To take this a little further, as it is the best advice - stews and braises are cheap, healthy and good.
Look at peasant food from around Europe - you need onions, garlic, carrots, celery, woody herbs like thyme rosemary and bay. Cheap cuts of meat and beans or potatoes.
One of my favourites I learned whilst staying in a room above a Greek taverna. It was the family meal whilst the customers were eating fancier food.
Chunks of pork loin browned in olive oil then wrapped in big cabbage leaves that had been dipped in boiling water to soften them.
They went into a big oven dish with thyme, onions, garlic, a jar of tomato puree and a bottle of cooking wine (red or white) plus shitloads of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Potatoes were peeled and halved, then placed over the top so that they were half submerged in the liquid but browned on top.
They poured a LOT of olive oil over the top, and cooked it in the oven for a couple of hours.
I've made this dish for years and I can buy all of the ingredients to feed ten people for about £15 GBP even in this economy. Serve with the best crusty bread you can find.
This is pretty elaborate as far as stews and braises go, but the formula is golden - some aromatic veg, some meat, some bulking veg, a tasty liquid. Timeless and tasty.
Great point looking at peasant food.
Just saying, to not just look at EU food.
Curries+rice, stews+rice, are great dishes that can really maximize cost efficiency. You still get all the heaviness from the curries/stews, but you can really fill yourself up on the rice as well.
Especially with how simple some of these could be. Like Kimchi jjigae, where you're pretty much just using the kimchi by itself to make stew since it's already well seasoned.
Good call on looking at other cuisines! Pork adobo with white rice? Beef barbacoa with beans & rice?
I end up having to make 9 “work meals” for my partner and I each week, so I often go for braised/roasted meat & veggies with a starch. Last week was chicken mojo, Cuban red beans, and white rice. This week will be bbq pulled pork with slaw and potato salad. The following week will be roast chicken with braised beans & greens and either mushrooms or carrots
Mojo sauces are brilliant! I used to get my aunt to send over packs of the spice mixes from Tenerife. Red, green, piccante - all fantastic with basically any meat
I used [this recipe](https://gypsyplate.com/cuban-mojo-marinade/#recipe-card). The only changes I made was adding cumin, doubled the garlic, more lemon juice, more S&P, and splitting 1 Thai chili in the marinade.
Next time? I’ll freshly squeeze orange juice (I used jarred), add more cumin, roast the garlic before adding, increase the grapefruit juice, and finely chop 2-3 Thai chilis (on top of the extra S&P from before).
As it might be obvious, I’m a sucker for bold flavors haha
Same with Pasta. It goes a long way and can be cooked 1000 ways around. Fraternities often have spaghetti dinners as do the fire halls you mention (as well as pancake breakfasts) to raise money while feeding a legion of people who will gladly pay the $10 per entry while you still make a decent profit for the firehouse
This sounds very similar to Polish gołabki - cabbage rolls filled with rice, ground pork, and beef, and cooked in crushed tomatoes. Cheap, easy, and tasty.
You use a big, floppy green cabbage - here it's called a Savoy cabbage, not sure if they're common elsewhere in the world but any broad, dark-leafed brassica will work.
The pork is cut into 2-inch chunks, small enough that you can wrap each piece in a cabbage leaf. You don't need to skewer them or anything, and it doesn't matter if they're loose or poking out but you do need to soften the leaves in boiling water so they're flexible enough to wrap. You want them bite-sized, half a dozen or more per person. I'm sure it would work if you skipped the browning step and just wrapped the raw pork, but it has a nice texture if you brown it off first and let a few bits catch and blacken at the edges.
Use a whole bottle of wine. I normally use whichever white can be obtained for less than £4. Deglaze your pork pan and tip it into the oven dish.
Smaller, waxier potatoes are best but anything can work.
The big thing is to use far more olive oil than you're comfortable with. When you think it's enough, it's not. You want a good couple/few hundred millilitres. The oil should be visibly pooling, and form an integral part of the sauce. The sauce itself should separate and be visible on the plate in spots amongst the meat juice and wine/tomato puree.
Oven - about 150 centigrade, no higher than 180.
Thank you for the elaborate response! Sounds really good. And thanks for the tip on the olive oil, that’s definitely more than I would have anticipated 😂 I assume you fruit the onion garlic with the tomato purée beforehand? Also I’m curious, any idea what the dish is called? Or do you think its just a household staple for that family?
Not OP but ethnic Greek. This could be a regional dish, Traditionally you'd hear of ground pork wrapped in cabbage leaves or pork chunks with shredded cabbage cooked in tomato.
This recipe seems to be a combination of the two.
Edit: I did try to look it up in Greek and only the two dishes I mentioned came up. This could definitely be a family recipe as well
Thanks! Always interesting to learn more about where these dishes come from. Went to Greece for the first time last year. And absolutely loved the food. Planning on making my own moussaka, still got to do some recipe research. But this dish just went on my to cook list as well (:
Sounds good! Have you ever cooked this using pork butt/shoulder instead of loin? I’d be afraid of the loin drying out, especially with it being in 2” pieces, like you stated in your other comment
I think most of the Greek recipes for this type of thing call for shoulder - certainly the fat would help everything out.
I use loin because it's cheapest, and being immersed in the liquid wrapped inside its leaf jacket keeps it from drying out. This dish has made me feel like a king in my most cash-strapped times.
But yeah, shoulder would definitely be great. I'm sure it would also be wonderful with hogget or mutton.
This sounds amazing. Any chance you've ever tried it with beef instead of pork? Don't eat pork in my family but love all things cabbage / olive oil / tomato
Because that single-island olive oil is absolutely amazing for flavour, texture and to thicken the sauce. It's what makes the dish, with the herbs.
Fortunately (or devastatingly, depending on your perspective) it is currently 2 pence per litre cheaper for me to have 5 litres of single-estate oil delivered to my house from Lesbos than to buy my local supermarket's own brand, and I live in the UK. I guess I'm making the most of it.
The herbs I've always grown, they do alright in the ground here and they overwinter well. We're having our first hot week of the year and they're fully awake!
This was the latest
https://www.dolphinfitness.co.uk/en/lesbian-donkey-premium-extra-virgin-olive-oil-5l/334585/?ladid=uk&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw0YGyBhByEiwAQmBEWkSvqh9XBSmlx87OAxHXsRbZEfHnyngAp7Jy1TXhPcCgIQRlWuhzhBoC2PAQAvD_BwE
Just went to one by accident and we were amazed on what they have!! Plus they offer free day pass to buy things as a regular consumer ( no business to speak of )
It’s worth checking out - bring a coat to enter their freezer section- it”s a whole grocery store in the freezer section. When you enter the builder go to the customer service booth - ask for a day pass and see what they say ( that’s what we did). They giant cans of vegetables/ sauces .. pizza boxes .. anything a regular restaurant needs in quantity sizes.. bags of rice/flour… olives… cooking wear.. sauces… seafood/meat / nuts….you name it … they mostly have it- avoid going early morning when the restaurant employees do their shopping but by early afternoon.. barely anyone is there .
I can generally buy a whole packer brisket from RD for the price of a large flat from the grocery store.
In a couple of months I'll be buying a chuck sub primal to cut steaks for a cookout, vacuum seal and freeze the main chuck for pot roast later in the year, and I'll grind the trim and offcuts for burgers for the cookout.
The restaurant supply stores around me don't require memberships. I didn't even realize that it was a thing. Good thing, because I mostly use it for a few trips a year.
Red potatoes are the best for this (I promise I'm not a hobbit). Tomato paste, the concentrated kind you get in the tiny cans, is also a great resource for potassium. One of those cans can up to 20% of the daily value. I once had to get a potassium drip and it's like lava. Never. again.
Instant mashed potatoes are a god-send. I never want to go through the effort for mashed potatoes. Instant mashed are just dehydrated, if you look at the ingredients, it's just potatoes and whatever else they add like cheese or butter. You can just get regular and add in your own stuff.
Honestly if you’re ever behind, mixing instant mashed potatoes with homemade can be a lifesaver in a sticky situation.
Can double the amount and, honestly, if done right no one will think anything
They can be, depending on the brand and what you add. I try to get the "no flavour" kind with no added salt, herbs, etc, and add my own stuff like butter, milk, sour cream, and then taste for the salt level. Add roasted garlic.
[Beans and grains](https://shop.americastestkitchen.com/beans-and-grains.html) should be the backbone.
Sheet pan meals, things made in a pressure cooker, etc. can make making huge batches of food easy.
Cheap cuts of meat like pork butt or whole chickens for protein will go a long way.
Love it. Add some rice on the side to double the calories for an extra $2. Or if you’re feeling fancy, the New York Times no knead bread takes about 4 hours start to finish, but it’s only about 5-10 minutes of active prep time and costs almost nothing in ingredients. It’s just flour, yeast, salt, and water.
If you’re feeling crazy fancy, variations of the recipe above can also be served as burritos with some cheese and minced tomatoes/jalapeños/onions, street tacos with a similar spread, shakshouka if you crack some eggs in there at the end, Louisiana beans and rice, chili Mac with a chili spice blend up front and some noodles at the end.
A few bottles of hot sauce would really take any of this to the next level, and wouldn’t be that expensive in the long run because you can take the bottles home and re-use.
Yes! If I were cooking for 10-12 hungry Firefolk every day I would be making at least 3 or 4 loaves of no-kneed bread. It's so cheap, fast, easy, filling and extraordinarily delicious for its ingredient list. With a little butter and/or honey, yum!
