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Spaghetti tossed in olive oil with garlic and onions.

My first thought was ramen, until I saw 2 for $5. I usually spend $5-7 making up a bowl of ramen.

Huge a$$ pots of:
- potato soup (milk, water, potatoes, butter)
- chili (beef, baked beans, kidney beans, celery, bell pepper)

Any kind of pasta tossed in butter (or olive oil), garlic salt, freshly ground black pepper, and Parmesan- real or fake, I have low standards.

At Walmart's here they have Mexican chorizo for 88 cents. I love roasting potatoes with onions, thyme, and olive oil and then frying up the chorizo and tossing the roasted potato mixture in with the chorizo. I usually serve a fried egg on top. It's dirt cheap and tastes like heaven.

Also, just a roasted chicken. The Mexican market near my house sells them for four bucks. I stuff them with a lemon and garlic, push herbed butter under the skin and then rub it down with olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper. Another heavenly meal.

Most of our meals could be fairly cheap, in the sense that we generally aren't having huge portions of the most expensive cuts of meat, but in reality, there are probably items that push us over the edge every time. I buy good olive oil, for example, so between that and the lettuce, my salads are probably over a buck per serving.

Most of the really cheap meals I can think of are carb heavy, and the meat is secondary. Squash gnocchi or any other pasta or rice dish can be cheap if you aren't adding expensive veg or cheeses. Sandwiches can be cheap, as long as we're not talking about deli meat. Home made tamales are cheap, particularly if you add rice and beans to the plate. Same with other Mexican dishes. Tacos can be cheap, depending on the filling and condiments. If you're adding out of season tomatoes and avocados, it would probably go over a few bucks per serving.

Chicken noodle soup made with lots of leftover veggies and chicken.

Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.

Corned beef hash & eggs with biscuits or toast.

Caesar salad and crusty bread.

Twice baked potatoes w/bacon, cheese & broccoli.

and so many others........

LOL Funny this topic is up:
My OH and I are currently on a stringent budget and I bought: Canned beans, Canned tomatoes (no salt), Canned tomato sauce (no salt), Canned mushrooms; pieces and stems (no salt), an onion [and I snuck myself in a banana for the walk from the grocery store :o]

Anyway, we have some ground beef in the freezer so it's gonna be a chili with some seasonings and the jar of salsa in the fridge...

...it all costed me $10.37 CAN

Cabbage and noodles with butter and onion: you could feed 4 for less than $5, plus cabbage is nutritious. If you make it with olive oil, and not too much, even better.

That's the challenge for me: finding nutritious and cheap meals.

Most things made with eggs and potatos.
Pasta and some sort of sauce whatever I have laying around.
Ramen with whatever I have in the house,
Bubbles and squeak.
Quesadillas.
Leftover anything.

"welfare chili"

1 or 2 cans white beans, a few lbs of chicken thighs (on the bone), and a jar of salsa verde.

just boil the thighs until they fall off the bone, shred it return to pot with the juices leftover from boiling, add beans and salsa and simmer til heated through. dirt cheap and very filling...not to mention delicious. not mandatory, but improved by sour cream, avocado slices and fresh cilantro.

Black bean soup made w/dried beans
Breakfast for dinner
Many of our meals are pretty frugal....
Tonight I made chili that will get us through several meals, and it cost me next to nothing...the meat in the chili was venison my husband brought home @ Thanksgiving morning....tomatoes from our garden last summer that I froze. Other than the spices....the only cost was the green pepper & onions that I had to purchase. That's what I call a cheap meal! :-)

I also like this lentil and brown rice stew from the Gourmet cookbook:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Lentil-and-Brown-Rice-Soup-11048

It looks kind of severe, but it's so tasty and comforting. The recipe makes an unrealistically huge quantity: I halve the recipe and end up with enough to last 2 of us (big eaters) through the weekend and into lunch.

As a college student, I've become quite good at frugal cooking.

Any sort of root vegetable (potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, carrots) roasted in the oven with a sprinkle of salt and olive oil and good crusty bread is a meal enough for me.

But, I do eat a lot of pasta. Spaghetti with crushed tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, garlic and a splash of wine is a staple. Grilled cheese, english muffin pizzas and rice and beans happen fairly often. Tofu stirfry with veggies, three bean chili.

Oh, and can't forget my nonna's depression soup: pot of boiling water, salt, pepper, copious amounts of garlic, onions and the contents of the fridge, left to simmer all day. Or, pastina and escarole. Yum.

