Macaroni and Hot Dog Skillet

Another cheap recipe made with hot dogs but with macaroni this time. You can leave out some ingredients if you don't have them. I have bullion cubes at my house all the time so I will use that as the broth.

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
4 cups beef broth
2 cups (8 ounces) uncooked elbow macaroni
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound hot dogs, cut in 1/2 to 1-inch slices
1 small can or jar mushrooms, drained (about 4 ounces)
1 tablespoons chopped pimiento

Directions:
Melt butter in a large skillet; add onion and bell pepper and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, until softened. Add beef broth; heat to boiling. Add macaroni and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until macaroni is almost tender. Add salt, sliced hot dogs, mushrooms, and pimiento. Cook hot dog mixture for 10 more minutes, or until macaroni is tender.

Crockpot Beans and Hot Dogs

Hot dogs and beans are probably two of the cheapest ingredients for a dinner. I've been looking for more recipes with them to save money,. I came across this recipe that is cooked in a slow cooker. It seems very easy to make, but looks like a lot of ingredients, mostly spices. It is possible to substitute or remove them from the recipe as needed.

Servings: 6 to 8

Ingredients:

1 large can (28 ounces) pork and beans
1 can (approx 15 ounces) great northern beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (approx 15 ounces) black beans, drained, rinsed
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 green or red bell pepper, chopped
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup or molasses
1/3 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 package (about 8) hot dogs

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except hot dogs in a 4 to 6-quart slow cooker. Cut hot dogs into 1 to 2-inch lengths and stir into the bean mixture. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours.

Cheater Pot Pie

I found this dinner for cheap recipe that uses canned chicken and biscuits. It is quick and easy to make. I would add some garlic and onions. You could add some shredded cheese and other vegetables, like peppers and celery.

Servings: makes one 9-inch pie

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 (16 ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables
1 (5 ounce) can chicken chunks, drained
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 (10 ounce) can refrigerated layered biscuits

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly butter a 9 inch deep dish pie pan with melted butter; reserve some of the melted butter.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine mixed vegetables and chicken; cook until vegetables are tender. Fold in soup; mix well. Pour in milk and mix until smooth; mixture should not be runny. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil.

Remove from heat and spread mixture into bottom of pie pan. Separate biscuits into layers and place gently on top of mixture. Drizzle remaining butter on top of biscuit layers.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Hot Dog Cornbread Casserole

This is a dinner for cheap made with hot dogs and cornbread. A good, easy recipe to make with things you might already have in your kitchen. You could remove the celery, pepper, and onion if you don't have it. I would suggest topping the casserole with cheese. 

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 (16 ounce) package hot dogs, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 (15 ounce) can chili with beans
1 (8.5 ounce) package cornbread mix
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray an 8x8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir green bell pepper, onion, and celery in hot oil until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in hot dog pieces and cook and stir until hot dogs begin to brown, 6 more minutes. Stir in the chili and heat the mixture thoroughly.
Beat cornbread mix, egg, and milk in a bowl with a spoon until batter is just moistened, and spread half the cornbread batter into the prepared baking dish. Top batter with the hot dog mixture; spread remaining half of cornbread batter over the top.
Bake in the preheated oven until casserole is bubbling and cornbread topping is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Ground Beef Curly Noodles

This is an inexpensive recipe. Potatoes and/or biscuits would be a good side dish. You could add some onions, garlic, or peppers to taste. You can also use any vegetable that you like. Peas, carrots, or broccoli would go well.

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 (3 ounce) package Oriental flavored ramen noodles

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 (10 ounce) can whole kernel corn

Directions:

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble in the ground beef, and cook until no longer pink, stirring frequently. Drain off grease.

Stir in the flavor packet from the noodles, tomatoes, and corn (with their juices). Break up the noodles slightly, and add them to the skillet. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until noodles are tender. Stir occasionally to break up any clumps of noodles.

Tuna Pizza

I found this inexpensive recipe for tuna. It sounds like a good use to get fish into your diet. You can of course use fresh tuna or even fresh or canned salmon instead. Pizza is a versatile meal and you can add basically any ingredients you would like.

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 (14 ounce) package pre-baked pizza crust

1 (5 ounce) can tuna, drained and flaked

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Spread the softened cream cheese on the pre-baked crust. Sprinkle the tuna and onions over the pizza; then top with shredded mozzarella cheese and optional red pepper flakes. Bake in preheated oven until the cheese has melted and started to brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Restaurant-Style Buffalo Chicken Wings

I am going to try these out soon. Don't think that this is something the kids would like though. I will post a barbecue wings recipe for them.

Servings: 5


Ingredients:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 chicken wings
oil for deep frying
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup hot sauce
1 dash ground black pepper
1 dash garlic powder

Directions:

In a small bowl mix together the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt. Place chicken wings in a large nonporous glass dish or bowl and sprinkle flour mixture over them until they are evenly coated. Cover dish or bowl and refrigerate for 60 to 90 minutes.

Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). The oil should be just enough to cover wings entirely, an inch or so deep. Combine the butter, hot sauce, pepper and garlic powder in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir together and heat until butter is melted and mixture is well blended. Remove from heat and reserve for serving.

Fry coated wings in hot oil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until parts of wings begin to turn brown. Remove from heat, place wings in serving bowl, add hot sauce mixture and stir together. Serve.

Potato and Broccoli Soup

Ingredients:

2  tablespoons butter

1   onion, chopped

2   cloves garlic, minced

1 3/4 pounds broccoli, thick stems peeled and diced (about 2 cups), tops cut into small florets (about 1 quart)

1 1/2 pounds boiling potatoes (about 5), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3  cups canned chicken broth or homemade stock

3  cups water

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

In a large pot, melt the butter over moderately low heat. Add the onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, broccoli stems, potatoes, broth, water, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are almost tender, about 10 minutes. In a food processor or blender, pulse the soup to a coarse puree. Return the soup to the pot and bring to a simmer. Add the broccoli florets and simmer until they are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir 1/4 cup of the grated Parmesan into the soup, and serve the soup topped with the remaining cheese.

**I haven't made this yet but look forward to making it soon. It will be on my next week's menu for sure. I will   add crumbled bacon and some cheddar cheese to the soup. And I will probably serve this with pork chops, salad and some rolls. 

Crockpot Beans and Bacon

Ingredients:
1 lb dry pinto beans
1 lb bacon
seasoning salt
garlic powder
chopped onions

Serves: 4

Directions:
Sort and soak beans in plenty of cold water overnight. After soaking, drain and rinse beans. Place in crock pot with 2 cups water and about one tablespoon or so of each, seasoning salt and garlic powder. Layer the raw bacon on top of the beans. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 5 hours. Top with chopped onions on individual servings.

**This is how I have been making pinto beans lately. It is really good. Even my picky son likes this. I usually serve this with corn bread or biscuits. It is just enough for my family of four. Made a double batch the last time I made this and had a lot of leftovers. Enough to even make a chili with afterwards.

Beef and Noodle Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of celery soup
1/2 cup milk
8 oz egg noodles
seasoned salt

Serves: 4-6

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef, drain. Add onion, garlic, and seasoned salt to taste and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Then add and mix both cans of soup and 1/2 cup milk to the meat mixture. Meanwhile, cook egg noodles according to package, drain. Combine noodles and beef mixture. Put into a greased casserole dish and cook uncovered for 20-25 minutes.

**I made this recipe up myself. It tasted pretty good. Worth a try if you have the ingredients on hand.

Tuna Cakes

Ingredients:
2 cans (6 1/2 ounces each) tuna in water - undrained
1 sleeve saltine crackers- crushed
2 egg whites or 1 egg
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons each finely diced red, yellow and green pepper

Serves: 4

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a baking sheet.
Place crushed saltines in a bowl and add tuna with water, egg whites, soy sauce and garlic powder. Mix until well blended.
Add peppers and stir until well distributed.
Form mixture into 8 evenly sized patties and place on greased baking sheet.
Bake for 8 minutes and turn over. Bake for another 8 minutes.

**You can also fry these. I've made these twice now and they are really good. I changed up the ingredients though and it turned out great. I have a family of 4 but we eat more food for dinner than recipes that usually serve 4 people do, so I end up having to double a lot of recipes. I doubled everything but the saltine crackers.  I used onions instead of the peppers. And I drained all the tuna and only added about 1/4 cup of the tuna water to the mixture. Any more than that and it would not have stuck together as well. I baked them at 12 minutes per side instead. They turned out really good and not too fishy either. I still made 8 patties so they were pretty thick. As for a side, I made macaroni salad and frozen mixed vegetables. Kids had no complaints and ate it all. My boyfriend complimented on how well they tasted. Definitely a keeper. If you can think of anything better to add or have a recipe of your own, please comment below!!

Tater Tot Taco Casserole

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (1 ounce) packet taco seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) bag frozen Mexican-style corn or regular corn
1 (12 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (12 ounce) bag shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 (16 ounce) package frozen tater tots
1 (12 fluid ounce) can enchilada sauce

Servings: 6
Directions:

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Prepare a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Cook the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat until completely browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, taco seasoning mix, frozen Mexican-style corn, and black beans to the ground beef; cook and stir another 10 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
Combine the ground beef mixture in a large bowl with about 3/4 of the Mexican cheese blend and the tater tots; stir to combine.
Pour about 1/3 of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add the tater tot mixture to the baking dish; lightly pat the mixture down into a solid, even layer. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tater tot layer.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining Mexican cheese over the casserole and return to oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 5 minutes more.

**This is how I found this recipe but I changed it. I made it more like the original tater tot casserole I posted before. I used a 2-quart casserole dish instead. I did not combine the tater tots in with the meat mixture. What I did was put a little sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish, then the meat and cheese mixture, then more sauce, next the tater tots, then more sauce with cheese on top. It turned out really good. We liked this a lot. It was a really good recipe find for me. Will be making it again soon.