Looking for something easy, cheap, and thrillingly tasty? This round-up goes from snacks to sides, breakfast to after-dinner treats and everything in between. We’ve got all your thrifty bases covered.
Texas-Style Barbecue Sauce
: Aimee Buxton
1/21
Ridiculously easy to make yet complex as heck in taste. Slightly sweet with only a hint of heat. Kid-tested and adult-approved.
Recipe
Homemade Hummus
: Quentin Bacon
2/21
Let's get clear about what hummus is and what it ain't. Real hummus tastes like nothing but hummus. Not fancy. Just perfect.
Recipe
Chilaquiles
: Christopher Hirsheimer
3/21
Essentially eggs scrambled with chips (or day-old tortillas) and salsa, chilaquiles is equally enticing in the a.m. as the p.m., with a cup of hot joe or a bottle of cold cerveza.
Recipe
Curried Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup
: Helen Cathcart
4/21
The spiciness of red curry paste and the sweetness of sweet potatoes and heartiness of lentils and the tanginess of lime in a single beautiful bowl of deliciousness.
Recipe
Easy Pot Roast, Potatoes, and Vegetables
: Sara Remington
5/21
This classic, hearty, homey dish—just like something your grandma used to make but better—is an ideal one-pot meat-and-potatoes meal. Includes oven as well as slow cooker instructions.
Recipe
Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup
: Ryan Szulc
6/21
This bowl of comfort features all the hearty, stick-to-your-ribs goodness of traditional split pea soup with the added benefit of tossing everything in the slow cooker and walking away.
Recipe
Cuban Black Bean Soup
: Gentl & Hyers
7/21
This Havana-style black bean soup is gonna surprise you with just how intensely flavored it is despite calling for inexpensive everyday ingredients.
Recipe
Roasted Red Cabbage
: Ed Anderson
8/21
So incredibly easy to make it's ridiculous. Perfect for when you KNOW you need to eat your vegetables but desperately want to switch things up a little with something unexpected.
Recipe
Carrot Top Pesto
: Victoria Pearson
9/21
No more tossing those frilly green carrot tops in the trash. Here’s how you can turn those lovely green carrot tops into something to dress up the carrots they came with.
Recipe
Braised Radishes
: Andy Sewell
10/21
When subjected to gentle heat, radishes' vibrant fire engine red fades to the palest shade of pink and their peppery rawness gives way to a complex nuttiness.
Recipe
Peanut Butter, Jelly, and Potato Chip Sandwich
: Robin Roemer
11/21
We're giving you permission to lend a little more crunch and a lot more indulgence to the childhood classic.
Recipe
Traditional Molletes
: Todd Coleman
12/21
An insanely satiating comfort food fix that's as quick and easy as it is inexpensive. Refried beans and cheese atop toast with pico de gallo. Wish we'd known about this a loooong time ago.
Recipe
Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes
: Jody Horton
13/21
The answer to the annual post-Thanksgiving glut of leftovers that leaves your fridge door impossible to shut.
Recipe
Cornmeal Griddle Cakes
: Ellen Silverman
14/21
Shirttail cousins to corn bread, these savory cakes wooed and wowed us with their crisped edges, ethereally airy interior, and pantry-friendly frugality.
Recipe
Easy Roasted Carrots
: Carl Tremblay
15/21
Four ingredients and one simple technique that will leave everyone asking—maybe even demanding—you for more. A keeper of a side dish.
Recipe
Slow Cooker Applesauce
: Ryan Szulc
16/21
This recipe is gonna change your mind about store-bought applesauce. And not just because it lets you use your slow cooker and walk away. Wait'll you taste it.
Recipe
Homemade Pancake Mix
: Quentin Bacon
17/21
Homemade buttermilk pancakes can be yours any day of the week thanks to a stash of this handy DIY pancake mix.
Recipe
Jim Lahey's Pizza Dough
: Squire Fox
18/21
We know you've always wanted to fling pizza dough like a boss. This recipe from master bread baker (and pizza flinger!) Jim Lahey helps you do exactly that.
Recipe
Vegetable Broth
: Erin Scott
19/21
Clobbered by a guilty conscience each time you let vegetables languish in the fridge? Yeah, us, too. Until this recipe.
Recipe
Homemade Potato Gnocchi
: Edward Park
20/21
Four ingredients. Ridiculously easy. Wonderfully inexpensive. And, quite frankly, the best gnocchi we've ever experienced.
Recipe
How to Make Homemade Peanut Butter
: Hilary McMullen
21/21
Make your own homemade peanut butter with ease thanks to a nifty approach. Food processor required.
Recipe
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