The CHEAPEST meals you'll ever make | Cheap and Easy Pantry Meals * With Mac n Cheese*
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- Опубликовано: 19 май 2022
- These are some of the cheapest meals you'll ever make. They use boxed macaroni and cheese. These boxed Mac n Cheese recipes are so cheap and easy and can be made with pantry ingredients. You can pull these together with items you have in your pantry and don't even need to go to the store. They are are amazingly delicious and can feed a family comfortably with only one box of pasta.
Pantry Staples Play List: • Using Pantry Staples
Recipes:
Tuna and Peas:
One box Mac n cheese prepared
1 can drained tuna
1 cup cooked peas
Mix and enjoy!
Mexican Mac:
One box Mac n cheese prepared
1 cup salsa
1 can drained corn
1 can drained and rinsed black beans
Mix and enjoy!
Cheeseburger Skillet:
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I like to add 8 ounces of diced ham and a 15 ounce can of French style green beans to a box of macaroni and cheese! Tastes awesome!
Yum! Great additions!
I do the same, but with peas! I love Mac n cheese 🧀 😋
I'm 53. Growing up poor with 6 family members, M&C was 25¢ a box (generic), and loved by us all. Mom was able to stretch mac and cheese, using cut up hot dogs and broccoli, or a couple cans of tuna and broccoli, or a little bit of cooked hamburger meat and tomatoes and onions that she roasted. I remember having macaroni and cheese at certain points three nights a week - but we always had food, and Mom tried to make it special.
You had a great Mom
I am so grateful when people post recipes that don't cost a fortune. Thanks!
You’re welcome!
I LOVE recipes like this where you take one item and offer several different recipes using that one item. More, please!
I went into the jungle for 2 months with the military & had to take my own food. There's nothing more tasty, economical & comforting than a box of mac & cheese mixed with a can of Hormel chili - with or without beans (whatever your preference). YUM!
Love these!! First year I was married ( before kids when my brain still worked)I used to go even faster and boil the pasta, add frozen broccoli 3 minutes before it was done, drain then add in chopped pieces of precooked bacon whole I added the butter, milk and cheese sauce. By the time I stirred it all together it was hot, perfect and ready for added cheeses and that was our perfect after work 10 min. Dinner for 2
Love that idea!!!
Yep..those are the best meals ever!!
Oh, bacon! I've added frozen broccoli to mac and cheese, but not bacon at the same time. I am going to try this.
Mac and cheese has always been my favourite meal. I just wanted to say that if you don't have milk, you can just leave a small amount of the cooking water in -- small! -- or slowly add tap water until it's the right consistency. It doesn't detract from the taste because I think the cheese powder actually has milk solids in it.
So smart!
I’ve actually used non dairy coffee creamer too in a pinch! Was really good.
Me too! I always save a cup or so of pasta water. I reduce the butter to 1-1/2 to 2 tbsps, and moisten to taste w the starchy water.
@@rachelhero3413 I have used powdered creamer as well. It did taste good.
I keep a couple small cans of evaporated milk in my pantry. All you have to do is add equal amount of water to make whole milk.
Maria you are great please don't ever quit, we need you now than ever ❤️
I love taking a box of mac and cheese and mixing in some taco meat. This is such an easy and delicious meal and is a great way to use up leftovers if you have either leftover mac and cheese or taco meat.
I’ve tried that it’s delicious!!
I make the cheeseburger mac and cheese often. I usually use two boxes so we have leftovers for the next day. I highly recommend sprinkling some chopped pickles on top when you serve it, the acidity and flavor take it to the next level.
Omg! Pickles!!! Yesssss!
Pickles? Woah. Now I have to try it.
Tuna and peas with a box of mac and cheese was a staple when my kids were growing up! I still love it.
