• Home
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • How-To & Cooking Tutorials
    • Popular Recipes
  • Meal Plans
    • Weekly Meal Plans
    • Freezer Meal Plans
    • The ORIGINAL 20 Meals for $150 Plans
  • Classes
    • Grocery Savings 101 Workshop
    • Freezer Cooking 101 Workshop
    • Meal Planning 101 Workshop
    • VIDEO SERIES: Learn to Cook on a Budget
  • Store
    • COOKBOOK: Feeding Teenage Boys on a Budget
    • COOKBOOK: Learn to Cook on a Budget
    • COOKBOOKS & PREP KITS: MyFreezEasy Freezer Meals
    • Erin’s Favorite Gadgets
  • Blog
  • Contact
    • About
    • Press
  • Login

$5 Dinners | Budget Recipes, Meal Plans, Freezer Meals

Budget Recipes, Meal Plans, Freezer Meals and Cooking Tutorials for the Busy Home Chef

MyFreezEasy - Save Money, Eat Healthy with Freezer Meals

Weeknight Spinach Lasagna Skillet

January 12, 2015 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom 9 Comments

Welp, I couldn't not include a skillet lasagna recipe in this month's 31 Days of Skillet Dinner series. So here it is. I adore lasagna. While my mom isn't known for her skills in the kitchen, she can make a mean lasagna! I adore her lasagna. I adore any lasagna. I should clarify...I adore the taste of lasagna. The pasta with the flavorful tomato sauce and richness and tang … [Read more...]

Skillet Macaroni with Swiss Chard

January 4, 2015 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom Leave a Comment

Don't think your family will eat chard? Then they haven't tried this skillet macaroni yet. (Seriously, you have to make them try it. Or if you think they will adamantly refuse, you can substitute spinach for the chard. And if they refuse that, then I can't help! ;) ) But I find masking it in a delicious pasta, topped with some Parmesan, shouldn't garner too many complaints. … [Read more...]

One-Dish Chili Mac

December 12, 2014 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom 1 Comment

Wanna know what your new family favorite recipe is going to be? Not only to make, but to eat too! This chili cooks all in the same pot...and if you toss in some chopped up carrots and/or spinach, it could be a complete meal in the one-dish. Talk about a winner! Our family loves this Chili Mac and I'm working on a slow cooker edition for it too...stay tuned... Oh, … [Read more...]

Vegetable Alfredo Sauce

October 13, 2014 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom Leave a Comment

Have you ever made your own Alfredo sauce?! If not, I implore you. Challenge you. Demand you. (hehe!) No, I really think you should try it! I love playing with homemade white sauces, and in this case an Alfredo sauce with veggies. Creamy, cheesy, salty and delicious over pasta! For this Alfredo sauce, I decided to save myself a few calories and used whole milk instead … [Read more...]

Southwest Macaroni ‘n Cheese

October 11, 2014 by Jenn K 1 Comment

Southwest Mac N Cheese | 5DollarDinners.com

This is a creamy, creamy and delicious version of mac n cheese with a little zip and zest mixed in! Balance the zip and zest with some black beans and corn and you've got the perfect one dish dinner! So many homemade mac 'n cheese recipes call for making your own cheese sauce. This can be intimidating, I know. Which is why I created this recipe for you...no homemade cheese … [Read more...]

Pasta Salad with Artichokes, Olives, and Feta

September 10, 2014 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom Leave a Comment

I love how the Mediterranean flavors whisk me away to another place. I'm not sure that other flavors do that...but these flavors put images of far away places into my mind. A friend recently visited Cinque Terre in Italy and boy-oh-boy were her photos beautiful. Perhaps one day. One day. But for now, I'll keep enjoying these flavors of the region! This pasta salad … [Read more...]

Best Tips for When to Add Rice & Pasta to Slow Cooker

July 6, 2014 by Jenn K 1 Comment

Making some meat or chicken with a sauce in the slow cooker can make for a wonderful meal. But cooking the rice or pasta “on the side” is not always necessary. With many recipes, you can add the rice or pasta right in and let it cook during the last bit of cooking. However, adding rice or pasta in at the beginning with the meat means you are going to have a mushy mess at the … [Read more...]

Spinach & Tortellini Soup

June 24, 2014 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom Leave a Comment

Tortellini Soup Recipe | 5DollarDinners.com

There's just something about tortellini - it may very well be the perfect pasta. It is the perfect shape for a fork or a spoon and they are the perfect size for one delicious bite. It freezes beautifully too, if for some reason you can't eat them all at once, or if you find them on special and buy a few extra packages. Douse with marinara sauce and some Parmesan cheese for a … [Read more...]

Chicken Spaghetti with Spinach

June 10, 2014 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom Leave a Comment

Chicken Spaghetti with Spinach | 5DollarDinners.com

One dish dinners. They scream simplicity.  They scream ease. And they scream quick. 5 ingredients.  Most of which you likely already have in your pantry and freezer. 20-ish minutes. Or however long it takes you to cook the spaghetti and then toss it with the other ingredients. You could serve it with a side of bread, or simple side salad - but it really … [Read more...]

Lentil Minestrone Soup

June 10, 2014 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom Leave a Comment

Lentil Minestrone Soup | 5DollarDinners.com

Ever since becoming a mom, I've felt like life just keeps getting faster and faster. And faster. We have a gazillion things happening in each of our days, but that doesn't mean we have to sacrifice important things like a healthy dinner. Or our sanity. I wanted to share this Lentil Minestrone Soup with you guys because it is very low maintenance (as most soups are) saute … [Read more...]

« Previous Page
Next Page »
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Search $5 Dinners

Favorite Meal Planning & Cooking Resources

Whis-Kid Cooking Lessons Grocery Budget Makeover My Freezeasy Erin Chase Store 5DD Freebie Library 20 Meals for $150 Plans

© 2026 5 Dollar Dinners | Disclosure Policy | Copyright Information | Terms of Service/Privacy Policy | Accessibility | Design & Tech Support by Klong Designs



Copyright © 2026 · 5 Dollar Dinners Genesis Child Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in