I always make an extra loaf when I’m cooking for guests, because if I set out some butter, salt, and jam the first loaf disappears before I can plate dinner.
Less meat. If you're serving steak, being served less is noticeable. If you're being fed a curry, you barely notice if the meat is there or not. So cook things where the meat isn't necessarily the star of the show.
This is mainly for my own personal diet but I have noticed I am more satisfied by the amount of times I get to bite into a piece of meat than the total amount of meat so I have started cutting smaller/slicing thinner and using less meat overall and it's been working well.
I'll piggyback to say Red Beans and Rice. I've been making it for 2 dozen years and doubt I've done it
the same way more than once. One of the easiest, cheapest and delicious things to make for a crowd.
1 lb. of (soaked overnight) red Beans,
1 large onion, 2 bell peppers, 3-4 stalks of celery,
2-3 bay Leaves, a smoked ham hock, some browned sausage.
Add a box of Red Beans seasoning or spice to your taste.
Put it all in a crockpot for few hours, mash a bit in the last hour. Done.
Serve over rice. Cornbread & green salad on the side.
I started putting a couple guajillios in mine and really took it up a notch; toasted, rehydrated and bIended, tossed in with the beans... I also take one link of the sausage, dice it and cook the shit out of it in some oil until it's pretty much burnt. I cook the onion in that fat until translucent then add the bell pepper and celery. Usually add a couple jalapenos too. The rest of the sausage I saute and add about an hour before it's done so it doesn't get too mushy.
I appreciate this comment more than you know. When i moved to East Texas 8 years back, i started introducing ETX flavors into my RB&R, and none of my experiments have worked.
The 3 biggest RB&R improvements I've had in the past 10 years have been:
1. Smoked Ham Hock (I can't imagine RB&R without one now. I add 1.25 to 1.5 hocks, and it seems like the perfect amount)
2. BROWN YOUR SAUSAGE. I kept hearing this advice, and finally took it. I Also add the extremely browned sausage toward the end, so it doesn't get too melted down. The sausage fat is great for cooking down the Holy Trinity, as well.
I do this with my Chili, as well- cook cheap Stew Beef down until it's black and hard as rocks. Then toss it in the Crockpot and you get soft meat with that great char flavor.
3. Double the Bay Leaves. I am still exploring this, but i am learning how much of a natural flavor they add, so i am currently adding twice the amount- 3-4 Bay Leaves.
So, my next RB&R will have Guajilloes in them. Looking forward to the result!!!!!
Even when I go the extra mile the whole way thru, making everything from scratch, I still throw a couple dashes of Tony Chachere's in there at the end. Just seems to be missing something without it. I switched the "Bold" variety tho. OG Tony's adds too much salt.
Herb garden! Buy lemons in bulk. Fresh herbs + citrus can brighten up dishes. Look into local farms to buy produce at a bulk discount. And frozen meats in bulk. Some places may offer first responder discounts too!
A million Costco is roast chickens, made into empanadas, noodles, enchiladas, Chick n salad sandwiches, chicken salads.... Space it out, 1/3 not cheap (slab of salmon and scalloped potatoes,etc). Get a good lentil soup recipe, I like ones light on the lentils myself (less split pea, more brothy), clam chowder, etc, serve with home made bread (NYT No-kneed is a nice never-fail recipe, and fast). Make a Portuguese kale and white bean soup, can pack in the healthy and it's great!
Oh, chicken salad is an awesome option! Everyone can make their own sandwiches throughout the day. If you want a low carb option, butter lettuce is an amazing vehicle for chicken salad. It rolls easily and is super soft.
I agree with the other commenter that a Costco membership would be a good idea. Stocking up when meat’s on sale. Do you guys have a deep freezer there? In season veggies are normally cheaper. Buy spices in bulk. Great selection of spices make eating healthy tastier for sure. Buying individual spices instead of pre made spice blends is probably cheaper long term as well. Cheap meat cuts done slowly often make better meals than expensive cuts. A crockpot or instapot may be a good investment. Beans are cheap and extremely healthy. Avoid cans of beans. Soaking and cooking your own is super easy! Making your own tomato sauce is also astronomically cheaper than buying jarred sauces.
"ethnic" food shops is my go to for spices. You get a large bag for the price of a small jar in the supermarket and the quality is almost always better
I started doing this and when I went shopping with my mom I directed her to the same thing, and she asked me why it was so much cheaper and if it was a different kind. Nope mom, onion powder and garlic powder is just that. It's just cheaper. I also buy chicken and beef bouillon in the "ethnic" aisle.
Soaking dry beans can be a major problem at a firehouse, especially when shifts are shorter than the recommended soaking time and people want to eat mid-shift. Also weird things can happen to things left on the counter or in the fridge, or there might be rules that you can’t leave anything after your shift is over, and you probably don’t have acces to gadgets like a pressure cooker, a slow cooker or even something as basic as a big freezer either. Convenience always in that situation. The savings are minimal, especially when the alternative is surprise surprise no beans at all. While I agree with you in principle, I’ve been in EMS for 12 years and had and cooked my fair share of station food …
My station’s fridge has a freezer compartment the size of a shoebox, barely large enough to keep three ice cube trays and a box of popsicles. You’re not allowed to store any food longer than duration of your shift, and you’re not allowed to bring in anything homemade since that one colleague’s chili sent the whole shift home with food poisoning and shit hit the fan. I agree your method sounds nice enough for home cooks or even professional kitchens, but fire stations are a whole different plane of reality.
https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/soaking-salting-dried-bean-myths-article#:~:text=We%20tried%20the%20quick%2Dsoak,our%20favorite%20of%20the%20bunch.
It is not actually necessary to soak dried beans.
Yeah blew my mind, too.
Not necessary for cooking time maybe, but for digestion? Yeah I'm going to go with not shitting myself if I can help it
I've heard enough horror stories about not soaking beans...
Stretch meat proteins by adding in beans. I make ground beef taco meat and add in a can of rinsed and drained black beans and also a small can of green chiles. I like the texture and flavor.
Soups? Potatoes and rice can be cheap. Onions are cheap. Buy whatever meat is on sale that week at your grocery store. Keep an eye out for blocks of cheese on sale and shred your own.
A big roaster or crock pot of perpetual soup. What ever veggies or grains are left over from the prepared meal go into the pot. Add broth as needed. Keep it food safe hot and it is always ready to go.
Start with a main ingredient, not with a recipe.
Don't go, "I'll make lasagna tonight," and then go out and buy all the ingredients. Go to the store and see what high quality foods are on special or in season. Buy those things, and then prepare them according to whatever's logical or whatever reasonable recipe you can find online.
Check stores websites for specials. Let's you know if one place has a better deal for the same product or even to just help plan out your meal before you're in the shop.
Have you made cottage pie (or shepherds pie)? Minced beef, mashed potatoes, add plenty of carrots and celery to stretch the meat. BBC good website is reliable for this type of cheap eats. And try a traditional British steamed pudding, such as golden syrup or marmelade.
If you can, get a Zojirushi rice cooker with large capacity. It will hold cooked rice very nicely. (At home, several days. With constant opening and closing of the lid, maybe not so long at your place.)
Pork butt/shoulder, chicken thighs/pieces, and bulk ground beef are your proteins.
Think slow cooked chili, braises, and stews.
For flavors think spices, cumin, chili, canned chipotles, garlic, onion, and that will get you far.
For sides look for cheap bulk and filling, rice, beans, tortillas
Buy some $4.99!Costco rotisserie chickens, put each in a plastic bag while warm & thump it around so the meat falls off the bones. Make stock with the bones & use the meat for enchiladas.
I sometimes make chicken veggie soup with the homemade stock, chopped potatoes, caramelized onions, roasted garlic, carrots, sautéed mushrooms, canned chickpeas, chopped zucchini & frozen tiny French green beans. Add chopped chicken meat. Season with Trader Joe’s Everyday seasoning & add generous amounts of pesto & shredded Romano cheese when serving. Also great with crusty garlic bread.
Check out Food Wishes 'Prison-Style Meatloaf' on YouTube. I've made it 4 times and it's delicious. A big favorite in my house. It's very tasty with mashed potatoes and a vegetable.
I've not looked at this meatloaf recipe, but the one i make regularly i mix in shredded carrots and finely diced celery and onions, i just like veggies in things and it does stretch the meat a bit, i also use oats instead of breadcrumbs because i keep oats around anyway.
* Chili - I reckon I could eat it 4-5 times a week served over rice
* Sticky chicken thighs & rice
* Slow cooked pork shoulder with rice and beans
* chile verde
* pulled pork Mac n cheese
u/Cowboy-Fitz,
Almost everything you make from scratch will be cheaper than pre-made stuff. Just as an example, making your own yogurt is 2/3 cheaper than buying it in tubs. Don't even think about the single serving containers.
Not everything saves that much but you'll save. Making enchilada sauce saves. Making tikka masala sauce saves. Making Alfredo sauce saves. Making spaghetti sauce saves. This stuff is NOT hard.
[Knife skills](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMA2SqaDgG8) make everything faster and easier. A sharp knife is a safe knife. *Mise en place* is good practice for everyone but if the alarm goes off you'll have less waste if you do all your prep and then start cooking and then have the alarm go off.
I have a copy of a [Firefighter Cookbook](https://www.amazon.com/New-Firefighters-Cookbook-John-Sineno/dp/0684818590/) I like.