I had a roommate in Georgia in the 1980s in Atlanta. It was the place to be in the 80s. The brand name Mac n Cheese were 5 for $1. Single mothers, it was a go to when we were short for payday. Made Tuna casserole. One box of mac n cheese, about 8 ounces of macaroni noodles cooked for a few minutes before the box noodles went in (plenty of sauce, stretches the mac n cheese) one can of mushroom soup, 1/4 stick of butter, the powdered cheese mixed together, then add the noodles. Top with crushed potato chips or bread crumbs and bake till golden brown (for the breaded topping). Fed two adults, a growing pre-teen boy and two girls. Whenever I visit there, my old roommate's daughter (now in her 40s) wants that meal. Charlotte, no one can make it like you do. LOL
Aw love this recipe and memory!
This & your Ramen Recipes made me think back to how I grew up.. It was just my mom & I, and she worked 2 jobs to pay bills & put food on the table. Yes, I was a latchkey kid in the late 80s. We made our own versions of all 3 of these Mac n' Cheese meals + Pizza Mac & Chili Mac. We made Quick Chicken Noodle Soup & Spaghetti with the Ramen. The possibilities are endless with these 2 staples. She also taught me how to make Mini Pizzas on English Muffins in the microwave for an after school snack while she was at work. Who needs Bagel Bites. lol Anyways thanks for sharing these cheap, easy, & budget friendly meal ideas.
Thanks, Maria!!❤❤ One super easy way to use the boxed Mac and cheese is simply to add canned chili, and you have a yummy Chili Mac! Sometimes, I’ve used two boxes of Mac and cheese with one can of chili, but it depends on what proportions you like. I put grated cheese on top, sour cream, etc, if you want, but this is also very kid friendly.
Also, if you’re out of butter for the mac & cheese, you can sub a small amount of regular mayo instead of oil, etc.
That would be yummy! I've done just chili and pasta and cheese. That's easy too
Love these ideas! Thank you!
I've used left over chili, added a box of prepared Mac and cheese, voilà, chili Mac!
Stealing this idea. May even put some hotdogs in there!! Ty
@@tinablair2206 that would be yummy! Ive added hamburger, but I’m going to try hot dogs too! Thanks!
I live by myself so I'll make something once a week to eat on several days. I made Mac and cheese, onions, peppers, mushrooms, squash zuccuchi, and real bacon bits this week. I really enjoyed it.
Yum! That sounds perfect!!
You can do similar things with Ramen too
Very reminiscent of the 1950's and 1960's budget recipes. Thank you, it's a good reminder of simple, frugal means we can make easily. FYI, I could feed a family of three on $25.00 a week in the early 1970's, cooking from scratch and with meals like those in the videos.
1 box Mac and cheese and a can of cream style corn. Makes a hearty chowder. Bacon is good in it too.
A little tip for mixing: when you drain the pasta, return the pot to the hot burner and add the butter to melt, then add the cheese mix to create a paste followed by the milk which makes a sauce. This takes just a moment but it gives a much smoother sauce and for those times that you get clumps of cheese you can get them out easily without mashing the pasta. Back to binge watching your channel!
I love your recipes like this. s for the salsa teach the kids to enjoy the spicy kind slowly so that they don't want bland food when they get older.
I love seeing ideas using pantry items for other dishes! You could also forgo the cheese packet to make pasta salads, soups, etc. and save the cheese packets for something else.
Absolutely!!
Very smart and inventive ideas! Love the suggestion to also use it for soups and salads, brilliant! :)
I add broccoli instead of peas, sooo good!
So great! Love that idea!
the tuna at the beginning, my mom used to make us that all the time when I was a kid in the 90''s. It was one of my favorites!
Tuna noodle casserole for me has always been making mac and cheese, add a can of cream of mushroom soup and the tuna and peas yum!
Yum! I like that recipe!!
Your tuna noodle casserole is what I have always called Tuna Surprise. My kids always loved this!
I love the white cheddar shells with a can of diced, fried SPAM cubes mixed in. Any 12oz fancy box or 2 boxes of not-fancy macaroni and cheese is amazing this way. I always add a couple tablespoons of cream cheese per serving. It's the best comfort food ever.
Just a quick tip. I add the frozen peas in with the macaroni so they cook at the same time. You just remove the water like you usually do when you are ready to add other ingredients. Saves cleaning the extra pot.
