Top 20 Recipes for Eating Healthy on a Budget

by Beth Moncel

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All recipes are rigorously tested in our Nashville test kitchen to ensure they are easy, affordable, and delicious.

I hope y’all are enjoying the long holiday weekend! I thought it would be a good opportunity to round up my Top 20 Recipes for Eating Healthy on a Budget. You see, it’s about this time every year that I start getting serious about eating healthy and working out. No, not because bikinis are rapidly approaching (okay, maybe a little), but because the sudden sunshine and warm air begin to energize and awaken me from the inside out. As soon as the sun starts to come out from behind those winter clouds, I spring to action like a little energizer bunny.

Top 20 Recipes for Eating Healthy on a Budget - BudgetBytes.com

I went through my archives and pulled these 20 recipes (10 meat and 10 vegetarian) that you might find useful if you suddenly become a health monster every spring, like me. “Healthy” is obviously a very subjective term, so take the list with a grain of salt.

My criteria for healthy means: plenty of vegetables and/or fiber, low or no added sugar, and reasonable fat content (lower animal based fats). And of course, what do all of these recipes have in common? They’re satisfying and budget friendly. Enjoy! :)

Meat Recipes

1. Chipotle Chicken Chili

Chipotle Chicken Chili or "C3"

Close-up of chipotle chicken chili in a bowl.
This chipotle chicken chili has smoky chipotle peppers, shredded chicken, and hearty beans for a meal that will fill you up and satisfy your taste buds.
5 from 21 votes
$9.51 recipe / $1.19 serving Get the Recipe

2. Mini Black Bean Turkey Burgers

Mini Black Bean Turkey Burgers

Turkey Burger Patties
These flavorful mini black bean turkey burgers come together quickly and bake in the oven for a fast, no fuss dinner. 
4.87 from 23 votes
$9.81 recipe / $1.96 serving Get the Recipe

3. Spicy Tuna Guacamole Bowls

Spicy Tuna Guacamole Bowls

Overhead view of a Spicy Tuna Guacamole bowl with a black fork stuck in the side.
These super fresh and Spicy Tuna Guacamole bowls are packed with protein, fiber, and flavor. The perfect no-reheat meal prep lunch for summer! 
4.70 from 33 votes
$8.05 recipe / $2.01 serving Get the Recipe

4. Curry Beef with Peas

Curry Beef with Peas

curried ground beef with peas and potatoes in a skillet with a serving spoon
A hearty curry beef with sweet peas over rice is inexpensive, flavorful, and filling.
4.81 from 31 votes

5. Slow Cooker Chicken Ropa Vieja

Slow Cooker Chicken Ropa Vieja

A close-up of chicken ropa vieja served with rice.
Chicken slowly stewed with tomatoes, peppers, onions, and spices makes this Slow Cooker Chicken Ropa Vieja a versatile favorite. 
4.60 from 54 votes
$7.89 recipe / $1.32 serving Get the Recipe

6. Greek Turkey Burgers

Greek Turkey Burgers

Overhead view of an open faced Mediterranean Turkey Burger on a paper lined plate with cucumber salad on the side
Spinach, lemon, feta, garlic, and dill pack a lot of flavor into these healthy and delicious Greek Turkey Burgers. 
4.89 from 51 votes

7. Chicken and Lime Soup

Chicken and Lime Soup

Finished bowl of Chicken and Lime Soup with sliced avocado and a couple of lime wedges
This Chicken and Lime Soup is light, fresh, and flavorful with shredded chicken, vegetables, fresh cilantro, and a tangy lime infused broth.
4.91 from 221 votes
$7.76 recipe / $1.29 serving Get the Recipe

8. Sloppy Joes Plus

9. Sweet n’ Spicy Chicken Bowls

Sweet n' Spicy Chicken Bowls

A close-up of a spicy chicken bowl with vibrant toppings.
These Sweet n' Spicy Chicken Bowls assemble quickly and provide a lot of flavor, color, and texture. Low sugar, high fiber, and loaded with deliciousness!
4.93 from 26 votes
$6.05 recipe / $1.51 serving Get the Recipe