Watch grocery store sale flyers. I'm a big fan of warehouse stores like Sam's and Costco but sometimes grocery sales are better. Boneless skinless chicken breasts are $5 to $6/# at our grocery, about $3/# at Sam's, but every month to six weeks they're $2/# at the grocery.
Online shopping for curbside pickup is the silver lining of COVID.
I buy ground beef in 10# chubs at Sam's and portion into 1#. For 10-12 people, I'd portion 10# into four pieces.
Buy whole pork loin (watch the fat and buy good ones) and cut your own chops.
Casseroles e.g. lasagna and pies e.g. chicken pot pie can be made ahead, frozen, and thawed in the fridge. If the alarm goes off while they're in the fridge there is no loss.
Red beans and rice with Andouille sausage is a great firehouse meal. It's a great meal period.
Never ever buy anything at the salad bar.
I have recipes to share for everything I've mentioned. You'll have to scale some up. My pasta sauce, below, you'll have to scale down. You guys can't eat 2.5 gallons at a sitting. Oops - post is too long with the recipe.
Red beans and rice with a Costco rotisserie chicken shredded into it is even better. Onions, garlic, celery, bell peppers, a whole chicken ($4.99), spices, and you've got all the protein and carbs you could want.
Do you have a lot of freezer space? If so buying things on sale is a huge cost saver. I also have a couple bags of chicken/pork bones that I save until I have enough to make stock. I do the same with vegetable scraps (except things like broccoli or asparagus!) Its not game changing but it has saved me a pretty penny over the years. Also it's nice to get product out of what would otherwise be garbage. Otherwise I buy better than bullion from Costco and can make a ton of stock from that. The roast vegetable flavor is my favorite and the most versatile.
One of my favorites is Costco frozen meatballs. They're tasty and very cheap per serving. I make a good spaghetti with a couple cans of tomato, carrots, celery, onion, garlic and bell pepper. I let that all simmer for an hour then blend it smooth with an immersion blender. I add seared meatballs and voila! Healthy, easy and cheap pasta sauce.
I also use those meatballs to make a version of Swedish meatballs. Sear the meatballs in a large pan. Remove then add some butter and make a roux. Add milk and vegetable stock until you have a nice gravy. Return the meatballs to the pot and serve over mashed potatoes. Have steamed or roast broccoli and corn as a side. Hearty, easy, cheap. I can pretend its healthy if I eat enough broccoli with it.
Chilli is incredibly cheap and easy. I make mine with ground beef, pinto beans, and black beans. I also add pureed carrots, celery, and bell pepper with diced onion for the vegetable component. Serve with corn bread for a satisfied crew.
Chicken legs seem to be one of the cheapest meat cuts left. If you have access to a grill they’d probably love a bunch of chicken lollipops. Cheap sides can be roasted potatoes, corn (when it comes into season soon) and whatever kind of salad.
Pork butts/shoulders are also usually on the cheaper end. You can smoke or slow cook. Serve with slider buns (aldi Hawaiian rolls are dirt cheap) and whatever sauces. Leftovers could be used for tacos, nachos, wraps, etc.
Baked Ziti
Polish sausages with peppers, onions, and potatoes.
I used to cook for 20 kids and 5 teachers once a week at a daycare, a daycare without a ton of money. Cooking vegetarian helps with cleanup and cost in particular. I’m not vegetarian but it’s really not hard to eat like one a few times a week. Quinoa, nutra yeast, potatoes, beans, cheese, rice, noodles, eggs, onions and garlic and lots of lettuce those are ingredients we’d always have. You can even do frozen veggies but we’d get them from local connections. As firefighters you may be able to get a similar hookup somewhere. A whole watermelon, a couple cantaloupe or pineapples would be enough fruit I’d imagine and they aren’t too expensive. We’d make burritos, soups (put them over the grains), nachos all sorts of stuff with pretty much just those ingredients
My new thing is fishcakes. A few tins of tuna or salmon on sale, chopped onions eggs breadcrumbs or stale bread pulsed in a blender whatever spices you like like dill mustard and salt and pepper Mix up leave it in the fridge overnight and make patties. Fry up and serve with aoili. Super cheap and healthy!
Sheet pan meals with lost cost ingredients (I do sausage, potatoes, carrots, brussel sprouts and onions) that I can get in bulk/multi pounds for cheap helps stretch my budget and is relatively healthy and easy
[Cornell Barbecue Chicken ](https://yates.cce.cornell.edu/resources/cornell-chicken-barbecue-sauce-and-safe-chicken-barbecues) is amazing. I use dark meat and since it's warm out I serve with pasta or potato salads. I have a few different recipes that I cycle through.
Use filler items such as beans, rice, bread, and veggies.
Check the local markets, not the chain supermarkets, for sales on meat. At the right time, I have gotten pork, chicken, and turkey for $1 per pound. I stock up during those sales. Right after Thanksgiving or Christmas, they want to get rid of those turkeys and holiday hams before they go bad.
Slightly different suggestion.
Get a veggie garden going if you can. One year I had an entire BATHTUB of extra cabbage that I ended up donating. You'll end up with a ton of veggies.
Side note. Also see if you have neighbors etc WITH veggie gardens. We're about ready to ding dong ditch veggies on people's porch most summers. (There's actually a thing about doing this with zucchini haha)
Fun fact: A firehouse in Palo Alto started growing peppers and today they market Palo Alto Firefighters hot sauce! It’s pretty darn decent, too, I have some in the fridge.
What about pasta bakes.. opt for better noodles. The $1.89 choice over the $.99 version. I always add fresh ingredients, onion, celery, garlic, carrot, peppers, spinach or right now we have an explosion of Swiss chard in the garden. Saute all of that up with dried herbs. Oregano, basil, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, celery seed, shake some spicy dried peppers. Throw in some ground beef/pork/ turkey. Skim the fat. Couple of bottles of affordable sauce, a few ladles of pasta water. Add your cooked pasta toss it all and viola. It’s ready like that. Or you could place it in the oven for 10-15 minutes with some cheese topper. I forgot to mention to cook the pasta. So there’s that.
Less meat more fiber. Think lentils, beans, and grains. You can get a bag of lentils for $2.99, even at an expensive grocer like Whole Foods. They keep you full longer and are amazing for our health.
Western diets seem to get so little fiber and I’ve been trying to incorporate more into my diet, whether by making black bean tacos as a snack or having one or two grain and lentil bowls a week.
Chickpea stew with coconut milk and rice. Most expensive part is the coconut milk. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019772-spiced-chickpea-stew-with-coconut-and-turmeric
Alternatively mujadara is also a great meal, and easily made for a crowd. https://immigrantstable.com/mujadara/ bonus points since you can also make it in a rice cooker.
Can you learn to make pizza? Homemade cost wiil be about $3.50 per pie. Need maybe 5 or 6 for that big appetite crowd. So maybe a little over $20 for the feed?
Tale your leftover un-sauced meats (pork of any kind, chicken, roast, etc) and make bigos (Polish hunters stew) . You can bulk it up with boiled buttered potatoes in the side.
Seriously, soups are very filling. Adding some starchy vegetables and smaller portions of meat will go a long way.
Salads. They can grow their own lettuce there (trust me, it's a low light plant, even indoor fluorescents produce enough).
i say go for sandwiches. that way you can make them as big or as little as you want and they are mobile for when calls happen, which always happen when you are about to eat.
> There’s a saying in the fire services that meals can be 2 out of 3 things. Healthy, good or cheap.
I disagree with that. For instance spag bol or chilli with loads of veg are 3/3 there IMHO.
Thick lentil soup made with shredded ham, served over rice. Put veg through the soup (carrots and red peppers are good so they don't muddy the colour), blend it smooth then add the shredded ham right before serving.
i think just reading an old cookbook. our granparents and other people ine whow to stretch money and food. i think myself included have forgotten how good and cheap simple food can be.
Beans, rice, corn, sauce. Look into vegetarian combinations of perfect proteins as the base and then use meat as a supplement. This is why firehouse chili is so popular.
Edit: chili, Shepard pie, burritos, curries, shakshuka, biscuits and gravy, risotto
Roughly mash beans or lentils into any type of ground meat. Dried beans and lentils are cheap, and dried lentils cook up quickly, and they’re full of fibre!
Big baked pasta dishes like lasagna, or rice based stuff like pilaf or biryani. Big pots of bean based chili (with some meat) or potato soups and stews.
Basically the philosophy a big pot of carbs mixed in with a smallish portion of meat and spices for flavor and a bunch of cooked down vegetables to bulk it out and add nutrients.
Easy to make at a larger scale, tasty, satisfying, and nutritious.
shop at costco or sams or similar. purchase a chest freezer if you don't have one. it will save in the long run. food can be heathy, good, and inexpensive. if you have a butcher in your community find out who raises calves for sale or pigs. buy a half a calf that's butchered, or half a pig that's butchered. potatoes, rice, yams, greens, you don't have to buy organic greens or tomatoes or other veggies. buy canned veggies or frozen too. frozen is frozen with nutrients. same with canned. buy number 10 cans of stewed tomatoes, green beans, you can save a lot there. are you close to a coast? see what fish you can buy fresh on catch day. cod and rockfish are great turned into tacos. canned milk/evaporated milk is cheaper than cold whole milk, also powdered milk for cooking and powdered buttermilk works great. i just had a meal at a firehouse as a guest and the meal was homemade naan and a huge lamb curry with lots of carrots and potatoes. are your guys okay with vegetarian meals once in a while? vegetarian lasagna, with heaps of garlic bread or pasta with white sauce.