Love that!!
This seriously couldn’t have come at a better time! I’m trying to use stuff up before it goes out of date and have like 40 boxes of macaroni and cheese. Vegan, the kind with sauce, the kind with powder. Thank you 🙏🏻😊
Now is the time!!
Just remember old pasta won't make you I'll it just cooks fast!
Yo😮 can freeze it, extends the shelf life for a very long time
I make some rice in my rice cooker and top with a can of chili or hotdog topping in a can! So filling...you can add onion, sour cream or cheese if ya have. Cheap and family loves it
This is something we have in our home with tuna and agree it's delicious! I add my peas frozen and they warm up in a few minutes -- it saves time, dishes and prevents mushy peas!
Thanks so much for these budget meals using items we have already in our pantry. Here in Washington state the price of Great Value macaroni and cheese is 43 cents. Still a good deal for budget meals.
Absolutely!
I always added my frozen vegetables in the water and boiled them with the macaroni. I added the tuna last with a dollop of mayo mixed in.
My kids complained I was ruining Mac & Cheese, but they always ate it.
They're all grown up and away now, but maybe I should make it for myself. It's hard to be inspired when cooking just for yourself.
Jon in rural BC, Canada
Sounds delicious!
One of our favorite things for supper is make a box of Mac and cheese and a pound of taco meat (I brown onion with the meat) and mix it together. Taco 🌮 Mac and cheese 🧀 yum!
That is so good!
I will be trying all of these. My dad (92) and my husband (75) are huge fans of mac & cheese. especially Tuna casserole. I have been making for years a similar recipe of the one with ground beef. A Huge budget friendly meal when my children were home and I worked. Thanks for all the work you put into these videos.
😀😀 so glad these will be a hit!!
Used to make mac & cheese meals all the time you have inspired me to get back into it
😀😀
I found one in a magazine when my kids were small. To a box of the Mac and cheese add a can of kidney beans, a carton of frozen spinach, a bit of hot pepper flakes. It sounds weird but my family loved it.
I think it sounds good! Thank you for sharing!
Do you think that any other type of beans would work? Kidney beans are my least favorite, but it sounds interesting!
@@robind8149 Try black beans or garbanzo beans which are called chickpeas.
That macaroni and tuna was the way I remember eating it. Going to make me some soon
Maria you really help me in a pinch our car is in the shop were down to out last dollar and our pantry items are really low but you knock it out of the park when i can fix my family that Mexican mac and cheese! Thank goodness I had everything in my pantry. Top it off you know that its going to be good coming from your recipes!
I’m so glad I can help!!! You’re going to love that dish!!!❤️❤️❤️
@@MealsWithMaria We did love it we were amazed at how well it turned out with such little ingredients
I like to add diced raw onion, black olives and mushrooms with lots of black pepper. Simple and yummy.
Yum! Sounds delicious!
Howdy from Texas, Maria! I have been making that macaroni and cheese, tuna with peas for years and years. So easy, so fast! The only thing I do differently is stir in a couple of tablespoons of mayonnaise and it takes the creaminess over the top. Love this recipe served hot or cold. Yum!
Mmm Mayo makes everything better!
Iv been making this 1 for about 40 years, I add a can of cream of mushroom soup and a extra 1/8 cup of milk. You could also top it with crushed potato chips or Ritz crackers and bake for 20 minutes at 350 f. For added crunch.
Thank you , I have been making these recipes for years. With your ground beef you can add a can of vegetable soup let simmer and serve over rice or mashed potatoes.
I got several boxes of this 4 for $1. I like the tiny macaroni for my macaroni salad and mixing the cheese packet with about a 1/2 cup of milk is an easy delicious cheese sauce for veggies but yeah kinda a meal builder. ❤️
Great deal!!
4 for $1?!? Wow! Im in Canada and we are paying $1.25 - $2.00 a box right now!
I tend to make two boxes and use just one packet of cheese, leaving the other for another recipe. Vegetables or rice are popular here!
Love the video. I want more pantry ideas and you nailed it here!!
