Cheap dinner ideas under $3 a serving
Updated
Most dinners under $3 a serving follow a few simple formulas. Pick the one that fits what is on sale this week, and fill in the rest from cheap staples.
Start with what is on sale
The protein is usually the most expensive part of dinner, so that is where a sale or markdown saves the most. Look at the weekly ad and the meat case first, then pick a formula below.
Chicken thighs, drumsticks, ground beef, ground turkey, pork shoulder, pork chops, and sausage go on sale often at most chains. Eggs, beans, and lentils are cheap almost every week and make a dinner on their own.
Five formulas that stay under $3
These work with almost any sale item. Swap the protein and vegetable for whatever is cheapest.
- Sheet-pan dinner: a sale protein and a cheap vegetable, roasted together on one pan with oil and seasoning.
- Rice or grain bowl: rice, a sale protein or a can of beans, a fresh or frozen vegetable, and any sauce you have.
- Pasta night: a box of pasta, canned tomatoes or a jar of sauce, and the cheapest meat or vegetable this week.
- Soup or chili: canned beans and tomatoes with ground meat or vegetables. Makes enough for a second dinner.
- Breakfast for dinner: eggs, bread or tortillas, and potatoes or a sale vegetable. The cheapest dinner most weeks.
Sample dinners and rough costs
These are typical costs per serving with a sale protein and store-brand staples. Prices vary by store and region, so treat them as a guide.
- Chicken thigh and potato sheet pan with frozen green beans, about $1.75 a serving.
- Beef and bean chili over rice, about $1.50 a serving.
- Sausage and pepper pasta, about $2.00 a serving.
- Black bean quesadillas with salsa, about $1.25 a serving.
- Egg fried rice with frozen peas and carrots, about $1.00 a serving.
- Lentil soup with carrots and onions, about $1.00 a serving.
- Pork chops with rice and frozen broccoli, about $2.50 a serving.
- Potato, egg, and cheese breakfast tacos, about $1.25 a serving.
What to buy on sale and stock up
Some foods are worth buying more of when the price drops, because they keep. Others you should only buy for this week.
- Stock up: pasta, rice, canned tomatoes, canned beans, jarred sauce, and frozen vegetables when they go on sale.
- Stock up and freeze: meat on sale or reduced, bread, and tortillas.
- Buy for this week only: fresh produce, unless it keeps well, like onions, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage.
- Skip: snack and soda deals in the ad unless they are already on your list.
How Penny Meals prices a dinner
Penny Meals works out the cost of a dinner per serving. Ingredients on sale at your stores are counted at their sale price. Everything else in the recipe is counted at an estimated shelf price. Pantry staples like oil, salt, and spices are counted as free, since most kitchens already have them.
It checks shelf prices and weekly ads at the stores near your ZIP code each week. You can browse 5 deals a store without an account, or 10 with a free account. Plus shows every deal and writes dinner recipes from your stores’ sales each week, on iPhone or in any web browser.
Tips to keep dinner under $3
A few habits make the biggest difference.
- Use less meat and more beans, rice, or potatoes in the same dish.
- Buy bone-in, skin-on chicken, which usually costs less per pound than boneless.
- Cook a double batch and eat the second half later in the week.
- Use frozen vegetables, which don’t go bad before you get to them.
- Plan one leftovers night to use up what is in the fridge.
Questions
What is a cheap dinner for under $3 a serving?
Chili, bean quesadillas, fried rice, lentil soup, pasta with sausage, and sheet-pan chicken thighs with potatoes usually come in under $3 a serving with sale prices and store-brand staples.
What is the cheapest protein for dinner?
Eggs, dried or canned beans, and lentils are cheap almost every week. Among meats, chicken thighs, drumsticks, and ground meat on sale are usually the cheapest.
How do you work out the cost per serving of a meal?
Add up what you paid for each ingredient you used, then divide by the number of servings. Penny Meals counts sale items at their sale price, the rest at an estimated shelf price, and pantry staples as free.
What should I stock up on for cheap dinners?
Pasta, rice, canned tomatoes, canned beans, jarred sauce, and frozen vegetables when they go on sale, plus meat and bread you can freeze.
This week’s markdowns
Cheap recipes
Related guides
See what’s marked down near you
Penny Meals checks the stores near your ZIP code and shows this week’s markdowns store by store, with cheap dinners to cook from them.
Find deals near meFree to browse: 5 deals a store without an account, 10 with a free account. Plus shows every deal and writes dinner recipes from your stores’ sales.