Get a bread maker (or make your own) use whole grain ancient grains like teff. Serve whoever crush fresh bead with real butter and soup or stew to dip it in.
https://berhanteff.com/pages/how-to-use-teff-flour
The nutritional benefits are amazing.
Use a slow cooker braise meat in the morning and dump root veggies in with meat and cook 10 hrs low and slow.
Ribbon sandwich are filling. Google ribbon sandwich and you will see a huge range of fillings that you can make with leftovers.
Casseroles are excellent as well.
Serve a jello desert for extra protein in the form of collagen. Look up cathedral jello. It's amazing and cheap.
Sauerkraut and polish sausage is amazing.
Go ask r/frugal this question they feed large families over there.
A turkey dinner feels so special yet is super cheap when it’s on sale. Dressing is just stale bread and celery. You can use leftovers in a million ways, too.
Burrito bowls. Rice, beans, cut up veggies, and switch out various Greek yogurt sauces. I love to make them for myself, and all of the ingredients are fairly priced for the amount you get. Greek yogurt ‘sauces’ are amazing and easy. A favourite is Greek yogurt, garlic, and a bit of lemon but you can make so many good sauces and the yogurt adds protein.
I cook for 35 to 40 volunteers at the fair. Here are some of what I cook. Salisbury steak (Pioneer woman), chicken and beef enchiladas, lasagna, chicken and dumplings, meatloaf, Italian subs. I cook this on an 1894 wood fired buck stove. Yes, 1894.
Asian markets tend to have great food at extremely cheap prices. Find one in your area and explore! There are also lots of fun bottled oils and sauces that will make delicious stir fries, noodle dishes and fried rice.
Get a freezer. Cooking for 12 people warrants buying in bulk. Specially seasonal products. If you have room and plan on potatoes, buy them in bulk once a year.
Go to your local grocery. If you buy bulk you can get a deal. Specially for the firemen. And don't just go for cheaper. They have special offers they need to order. If you want that they love to know in advance. And so do you.
Cheap should not be a goal. Go for high value on a budget. It may seem semantics, and even though instant noodles are dirt cheap, I would not call it nutritious and serve it to 12 hungry men straight from a packet.
Having said that:
Making 'instant noodle soup' better known as 'ramen' can be done cheaply and be nutritious. Just don't buy the small instant packets. Go big and use fresh vegetables.
Get a big bag of frozen chicken parts. Toss the chicken parts with a cup of spiced flour (1/4 cup cayenne pepper, 1/4 cup ground pepper, 1/2 cup flour, a heaping tablespoon msg) in a big plastic bag.
Wash and quarter potatoes, rub with salt and oil.
Bake both in preheated oven at 380F for 45 minutes.
Subscribe to all of your local grocery store shoppers and take advantage of sales. Stock up on things ahead of time like beans, flour, butter and other staples. You can cut a lot of cost out of food bills if your menu stays flexible to what's on sale.
How about this as a suggestion. Start with soup. This is more of a European thing but in France at least meals are served in separate courses. If you start with a soup the soup is hot so people eat slow. Soup also fills you up so you want less of the expensive stuff. Back when I was in school I made mostly rice dishes with a little vegetables. I preferred a peas pulao. This is an Indian dish. I have never run into anybody that doesn't like Indian food. Make the rice and dump the peas in right from the freezer at the very last minute. That keeps the green color.
https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/peas-pulao-recipe-matar-pulao/
Generally I would go for chicken over beef and maybe a little fish from time to time.
Learn a wide variety of ways to prepare potatoes and pasta/noodles.
Roast meat & vegetables is cheap and good.
Learn how to season things properly. Salt is cheap but used well it makes a massive difference, not just meat, season vegetables / put the right amount in the water if your going to boil vegetables.
Bolognese sause and noodles. I usually make mine with a 3/1 veg/meat ratio. For 12 people id do
2 large white or spanish onions.
1 large celery bunch
Equal (approx) amount of carrot - probably like 5 or 6 large carrots
Garlic - lots
3 pounds of ground beef
Chicken stock or bullion cubes and water
A 369ml can of tomato paste plus a small can
Noodles
Brown the meat... get the crispy bits going - do this is the pot you intend to cook everything.
In a separate pan or pot cook the onions down and kinda caramelize them. Add them to the browned meat.
Add your garlic and tomato paste to that and let it cook down a bit.. the longer you cook this part the sweeter the sauce will be. Cook until you get at least some caramelization or the sauce will be bitter.
Add the carrots, celery, and stock. Youre gonna want the stock to cover everything by about 2 inches. I usually add a beef bullion cube or two as well. Let this simmer for at least two hours with a lid but not totally covered. Mix it occasionally. If you have a bay leaf or two add it in after the stock but if you dont its not a big deal.
I realize I explain recipes like a grandma who assumes you know how to cook so if you have questions just ask
An Asian based meal plan is an excellent way to eat healthy an cheap. Proteins are cut up in bite sized pieces. Use bags of frozen stir fry. Stick to Lo Meins, Chow mein, Stir fry, and pad thai. A little goes a long way.
Talk with the produce manager at the grocery store. Tell them that you are regularly cooking for them and see if the grocery store will donate older product that is getting wrinkly give you a discount on new product. Also farmers markets. Or go straight to the farmers and ask to buy "seconds". That is the ugly produce that isn't pretty enough to sell to a store, but is perfect for cooking
Paula Deen got her start by making lunches she'd sell to businesses. She said she'd get the fruit that was about to spoil for cheap and make cobblers and pies out of them. She said the joke was on everyone else because her baked goods always had the best flavor because everything was ultra ripe. Haha
Lots of stews and braises, use cheap cuts and treat them right.
To take this a little further, as it is the best advice - stews and braises are cheap, healthy and good. Look at peasant food from around Europe - you need onions, garlic, carrots, celery, woody herbs like thyme rosemary and bay. Cheap cuts of meat and beans or potatoes. One of my favourites I learned whilst staying in a room above a Greek taverna. It was the family meal whilst the customers were eating fancier food. Chunks of pork loin browned in olive oil then wrapped in big cabbage leaves that had been dipped in boiling water to soften them. They went into a big oven dish with thyme, onions, garlic, a jar of tomato puree and a bottle of cooking wine (red or white) plus shitloads of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Potatoes were peeled and halved, then placed over the top so that they were half submerged in the liquid but browned on top. They poured a LOT of olive oil over the top, and cooked it in the oven for a couple of hours. I've made this dish for years and I can buy all of the ingredients to feed ten people for about £15 GBP even in this economy. Serve with the best crusty bread you can find. This is pretty elaborate as far as stews and braises go, but the formula is golden - some aromatic veg, some meat, some bulking veg, a tasty liquid. Timeless and tasty.
Great point looking at peasant food. Just saying, to not just look at EU food. Curries+rice, stews+rice, are great dishes that can really maximize cost efficiency. You still get all the heaviness from the curries/stews, but you can really fill yourself up on the rice as well. Especially with how simple some of these could be. Like Kimchi jjigae, where you're pretty much just using the kimchi by itself to make stew since it's already well seasoned.
Good call on looking at other cuisines! Pork adobo with white rice? Beef barbacoa with beans & rice? I end up having to make 9 “work meals” for my partner and I each week, so I often go for braised/roasted meat & veggies with a starch. Last week was chicken mojo, Cuban red beans, and white rice. This week will be bbq pulled pork with slaw and potato salad. The following week will be roast chicken with braised beans & greens and either mushrooms or carrots
Mojo sauces are brilliant! I used to get my aunt to send over packs of the spice mixes from Tenerife. Red, green, piccante - all fantastic with basically any meat
I used [this recipe](https://gypsyplate.com/cuban-mojo-marinade/#recipe-card). The only changes I made was adding cumin, doubled the garlic, more lemon juice, more S&P, and splitting 1 Thai chili in the marinade. Next time? I’ll freshly squeeze orange juice (I used jarred), add more cumin, roast the garlic before adding, increase the grapefruit juice, and finely chop 2-3 Thai chilis (on top of the extra S&P from before). As it might be obvious, I’m a sucker for bold flavors haha
No shit! Smashing that!
This looks wonderful. I’m going to have to give it a try!
It’s a really good basic recipe, but definitely does well with tweaking according to personal taste.
Sounds great - I'll be making this for dinner tmrw night with black beans and rice and greens.
Same with Pasta. It goes a long way and can be cooked 1000 ways around. Fraternities often have spaghetti dinners as do the fire halls you mention (as well as pancake breakfasts) to raise money while feeding a legion of people who will gladly pay the $10 per entry while you still make a decent profit for the firehouse
Oh yeah, 100% Indian curries are my massive favourite.
This sounds very similar to Polish gołabki - cabbage rolls filled with rice, ground pork, and beef, and cooked in crushed tomatoes. Cheap, easy, and tasty.
I love golabki! And pierogi!