10. Easy Oven Fajitas

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

Sheet pan full of chicken fajitas with rice and tortillas on the side
These easy Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas are a simple hands-off way to get that smoky-sweet flavor of traditional griddle fajitas.
4.94 from 293 votes
$13.90 recipe / $3.48 serving Get the Recipe

Vegetarian Recipes

11. Curried Chickpeas with Spinach

Curried Chickpeas with Spinach

These super fast Curried Chickpeas with spinach are packed with flavor and nutrients, vegan, gluten-free, and filling! Plus they freeze great! BudgetBytes.com
These super fast Curried Chickpeas with spinach are packed with flavor and nutrients, vegan, gluten-free, and filling! Plus they freeze great!
4.68 from 157 votes
$4.68 recipe / $1.17 serving Get the Recipe

12. Roasted Vegetable Baked Ziti

13. Vegan Red Beans and Rice

Vegan Red Beans and Rice

A close-up of veggie red beans and rice in a bowl.
These vegan red beans and rice are just as flavorful and filling as the classic pork version, but contain no animal products.
4.85 from 102 votes
$7.40 recipe / $1.23 serving Get the Recipe

14. Moroccan Lentil and Vegetable Stew

Moroccan Lentil and Vegetable Soup

Warm intoxicating spices make this vegetable filled Moroccan Lentil and Vegetable Stew perfect for cold Autumn nights. BudgetBytes.com
Warm intoxicating spices make this vegetable filled Moroccan Lentil and Vegetable Soup perfect for cold Autumn nights.
4.84 from 118 votes
$7.43 recipe / $0.93 serving Get the Recipe

15. Spanish Chickpeas and Rice

Spanish Chickpeas and Rice

Spanish Chickpeas and Rice - BudgetBytes.com
This one pot Spanish Chickpeas and rice has big flavor thanks to liberal dose of spices, artichoke hearts, and fresh lemon. 
4.82 from 136 votes
$7.39 recipe / $1.84 serving Get the Recipe

16. Hot & Sour Vegetable Soup with Tofu

Easy Hot and Sour Soup with Vegetables and Tofu

A bowl of hot and sour vegetable soup with herbs with a spoon.
This easy hot and sour soup is light on the stomach, but big on flavor! The spicy and tangy broth is full of colorful vegetables and tender cubes of tofu.
4.85 from 45 votes
$6.72 recipe / $1.12 serving Get the Recipe

17. Chunky Lentil and Vegetable Soup

Chunky Lentil and Vegetable Soup

A spoon in a bowl of chunky lentil and vegetable soup.
This Chunky Lentil and Vegetable Soup is packed with hearty flavor, texture, and good-for-you vegetables! 
4.92 from 151 votes
$5.24 recipe / $0.52 serving Get the Recipe

18. Weeknight Enchiladas

Weeknight Enchiladas

Weeknight enchiladas served with a scoop.
These easy Bean and Cheese Enchiladas are anything but boring. A few extra details take them from a simple to spectacular weeknight dinner.
4.96 from 61 votes
$6.70 recipe / $0.84 serving Get the Recipe

19. Vegan Red Lentil Stew

Vegan Red Lentil Stew

Red lentil stew served in a bowl.
This hearty Vegan Red Lentil Stew is packed with vegetables for tons of flavor, and will keep you warm and full in the cold winter weather!
4.89 from 45 votes
$4.28 recipe / $0.71 serving Get the Recipe

20. Mediterranean Farro Salad with Spiced Chickpeas

Mediterranean Farro Salad with Spiced Chickpeas

Mediterranean-Farro-Salad-with-Spiced-Chickpeas-close-1
This Mediterranean Farro Salad with Spiced Chickpeas is packed with flavor, texture, and nutrients (and no animal products!). 
4.95 from 67 votes
$7.65 recipe / $1.91 serving Get the Recipe

Want to share your favorites? Feel free to share your favorite recipes for eating healthy on a budget (from anywhere around the web!) in the comments below. 

