Recipes
Enjoy The Budget Diet’s Recipe Index – it’s your source for frugalicious and fast recipes! These cheap and easy recipes are neatly categorized, so you can find exactly what you’re looking for. If you see an asterisk (*), these are my most popular recipes according to Google and Pinterest. Please take the time to rate any recipes you try…thanks and happy cooking!
Appetizers / Snacks
- Baked Tortilla Chips (made with leftover tortillas!)
- Black Bean Salsa
- Brown Bag Popcorn
- Buffalo Turkey or Chicken Dip
- The Cheese Dip That Will Make You Famous*
- Easy Hummus Recipe
- Granola Bars
- Halloween Snack Mix
- Queso*
- Pepperoni Pizza Bites
- Pepperoni Rolls*
- Praline Brie
- Salsa
- Special Pretzels
- Texas Trash Warm Bean Dip
- Ultimate Nachos
- White Chocolate Crunch Snack Mix*
Beverages
- Alcoholic
- Non-Alcoholic
Breads
- Beer Bread
- Irish Soda Bread
- Olive Oil Bread Dipping Spice Mix
- Pizza Crusts
- Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Filling*
Breakfast / Brunch
- Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake*
- Homemade Granola
- Instant Oatmeal Packets – Make Your Own
- Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes
- Migas (poor man’s eggs!)
- Pancakes and Syrup
- Spinach Quiche
- Homemade Strawberry Jam
Salads
- Coleslaw Dressing
- Greek Spinach Salad with Homemade Dressing
- Rotisserie Chicken Salad
- Southwest Salad
- Spinach Salad with Strawberries, Peaches and Poppyseed Dressing*
Soups
- Black Bean Soup* (vegetarian)
- Chicken Chili*
- Chili
- Corn Chowder (vegetarian)
- Taco Soup (vegetarian)
- Tomato Basil Soup – a low fat version of LaMadeleines
Sandwiches
- Cajun Firecracker Sandwich
- Chicken Bruschetta Open-Faced Sandwich
- Chicken Sandwich
- Chicken Wrap
- Crock Pot Chicken Caesar Sandwiches*
- Honey Mustard Chicken Club Sandwich
- Italian Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Pimiento Cheese
- Slow Cooker Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches
- Thanksgiving Grilled Cheese
- Tomato Sandwich
- Wafflewich
Main Dishes
- No Recipe Required Dinner Ideas
- Beef
- Burrito Bar
- Crock Pot Red Beans and Rice
- French Bread Pizza
- Taco Meat
- Poultry
- BBQ Chicken – 2 Ingredients
- BBQ Chicken Pizza*
- BBQ Turkey Pizza
- Chicken Parmesan Pizza
- Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole*
- Crock Pot Chicken Tacos*
- Crock Pot Fajitas
- Easy Chicken Enchiladas
- Easy Chicken Parmesan
- Easy Moo Shu Chicken
- How to Cook Frozen Chicken Breasts in a Crock Pot
- King Ranch Chicken
- Rotisserie Chicken – 5 Quick and Easy Dinner Ideas That Start with a Rotisserie Chicken
- Thanksgiving Shepherd’s Pie
- Pork
- BBQ Pizza
- Crock Pot BBQ
- Crock Pot Pork Carnitas Tacos*
- Pepperoni Rolls*
- Seafood
- Easy Fish Tacos with Corn Salsa
- Vegetarian
- Black Beans and Rice
- Black Bean Tart
- Burrito Bar
- Cheese and Corn Quesadilla Recipe
- Crock Pot Pinto Beans & Rice
- Fettucine Alfredo
- Lazy Day Lasagna
- Mediterranean Bowl
- Mediterranean Pizza*
- Mexican Pasta
- Mexican Pizza
- Pesto Naan Pizza
- Pesto Pasta with Cannellini Beans
- Portobello Mushroom Tacos
- Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas
- Simple Summer Pasta
- Spinach Enchiladas
- Spinach Quiche
- White Pizza
- Crock Pot
- Crock Pot BBQ
- Crock Pot Pork Carnitas Tacos*
- Crock Pot Chicken Caesar Sandwiches*
- Crock Pot Chicken Tacos*
- Crock Pot Fajitas
- Crock Pot Pinto Beans & Rice
- Crock Pot Red Beans & Rice
- Crock Pot Refried Beans
- How to Cook Beans in a Crock Pot
- How to Cook Frozen Chicken Breasts in a Crock Pot
- Slow Cooker Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches
Side Dishes
- BBQ Baked Beans
- Better Than Baked Potatoes
- Black Beans
- Crock Pot Refried Beans
- Easy Mexican Rice Recipe
- Macaroni & Cheese (quick!)