This seems to be the favorite of topics and I must agree with that. I also love fried eggs and home fries (either red potatoes or sweet potatoes) and and sourdough toast. Other favs would be a carbonara pasta, any veggie dish, my fav being eggplant with potatoes, peas in a tomato sauce with cumin and cayenne pepper as spices) or fresh mac & cheese. MMMMMM cheap and good!

Coq au Vin (or my version of it) is incredibly cheap and comforting especially when chicken leg quarters are on sale for .49 lb. We buy them in 10 lb. bags.

I almost want to ask if this can be made a sticky topic. I like how specific these suggestions are vs., the more general advice on keeping the grocery receipt low, which is also helpful, but I like that I can skim down this thread and say, ok, I'll make that tonight.

Mashed potatoes smothered in pinto beans with a cube steak and cornbread. LOL one of my late grandma's signature dishes

@ hmw0029 - Thanks for those! I'll use them :)

Bacon and cheese waffles, sometimes with a fried egg.
Cheese enchiladas with red sauce and again, fried egg on top.
Egg quesadillas with whatever veg is in the bin.
Whatever pasta I have on hand, parm, and olive oil with lots of red pepper flakes.

Try this wonderful and healthy recipe for False Alarm Vegetable Chili from former NYC fire chief Joe Bonnano. The leftovers, topped with cheese, also make a good filling for potato skins:

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/false-alarm-vegetable-chili

Also:

Pasta fagioli

Pasta with homemade pesto

Pasta puttanesca

Pasta arribiata

Pasta with oil, garlic and broccoli rabe, or broccoli florets

Penne a la vodka (if you already have vodka in the house)

Mac & Cheese

A good veggie stir fry and brown rice

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (it works out price wise if you figure the cost per bowl)

Southern style "funeral grits" with cheese and sausage Virginia Willis' "Bon Appetit, Y'all" cookbook has a great recipe - just add in a little cooked sausage.

Cajun Dirty Rice - add a lot of livers and sausage

A good, thick minestrone

Homemade cold sesame noodles - much better than the takeout versions.

Linguinie Aglio e Olio

My favorite is a small bowl of Barilla Ricotta&Spinach Tortelloni, with some crumbled bacon, olive oil, pat of butter, parm and salt and pepper.

Curry is my go to food when I'm low on cash and, especially, time. I always have aromatics around, so I just get a chicken thigh, or two, veggies of choice, and stew away. All of the ingredients besides the chicken and veggies I can always have on hand and spread out the cost over time. Curry paste is a few bucks, but I can make at least 10 batches with it, a can of coconut milk is less than a dollar, and spices aren't an issue. I can then eat for at least a few days, feed my roommate once or twice also, and it tastes better the next day =D

Stir-fried veggies follow the same principle as above, but don't keep as long. And I always have rice going in my rice cooker ready to eat.

Serving 2 for under $5? Ooh that's kinda tough. I guess I would go with curry. A big jar of curry powder (or curry roux) isn't that expensive and lasts you a good long time.

Root veggies like onions, carrot and potatoes are very cheap. Throw in some chicken if you're feeling extravagant.

I used to make this in college when I was dirt poor and the only market within easy traveling distance (no car on campus) really didn't have the best selection in the world.

A big pot is only a few bucks and serves much more than 2 people for about a week. It also freezes very very well.

Split Pea Soup!

The thing about this question is the problem of initial $$ outlay vs. how that works out for each meal's cost. Because making, say, Butternut Squash and Quinoa Soup is less that $5 for two servings, but buying the quinoa is almost $5 itself...with plenty left over to eat later. So, if you're looking for just "what can I go to the store with $5 and make for dinner?" then I'm a fan of Split Pea Soup, or a spaghetti with red sauce. But, if pantry items like spices, oil/butter, or flour are a given and I can make a larger initial spend and spread it out, then I'm totally going for the quinoa.

Yeah, it's a little early in the morning to be complicating a simple question this badly...back to bed for me. (which I can do because it's a snow day!!!!)

I can feed 4 with 1lb of ground beef at about $3.99 plus a box of pasta and a couple tins of tomatoes. Spaghetti bolognese!

Black bean enchiladas. Of course, if you're talking I'm-about-to-live-in-a-box cheap, a good pizza bagel always does the trick.

I love making beans in my crockpot (chickpeas or pintos), and serving with rice or making refried beans (Yum).

