This week’s “Dinner on a Budget” is brought you by Kraft’s Velveeta Shells and Cheese. Okay, not really, but it is one of my favorite ways to stretch a dollar, or a dollar and fifty cents to be exact. There are literally dozens of ways to turn a simple box of macaroni and cheese into a delicious dinner for your family. Whether you feel like a cheesy soup or a bubbly casserole, your taste buds (and your wallet!) will never be disappointed.
First, start with a basic box of mac ‘n cheese. Personally, I like using Kraft’s Velveeta Shells and Cheese mix because the cheese sauce is already made and I prefer shell pasta over elbow macaroni. However, they run about $1.50 a box, so I tend to buy them only when I have coupons that make them 50 cents to $1 a box. You can also use cheaper variations of macaroni and cheese Most grocery stores sell them for 40 to 60 cents a box.
Next, pick your main meat ingredient. Literally anything from ground beef, to steak strips, to shredded chicken, to cubed ham can be used. You’ll need about a pound per box of mac ‘n cheese. If you want to make the meat stretch you can definitely use as little as half a pound. I tend to use less shredded chicken (about a cup) for recipes, but more ground beef. It balances the flavors better, I think.
Finally, pick your fillers. This can include anything from veggies (broccoli and carrots are some of my favorites), beans, salsa, extra cheese, and more. You’ll want to add extra milk, sour cream, or water to get to the consistency you desire.
Mix together, season as desired, and voila! An easy, delicious meal that can be made for as little as
75 cents a serving!
And for starters, here are a few of my favorite Kraft recipes:
(If you want to view the recipes larger, just click on the images)
Since I’m less of a “recipe-follower” and more of a “recipe-adapter” I used my own taco seasoning mix (chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, onion powder), Fritos instead of tortilla chips (it’s what we had), about half the cheese the recipe called for, and leftover packets of Taco Bell salsa. It was delicious! Oh, and the directions to “layer” the dinner can be followed loosely…it’s just as good all mixed together. 
This is supposed to taste a bit like a real cheeseburger, and although I’m not a fan of cheeseburgers, it was really good! I didn’t have green onions on hand, so I skipped those, but they probably would have added a nice kick to the dish. I've discovered that I’m not a big fan of tomatoes in pasta dishes, so I probably won’t use them next time.
This week’s “Dinner on a Budget” is brought you by Kraft’s Velveeta Shells and Cheese. Okay, not really, but it is one of my favorite ways to stretch a dollar, or a dollar and fifty cents to be exact. There are literally dozens of ways to turn a simple box of macaroni and cheese into a delicious dinner for your family. Whether you feel like a cheesy soup or a bubbly casserole, your taste buds (and your wallet!) will never be disappointed.
Comments (8)
Our local Jimmy John's sells day-old wonderful Italian bread, a whole loaf, for 50 cents. So it's meatball sub night after spaghetti and meatballs night.
Or I just found these great turkey fingers online, they're tremendously filling.
They may be for toddlers, but they're one hundred percent delicious. And excellent with guacamole and red wine. :P
http://www.recipezaar.com/Apple-Turkey-Fingers-For-Older-Infants-Toddlers-145212
I seriously can't eat more than two of these things at a time. They're so good.
I add several things to macaroni to make it something different every time. My favorite is tuna fish. I also like green olives. Salsa is always good. Even ground pepper is good on mac and cheese.
It may sound redundant, but try topping it with shredded cheese.
Mmmm, I love mac and cheese with tuna and corn.
Macaroni and cheese meals top the list for frugal convenience. You can make mac and cheese dishes cheaply, quickly, and easily without using any unsecured loan just to buy the ingredient.. They can pack them with nutrients and a homemade touch.
Macaroni and cheese meals are perfect ways to use leftover cooked meats. Dice or cut it into small pieces. All of these work: chicken, turkey, roast beef, roast pork, round steak or other beef, pork chops or pork steaks, ham, meatloaf, corned beef. It doesn’t need to be a lot, just enough to add some flavor and protein.
I got this recipe on a card inside a wedding gift casserole dish 30 years ago. It is easy and always pleases.
1 box mac & cheese dinner (cooked as directed) 1 can chunk chicken 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 teaspoon dry onion flakes.Stir together, put in casserole and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Serves 4.
Sometimes I'll add broccoli but usually I just make as above. This is great for a quick meal and can be made ahead (I'll do it in the morning before work) and then just pop in the oven when ready to eat.
I am very intrigued with "cheesy chicken skillet". I've never purchased the shells & cheese before but this looks interesting. Great post.
My only issue with boxed mac n' cheese is the high sodium content, which when adding ingredients (unless you add something that is 100% sodium free), you're pretty close to maxing out your sodium for the day (especially with the Nacho Bake) in one serving. Adding extra fat may make it taste better, but it adds extra fat. So while you are saving money in the short term, you're potentialy raising your healthcare costs in the long term for you and your family.
Making your own mac n' cheese and healthier version recipes doesn't take much longer than cooking from the box. There's slighty more prep involved, but its still easy to make ahead. Yes, its a tad bit more expensive to make from scratch, but not only does it taste better its nutritional value sky rockets.
@care@momaroo - Your concerns are definitely an issue. That's why I don't serve the dish more than once a week.
My family also doesn't have any underlying health concerns so we don't have to be quite as careful as I know other families have to be. I do have a question though...with boxed mac & cheese only costing $1.50, how can you make a homemade version for close to the same price? Anytime I've tried pricing the ingredients it comes out to at least $6 or $7.
@averyswife@xanga - Sales and coupons, more often sales. I haven't priced it out completly because I normally have all the ingredients on hand. I can get a box of house brand whole grain elbow macoroni for 89 cents and a block of cheese for 2.50 (I never pay more than that for cheese). I use about a tbls. of butter substitute, a sprinkile of parmesean, and a bit of milk to make a simple cheese sauce, similar to Kraft's. I can normally get 2 to 3 mac'n cheeses out of that, depending whether I use it as a side or a main.
I'll do the math now: 2.50 for cheese (and I probably only use a 1/4 of the block maybe, but I'll use the price for the whole block) plus the .89 cents, (without adding in the cost of milk, ect. because its not added in for reg. Kraft mac n' cheese), works out to cost roughly $1.70 for me. So there you go.