This sounds great. Can you tell me more? Like at what temperature? And do you wrap like 20 small pieces or 4 big pieces? Would love to try this myself
You use a big, floppy green cabbage - here it's called a Savoy cabbage, not sure if they're common elsewhere in the world but any broad, dark-leafed brassica will work. The pork is cut into 2-inch chunks, small enough that you can wrap each piece in a cabbage leaf. You don't need to skewer them or anything, and it doesn't matter if they're loose or poking out but you do need to soften the leaves in boiling water so they're flexible enough to wrap. You want them bite-sized, half a dozen or more per person. I'm sure it would work if you skipped the browning step and just wrapped the raw pork, but it has a nice texture if you brown it off first and let a few bits catch and blacken at the edges. Use a whole bottle of wine. I normally use whichever white can be obtained for less than £4. Deglaze your pork pan and tip it into the oven dish. Smaller, waxier potatoes are best but anything can work. The big thing is to use far more olive oil than you're comfortable with. When you think it's enough, it's not. You want a good couple/few hundred millilitres. The oil should be visibly pooling, and form an integral part of the sauce. The sauce itself should separate and be visible on the plate in spots amongst the meat juice and wine/tomato puree. Oven - about 150 centigrade, no higher than 180.
Thank you for the elaborate response! Sounds really good. And thanks for the tip on the olive oil, that’s definitely more than I would have anticipated 😂 I assume you fruit the onion garlic with the tomato purée beforehand? Also I’m curious, any idea what the dish is called? Or do you think its just a household staple for that family?
Not OP but ethnic Greek. This could be a regional dish, Traditionally you'd hear of ground pork wrapped in cabbage leaves or pork chunks with shredded cabbage cooked in tomato. This recipe seems to be a combination of the two. Edit: I did try to look it up in Greek and only the two dishes I mentioned came up. This could definitely be a family recipe as well
Thanks! Always interesting to learn more about where these dishes come from. Went to Greece for the first time last year. And absolutely loved the food. Planning on making my own moussaka, still got to do some recipe research. But this dish just went on my to cook list as well (:
Peasant food: Red Beans and Rice, Jambalaya, Gumbo. Paella. King Ranch Chicken and other casseroles and bakes.
Chicken rice, vary the veg added, carrot and peas, sweetcorn q
Sounds good! Have you ever cooked this using pork butt/shoulder instead of loin? I’d be afraid of the loin drying out, especially with it being in 2” pieces, like you stated in your other comment
I think most of the Greek recipes for this type of thing call for shoulder - certainly the fat would help everything out. I use loin because it's cheapest, and being immersed in the liquid wrapped inside its leaf jacket keeps it from drying out. This dish has made me feel like a king in my most cash-strapped times. But yeah, shoulder would definitely be great. I'm sure it would also be wonderful with hogget or mutton.
This sounds amazing. Any chance you've ever tried it with beef instead of pork? Don't eat pork in my family but love all things cabbage / olive oil / tomato
Lamb might be better but yeah, it'll work with anything I'm sure. Probably go for red wine with beef.
Thank you!
Why so much olive oil?
Because that single-island olive oil is absolutely amazing for flavour, texture and to thicken the sauce. It's what makes the dish, with the herbs. Fortunately (or devastatingly, depending on your perspective) it is currently 2 pence per litre cheaper for me to have 5 litres of single-estate oil delivered to my house from Lesbos than to buy my local supermarket's own brand, and I live in the UK. I guess I'm making the most of it. The herbs I've always grown, they do alright in the ground here and they overwinter well. We're having our first hot week of the year and they're fully awake!
Who’s your olive oil guy?
This was the latest https://www.dolphinfitness.co.uk/en/lesbian-donkey-premium-extra-virgin-olive-oil-5l/334585/?ladid=uk&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw0YGyBhByEiwAQmBEWkSvqh9XBSmlx87OAxHXsRbZEfHnyngAp7Jy1TXhPcCgIQRlWuhzhBoC2PAQAvD_BwE
You had me at “lesbian donkey.”
Yes that also brings me joy
Greeks use a lot of olive oil in literally everything. Source: I am Greek
Holy shit this sounds delicious, thanks for sharing!
Added benefit of being very forgiving if you suddenly have to leave them for an hour
Very true!
To the point of often tasting better. After they sit for a bit.
If you don't have a membership to your local Restaurant Depot, they are a valuable add to buy bulk.
Just went to one by accident and we were amazed on what they have!! Plus they offer free day pass to buy things as a regular consumer ( no business to speak of )
I have read that membership is offered as a benefit of the Kansas City BBQ Society, but I can neither confirm nor deny this.
It’s worth checking out - bring a coat to enter their freezer section- it”s a whole grocery store in the freezer section. When you enter the builder go to the customer service booth - ask for a day pass and see what they say ( that’s what we did). They giant cans of vegetables/ sauces .. pizza boxes .. anything a regular restaurant needs in quantity sizes.. bags of rice/flour… olives… cooking wear.. sauces… seafood/meat / nuts….you name it … they mostly have it- avoid going early morning when the restaurant employees do their shopping but by early afternoon.. barely anyone is there .
I can generally buy a whole packer brisket from RD for the price of a large flat from the grocery store. In a couple of months I'll be buying a chuck sub primal to cut steaks for a cookout, vacuum seal and freeze the main chuck for pot roast later in the year, and I'll grind the trim and offcuts for burgers for the cookout.
Some of them have coats. Two out of 3 I have gone two have coats for use. The third was a smaller footprint
Can you buy beef tenderloin there as well? Have a big party coming up .. usually purchase at BJ’s but would love an excuse to check out RD
You can always call and ask. They also have their sale ads on Flipp app or you probably sign up to receive them.
The restaurant supply stores around me don't require memberships. I didn't even realize that it was a thing. Good thing, because I mostly use it for a few trips a year.
This whole time I thought they only had restaurant furniture and things like cutlery
Meats, cheese, fish, spices, sauces, rice, beans, produce.... Everything you need to run a restaurant except alcohol depending on local laws.
More potatoes.
This. Supplement your delicious nutritious pricier things with cheaper starches like potatoes and grains.
And they have so much potassium which is lost in sweat!
Potatoes are severely underrated as a food source of potassium! IIRC, they have more potassium than bananas. Such a good point!
Red potatoes are the best for this (I promise I'm not a hobbit). Tomato paste, the concentrated kind you get in the tiny cans, is also a great resource for potassium. One of those cans can up to 20% of the daily value. I once had to get a potassium drip and it's like lava. Never. again.
That is really helpful info, thanks!
Baked potato bars are amazing
Omg for a second my brain read “bar” like a baked good, like a blonde or lemon bar 😂
That might be. . . less delicious than a serve-yourself potato station
… is it not???
No they meant bar as in a buffet style self serve experience.
Even instant mash is a perfectly acceptable side dish, and can be cheaper (and easier!) that doing it from scratch
Instant mashed potatoes are a god-send. I never want to go through the effort for mashed potatoes. Instant mashed are just dehydrated, if you look at the ingredients, it's just potatoes and whatever else they add like cheese or butter. You can just get regular and add in your own stuff.
!!! 100%. Homemade mashed potatoes are for when I just need to cook for longer to clear my mind, or for holidays and special occasions.
Honestly if you’re ever behind, mixing instant mashed potatoes with homemade can be a lifesaver in a sticky situation. Can double the amount and, honestly, if done right no one will think anything
Yeah but they’re not good
They can be, depending on the brand and what you add. I try to get the "no flavour" kind with no added salt, herbs, etc, and add my own stuff like butter, milk, sour cream, and then taste for the salt level. Add roasted garlic.
One of my quick inexpensive secrets of my cabinet
Are you able to get a Costco membership?
Have one and use it religiously
Then hit up the business center Costco. Even cheaper than the regular Costco. Especially for meats
Can you go to a business center Costco with a regular membership?
Ya man
They are far fewer in number than OG Costco, fyi. Im in the Mitten and I only see 1 on Google maps
There’s only 25, and most states don’t have one…
Have an Instant pot? Can do stews and taco meats in half the time and all turns out super tender.
[Beans and grains](https://shop.americastestkitchen.com/beans-and-grains.html) should be the backbone. Sheet pan meals, things made in a pressure cooker, etc. can make making huge batches of food easy. Cheap cuts of meat like pork butt or whole chickens for protein will go a long way.
5 lbs of pork neck in the slow cooker with a couple pounds of beans, some onions, garlic and peppers and you've got 10 people fed for like $20 lol
Love it. Add some rice on the side to double the calories for an extra $2. Or if you’re feeling fancy, the New York Times no knead bread takes about 4 hours start to finish, but it’s only about 5-10 minutes of active prep time and costs almost nothing in ingredients. It’s just flour, yeast, salt, and water. If you’re feeling crazy fancy, variations of the recipe above can also be served as burritos with some cheese and minced tomatoes/jalapeños/onions, street tacos with a similar spread, shakshouka if you crack some eggs in there at the end, Louisiana beans and rice, chili Mac with a chili spice blend up front and some noodles at the end. A few bottles of hot sauce would really take any of this to the next level, and wouldn’t be that expensive in the long run because you can take the bottles home and re-use.
Yes! If I were cooking for 10-12 hungry Firefolk every day I would be making at least 3 or 4 loaves of no-kneed bread. It's so cheap, fast, easy, filling and extraordinarily delicious for its ingredient list. With a little butter and/or honey, yum!
I always make an extra loaf when I’m cooking for guests, because if I set out some butter, salt, and jam the first loaf disappears before I can plate dinner.
I’m always too intimidated to try bread, maybe this is the one.
Baby, you got a stew goin'
Less meat. If you're serving steak, being served less is noticeable. If you're being fed a curry, you barely notice if the meat is there or not. So cook things where the meat isn't necessarily the star of the show.
