Time to Enjoy Your Food More
Congratulations, you’ve retired! Now you have the rest of your life to learn how to cook. And it’s easier than you might think. This list of recipes will help you stay full and also keep you firmly on budget, because not only are they tasty they’re cheap as well. Enjoy them over and over again!
Sausage and Veggies Sheet Pan Dinner
Mmmm, sausages. To make this, first slice sausages, potatoes, bell peppers, and zucchini. Then toss with olive oil, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Spread on a sheet pan and roast at 400°F for 25–30 minutes. It’s colorful, filling, and doesn’t even require a lot of cleanup afterwards.
Baked Ziti
Cook ziti pasta and mix it with marinara sauce, ricotta, and shredded mozzarella. Bake the whole lot until bubbly. It’s a meal for the whole family and freezes well for leftovers. Retirees love it because it’s cozy, versatile, and very affordable.
Bean and Cheese Quesadillas
A meal from Mexico that everyone in the USA loves as well. To make it, spread refried beans and cheese on tortillas, then fold, and then cook in a skillet until crispy. Serve with salsa or sour cream. These are great for both lunch time meals or a night-time snack.
Shake-And-Bake Pork Chops
One for the meat lovers of the world. Simply coat bone-in pork chops with an easy mix of breadcrumbs, paprika, garlic powder, and a little oil. Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes and you have it. For many, it’ll bring back memories of childhood favorites.
Skillet Chicken and Rice
Another very easy one for people who don’t like to spend too much time cooking. Brown chicken thighs and then simmer them with rice, onions, and chicken broth until tender. It’s a one-pan dish with a lot of taste and easy cleanup, making it a favorite for retirees.
Grilled Hot Honey Chicken
Honey is good for you and you should eat it as often as possible! To make this tasty meal, marinate chicken thighs in a blend of hot sauce, honey, garlic, and a small splash of vinegar. Grill until the meat is charred and juicy and then eat. This is an especially good one for an outdoor picnic.
Egg Fried Rice
This is a simple, satisfying way to turn leftovers into a full meal without spending any more money. All you have to do is fry rice with eggs, green onions, and soy sauce, then add frozen peas or diced carrots for color and for a kick of healthy veg.
Slow Cooker Chili
Chili is great for batch cooking, easy on the household budget, and tastes even better the next day. Many people swear by it. And to create your own chili, all you have to do is combine canned beans, ground beef, tomatoes, and spices in a slow cooker and let it simmer all day.
Pancakes and Eggs
You can make your pancakes with pancake batter, but wouldn’t it be so much more satisfying to cook them from scratch? Make a pancake by mixing eggs, flour and milk. Don’t forget to flip it! Then, simply add some scrambled eggs on top for a protein-packed meal.
Loaded Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole
To make this, steam broccoli and cauliflower, mix with cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar, bacon bits, and green onions. Then, bake! It’s creamy, comforting, and a great way of getting more healthy vegetables in your diet. If you don’t like veggies, the cheese disguises the taste of them.
Tuna Egg Salad
Tuna is very very good for your brain, and you should be getting more of it in your diet. For this meal, combine canned tuna, chopped boiled eggs, mayo, mustard, and a pinch of relish or onion, and then serve in lettuce cups or on whole grain toast. Make sure it’s definitely whole grain, it’s much better for you!
Garlic Butter Chicken Bites
For this one simply cube some chicken breast, season it with paprika and garlic powder, and sauté in a mix of butter and minced garlic. Finish it with parsley and serve with rice or veggies. It’s delicious, healthy when you take the veggies into consideration, and it’s easy on the wallet.
Sloppy Joes
You probably ate these in childhood, but you don’t have to stop just because you’re retired now. To make ‘em, all you gotta do is brown some ground beef, mix in ketchup, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce, and serve on buns. It’s so cheap and easy!