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Beth MoncelI’m a food lover, number cruncher, and meticulous budgeter. I love science and art, and the way they come together when I cook. I love to create, problem solve, and learn new things. Making great food is my passion, my purpose, and my favorite thing to share with others.More About Beth

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  2. Beth, thanks for healthy meals that a budget can handle.
    I am looking forward to exploring your web sight and creating meals.
    Thank you.

    Reply

  3. One of THE top posts I have ever read on suggestive recipes. My favorite is the Chic Peas with Spinach. My wife is a huge recipe fan and cook. I will be sending her the link to this post. Thanks for a well-researched and beautiful post Beth. Loved the pictures too. Made me hungry haha:)

    Reply

  5. Everybody loves good food. Thank you for sharing these recipes.
    Last weekend I tried “CHICKEN AND LIME SOUP”, it was really yummy.

    Cheers!!

    Reply

  6. I really love Mini black bean turkey burgers :) :) I added a few slices of tomato and made a simple avocado-sour cream sauce and I can’t believe it was really tasty awesome recipe Thanks! for sharing this waiting for some more recipes.

    Reply

  7. Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe, I enjoyed reading this helpful post.

    Reply

  8. This is a great post – thank you! I too am overwhelmed by all the healthy eating, meal planning, etc. I work full time and have 3 young children – I also don’t have time to spend hours on Sunday coming up with new recipes and a shopping list to go with it, or cook an elaborate meal on weeknights (even though I’d love to!), so I tend to stick to basics and routine dinners – although that’s getting boring even for the kids I love all of these tips – thank you, can’t wait to try them!

    Reply

  9. I like beans based vegan dishes they are healthy and on budget too. it was quite delighted Mexican food.

    Reply

  10. I like beans based vegan dishes they are healthy and on budget too. Also Mexican food is a total delight. Thank you for the post.

    Reply

  11. Once I learned that I could make food at home that was A.) Healthier than eating out and B.) tasted better?!?! welp, it was a no brainer.

    Some of my favorite recipes are one pot / one pan meals that are easy, have simple ingredients, and take no time at all :) I’ve started a list of them here: https://joshmuskin.com/category/recipes-for-eating-healthy/ and can’t wait to keep adding to it!!

    Reply

  12. Very happy to have stumbled across this page so full of good sounding recipes. I’ve made my list and can’t wait to try most of them. My menu has been planned for the week. Thank you, will definately check back for more.

    Reply

  15. Lots of new recipe, living in hostel alone, will try all of them this week. Thank you, Budget bytes reduced confusion for this weekend’s dinner :D

    Reply

  16. My favorite “healthy and cheap” meal is fried rice. You can put a ton of vegetables into it, you can put meat in if you so desire or leave it vegetarian, it doesn’t have to involve a lot of oil if you use water to “waken up” the rice when cooking, plus you get protein from a couple eggs at the end. Usually I don’t end up paying more than $2 or so for a big pan (4 servings) of fried rice.

    It’s how I got through undergrad! :P

    Reply

  17. I like beans based vegan dishes they are healthy and on budget too. Also Mexican food is a total delight.

    Reply

  18. lots of recipes. i want to learn all. I will try to do all it soon. per item per day. you make me love cooking more

    Reply

  19. Glad to see the Chunky Lentil Soup on here! My wife and I have been vegetarian for about a year and a half, and I do most of the cooking. Your recipes have been a huge help. Chunky Lentil soup was such a hit, I made it once a week for like 3 weeks after introducing it. It’s gone on our personal menu.

    Thank you for all your hard work!

