Practical ideas for budget-friendly dinner recipes that prove you can follow the Mediterranean Diet and stay within your grocery budget!
One of the things I love most about the Mediterranean way of eating is how accessible it can be. You don’t need expensive ingredients to make meals that are vibrant and satisfying. Using pantry staples like lentils, whole grains, and canned fish, I stretch a modest grocery budget into plenty of delicious dinners.
Below are examples of budget-friendly dinner recipes that show how I regularly make healthy, Mediterranean Diet meals that use my grocery purchases to their fullest. These recipes include my budget-friendly picks for chicken, turkey, and even seafood.
These are dishes that help me balance my budget, which allows me to splurge on good olive oil, and contribute to a balanced way of eating overall!
Sheet Pan Shrimp
A true budget favorite, this sheet pan shrimp recipe cooks in about 10 minutes and is seasoned with garlic, lemon, and a handful of spices. Pair it with steamed broccoli or brown rice for a complete meal.
Stracciatella Soup
You only need 6 ingredients to make this filling Italian egg and spinach soup. It’s brothy and seasoned simply with lemon, nutmeg, and Parmesan cheese. In addition to being affordable, this recipe takes only 15 minutes to come together. It doesn’t get much better than that!
Tuna Salad with Egg
Canned tuna is one of the most affordable sources of protein available. It’s easy to use, keeps well in the pantry, and is endlessly versatile. For this recipe, I used two cans of tuna and hard-boiled eggs mixed with some veggies and a zesty Dijon mustard vinaigrette. Use it to make lettuce wraps or a sandwich with whole wheat bread.
Ground Turkey Skillet Dinner
Inexpensive ground turkey works beautifully as the base for a quick sauté of cannellini beans, spinach, bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes. The beans help stretch the meat in this one-pan meal, adding fiber and bulk. This recipe is also a great way to reinvent day-old bread! It starts with toasting cubes into croutons to act as a crunchy topping.
Sardine Toast
Canned sardines are inexpensive, shelf-stable, and packed with omega-3s! Served over crusty bread with tomato, cucumber, sumac-pickled red onions, and a zippy green chermoula sauce, this dish is a fast and easy way to enjoy an affordable and super-healthy seafood. Not a sardine fan? You can use canned salmon, mackerel, or tuna instead.
Turkish Red Lentil Soup
When cooked, red lentils break down quickly into a velvety, nourishing, and affordable soup ready in about 30 minutes. This recipe combines simple ingredients like carrot, onion, and potato with spices like Aleppo pepper, cumin, and coriander for a little earthy warmth. The soup tastes even better the next day, and it freezes beautifully for batch cooking.
Sheet Pan Eggs and Veggies
Eggs are one of the most economical sources of protein, and this recipe turns them into a colorful sheet pan meal that’s perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dinner. Add some seeded whole wheat toast or grab another sheet pan and make Crispy Baked Hash Browns!
Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken Drumsticks
Often the most inexpensive cut of chicken, drumsticks are underrated! They bake up juicy and delicious in a punchy marinade of lemon, garlic, oregano, and extra virgin olive oil. I serve them year-round with an equally easy side of Italian roasted vegetables, roasted cauliflower, or skillet zucchini.
Baked Haddock with Baby Bell Peppers
Haddock and cod are often among the most budget-friendly fish options, especially when purchased frozen. Baked simply with oregano and little sweet pepper rings, the fillets are a light yet nourishing dinner that pairs well with lemony rice or spinach couscous.
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