Some foods never really leave the grocery list, no matter how much or how little you’re trying to spend. They’re inexpensive, easy to find, and useful enough to work in meal after meal. Many started as simple ways to stretch a grocery budget, but they’ve stuck around because people genuinely enjoy eating them.
Think about a bowl of ramen, a grilled cheese sandwich, a plate of pasta, or a baked potato. These foods don’t need expensive ingredients or complicated recipes to make a good meal. Here are 11 affordable staples that have earned a regular spot in kitchens for good reason.
Ramen Noodles
Instant ramen is one of those foods that people often associate with tight budgets, but plenty of people keep buying it long after their college days are over. It takes just a few minutes to prepare, costs very little, and gives you a warm meal when you don’t feel like cooking much.
You can also make a package of ramen feel like a completely different meal by adding an egg, some vegetables, leftover chicken, or a few seasonings. A spoonful of peanut butter or some chili crisp can also change up the flavor.
Get the Recipe: Creamy Peanut Butter Noodles Recipe
Peanut Butter
A jar of peanut butter can go a long way. It works on toast, in sandwiches, stirred into oatmeal, blended into smoothies, or mixed into sauces for noodles and vegetables.
It also lasts a long time compared with many fresh foods, which makes it handy to keep in the pantry. A simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich can still hit the spot, whether it’s packed for lunch or made as a quick dinner on a busy night.
Eggs
Eggs are one of those groceries that can turn into a meal at almost any time of day. Scramble a couple for breakfast, make an egg sandwich for lunch, or add a fried egg to rice, noodles, or vegetables for dinner.
You can also boil them ahead of time and keep them in the refrigerator for quick meals and snacks. With so many ways to cook them, it’s hard to get bored with eggs.
Related: Here’s Why You Should Never Throw Away Another Eggshell
Rice
Rice is inexpensive, filling, and incredibly easy to pair with other foods. A pot of plain rice can become fried rice the next day, serve as the base for a bowl, or stretch a small amount of meat and vegetables into several portions.
It also works with everything from beans and eggs to curries, stir-fries, soups, and roasted vegetables. Having rice in the pantry gives you plenty of options when you need to make dinner without buying a long list of ingredients.
Beans
Beans are another grocery staple that can stretch a meal without making it feel skimpy. Black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, chickpeas, and other varieties can all be used in different ways.
Add them to chili, tacos, soups, salads, rice bowls, or casseroles. Dried beans are inexpensive and store well, while canned beans are convenient when you need dinner on the table quickly.
Related: 7 Canned Foods Frugal People Always Buy
Potatoes
Few groceries can do as many jobs as potatoes. You can bake them, roast them, mash them, fry them, turn them into soup, or add them to casseroles and stews.
They’re also filling enough to serve as the main part of a meal rather than just a side dish. A baked potato topped with cheese and leftover vegetables, for example, can make a cheap and satisfying dinner with very little effort.
Oats
Oatmeal has been a budget breakfast for generations, and for good reason. A bowl of oats is inexpensive, filling, and easy to change up depending on what you have in the kitchen.
Add fruit, cinnamon, peanut butter, nuts, or a little brown sugar for a different breakfast each time. You can also use oats for homemade granola, baked goods, smoothies, and overnight oats.
Canned Tuna
Canned tuna is handy for those nights when you need something quick but don’t have much fresh food around. Mix it with mayonnaise and seasonings for a sandwich, add it to pasta, or use it in a casserole.
A can can also sit in the pantry for a long time, so it’s easy to keep a few on hand without worrying about using them right away. It’s one of those foods that may not seem exciting, but it can save you when you need a fast meal.
Pasta
A box of pasta can turn into dinner with just a few ingredients. Toss it with tomato sauce, butter and cheese, pesto, vegetables, or leftover meat, and you have plenty of ways to change up the same basic pantry staple.
Pasta is also useful when you’re feeding several people because one box can go a long way. Macaroni, spaghetti, penne, rotini, and other shapes work with different sauces and ingredients.
Bread
Bread is one of the simplest groceries to keep around because it can turn into a meal in minutes. Toast it for breakfast, make sandwiches for lunch, or use it for grilled cheese when you want something warm and comforting.
It can also become French toast, croutons, breadcrumbs, or garlic bread when a loaf starts getting a little stale. A basic loaf can be much more useful than it first appears.
Frozen Vegetables
Frozen vegetables make it easy to add vegetables to a meal without worrying about fresh produce going bad before you use it. Bags of peas, corn, broccoli, mixed vegetables, spinach, and other options can stay in the freezer until you need them.
Toss them into pasta, rice, soup, casseroles, stir-fries, or serve them as a quick side dish. They can also help you clean out the refrigerator, since you can combine a bag of frozen vegetables with whatever leftovers you already have.