- Southern Baked Macaroni & Cheese*
- Stuffing
Desserts
- Easy Peach Cobbler
- Homemade Caramel Sauce*
- Homemade Popsicles
- Hot Fudge Sauce*
- Individual Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pumpkin Crunch Cake (a.k.a. Pumpkin Dump Cake or Pumpkin Cobbler)
- Cakes
- Carrot Cake*
- Best Cheesecake Ever*
- Chocolate Caramel Turtle Cake
- Chocolate Kahlua Cake
- Cookie Cake
- Peanut Butter Texas Sheet Cake
- Pumpkin Cheesecake* (as good as The Cheesecake Factory!)
- Strawberry Cake (a pretty pink cake!)
- Texas Sheet Cake (chocolate cake!)
- Tres Leche
- White Texas Sheet Cake*
- Pies
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
- Cookies and Cream Pie
- Fresh Strawberry Pie Recipe
- Frozen Lemonade Pie*
- Fudge Pie*
- Key Lime Pie*
- Key Lime Tarts
Cookies & Candy
- Best Fudge Recipe
- Brownie Bites
- Brownie Mix
- Butterscotch Peanut Butter Cookies – The Best Peanut Butter Cookie*
- Candy Corn Haystacks
- Caramel Filled Chocolate Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookies – THE BEST!*
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies*
- Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies
- Chris’ Outrageous Cheesecake Bars
- Christmas Oatmeal Cookies
- Cookie Dough Truffles
- Cookies & Cream Brownies
- Cookies & Cream Cookies*
- Cream Cheese Cookies
- Eggnog Fudge
- Everything Cookies
- Fast Fudgy Brownies
- Ginger Snaps
- Gooey Butter Cake with variations*
- Halloween Bucket Brownies
- Key Lime Cookies
- Mocha Snowballs
- Orange Coconut Cookies (no bake)
- Oreo Balls
- Oreo Ghosts
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peppermint Brownies
- Pumpkin Bread Truffles
- Pumpkin Fudge
- Rocky Road Rice Krispie Treats
- Rolo Pretzel Turtles
- Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
- Spice Cake Bars
- Thin Mint Cookies (just like Girl Scout cookies)
- Tiger Butter Fudge
- Toffee Bars – Saltine Toffee
- Toffee Oatmeal Cookies
- White Chocolate Cranberry Bars
Miscellaneous
More than a Sack Lunch: It’s Tasty Savings
Buying lunch at your favorite bistro, deli or diner can be rather expensive. A tab of $10 per day isn’t unusual, totaling more than $200 per month for most. Instead, save most of that and bring your lunch. Fortunately, you can break out of the PB&J or lunch meat syndrome easily and relieve that tedium … Read more
Spinach Manicotti Recipe
It’s Friday, another meat free day on this journey we call Lent! This week’s recipe for Lent is Spinach Manicotti an Italian meal full of protein, veggies and dairy – what more could you want? Your Lenten journey is almost over, and if you gave up meat for Lent, I hope you discovered a few … Read more
Black Bean Tart – Vegetarian Recipe
It’s Friday, another meat free day on this journey we call lent! This week’s recipe for Lent is one of my favorite black bean recipes, it’s a Black Bean Tart! Enjoy and check back next week for our last Lenten recipe – Spinach Manicotti Recipe.
Quick Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
Our family LOVES macaroni and cheese, so I enjoy experimenting with recipes! As of today, this is our favorite quick version! It’s delicious and just as fast as the box! Better than the box and just as fast! Tomorrow, I’ll share my recipe for Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese!
Crock Pot Pinto Beans and Rice
It’s Friday, another meat free day on this journey we call Lent! This week’s recipe for Lent is Crock Pot Pinto Beans and Rice – a very frugal recipe packed with protein and fiber! Beans and Rice are staples in many diets around the world…it’s good for you and good for your wallet! ~~~~~~~ … Read more
Fettucine Alfredo Recipe
It’s Friday, another meat free day on this journey we call Lent! If you need recipes for Lent, why don’t you try this easy Fettucine Alfredo? Serve with a Caesar salad and garlic bread for a delicious vegetarian Italian dinner – that’s amore! Enjoy and check back next Friday for my Crock Pot Pintos and … Read more
Vegetarian Corn Chowder Recipe
It’s Friday, another meat free day on this journey we call Lent! Warm up with a delicious bowl of Vegetarian Corn Chowder! Warm up with a steaming bowl of Vegetarian Corn Chowder! If you use frozen chopped bell pepper and onion, and you’ll have dinner on the table in no time! ~~~~~~~ Image courtesy of: … Read more
Easy Hummus Recipe
I love hummus, but why is it so ridiculously expensive? $3 – $4 for 8 ounces of ground up garbanzo beans! So, grab an inexpensive can of garbanzo beans, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and a food processor…for less than $1 you can make your own hummus!