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ALLRECIPES / DIANA CHISTRUGA
You don’t need to spend a lot of money to make something delicious. Don’t believe us? Try one of these budget-friendly recipes that come straight from grandma’s recipe box, from crowd-pleasing casseroles and soups to basic breads and baked goods made with pantry staples. These tried-and-true, grandma-approved recipes are easy on the wallet, but big on flavor.
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Grandma's Hamburger Casserole
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“My grandmother’s hamburger casserole is classic comfort food! Featuring ground beef, noodles, and a creamy cheese sauce, this simple recipe dates back to the 1940s.” —LaDonna Langwell
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02
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Grandma's Vegetable Soup
"This vegetable soup recipe is so easy and so good. My grandma used to make it for us." —Brandy3
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03
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Grandma's Hash Brown Casserole
ALLRECIPES / DIANA CHISTRUGA
This cheesy, potluck-perfect recipe starts with a bag of frozen hash browns and a can of condensed cream of chicken soup.
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04
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Grandma Flo's Shipwreck
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
This five-ingredient, 9×13-inch casserole is cheap, easy, and absolutely delicious. “You can’t go wrong with meat and potatoes, and this recipe combines them in one dish,” says recipe creator Sue.
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05
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Nana Dot's Irish Soda Bread
LatinaCook
“This was my mom’s mother’s recipe (my Nana Dot) and has been passed down for generations, direct from Ireland. If you like soda bread, this is awesome!” —JerzPixelPusher
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Grandma Minnie's Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies
EMMA MEYER
Sometimes the simplest things in life are the best. Take, for instance, this moist sugar cookie recipe that features a secret ingredient: cream.
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07
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Grandma B's Bean Soup
“My grandma’s ham and bean soup is an ancient family recipe. It’s best cooked in a slow cooker. The longer it cooks, the better it tastes.” —RENEE R
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Cheap Chicken Noodle Casserole
Dotdash Meredith Food Stuido
“A mixture of chicken, soup, milk, peas, and carrots baked with egg noodles, cheese, and bread. My husband hates tuna, so I improvised my mom’s tuna casserole recipe. Both he and my brother-in-law love it!” —Caryn
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09
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Grandmother's Polish Cabbage and Noodles
You need just six budget-friendly ingredients (besides two tablespoons of water) to make this grandma-approved dinner: butter, cabbage, an onion, bow tie pasta, ham, and white sugar.
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Nana's Ugly Chicken Casserole
AllRecipes/Qi Ai
My Nana’s comfort food casserole is an old-fashioned (and relatively inexpensive) combination of bacon-wrapped chicken, rich creamed soups, sour cream, and salty dried beef.
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Grandma VanDoren's White Bread
"What Grandma used to make! Our family's favorite. The recipe was never written down (that I know of) until she shared it with me when she was in her 90s." —Marilyn VanDoren Sim
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Nanny's Spaghetti Sauce
Chef Mo
“This is my Sicilian great-grandmother’s recipe. I’ve never tasted better. Serve with meatballs and Italian sausage; it’s also terrific as a marinara sauce.” —Melanie Harvey
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More Inspiration
Allrecipes/Qi AI
- 18 Grandma-Approved Recipes That Deserve a Comeback
- This Retro 3-Ingredient Dish Was My Grandma’s Dinner Party Specialty
- Meet Crunchy Munchy Chicken: The Grandma-Approved Recipe So Good I Had to Put It on a Dish Towel
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