I never learned how to cook when I was growing up. As a result, I ate out a lot once I moved out on my own. The meals I did make at home were prepackaged foods or something a little kid could make, like cereal or mac and cheese.
I’m here to tell you it doesn’t have to be that way. There are tons of simple yet delicious foods that you don’t need to be a chef to prepare. You also don’t need to spend half the day cooking or spend a fortune. Knowing some easy recipes is a great way to keep the food budget in line while still eating well.
Here are seven main dishes to get you going this week. I’ve also included some sides and dessert to round out your week. So pick a few and try them out. And if you’re looking for even more delicious cheap recipes, check out $5 Meal Plans: Recipes that will feed a family for $5 or less.
Main Dishes
MMM… chicken and cheese in a tortilla smothered in creamy, cheesy sauce. Yes please! You can cook the chicken yourself or, to make things even easier, buy a rotisserie chicken and shred two cups worth. You can also make up the burrito part ahead of time and freeze it, then on the day you are serving this dish you can just make up the sauce and bake. You’ll be eating in about 45 minutes, depending on the method you use to prepare the chicken.
Spinach Tomato Tortellini Soup
Soup can be a wonderful meal. It’s usually healthy and pretty easy to prepare. It also keeps well, so you can enjoy the leftovers all week. This Spinach Tomato Tortellini Soup is no exception. It’s super fast and looks delicious. Start to finish I’d give yourself about 30 minutes.
This is one of my favorite recipes. I make it all the time. It’s fast, easy, and delicious. It’s my go to when I have company over and everyone seems to like it. The recipe calls for cherry tomatoes, but I usually use regular diced tomatoes, and I use about one tomato per serving of chicken. Also, fresh basil works well, but they also sell basil in a tube already cut up and ready to go. I like that too because it stores well and I can keep it on hand. Leave yourself about 30 minutes to get this one on the table.
This recipe also gives directions for using shrimp instead of chicken. That would be a nice variation.
Honey Glazed Salmon With Browned Butter Lime Sauce
Browned. Butter. Lime. Sauce. Do I need to say anything else to convince you try this? I’m not a big seafood eater but I love salmon… and honey…and butter. So I’m in. The recipe doesn’t say how long it takes to make but it seems ridiculously fast. Just put some flour and honey on your salmon and then cook it for 3-5 per side. Whip up your sauce and you are good to go, I’d say probably 15 minutes total.
Love red wine? Then this recipe is for you. You basically cook the noodles in wine instead of water. No kidding! It gives the noodles a very interesting color and flavor galore. This basically takes as long to cook, and is as easy, as spaghetti. So about 30 mins from hungry to eating.
Chicken Gyros And Tzatziki Sauce
If you’ve never tried Tzatziki sauce you are missing out. It’s awesome. These gyros travel well, which means they are a good option for a work lunch. Thirty minutes should do it for total time to cook this meal. Although, if you are really planning ahead, you can make up some extra chicken when cooking dinner and set it aside for these sandwiches.
Oven Baked Meatball Sandwiches
This one is another family favorite. These are so fast and good. What’s great is they take almost no forethought because you can use frozen meatballs! The only thing you can’t keep readily on hand is the buns. So send someone out for buns and get cookin’. You basically just warm up the meatballs in a pot of spaghetti sauce. Then put the meatballs into the buns, cover with sauce, and top with cheese. Then just pop them into the oven to melt the cheese. They are perfect for large gatherings as you can make tons at once. Give yourself about 20 minutes until you are munching on these beauties.
Sides
Think you are too old to be eating string cheese? Think again. Cut some string cheese into quarters and stick a piece into some biscuit dough. When those come out of the oven, brush on some garlic parmesan butter and you have a delicious side or appetizer. These would be amazing with the meatball subs from above. You could dip them in the leftover sauce. These take about 15 minutes from start to finish.
Baked Parmesan Zucchini Rounds
Cut up zucchini into quarter inch slices, sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top, and bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees. That is literally the entire recipe. Could this get any easier? They would make a good alternative to chips with a sandwich. Or even take them to work for a quick snack.
You basically cook baby carrots in brown sugar, butter, and water for about 12 minutes. That way that sweetness gets all the way through the carrots. These look amazing and will be done in about 15 minutes. I’d like to try these with the Honey Glazed Salmon from above.
This takes less than 10 minutes to make and looks great. Just saute corn with some butter, garlic, parsley, and feta cheese. Might go well with the gyros above, but really this is a very versatile side dish.
Dessert
Grilled Nutella and Marshmallow Sandwiches
SHUT UP!! I hesitate to even call this dessert, yet it’s certainly not a meal. I don’t even know, but it doesn’t matter. It’s the grilled cheese sandwich of s’mores and I’m in heaven. Excuse me while I go gain 50 lbs.
This fruit salad has a secret ingredient that makes it extra special. I won’t tell you what it is but this dessert will keep well in the fridge for a few days. Great for when you need a sweet treat and you are trying to stay healthy. Maybe you are trying to lose the 50 lbs you gained from eating Grilled Nutella Sandwiches all day. 
Everyone has a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. But if you like your chocolate chip cookies chewy then you have to try this one. It has an extra ingredient that makes them extra thick and chewy. Chocolate chip cookies are always a crowd pleaser.
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