Recipes: Affordable Meal Challenge
by Anastasia Rodgers
They say you can't put a price on a good meal, but what if we tried? I gave myself a challenge: affordable, nourishing meals, using fresh ingredients, on a humble budget of $15 to $20 per (3-4 serving) meal. With words like tariff and inflation looming over every shopping trip, I hope this short collection of recipes can inspire culinary hope in your kitchen. These recipes focus on getting exactly what you need and utilize bulk spices to boost flavor without breaking the bank. Fresh ingredients like cabbage and spinach are included in multiple recipes to reduce waste and stretch your dollar. These recipes factor in the price of all ingredients except oil, salt, and pepper. I acknowledge having these staples stocked is a privilege that not everyone can afford, but with the help of the bulk department, we can avoid the upfront cost of a full-sized bottle of olive oil, making these recipes a bit more accessible. While always subject to change, the prices listed in these recipes were accurate as of June 2025, without coupons, discounts, or sales.
Our first recipe starts us off easy: a sheet pan meal loaded with veggies. While the recipe uses turkey kielbasa as the protein, you can save a couple of bucks by making it vegetarian with Tofurky Kielbasa, which at the time of shopping was $6.99/package compared to the turkey kielbasa at $8.99/package. If you don’t keep butter in the house I recommend swapping the buttered pasta for rice in this recipe or reserving half of your olive oil to toss with the pasta before serving. If you follow this recipe exactly you’ll have half an onion and half a cabbage to use in our following recipes. I am confident this recipe would work well with any veggies in your fridge, so swap them in as you wish! Prepared as described below, this meal fed three hungry adults with a small portion of leftovers.
Sheet Pan Kielbasa & Veggie Pasta
Total Cost of Ingredients; $21.20
Total over Budget $1.20
Shopping List
-Garrett Valley Smoked Turkey Kielbasa $8.99
-Two ears of sweet corn for $1.50
-Medium sweet onion $0.98 (recipe uses half)
-Two medium sweet potatoes $0.71
-Two medium Yukon Gold potatoes $1.04
-Small organic green cabbage $5.2 5 (recipe uses half)
-¾ lb bulk fusilli pasta $1.79
-0.02lb (About 2 Tablespoons) bulk granulated garlic $0.60
-0.02lb(About 2 Tablespoons) bulk Cajun seasoning $0.34
Additional Ingredients
-3 Tablespoons olive oil/oil of choice
-Salt & pepper to taste
-2-4 Tablespoons butter
Method
-Preheat oven to 375º, Prep two sheet trays with parchment paper, wash all veggies
-Cut corn into “wheels”, rough chop half head of cabbage into 2-inch pieces, dice all potatoes into 1-inch pieces, Cut ½ of the onion into ½-inch strips, slice Kielbasa into 1-inch discs, and add everything to a large bowl
-Add 3 Tablespoons of oil, stir to distribute, sprinkle in Cajun Seasoning, stir again to evenly distribute
-Evenly spread contents of the bowl onto your sheet trays, bake for 15 minutes, rotate the trays, and cook an additional 15-20 minutes
-Prepare pasta with boiling water, salt your water, and boil noodles for 8-12 minutes, Strain and return to pan, add butter & stir
-Add cooked sheet pan items to buttered pasta, stir well, and serve!
Next up: Falafel bowls! In the sheet pan kielbasa & veggies recipe, it was evident that the protein used most of the budget, and ultimately we ended up over budget. For this next recipe, I sought a more budget-friendly protein option: falafel mix from the bulk department. Bulk falafel has become a pantry staple in my home; it comes together great in a wrap, on salads, and formed into larger patties for a quick and easy veggie burger— the possibilities are endless.
It can be shallow-fried in neutral oil or baked as in our recipe below. I do prefer them fried, but often opt to bake them to avoid the mess of frying. The only difference I can detect is that baked falafel comes out drier than fried, making a sauce element very important. For this recipe, plain yogurt, fresh lemon juice, and dill from the bulk department come together for a creamy, refreshing, and flavorful sauce. You could swap in a vegan yogurt to make it dairy-free, or grab some tahini from bulk, and sub that in for the yogurt. Instead of half a lemon's worth of juice, I’d use the full lemon and add some fresh or dried garlic if you have it. This recipe fed two adults with at least two more servings left over.