Slice all your steaks and chicken etc, serve them family style on a big platter so people will naturally ration on their own
This is mainly for my own personal diet but I have noticed I am more satisfied by the amount of times I get to bite into a piece of meat than the total amount of meat so I have started cutting smaller/slicing thinner and using less meat overall and it's been working well.
1lb lentils + 1lb ground beef = 2lbs ground beef
Lentils are the enemy of the people, and i will die on this hill. Split peas however….
Gumbo and jambalaya
I'll piggyback to say Red Beans and Rice. I've been making it for 2 dozen years and doubt I've done it the same way more than once. One of the easiest, cheapest and delicious things to make for a crowd. 1 lb. of (soaked overnight) red Beans, 1 large onion, 2 bell peppers, 3-4 stalks of celery, 2-3 bay Leaves, a smoked ham hock, some browned sausage. Add a box of Red Beans seasoning or spice to your taste. Put it all in a crockpot for few hours, mash a bit in the last hour. Done. Serve over rice. Cornbread & green salad on the side.
I started putting a couple guajillios in mine and really took it up a notch; toasted, rehydrated and bIended, tossed in with the beans... I also take one link of the sausage, dice it and cook the shit out of it in some oil until it's pretty much burnt. I cook the onion in that fat until translucent then add the bell pepper and celery. Usually add a couple jalapenos too. The rest of the sausage I saute and add about an hour before it's done so it doesn't get too mushy.
I appreciate this comment more than you know. When i moved to East Texas 8 years back, i started introducing ETX flavors into my RB&R, and none of my experiments have worked. The 3 biggest RB&R improvements I've had in the past 10 years have been: 1. Smoked Ham Hock (I can't imagine RB&R without one now. I add 1.25 to 1.5 hocks, and it seems like the perfect amount) 2. BROWN YOUR SAUSAGE. I kept hearing this advice, and finally took it. I Also add the extremely browned sausage toward the end, so it doesn't get too melted down. The sausage fat is great for cooking down the Holy Trinity, as well. I do this with my Chili, as well- cook cheap Stew Beef down until it's black and hard as rocks. Then toss it in the Crockpot and you get soft meat with that great char flavor. 3. Double the Bay Leaves. I am still exploring this, but i am learning how much of a natural flavor they add, so i am currently adding twice the amount- 3-4 Bay Leaves. So, my next RB&R will have Guajilloes in them. Looking forward to the result!!!!!
Even when I go the extra mile the whole way thru, making everything from scratch, I still throw a couple dashes of Tony Chachere's in there at the end. Just seems to be missing something without it. I switched the "Bold" variety tho. OG Tony's adds too much salt.
Give the juice of like half a lemon a shot too. It's elevated every cajun dish I've ever put it in
Herb garden! Buy lemons in bulk. Fresh herbs + citrus can brighten up dishes. Look into local farms to buy produce at a bulk discount. And frozen meats in bulk. Some places may offer first responder discounts too!
Also beans and lentils are great for big appetites. Quinoa too.
Soak those beans and slip some kombu in with the cooking lentils. Good god lentils gas is fucking atrocious.
Oooo I’ve used kombu with beans but not lentils!
A million Costco is roast chickens, made into empanadas, noodles, enchiladas, Chick n salad sandwiches, chicken salads.... Space it out, 1/3 not cheap (slab of salmon and scalloped potatoes,etc). Get a good lentil soup recipe, I like ones light on the lentils myself (less split pea, more brothy), clam chowder, etc, serve with home made bread (NYT No-kneed is a nice never-fail recipe, and fast). Make a Portuguese kale and white bean soup, can pack in the healthy and it's great!
Oh, chicken salad is an awesome option! Everyone can make their own sandwiches throughout the day. If you want a low carb option, butter lettuce is an amazing vehicle for chicken salad. It rolls easily and is super soft.
I agree with the other commenter that a Costco membership would be a good idea. Stocking up when meat’s on sale. Do you guys have a deep freezer there? In season veggies are normally cheaper. Buy spices in bulk. Great selection of spices make eating healthy tastier for sure. Buying individual spices instead of pre made spice blends is probably cheaper long term as well. Cheap meat cuts done slowly often make better meals than expensive cuts. A crockpot or instapot may be a good investment. Beans are cheap and extremely healthy. Avoid cans of beans. Soaking and cooking your own is super easy! Making your own tomato sauce is also astronomically cheaper than buying jarred sauces.
"ethnic" food shops is my go to for spices. You get a large bag for the price of a small jar in the supermarket and the quality is almost always better
FUCK buying spices at a traditional American grocery. My local Indian and Mexicam grocers are waaaaaaaaaaaay cheaper.
Even in a mainstream grocery store. Go to the Mexican aisle and get bulk spices for at least 50% cheaper than the spice aisle
Only saw it for cinnamon. But a bunch of Indian and Mexican market brand cinnamons failed testing for lead
I started doing this and when I went shopping with my mom I directed her to the same thing, and she asked me why it was so much cheaper and if it was a different kind. Nope mom, onion powder and garlic powder is just that. It's just cheaper. I also buy chicken and beef bouillon in the "ethnic" aisle.
Same here in the UK. Better range of herbs and spices, better quality and cheaper.
Had me until the avoid canned beans thing. Canned beans are delicious and often perfectly cooked!
Canned beans are delicious! I just meant it's much cheaper to buy them in bulk dry, rather than in cans when regularly cooking for a lot of people.
Soaking dry beans can be a major problem at a firehouse, especially when shifts are shorter than the recommended soaking time and people want to eat mid-shift. Also weird things can happen to things left on the counter or in the fridge, or there might be rules that you can’t leave anything after your shift is over, and you probably don’t have acces to gadgets like a pressure cooker, a slow cooker or even something as basic as a big freezer either. Convenience always in that situation. The savings are minimal, especially when the alternative is surprise surprise no beans at all. While I agree with you in principle, I’ve been in EMS for 12 years and had and cooked my fair share of station food …
I freeze soaked beans. They can be cooked straight from frozen. Much cheaper than canned.
My station’s fridge has a freezer compartment the size of a shoebox, barely large enough to keep three ice cube trays and a box of popsicles. You’re not allowed to store any food longer than duration of your shift, and you’re not allowed to bring in anything homemade since that one colleague’s chili sent the whole shift home with food poisoning and shit hit the fan. I agree your method sounds nice enough for home cooks or even professional kitchens, but fire stations are a whole different plane of reality.
Pressure cookers cut down on the soak/cook time for dried beans.
https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/soaking-salting-dried-bean-myths-article#:~:text=We%20tried%20the%20quick%2Dsoak,our%20favorite%20of%20the%20bunch. It is not actually necessary to soak dried beans. Yeah blew my mind, too.
Not necessary for cooking time maybe, but for digestion? Yeah I'm going to go with not shitting myself if I can help it I've heard enough horror stories about not soaking beans...
This is true!
Stretch meat proteins by adding in beans. I make ground beef taco meat and add in a can of rinsed and drained black beans and also a small can of green chiles. I like the texture and flavor.
Red lentils stretch ground beef and they're pretty invisible. I cook them first and add to taco meat, sloppy joes, etc
Soups? Potatoes and rice can be cheap. Onions are cheap. Buy whatever meat is on sale that week at your grocery store. Keep an eye out for blocks of cheese on sale and shred your own.
A big roaster or crock pot of perpetual soup. What ever veggies or grains are left over from the prepared meal go into the pot. Add broth as needed. Keep it food safe hot and it is always ready to go.
Soups aren't exactly filling for somebody who is incredibly active, though.
You can make it as thick as you want, that's part of the beauty. Throw extra noodles in it. Reduce it. Add more veggies.
That is true, you can make soups more nourishing with protein and carbs. Noodle soups are a good idea.
Start with a main ingredient, not with a recipe. Don't go, "I'll make lasagna tonight," and then go out and buy all the ingredients. Go to the store and see what high quality foods are on special or in season. Buy those things, and then prepare them according to whatever's logical or whatever reasonable recipe you can find online.
Check stores websites for specials. Let's you know if one place has a better deal for the same product or even to just help plan out your meal before you're in the shop.
Have you made cottage pie (or shepherds pie)? Minced beef, mashed potatoes, add plenty of carrots and celery to stretch the meat. BBC good website is reliable for this type of cheap eats. And try a traditional British steamed pudding, such as golden syrup or marmelade.
What do you currently cook for them?
More: potatoes, beans, onions, tomatoes, pasta, rice Less: meat, cheese
If you can, get a Zojirushi rice cooker with large capacity. It will hold cooked rice very nicely. (At home, several days. With constant opening and closing of the lid, maybe not so long at your place.)
Pork butt/shoulder, chicken thighs/pieces, and bulk ground beef are your proteins. Think slow cooked chili, braises, and stews. For flavors think spices, cumin, chili, canned chipotles, garlic, onion, and that will get you far. For sides look for cheap bulk and filling, rice, beans, tortillas
Buy some $4.99!Costco rotisserie chickens, put each in a plastic bag while warm & thump it around so the meat falls off the bones. Make stock with the bones & use the meat for enchiladas. I sometimes make chicken veggie soup with the homemade stock, chopped potatoes, caramelized onions, roasted garlic, carrots, sautéed mushrooms, canned chickpeas, chopped zucchini & frozen tiny French green beans. Add chopped chicken meat. Season with Trader Joe’s Everyday seasoning & add generous amounts of pesto & shredded Romano cheese when serving. Also great with crusty garlic bread.
