Feeding my family of seven can be really pricey these days. Just going through a drive-thru for all of us can cost around $50, which is why meal planning and eating at home makes so much sense.
In today’s post, I’m sharing five delicious family dinners that I recently made that cost me just under $60 at Walmart!
Prefer video? See my grocery haul and all the meals here!
A Few Quick Notes
I would call this a fairly frugal meal plan, but it’s not one of my “extreme” budget plans. These aren’t “beans-and-rice” meals, just regular favorites that we make often. However, they still come in at a really good price and I’d consider them to be fairly low-cost family meals.
And honestly, to feed my family of seven five dinners for under $60 feels like a win to me!
Keep in mind that our oldest is only 11 so I’m not feeding seven adults or teenagers here. However, these recipes work perfectly for our family of two adults and five young-ish kids.
Looking for more cheap meal ideas? Check out this next!
I got everything from Walmart because I know it’s accessible to most people, and I wanted this meal plan to be easy for you to recreate. Prices will vary by area of course, but this should give you a good baseline.
(Of course, just because these meals were made with Walmart ingredients doesn’t mean you need to shop there; do your grocery shopping at whichever local grocery story you prefer!)
If you already have some pantry staples on hand or shop sales, you can probably make these meals for even less!
The $60 Meal Plan: 5 Family Dinners
Here’s the lineup for the week:
- Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
- White Chicken Enchiladas
- Meatloaf with Baked Potatoes
- Sloppy Joes with Potato Wedges
- Spinach and Sausage Pasta
We’re doing two meals with chicken, two with ground beef, and one with smoked sausage.
The $60 Walmart Grocery List
Pantry items I already had on hand: eggs, oats, basic seasonings, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, mustard, cooking oil
Meat:
- Ground beef, 3 lbs. – $13.32 ($4.44/lb)
- Chicken breasts, 3.5 lbs. – $9.58
- Smoked sausage, 14 oz. – $3.63
Produce:
- Cilantro – $0.46
- Garlic – $0.50
- Onions, 2 – $1.56
- Spinach – $1.84
- Potatoes – $2.97
- Frozen veggie of your choice – $0.98
Dairy / Refrigerated:
- Sour cream – 16 oz. – $1.88
- Shredded Monterey Jack cheese, 8 oz. – $1.97
- Half and half, 16 oz. – $1.72
- Cream cheese – $1.56
Dry Goods:
- Tortillas – $1.98
- Hamburger buns – $1.46
- Parmesan cheese – $2.98
- Chicken broth, 48 oz – $2.16
- Ranch dressing mix – $0.57
- Can of corn – $0.76
- Great Northern beans, 2 cans – $1.84
- Green chilis, 3 – 4 oz cans – $2.64
- Whole wheat spaghetti – $1.66
- Tomato sauce, 8 oz – $0.43
TOTAL = $58.45 — just under $60 for all five dinners!
Dinner #1: Spinach and Sausage Pasta
This easy family dinner is always a hit. I use either regular smoked sausage or turkey sausage – both work great.
Slice the sausage lengthwise before chopping to help it mix evenly with the pasta. Sauté it with one chopped onion in a bit of olive oil until the sausage is browned and the onions are soft.
Add some crushed red pepper for spice, then pour in a little chicken broth and toss in a few handfuls of spinach. It always looks like too much spinach, but it cooks down fast—so go ahead and add extra.
Stir in a little milk or cream for creaminess, then add your cooked whole wheat spaghetti. Mix in some Parmesan cheese (a little at a time) until it’s all combined and creamy.
This one turns out so good every time and makes great leftovers.
Dinner #2: Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Add about 1½ lbs of chicken breasts to your slow cooker. Sprinkle with ranch dressing mix, salt, pepper, 2 tsp cumin, 2 tsp oregano, 1 tsp chili powder, and a pinch of cayenne. Add minced garlic and one chopped onion.
Pour in 32 oz of chicken broth, then add:
- 2 cans Great Northern beans
- 1 can corn
- 2 cans diced green chilies
- Optional: chopped cilantro
Cook on low for 7–8 hours or high for 3–4 hours.
Once it’s done, shred the chicken and stir in cream cheese and half and half.
We love topping ours with tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, and a sprinkle of cilantro. It’s hearty, creamy, and makes great leftovers.
Dinner #3: White Chicken Enchiladas
This is one of my favorite comfort meals and the relatively small amount of chicken that it calls for makes it a great family meal on a budget!
For the filling, mix together:
- 2 to 2½ cups shredded chicken
- ½ tsp each garlic powder, chili powder, and salt
- Pepper to taste
- 1 cup shredded cheese
For the sauce, melt 3 Tbsp butter in a pan, add 3 Tbsp flour, and whisk for a minute. Add 2 cups chicken broth, then stir in 1 cup sour cream and 1 can green chilies.
My kids don’t love chunks of chilies, so I blend the sauce until smooth.
Fill 10 tortillas with about ⅓ cup of the chicken mixture each, roll them up, and place in a 13×9 dish. Pour the sauce over the top, sprinkle with cheese, and bake at 350°F for 20–25 minutes.
Broil for a minute at the end for a golden finish.
We usually serve these with green beans or another easy veggie on the side.
Dinner #4: Sloppy Joes with Potato Wedges
This is the closest recipe I could find to my mom’s recipe and it’s so simple but delicious.
Brown about 1½ lbs of ground beef, season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, then drain off the fat.
Mix together the sauce:
- Mustard
- Ketchup
- Water
- Sugar
- Apple cider vinegar (the recipe I linked doesn’t call for this but I add a Tbsp or two)
- Worcestershire sauce
Add the sauce to the beef and let it simmer for about 15 minutes to thicken and soak up the flavor.
Serve on hamburger buns with homemade potato wedges on the side. Yum!
Dinner #5: Mom’s Meatloaf and Baked Potatoes
Another recipe from my mom—simple and cozy and the only kind of meatloaf I like!
Mix together:
- 1½ lbs ground beef
- 2 eggs
- Salt
- Pepper
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- chopped onion (optional)
- Oats
Press into a baking dish and bake at 350°F for 1 hour.
While it bakes, prepare your potatoes: scrub, poke holes, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Bake them right alongside the meatloaf—they’ll finish at around the same time.
This meal just feels like home to me.
Final Thoughts
And that’s it! Five simple, satisfying meals for a family of seven for under $60.
If you decide to make any of these recipes, I’d love to hear which one your family enjoyed most.
Thanks so much for stopping by the blog today. I hope this gives you some new inspiration for easy, affordable dinners your family will love!
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