Falafel Rice Bowls
Total Cost of Ingredients $16.21
Shopping List
-0.02lb (About 2 Tablespoons) bulk dill weed $0.53
-0.83lbs (About 1.75 cups) Lundberg bulk Basmati rice $2.48
-0.56lbs (about 1.5 cups) bulk Falafel Mix $5.03
-Triple-washed spinach $1.99
-2 conventional Roma tomatoes $1.19
-2 small conventional sweet potatoes $0.77
-1 conventional lemon $0.50
-1 conventional avocado $1.50
Additional Ingredients
-3 Tablespoons olive oil/oil of choice
-Salt & pepper to taste
-½ of an onion(leftover from Sheet Pan Kielbasa & Veggies)
Method
-Cook rice. (I use a rice cooker, and have never successfully prepared rice without one, so I have no business telling you how to prepare it stovetop.)
-Peel & dice sweet potatoes, bake at 375º 20-30 minutes or until fork tender
-Finely dice the ½ onion left over from the previous recipe
-In a medium bowl add 1.5 cups falafel mix, diced onion, and 1 cup of water, mix well and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
-Scoop falafel mix into meatball-sized portions on parchment-lined sheet trays & bake for 15-20 minutes at 375*
-Zest & juice your lemon, set aside
-Empty your yogurt into a small bowl, add dill and juice from half of the lemon, and stir well. This will be the sauce for your bowl.
-Sautee ¾ bag of Spinach in oil of choice
-Chop Roma tomatoes & avocado into bite-sized pieces
-When rice is done, gently stir in lemon zest
-Assemble your bowls with a base of rice, and remaining components on top, spoon sauce over bowls & enjoy!
The final recipe I’m sharing with you is a staple in my home, part of my weekly rotation. The recipe is very flexible: use whatever beans you have around and swap in any veggies in your fridge that need to be used, remembering to chop them fine. When I’m feeling particularly lazy I’ll use shredded carrots and beets from the salad bar, about ¼ cup of each, then chop them up finer. By precooking the veggies and beans, you get a burger that stays together well, without crumbling after the first bite. I swapped in a flax meal for the egg I typically use, but if you keep eggs in the house, you could use one large egg instead of the flax meal. To further reduce the cost of this recipe or to make it gluten-free, serve patties over rice instead of on buns. This meal served four adults with two burgers left over.
Bean Burgers, Roasted Cabbage & Tequila Lime Potato Wedges
Total Cost of Ingredients $16.07
Shopping List
-Field Day black beans $1.49
-4 Large russet potatoes $2.82
-1 Medium bulk Loose Carrot $0.25
-6 Collar City bulk crimini mushrooms —--
-Heidelberg brioche rolls $4.29
-Bulk golden flaxmeal (small bag) $1.50
-0.25lbs bulk GF oat flour $0.87
-0.03lb (About 2 Tablespoons) bulk Cajun seasoning $0.50
-0.04lb (About 2 Tablespoons) bulk Tequila Lime seasoning $0.60
Additional Ingredients
-Spinach (left over from Falafel Bowls) for building your burgers
-½ of a cabbage (left over from Sheet Pan Kielbasa & Veggies)
-3 Tablespoons olive oil/oil of choice
-Salt & Pepper to taste
Method
-Wash all produce, preheat oven to 375º & start a medium pot of water to boil
-Shred carrot, finely chop mushrooms, and saute in 1 Tablespoon oil, move to a medium bowl when done
-Roughly chop cabbage, add to a parchment-lined sheet tray drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper
-Boil potatoes until fork tender, strain, and run under cold water until a comfortable and safe temperature to handle
-Cut potatoes in quarters, drizzle with olive oil & dust with Tequila Lime seasoning
-Strain and rinse Black Beans, saute in ½ Tablespoon oil; the goal here is to dry the beans out a bit, this step is key to making bean burgers that don’t fall apart; once done add to the bowl with cooked veggies
-Using a Potato Masher, or a fork; mash beans well, stir to incorporate veggies, and add 2 Tablespoons of flaxmeal and ¾ of a cup oat flour
-The mixture should appear moist but not wet, almost like the texture of chocolate chip cookie dough, if your mixture looks wet, slowly add more oat flour until it takes on the desired consistency. Separate, and form into 6 equal-sized patties, put on a parchment-lined sheet tray
-Bake cabbage, potatoes & patties for 20 minutes
-Serve & Enjoy
I hope this challenge demonstrates that cooking on a budget doesn’t mean sacrificing variety or nourishment. By leaning into bulk spices, seasonal produce, and adaptable ingredients, each dish here proves that a thoughtful, affordable meal is possible. Whether you’re cooking for one or feeding a family, I hope these recipes bring some ease, resourcefulness, and satisfaction to your kitchen, one budget-conscious bite at a time.
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