I think We would prefer the white cheddar for some things. Aldi has a great box of cheesy shells for cheap that I am now going to experiment with.
So many quick and easy add ins are coming to my mind.
Buffalo wing sauce and canned chicken
And spinach, mushrooms and crumbled Turkey sausage
Great ideas!!!
Yum!!!
Random tip for Mac and cheese that I've learned - if you add the cheese packet and then the milk over it, the pesky cheese powder doesn't stick to your mixing spoon as much. I'm so excited to try these, I have the pickiest 3 year old but he loooooves his Mac and cheese! Thank you!
I always have powdered coffee creamer on hand, so if I run out of milk for mac & cheese I just leave a bit of the cooking water in and add a tablespoon of the creamer. Works great.
So smart!
Powdered coffee creamer works well for mashed potatoes as well
@@wendyboone2413Wow I never thought about that. Is there really any noticeable difference and how much milk to creamer you use?
Currently eating white cheddar shells Mac and cheese (it’s what I got from the food bank) with frozen peas and a piece of cut up chicken. Have also substituted a can of tuna and/or frozen broccoli. Can confirm it tastes fine. When you’re hungry, you’d be surprised what tastes good. (I once got a can of smoked oysters from the food bank. Fried them up in some of the oil they came in and some red onion scraps, garlic, and tossed it in with some drained instant ramen noodles that cooked with the flavour packet. Delicious.)
Definitely will be trying these, have grandchildren for the week.
I love Tuna Mac! My mom used to make it for us all the time. Such an affordable meal.
😀
I love quick and easy recipes especially in the summer months. tfs
I used to use up leftover taco meat in a boxed Mac and cheese! My kids loved it!
Love the tuna and peas one great 👍
😀😀
My mother used to make us an easy dish she called, Tuna-Mata-Mac. Fix the Mac and cheese according to box. Add a drained can of tuna and a drained can of diced tomatoes...easy and so good!
That sounds like another good idea!
I put canned or cooked shredded chicken and mixed frozen vegs or peas..great recipes thank you for sharing them.
Thanks for the idea's I really like simple recipes that use minimal ingredients but still taste good. Keep the video's coming.
Back in the early 1970s when I was in college, my sister and I made Mac & cheese w/ tuna and peas all the time. Now when I do this, I top the dish with french fried onion rings. Shredded rotisserie chicken is also really good.
I love how you make meals on a budget thanks 👍
Thank you for these recipes! They are such quick and convenient meals!
😀🙏
Those meals really looked good. Just the kind of food we like!
The canned mexi-corn (corn with red & green bell peppers) is great instead of plain corn in the Mexican inspired mac n cheese dish! Its not spicy, just flavorful!
If you like squash/pumpkins, try to combine it with mac and cheese i love that combo
Omg yes! Great idea!
@@MealsWithMaria its also pretty cheap even in summer (even in germany you can get 1kg butternut/hokkaido for 2.29€) you have to get creative because some things are so expensive now
I totally forgot how much I used to love tuna surprise.
Yes!
Quick and Easy and look tasty! Got to make all 3. Thank you!
Oh man, found you again after watching ramen recipes. In heaven.
😀😀😀
Ooh! Love this! My mom always used to make the tuna Mac recipe. I love your idea of adding spinach. You could really elevate this recipe by combining imitation crab/canned crab, spinach, and white cheddar mac.
I love crab! Great call!
Back in the 70’s I made the Mac and cheese with tuna and peas for my kids all the time in fact I just bought everything I need to make this
I grew up eating tuna in Mac & cheese and I love it! Never had it with the peas though!
The white cheddar works just as well. I add Monterey Jack cheese and green onions and peas and tuna. Whatever is not eaten goes into the fridge and the next day is used to make Tuna Melts. I just put some mozzarella on the top and broil it for a couple of minutes. Oh, I toast the bread first so it doesn't get soggy.
Ty for Mac & cheese recipes going to make this sure helps on food bill God. Bless
👍🏼👍🏼 enjoy!