My local produce stand has turnips for .50 cents/lb and sweet potatoes for .69 cents/lb. You really can't beat their prices. Those are great roasted, especially with with homemade bread (when I can make it!). I know not everyone has this, but I also get free eggs from the owner's of the farm I next to!

american chop suey.

being in college, i am ALWAYS on a budget so i've gotten pretty good at this. what really limits the options is that my requirements include being healthy and relatively simple and fast!

i tend to just pick one or two out of the following categories and get a little creative:

carb: brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, potatoes, barley, corn tortillas, or whole wheat bread bread

protein: beans, lentils, small amount of sausage, a chicken thigh, egg, nuts, tofu

vegetable: root vegetables, squash, frozen spinach, canned tomatoes, or anything on sale

then you add your spices, onion, garlic, usually some parmesan or other cheese and plop in a bowl. the options are endless and it's always more interesting than what my roommates are eating!

Channa masala is very flavorful and cheap to make since the main ingredient is a can of chickpeas. Serve with rice and throw a fried egg on top. Another cheap meal is soba noodle soup. I use instant udon broth (or make my own) and throw an egg or two in to poach in the liquid. Pour over cooked soba noodles, top with minced green onions and stir-fried zucchini (stir-fried with oil, salt, pepper, sesame seeds and red pepper flakes until just cooked). Light, but filling.

Thai fried rice is amazing.

1. Cook rice in rice cooker or separate pot.
2. Cook one yellow onion until translucent, then add sliced cheap mushrooms.
3. Add cooked rice. Toss in Thai basil ($1 at the Asian market for a whole bundle) and some of that thick stir-fry sauce at the grocery store.

The best thing is that it's totally easy to add more vegetables or chicken or shrimp if necessary. :)

Bakes potatoes with Helluva a dip and a fresh green salad

I love red lentil quiche. Make pastry (wholemeal is good), Boil up lentils with onion, garlic, chopped carrot until thick. Stir in 1T tomato puree and an egg (once the lentils have cooled comewhat), dump in some cheese and bake. Serve with salad. Used to make this a lot as a young mum with 3 hungry children to feed.

I make a big pot of chicken soup from chicken backs and wings (I buy whole fryers on sale and cut them up myself--so easy!), carrots, onion, celery and fusilli pasta--and that's more than just one meal.

For one meal, a frittata with peppers, onion, potatoes and eggs. I grew up with that and was blown away when Mario Balali made it on his show (reruns on Fine Living Network). And there's always the Italian peasant food I grew up with--pasta e fagioli (pasta fazool), escarol and beans, etc. Five dollars for two? Easy!

@beth1: I LOVE rice and stewed tomatoes!! Have since I was a kid. If I have a leftover pork chop from a past supper, I can heat that up and toss it in too.

Other ideas are: any type of pasta an homemade sauce
Omelets using up leftovers in the fridge
wraps - again using up leftovers
Making soups
Red beans and Rice

Grilled cheese and tomato soup (canned). I like:
French baguette (sp) cut in half lengthwise, with a little dijon, then topped with swiss cheese, some green onion, lemon pepper and broiled;
Sourdough toast with a little mayo and plain old muenster inside;
White sandwich bread toasted, then put some mayo, slice of tomato and american cheese - then broil;
or of course regular grilled cheese - american (sometimes I add muenster or cheddar), on white or wheat, covered in butter and grilled.

Edamame (I buy frozen package - deshelled), boil it, then toast under the broiler with spices (seasoned salt, garlic, some cumin - whatever is around), then I cut up little chunks of cheddar and mix together.

Baked beans and toast.

Kraft mac and cheese mixed with a can of tuna and frozen peas.

What a great list. I'm definitely taking notes. My favourites are:

1. Quesadilla. Cooked meat and/or vegetables + cheese + salsa in a pita--warmed in a hot pan.
2. Tacos. Protein of choice + seasonings served with finely chopped vegetables + sour cream
3. Black beans. Flavoured with cumin, served with rice, twice-fried and served with pitas, or added to soups and chili's.
4. Soups. Homemade stalk, adding leftovers, legumes, in-season (or frozen) vegetables, and served hot.
5. Pulled pork sandwiches. The cheapest cut of pork -- slow cooked with seasonings until it falls apart. Mixed with more seasonings and served on bread.
6. Crock pot stews. Allows you to cook with cheap cuts of meat, winter vegetables, and lots of legumes.
7. Polenta & tomato sauce. Easy and tasty.

A pot of Homemade Potato Soup!

http://busymomscancook.blogspot.com/2009/02/baked-potato-soup.html