutes).
- Remove from heat and drain.
- The pasta was cooked in the same pot, add creamy roasted red pepper sauce, and simmer over medium-low heat.
- Add the parmesan cheese and drained pasta and cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and serve hot topped with extra parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Southwestern Style Eggrolls
- Prep Time:15 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Servings: 8
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped green onion
- 8 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup frozen corn
- One can of black beans, drained
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 6 oz Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
- 1 package eggroll wrappers
- Vegetable oil for fryer
Directions:
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Stir in onions, and cook until tender.
- Stir in spinach, corn, black beans, and lime juice.
- Season with salt and cumin. Remove from heat, and stir in cheese.
- Place 1/4 cup of filling in the center of each egg roll wrapper.
- Fold in the sides, and roll egg rolls; dampen the edges with a small amount of water to seal.
- In a large, heavy skillet, heat enough vegetable oil to cover egg rolls over medium-high heat.
- Working in batches, carefully place egg rolls in hot oil and cook until golden brown. Remove to paper towels.
- These are just a few recipes that you can try out when you need a cheap dinner idea, and you do not know where to begin.
How to save money when buying groceries
With everything that has been going on recently, more and more people are worried about feeding their families.
You may not know this, but there are quite a few ways to save money when grocery shopping. These tips may help you save more than you had imagined.
How To Save Money at the Grocery Store
- Pay with a grocery loyalty card
- Sign up for a loyalty program
- Clip coupons
- Join a wholesale club
- Only buy what is on your list
- Buy things that are on sale
- Avoid processed foods
- Compare store prices
- Buy generic brands
- Bring your bags
- Use rebate apps
You can save a ton of money by using these tips. Comfort foods do not have to be expensive or unhealthy. Make sure you are shopping smarter. This may take a little longer; however, you will save so much money this way.
How to Save Money When Going Out to Eat
There are many ways to save money when you go out to eat. Some eateries have a membership or discount club.
You can buy a gift card that is under its face value. These can be found online on certain gift card websites. See if the restaurant offers any discounts.
Make menu choices based on the price points. Take the surveys, most of them give you something free on your next visit.
When you are dining out and want to save money, the best thing to do when you are dining out is to make room in your budget. Even if it is once a month, you will already have that money in your budget, and it will not break you.
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Summary
To sum it all up, anyone can eat on a budget if they have to. Keeping track of your spending on your grocery trips can help you. Cheap dinner ideas are also great ways to save money.
These are just a few of the tons of recipes online. There is a lot of budgeting info online as well.
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