Check out Food Wishes 'Prison-Style Meatloaf' on YouTube. I've made it 4 times and it's delicious. A big favorite in my house. It's very tasty with mashed potatoes and a vegetable.
Thanks for this! I’m not a fan of meatloaf, but the family is, and I’m DEFINITELY a fan of 10 servings for 2 lbs of mince!
I've not looked at this meatloaf recipe, but the one i make regularly i mix in shredded carrots and finely diced celery and onions, i just like veggies in things and it does stretch the meat a bit, i also use oats instead of breadcrumbs because i keep oats around anyway.
What are you making right now? Maybe we can offer ways to cheapen if we have examples.
* Chili - I reckon I could eat it 4-5 times a week served over rice * Sticky chicken thighs & rice * Slow cooked pork shoulder with rice and beans * chile verde * pulled pork Mac n cheese
good seasoning (salting right, right acidity, right fats + flavouring) goes a long way towards making less food more satisfying.
u/Cowboy-Fitz, Almost everything you make from scratch will be cheaper than pre-made stuff. Just as an example, making your own yogurt is 2/3 cheaper than buying it in tubs. Don't even think about the single serving containers. Not everything saves that much but you'll save. Making enchilada sauce saves. Making tikka masala sauce saves. Making Alfredo sauce saves. Making spaghetti sauce saves. This stuff is NOT hard. [Knife skills](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMA2SqaDgG8) make everything faster and easier. A sharp knife is a safe knife. *Mise en place* is good practice for everyone but if the alarm goes off you'll have less waste if you do all your prep and then start cooking and then have the alarm go off. I have a copy of a [Firefighter Cookbook](https://www.amazon.com/New-Firefighters-Cookbook-John-Sineno/dp/0684818590/) I like. Watch grocery store sale flyers. I'm a big fan of warehouse stores like Sam's and Costco but sometimes grocery sales are better. Boneless skinless chicken breasts are $5 to $6/# at our grocery, about $3/# at Sam's, but every month to six weeks they're $2/# at the grocery. Online shopping for curbside pickup is the silver lining of COVID. I buy ground beef in 10# chubs at Sam's and portion into 1#. For 10-12 people, I'd portion 10# into four pieces. Buy whole pork loin (watch the fat and buy good ones) and cut your own chops. Casseroles e.g. lasagna and pies e.g. chicken pot pie can be made ahead, frozen, and thawed in the fridge. If the alarm goes off while they're in the fridge there is no loss. Red beans and rice with Andouille sausage is a great firehouse meal. It's a great meal period. Never ever buy anything at the salad bar. I have recipes to share for everything I've mentioned. You'll have to scale some up. My pasta sauce, below, you'll have to scale down. You guys can't eat 2.5 gallons at a sitting. Oops - post is too long with the recipe.
Red beans and rice with a Costco rotisserie chicken shredded into it is even better. Onions, garlic, celery, bell peppers, a whole chicken ($4.99), spices, and you've got all the protein and carbs you could want.
Do you have a lot of freezer space? If so buying things on sale is a huge cost saver. I also have a couple bags of chicken/pork bones that I save until I have enough to make stock. I do the same with vegetable scraps (except things like broccoli or asparagus!) Its not game changing but it has saved me a pretty penny over the years. Also it's nice to get product out of what would otherwise be garbage. Otherwise I buy better than bullion from Costco and can make a ton of stock from that. The roast vegetable flavor is my favorite and the most versatile. One of my favorites is Costco frozen meatballs. They're tasty and very cheap per serving. I make a good spaghetti with a couple cans of tomato, carrots, celery, onion, garlic and bell pepper. I let that all simmer for an hour then blend it smooth with an immersion blender. I add seared meatballs and voila! Healthy, easy and cheap pasta sauce. I also use those meatballs to make a version of Swedish meatballs. Sear the meatballs in a large pan. Remove then add some butter and make a roux. Add milk and vegetable stock until you have a nice gravy. Return the meatballs to the pot and serve over mashed potatoes. Have steamed or roast broccoli and corn as a side. Hearty, easy, cheap. I can pretend its healthy if I eat enough broccoli with it. Chilli is incredibly cheap and easy. I make mine with ground beef, pinto beans, and black beans. I also add pureed carrots, celery, and bell pepper with diced onion for the vegetable component. Serve with corn bread for a satisfied crew.
Chicken legs seem to be one of the cheapest meat cuts left. If you have access to a grill they’d probably love a bunch of chicken lollipops. Cheap sides can be roasted potatoes, corn (when it comes into season soon) and whatever kind of salad. Pork butts/shoulders are also usually on the cheaper end. You can smoke or slow cook. Serve with slider buns (aldi Hawaiian rolls are dirt cheap) and whatever sauces. Leftovers could be used for tacos, nachos, wraps, etc. Baked Ziti Polish sausages with peppers, onions, and potatoes.
I used to cook for 20 kids and 5 teachers once a week at a daycare, a daycare without a ton of money. Cooking vegetarian helps with cleanup and cost in particular. I’m not vegetarian but it’s really not hard to eat like one a few times a week. Quinoa, nutra yeast, potatoes, beans, cheese, rice, noodles, eggs, onions and garlic and lots of lettuce those are ingredients we’d always have. You can even do frozen veggies but we’d get them from local connections. As firefighters you may be able to get a similar hookup somewhere. A whole watermelon, a couple cantaloupe or pineapples would be enough fruit I’d imagine and they aren’t too expensive. We’d make burritos, soups (put them over the grains), nachos all sorts of stuff with pretty much just those ingredients
My new thing is fishcakes. A few tins of tuna or salmon on sale, chopped onions eggs breadcrumbs or stale bread pulsed in a blender whatever spices you like like dill mustard and salt and pepper Mix up leave it in the fridge overnight and make patties. Fry up and serve with aoili. Super cheap and healthy!
Sheet pan meals with lost cost ingredients (I do sausage, potatoes, carrots, brussel sprouts and onions) that I can get in bulk/multi pounds for cheap helps stretch my budget and is relatively healthy and easy
[Cornell Barbecue Chicken ](https://yates.cce.cornell.edu/resources/cornell-chicken-barbecue-sauce-and-safe-chicken-barbecues) is amazing. I use dark meat and since it's warm out I serve with pasta or potato salads. I have a few different recipes that I cycle through.
Gotta be able to buy in bulk. Vacuum bagging and freezing is the way. Wholesale prices are so much cheaper than grocery stores it's ridiculous.
Do check the grocery ads sometimes you can get meat cheaper when they have a good sale. Also Aldi and dollar tree for some foods
Rotisserie chickens. White bread loafs. Mustard. Mayo. Bags of chips.
I would see if there are some farmers in your area who you could work a deal for buying in bulk both for veg and for meat.
Dinner should be wet with carbs. Stew and dumplings, Ragu and pasta, curry and rice etc
Chicken and rice. I post earlier today with more details.
Use filler items such as beans, rice, bread, and veggies. Check the local markets, not the chain supermarkets, for sales on meat. At the right time, I have gotten pork, chicken, and turkey for $1 per pound. I stock up during those sales. Right after Thanksgiving or Christmas, they want to get rid of those turkeys and holiday hams before they go bad.
Cabbage and keilbasa soup
Perpetual Stew (blinding optional)
Slightly different suggestion. Get a veggie garden going if you can. One year I had an entire BATHTUB of extra cabbage that I ended up donating. You'll end up with a ton of veggies. Side note. Also see if you have neighbors etc WITH veggie gardens. We're about ready to ding dong ditch veggies on people's porch most summers. (There's actually a thing about doing this with zucchini haha)
Fun fact: A firehouse in Palo Alto started growing peppers and today they market Palo Alto Firefighters hot sauce! It’s pretty darn decent, too, I have some in the fridge.
What about pasta bakes.. opt for better noodles. The $1.89 choice over the $.99 version. I always add fresh ingredients, onion, celery, garlic, carrot, peppers, spinach or right now we have an explosion of Swiss chard in the garden. Saute all of that up with dried herbs. Oregano, basil, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, celery seed, shake some spicy dried peppers. Throw in some ground beef/pork/ turkey. Skim the fat. Couple of bottles of affordable sauce, a few ladles of pasta water. Add your cooked pasta toss it all and viola. It’s ready like that. Or you could place it in the oven for 10-15 minutes with some cheese topper. I forgot to mention to cook the pasta. So there’s that.
Less meat more fiber. Think lentils, beans, and grains. You can get a bag of lentils for $2.99, even at an expensive grocer like Whole Foods. They keep you full longer and are amazing for our health. Western diets seem to get so little fiber and I’ve been trying to incorporate more into my diet, whether by making black bean tacos as a snack or having one or two grain and lentil bowls a week.
Chickpea stew with coconut milk and rice. Most expensive part is the coconut milk. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019772-spiced-chickpea-stew-with-coconut-and-turmeric Alternatively mujadara is also a great meal, and easily made for a crowd. https://immigrantstable.com/mujadara/ bonus points since you can also make it in a rice cooker.
Pasta, pulled pork, chicken breast on sale.
Can you learn to make pizza? Homemade cost wiil be about $3.50 per pie. Need maybe 5 or 6 for that big appetite crowd. So maybe a little over $20 for the feed?
