31 frugal recipes

Clam and corn chowder with minced clams, creamed corn, and dill in a milk base. A pantry-friendly chowder ready in 20 minutes from start to bowl.

Quick pork stir-fry using store-bought Kimchee (from a Korean store).

Quick, easy, frugal and kids love them. Tune and mushroom soup turns into crispy on the outside and moist on the inside covered with a quick and easy sauce.

Granatír-potato noodles is a humble Hungarian peasant dish of cubed potatoes, boiled pasta, and slow-cooked onions, finished with sweet pepper and a hit of hot pepper jelly. Frugal, filling, and oddly addictive.

Cabbage Beef Casserole, a dish that is not only satisfyingly subtly sweet but also a testament to frugality and the art of stretching one's dollar! Easy to make with simple ingredients and feeds a hungry family.

Along the coast of the Southern US eating Hoppin' John on New Year's Day is thought to bring a year filled with luck and prosperity. The beans symbolize coins or pennies. Sometimes a penny is added to the pot or can be left under the bowls of Hoppin' John. Greens such as Collards, chard or kale can be added and symbolize the color of money and are said to add to ones wealth in the new year. The day after New Year's Day the leftovers are called "Skippin' Jenny," and further demonstrates one's frugality. A common tradition in the south US is each person at the meal should leave three peas on their plate to ensure the New Year will be filled with Luck, Fortune and Romance. Another tradition holds that counting the number of peas in a serving predicts the amount of luck (or wealth) that will be collected over the next year.

Scottish "Braveheart" chicken, beef and leek soup. Adapted from The Frugal Gourmet

Hot dog stew with hunks of potato, onion, and bell pepper in a roux-thickened broth. A frugal one-pot supper from the pantry, ready in under an hour.

Hearty hamburger and pearl barley soup with cabbage, carrots, and tomatoes in a balsamic-spiked beef broth. A frugal, freezer-friendly one-pot meal that stretches a pound of beef across six bowls.

Sour cucumber soup (zupa ogorkowa): a tangy Polish classic of grated pickled cucumbers and potatoes in a creamy, dill-pickle-sour broth. Cozy, frugal, and built on pantry staples.

Anasazi and pinto beans with hominy and roasted green chile, a slow-simmered Southwestern bean pot built on heritage legumes and fire-roasted Anaheims. Vegan, frugal, and deeply Pueblo-rooted.

Pickled nasturtium seeds: the frugal gardener's homemade caper substitute, brined in spiced white wine vinegar with shallots, tarragon, and horseradish. Peppery, briny, and completely free.

Old-fashioned griddle cakes that turn day-old bread crumbs into thick, custardy pancakes. A frugal pre-Depression breakfast that earned its keep on hungry mornings.

Poor man's shrimp transforms cubed salmon into shrimp-like bites by quick-poaching in heavily salted water. A vintage frugal cooking trick that yields firm, pink, shrimp-textured salmon for cocktails or salads.

Bacon bean casserole layers tender soaked white beans with carrots, onions, tomatoes, and crisp bacon for an old-fashioned, frugal one-dish supper. Pair with a green salad.

Pasta frittata turns leftover spaghetti, cooked vegetables, and shredded cheese into a one-skillet meal bound with eggs. Italian frugal cooking at its smartest, ready in 15 minutes.