    Reply

  20. I’ve made the chicken ropa vieja plenty of times and my boyfriend loves it as well. Love any crockpot recipe really but this one is extra special because it reminds me of something similar my mother would make :)
    http://www.lacasabloga.com

    Reply

  21. I never comment on blogs… I just lurk around creepily. BUT I think I have made more recipes from your blog than any other, so I feel I must contribute my thoughts to this post. I’ve only just made your recipe for creole beans and chicken over rice. OMG. I am just a little bit, lot bit, obsessed!! I loaded it up with even more veggies, and it turned out so great! My boyfriend and I have been devouring it all week. Normally, I tap out after eating the same thing more than twice. But me thinks this will be going into the regular rotation (which says a lot because I rarely make anything on a regular basis).

    As for the healthiness of it, I think it’s pretty top notch. You can load it up with veggies, fresh or frozen. You could even get away with less chicken (although my boyfriend got mad when I suggested that lol). And if you want to beef it up, serve it over brown rice or barley. Boom. Deeeee-li-cious!

    Reply

  22. I love the list, but see a lot of soups and stews – do you think a Spring/Summer highlights list might be forthcoming? I for one am a huge baby about the heat and can’t stand to add more of it to my life when it’s hot out!

    Thanks for all you do!!

    Reply

  23. I made some spicy tuna guac bowls today because of this post. I had forgotten about them! I did a few little tweaks (quinoa instead of rice and I seasoned my edamame and added some toasted nuts to the quinoa and added cilantro paste and red onions to the tuna) but that is budgetbytes style. All my tweaks were affordable and took little work. These bowls are VERY versatile! I was very pleased to get my guacamole 50% off. Now I have lunch for the next four days:). I had more than enough tuna so I made a tuna melt for lunch.

    Reply

  24. Ooh thanks for sharing…been trying to eat a little healthier to gear up for a spring break trip to Mexico– so these look delicious!

    Reply

  25. These recipes sound awesome. If I ever get to live alone again I am going to try them. However I have to stick to the meat and potatoes cooking because I have challenged brothers that only ate my mothers cooking and they won’t try new things. The kids might eat them but I would have to cook something else for my brothers. Might be worth doing. Thanks for sharing all these awesome recipes.

    Reply

  26. Oh, I was happy to see some of my favorites on here. Thank you for making this post, and making a meatless section!

    Reply

  27. I really appreciate your definition of ‘healthy’–so often on the internet I feel like anything with cheese or gluten is considered unhealthy, and your site is a good reminder that everything in moderation + lots of vegetables is the key to enjoying your favorite foods in a healthy way. Thanks!

    Reply

  30. I made the vegan red lentil stew with Jasmin rice a few days ago and we all loved it. Where we are now into autumn and the temperatures are fortunately a bit lower, I will be trying out more of your hearty dishes.

    Reply

  31. Hurrah for the Farro and Chickpea Salad! I think that’s just about my favorite of the recipes I’ve made from here.

    Reply

  32. I’ve only been following your blog for a couple of months but I’ve really been enjoying it, and have tried several of your recipes with great success. I just wanted to post here because I’m wildly curious about your “astronomical flop”; would love to read about a few of the ones that just didn’t work out.

    But now I think I’ll go shopping for some lentils!

    Reply

    1. Hahah, it was supposed to be a pasta primavera, but I didn’t like the combo of vegetables that I chose and the cream sauce didn’t work out the way I wanted it to. ;)

      Reply

      1. I’m glad to know that even very experienced cooks like you can strike out sometimes. Makes me feel better about my own occasional kitchen catastrophes! My sister introduced me to your website a few years ago and I love it! Thank you for sharing your talents with us. My husband’s favorite recipe from your site is a skillet sausage meal with pasta. He even loves it as leftovers packed for lunch. I love that it has spinach and tomatoes so even my picky husband is getting some veggies!

      2. Believe me, I strike out often. ;) But that’s how you learn and get better!

  33. Looking at these recipes gives me an inspiration, since my sister wants to eat healthy and I’m determined to help her. Thank you, Beth!! :-)

    Reply

  34. your food look attractive. many dishes. I’ll try to do all. The first will be the spanish chickpeas and rice :)) because I like to eat white rice. :))

    Reply