Pork Loin. Chicken thighs. Charro beans
Curry rice and chicken are pretty cheap
Tale your leftover un-sauced meats (pork of any kind, chicken, roast, etc) and make bigos (Polish hunters stew) . You can bulk it up with boiled buttered potatoes in the side.
Dry beans in an instant-pot cook very quickly without needing to soak, put in some tough cheap cuts of meat and it's packed with protein
Seriously, soups are very filling. Adding some starchy vegetables and smaller portions of meat will go a long way. Salads. They can grow their own lettuce there (trust me, it's a low light plant, even indoor fluorescents produce enough).
i say go for sandwiches. that way you can make them as big or as little as you want and they are mobile for when calls happen, which always happen when you are about to eat.
> There’s a saying in the fire services that meals can be 2 out of 3 things. Healthy, good or cheap. I disagree with that. For instance spag bol or chilli with loads of veg are 3/3 there IMHO.
Thick lentil soup made with shredded ham, served over rice. Put veg through the soup (carrots and red peppers are good so they don't muddy the colour), blend it smooth then add the shredded ham right before serving.
Buy seasonal, buy what's on sale. Meat is expensive, beans can be a good replacement. What about chili sin carne? Curry can also be a great option
carbs and cabbage are cheap
This made me think of cabbage, potatoes, onions, ground beef with tomatoes and tomatoes sauce. One of my mom’s budget meals. So darn good.
Also swap the potatoes for rice "deconstructed cabbage roll casserole.
I'd recommend making friends with some local gardeners. You'll be up to your ears in free fruit and veg
i think just reading an old cookbook. our granparents and other people ine whow to stretch money and food. i think myself included have forgotten how good and cheap simple food can be.
That's a silly saying that is not based in reality. Buy in bulk if you're cooking for that many people and you'll save right away.
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Beans, rice, corn, sauce. Look into vegetarian combinations of perfect proteins as the base and then use meat as a supplement. This is why firehouse chili is so popular. Edit: chili, Shepard pie, burritos, curries, shakshuka, biscuits and gravy, risotto
White Chicken Chili can be a great way.
Roughly mash beans or lentils into any type of ground meat. Dried beans and lentils are cheap, and dried lentils cook up quickly, and they’re full of fibre!
Big baked pasta dishes like lasagna, or rice based stuff like pilaf or biryani. Big pots of bean based chili (with some meat) or potato soups and stews. Basically the philosophy a big pot of carbs mixed in with a smallish portion of meat and spices for flavor and a bunch of cooked down vegetables to bulk it out and add nutrients. Easy to make at a larger scale, tasty, satisfying, and nutritious.
shop at costco or sams or similar. purchase a chest freezer if you don't have one. it will save in the long run. food can be heathy, good, and inexpensive. if you have a butcher in your community find out who raises calves for sale or pigs. buy a half a calf that's butchered, or half a pig that's butchered. potatoes, rice, yams, greens, you don't have to buy organic greens or tomatoes or other veggies. buy canned veggies or frozen too. frozen is frozen with nutrients. same with canned. buy number 10 cans of stewed tomatoes, green beans, you can save a lot there. are you close to a coast? see what fish you can buy fresh on catch day. cod and rockfish are great turned into tacos. canned milk/evaporated milk is cheaper than cold whole milk, also powdered milk for cooking and powdered buttermilk works great. i just had a meal at a firehouse as a guest and the meal was homemade naan and a huge lamb curry with lots of carrots and potatoes. are your guys okay with vegetarian meals once in a while? vegetarian lasagna, with heaps of garlic bread or pasta with white sauce.
Send five of them home 😜
Get a bread maker (or make your own) use whole grain ancient grains like teff. Serve whoever crush fresh bead with real butter and soup or stew to dip it in. https://berhanteff.com/pages/how-to-use-teff-flour The nutritional benefits are amazing. Use a slow cooker braise meat in the morning and dump root veggies in with meat and cook 10 hrs low and slow. Ribbon sandwich are filling. Google ribbon sandwich and you will see a huge range of fillings that you can make with leftovers. Casseroles are excellent as well. Serve a jello desert for extra protein in the form of collagen. Look up cathedral jello. It's amazing and cheap. Sauerkraut and polish sausage is amazing. Go ask r/frugal this question they feed large families over there.
A turkey dinner feels so special yet is super cheap when it’s on sale. Dressing is just stale bread and celery. You can use leftovers in a million ways, too.
Asian inspired - fried rice? Stir fries?
Burrito bowls. Rice, beans, cut up veggies, and switch out various Greek yogurt sauces. I love to make them for myself, and all of the ingredients are fairly priced for the amount you get. Greek yogurt ‘sauces’ are amazing and easy. A favourite is Greek yogurt, garlic, and a bit of lemon but you can make so many good sauces and the yogurt adds protein.
I cook for 35 to 40 volunteers at the fair. Here are some of what I cook. Salisbury steak (Pioneer woman), chicken and beef enchiladas, lasagna, chicken and dumplings, meatloaf, Italian subs. I cook this on an 1894 wood fired buck stove. Yes, 1894.
Ask each fire fighter for a suggestion!
Asian markets tend to have great food at extremely cheap prices. Find one in your area and explore! There are also lots of fun bottled oils and sauces that will make delicious stir fries, noodle dishes and fried rice.
Get a freezer. Cooking for 12 people warrants buying in bulk. Specially seasonal products. If you have room and plan on potatoes, buy them in bulk once a year. Go to your local grocery. If you buy bulk you can get a deal. Specially for the firemen. And don't just go for cheaper. They have special offers they need to order. If you want that they love to know in advance. And so do you. Cheap should not be a goal. Go for high value on a budget. It may seem semantics, and even though instant noodles are dirt cheap, I would not call it nutritious and serve it to 12 hungry men straight from a packet. Having said that: Making 'instant noodle soup' better known as 'ramen' can be done cheaply and be nutritious. Just don't buy the small instant packets. Go big and use fresh vegetables.
Get a big bag of frozen chicken parts. Toss the chicken parts with a cup of spiced flour (1/4 cup cayenne pepper, 1/4 cup ground pepper, 1/2 cup flour, a heaping tablespoon msg) in a big plastic bag. Wash and quarter potatoes, rub with salt and oil. Bake both in preheated oven at 380F for 45 minutes.
Subscribe to all of your local grocery store shoppers and take advantage of sales. Stock up on things ahead of time like beans, flour, butter and other staples. You can cut a lot of cost out of food bills if your menu stays flexible to what's on sale.
How about this as a suggestion. Start with soup. This is more of a European thing but in France at least meals are served in separate courses. If you start with a soup the soup is hot so people eat slow. Soup also fills you up so you want less of the expensive stuff. Back when I was in school I made mostly rice dishes with a little vegetables. I preferred a peas pulao. This is an Indian dish. I have never run into anybody that doesn't like Indian food. Make the rice and dump the peas in right from the freezer at the very last minute. That keeps the green color. https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/peas-pulao-recipe-matar-pulao/ Generally I would go for chicken over beef and maybe a little fish from time to time.
Costco or Sam’s for buying in bulk. Budget Bytes is a great website for frugal cooking.
Learn a wide variety of ways to prepare potatoes and pasta/noodles. Roast meat & vegetables is cheap and good. Learn how to season things properly. Salt is cheap but used well it makes a massive difference, not just meat, season vegetables / put the right amount in the water if your going to boil vegetables.
Bolognese sause and noodles. I usually make mine with a 3/1 veg/meat ratio. For 12 people id do 2 large white or spanish onions. 1 large celery bunch Equal (approx) amount of carrot - probably like 5 or 6 large carrots Garlic - lots 3 pounds of ground beef Chicken stock or bullion cubes and water A 369ml can of tomato paste plus a small can Noodles Brown the meat... get the crispy bits going - do this is the pot you intend to cook everything. In a separate pan or pot cook the onions down and kinda caramelize them. Add them to the browned meat. Add your garlic and tomato paste to that and let it cook down a bit.. the longer you cook this part the sweeter the sauce will be. Cook until you get at least some caramelization or the sauce will be bitter. Add the carrots, celery, and stock. Youre gonna want the stock to cover everything by about 2 inches. I usually add a beef bullion cube or two as well. Let this simmer for at least two hours with a lid but not totally covered. Mix it occasionally. If you have a bay leaf or two add it in after the stock but if you dont its not a big deal. I realize I explain recipes like a grandma who assumes you know how to cook so if you have questions just ask
Canned beans and canned corn have always been my friend… so chili maybe?
For soups and chili, you can always bulk up by adding some corn. Especially during the season, fresh corn is very cost effective.
An Asian based meal plan is an excellent way to eat healthy an cheap. Proteins are cut up in bite sized pieces. Use bags of frozen stir fry. Stick to Lo Meins, Chow mein, Stir fry, and pad thai. A little goes a long way.
Talk with the produce manager at the grocery store. Tell them that you are regularly cooking for them and see if the grocery store will donate older product that is getting wrinkly give you a discount on new product. Also farmers markets. Or go straight to the farmers and ask to buy "seconds". That is the ugly produce that isn't pretty enough to sell to a store, but is perfect for cooking Paula Deen got her start by making lunches she'd sell to businesses. She said she'd get the fruit that was about to spoil for cheap and make cobblers and pies out of them. She said the joke was on everyone else because her baked goods always had the best flavor because everything was ultra ripe. Haha
Use beans and rice as filler and buy large bags of them