Thanks for sharing these! Good cheap meals😊
Maria this is literally my favorite series! I’m a baby vegan and still find your videos so versatile! Please continue this because this is truly useful! I’ve binged watched you recently and so excited for your future content! Love from Jacksonville ❤️❤️❤️
@vale We don’t eat meat and when I want to make things like this I simply substitute kidney or garbanzo beans for the meat… With canned garbanzos, I find I like the texture better if I pan fry or bake them and basically add them to the top of a serving but with other beans, I just stir them in…
Yay! So glad they are helpful! You could switch most of this out with vegan Mac and different beans!
Great ideas!
I grew up on the tuna and peas Mac& cheese! I do think frozen peas taste better and you actually don’t even need to cook them. They heat through enough from the heat of the pasta. It’s now a comfort food for me lol. Such a great video idea! Thanks for sharing!
It's really delicious n tempting thanks for sharing
😀 you’re welcome!
I've always made the tuna, peas with Mac and cheese. So yummy. I wanna try the Mexican one. Looks yummy. Last one looked really yummy too.
My mom called the tuna, peas, & Mac & cheese mix Mac & cheese casserole. I grew up on it & still love it to this day!!! Add a bit of pepper and garlic seasonings & it kicks it up a major notch!
Yum yum yum! Great idea!
Tuna is really good in the white cheddar Mac and cheese
I need to try that!
They all sound delicious!
😀👍🏼
New here nice video. Thanks for sharing. 👍🌼
So glad you’re here! Enjoy!
Great ideas. Thanks!
You’re welcome!!
Love everything! Thank you so much for sharing!😀👍🏻
Loving these ideas I usually put broccoli and ham or I cut up a hot dog and mix it with a can of chilli beans and cheese kids love it I can wait to theae recipes
Love both those ideas! You can do so much with one little box!!
Walmart thick and creamy Mac and cheese is the BEST!!!! I make this all the time with just tuna. I’ll have to try adding a veggie.
You are such a great RUclipsr! Even if you used the regular Mac n Cheese, it would still be a nice version of hamburger/tuna helper. A family could survive with these in the meal plan rotation while kids loved it. Thanks for sharing. I think my husband might enjoy this.❤️🙂🤗
Yah! Give it a try! So many options!
When my son visited, he wanted Mac & Cheese, so I made it. He wanted to know why mine tasted better, when he followed the package directions. I hadn't read directions in years and was surprised that they no longer say to add salt. I still do.
Jon in rural BC, Canada
Awesome recipes. Thanks
You’re welcome!
you are so clever. thanks for sharing 👍
Wonderful ideas! Thanks Maria!
😊 you’re welcome!
The cheeseburger skillet(?) looks really good. I might just have to try this one first.
I like your variations to Mac & cheese. I always crumble up some potato chips or ritz crackers to sprinkle on top. We like the little extra crunchy it gives. Otherwise everything is pretty soft eating. Thanks for sharing ❤😊
♥️ Love this!!! I made this Mac n veggies n tuna for my kids more often when they were younger but I added beans to mine as well!
Delicious! 🙏
These are all great ideas! Thank you very much for sharing!
You’re welcome
Thanks Maria, these are keepers!
💯
Great ideas!
To this recipe, as well, you can add cooked chopped veg and browned hamburg. Also, you can add some diced tomatoes, yum.
Love ur recipes and can't wait to try the mac on cheese with hamburger. Thanks
thank you for the recipes
These were great. Thank you so much for sharing.
🤗 you’re welcome!!
Wonderful ideas ! Thanks for sharing
You’re welcome!
Awesome, thanks!!!!
😀😀
Great ideas girl!!
Thank you!
Thanks for your videos thanks ❤️ 😊
Thanks for sharing! Perfect for my teens to eat, and learn to cook on the cheap when needed in collage…. 🥰
Fabulous!!
You often see meal ideas for ramen but this is the first I've seen for mac and cheese. Thanks! Hope you do some more as I too have lots in my pantry. BTW, we have always done a meal with ground chicken or turkey (or leftover bits of almosf any meat, with broccoli or peas.