Budget-friendly and downright deliciousHi, everyone. Stepping in for Emily today. Happy to be here. How are you? Have you thawed yet? Every year around this time, I look at the calendar and I low-key panic. With tax season and summer child-care costs looming, I have to start cutting back on, well, everything. I’m keeping a close(r) eye on food spending: making sure we’re eating or freezing leftovers, bringing lunch to work, skipping the late-afternoon lattes, etc., ad nauseum. And so, in the spirit of thriftiness, here are five wonderful dishes that are budget friendly, keep well in the fridge or freezer, but do not feel like a sacrifice in terms of fun or flavor.
1. Spinach Meatballs With PastaThese meatballs from Ali Slagle are genius. She adds a package of thawed, frozen spinach to the beef and pork mixture, which is not only a smart budget hack for stretching meat and upping your veg intake, but also adds moisture and accentuates the flavor of the beef.
2. Chickpea Vegetable Soup With Parmesan, Rosemary and LemonA favorite in our house, this 2011 recipe from Melissa Clark is dead simple. Just toss all of the ingredients — dried chickpeas, a Parm rind, canned tomatoes, carrots, celery, a clove-studded onion half, a handful of seasonings and water — into a pot and simmer until the chickpeas are tender. The real magic is in the topping: a mixture of lemon zest, rosemary, Parmesan and black pepper that takes this soup up several notches.
3. One-Pot Shrimp and Tomato Pulao“Wow! Big flavor for a one pot dish,” wrote a reader about Zainab Shah’s streamlined version of the beloved South Asian meal. A bold mix of tomatoes, vinegar, lemon slices and a dash of Worcestershire sauce plays nicely with tender shrimp and sweet caramelized onions. Be sure to use long-grain rice to ensure that you don’t end up with mushy rice.
4. One-Pot Cheddar Tomato MacDoes the world need another mac and cheese recipe? This single-vessel recipe from Ali Slagle proves that the only answer to that silly question is, “Yes!” Caramelized tomato paste, butter, paprika and garlic add an earthy umami punch while toasted panko scattered over the top provides a satisfying crunch.
5. Slow-Cooker Chicken and Bean FideoY’all know I love a slow cooker recipe, and this one from Sarah DiGregorio is a real winner. Boneless chicken thighs simmer in a mixture of chipotle chiles in adobo, garlic, honey, oregano and cumin, to which canned pinto beans and fideo noodles are added, softening to perfection in about 10 to 20 minutes. Thanks for reading and cooking with me. If you like the work we do at New York Times Cooking, please subscribe! (Or give a subscription as a gift!) You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Previous newsletters are archived here. Reach out to my colleagues at cookingcare@nytimes.com if you have any questions about your account. View all recipes in your weekly plan.
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