Lentil Soup
Lentils are good for you and soup is ideal on a cold winter’s day. All you have to do is sauté onions, carrots, and garlic, then simmer with lentils, broth, and tomatoes to get your soup. Buy lentils in bulk and this is a very cheap meal indeed.
Baked Potatoes With Topping
God bless whoever came up with the idea of just putting things on a baked potato. This is one of the simplest meals around: simply take a potato, bake it, and add things to it. Those things can be cheese, baked beans, chili, sour cream, anything you want.
Jalapeno Popper Chicken Salad
If you want a bit of a kick in your evening meal, look no further than the Jalapeno Popper Chicken Salad. To make it, dice cooked chicken and mix it with cream cheese, chopped jalapenos, cheddar, and crumbled bacon. Then serve it on lettuce or toast.
Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta
Tomato and pasta is a delicious combination that virtually everyone loves. Simmer canned tomatoes with garlic, basil, and a splash of cream, and then toss them with cooked pasta. It’s really easy and really cheap as well.
Vegetable Stir-Fry With Rice
Why get this from a takeout place when you could make it yourself at home? Sauté mixed vegetables in soy sauce, garlic, and a touch of sesame oil, then serve over cooked rice. Don’t forget to add some tofu or egg for protein. It’s perfect for vegetarians!
Ham and Potato Casserole
This dish has been around for a long, long time and now you can make it for yourself. All you gotta do is combine diced ham, cooked potatoes, cheddar, and a creamy sauce made from whole milk or heavy cream. Delicious!
Fried Cabbage With Bacon
This dish started off as a Southern classic that only the poverty-stricken made, but it evolved over the years to become a delicious meal for everyone. To make it, sauté chopped bacon until crisp, then add sliced cabbage and onions to the drippings.
Cabbage and Sausage
Another easy cabbage dish! Simply brown sliced sausage in a skillet, then add chopped cabbage and sauté until soft. Season with pepper and garlic powder. This meal only uses up one pan, so there’s not even much cleanup to do.
Chicken and Dumplings
Here’s a great way for using up leftover chicken. Simmer chicken, carrots, and celery in broth, then drop in biscuit dough and cook until fluffy. It’s especially good for cold days and generations of older people have sworn by it.
Stuffed Bell Peppers
Chop some bell peppers into half and fill them with rice, ground beef, tomato sauce, and cheese, and then bake until tender. These are tasty, healthy, and great for using up spare stuff you have lying around in the pantry.
Macaroni and Cheese With Ham
Don’t get your mac and cheese from a packet – make it yourself by boiling pasta and making cheese sauce with butter, milk, flour and cheese. Yes, it takes a little longer, but it’s worth it. Then simply add in some ham! This puts protein into your diet.
Baked Egg Muffins
McDonalds does the Egg McMuffin, but you don’t want that – you want cheap, healthy food that you can make at home. So to make this, simply whisk eggs with diced veggies, cheese, and bits of ham or sausage, then pour into muffin tins and bake until set.
Tuna Noodle Casserole
This dish was a favorite in the Great Depression, and although times have changed many people still love it for its cheapness. Simply mix together canned tuna, cooked egg noodles, cream of mushroom soup, and peas. Then top with breadcrumbs and bake until golden brown.
Ramen Stir-Fry
Ramen in a packet doesn’t have to be eaten on its own, it can be used as the basis for a delicious dish. Cook up some instant ramen noodles, which are very cheap, and then stir-fry with eggs, veggies, and soy sauce. There you go, an inexpensive and healthy meal.
Gnocchi With Marinara
Gnocchi costs next to nothing, making it ideal for a meal. Just boil it for a couple of minutes until it floats, then toss it in a hot skillet with olive oil until it slightly crisps over. Stir in your favorite marinara and sprinkle with parmesan.
Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese
Make some classic grilled cheese sandwiches – all you need is bread, toast, and an oven - and pair with either canned or homemade tomato soup. It’s nostalgic, cozy, and super affordable! It’s especially good if you have a cold, as well.
