Comforting Casseroles that Save Time and Money

By Amy Barseghian On July 4, 2012 · Add Comment · In family, guest post, recipes

Trying to prepare a delicious, nutritious meal that’s also inexpensive meal can be challenging. Many people often equate healthy with expensive or bland, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Casseroles are an easy option that can be tasty, healthy, and economical. They’re also time-efficient and won’t take your entire night to make.

There are many options for casseroles. They are also an excellent way to sneak more vegetables into your meal. Canned or frozen vegetables can be a cheap, easy way to round out your casserole dishes. Save even more on your canned veggies by checking out coupon sites like CouponCravings.comthat offer pages of deals for grocery stores. For great recipes, try The Alaskan Way to Five a Day, which offers a great idea for Chili Macaroni.

Living on a Dime explores the many options for tasty casseroles (now often referred to as “one dish meals”). Here are many of their time and money saving tips:

• Try throwing together a bunch of leftovers or things you have on-hand in your pantry.
• Save more money by serving casseroles as “one dish meals”. You don’t need any extra dishes if you have a good variety of ingredients in your casserole.

• A simple formula to follow for making your casseroles is:

1 cup main ingredient (e.g. tuna, chicken, or tofu)
1 cup second ingredient (e.g. vegetable, eggs, or another main ingredient)
1-2 cups starchy ingredient (e.g. rice, potatoes, or noodles)
1 1/2 cups binder (e.g. sour cream, mayonnaise, tomato sauce, etc.)
1/2 cup of “goodie” (e.g. nuts, cheese, olives, etc.)
Seasonings (e.g. spices, onions, peppers, garlic, etc.)
Toppings (e.g. Ramen noodles, chips, croutons, cheese, etc)

• Several recipes are included on their website including: Pizza Casserole, Chicken Supreme, Vegetable Medley, and Chow Mein Hot Dish.

Spend Smart Eat Smart provides information regarding how cost-effective casseroles can be. Their recipe for Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Bake can be made for just $0.79 per serving.

Casseroles are a warm, tasty way to feed a large number of people on a small budget. The best part is they’re extremely simple to make. All you need to do is throw together the ingredients, put the dish in the oven, and voila, you’re done! So the next time you’re home from work and looking for a budget-friendly meal, put a casserole in the oven and take some time to unwind while dinner cooks itself.