Healthy One-Pot Dinners to Make on a Tight Budget

A good rule of thumb when it comes to affordable, healthy, one-pot meals is to keep it simple. This chickpea curry is a perfect example, offering authentic flavour with weeknight appeal.

If your definition of a healthy, one-pot dinner includes keto, look no further than this quick-to-prepare (and to clean up!), bean-free chili. This recipe uses tougher, less expensive cuts of meat, like chuck roast and pork shoulder, to keep costs down – but don’t worry, they’ll turn melt-in-your-mouth once they spend some time at high pressure in the Instant Pot.

A healthy skillet supper using breakfast staples makes for a fun, family-friendly weeknight dinner. In this recipe, you’ll find new potatoes, peas, bacon and tomatoes sizzled with eggs, thyme and baby spinach.

Think of this as a tomatoey, more substantial chicken soup. Packed with vegetables and lean protein in the form of chicken and beans, this healthy comfort food meal not only tastes delicious, but feeds a table for cheap.

Protein and vegetables in one pan, gleaning inspiration from the Mediterranean with tomatoes, zucchini, basil and Parmesan. Keep this meal on budget by turning to your freezer, using frozen, defrosted shrimp and corn in place of fresh.

Batch cook this nourishing chicken, bean and vegetable chili on Sunday and keep it on hand to serve as a main or side throughout the week.

This hearty, Middle Eastern egg dish eats like a dinner with spiced, smoky tomatoes and feta. Serve this one-pot masterpiece with soft flatbread or pita to soak up all of those delicious flavours. If feta is out of the budget, dollop over Greek yogurt just before serving instead.

Forget the canned split pea of your childhood – it’s so much better and more affordable when homemade. Budget-friendly ingredients like dried split peas, potatoes, onions and carrots are cooked with broth and seasoning for a meal that’s not only nourishing, but (almost) pennies per serving.

Add a taste of the west coast to your chili with this healthful, protein-rich dish. Poblano chili, white beans and ground turkey turn the classic one-pot into something a little fresher. Skip the called-for pilaf and serve with bread in its place to keep your dinner on budget and post-dinner cleanup on track.

Serve up a taste of nostalgia for dinner tonight with these affordable, vegan sloppy joes. This recipe calls for beer, but you can replace that with the same amount of vegetable broth and a splash of white vinegar to keep it kid-friendly and cost-effective. If you are serving kids, tone down the spice and serve these up with a bottle of hot sauce at the table so guests can season to taste.

Your pantry saves the day (again!) with this budget-friendly, wholesome one-pot. High in fibre and protein, it’s a vegetarian meal that will actually fill you up.

Attention bean lovers, a budget-friendly, one-pot vegetarian dinner awaits you with this hearty, healthy chili. Serve with a dollop of yogurt and tortillas for dunking.

The Instant Pot is our new favourite one-pot dinner solution, making affordable, typically long-cooking ingredients a reality – even on a weeknight. This black bean soup recipe utilizes its quick-cooking functionality to make a Mexican-inspired meal-in-a-bowl in less than half the time it would take on the stovetop.