Vegan Food at Family Dollar

Vegan Food at Family Dollar

Vegan Food at Family Dollar

healthy snacks at family dollar

Dollar Store Meal Ideas

Now that you’ve seen the vegan options at Family Dollar, what can you make with them?

I’m not even going to pretend that you will be able to make impressive gourmet meals out of dollar store items. But it is possible to make nourishing, tasty food.

None of these are set-in-stone recipes. Think of them more as inspiration. When you don’t know what you will find from one dollar store to the next you mostly have to wing it. Some stores will have taco or chili seasoning packets that could make meals come together even easier. If you’d like formal recipes for simple meals like this, check out my plant-based pantry staple meals post.

Because the store I visited didn’t have any plain canned beans, I’ve given can and cup measurements for the beans in recipes below in case you also would need to cook the beans from dried first.

Here are four dollar store meal ideas.

Pasta in a Peanut Sauce with Peas

We have pasta in peanut sauce often. It’s a meal that comes together quickly on a weeknight. Here’s how you could do one with dollar store ingredients.

Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter1-2 Tbsp soy sauce1/2 tsp garlic powder1/4 tsp ginger powder, optional1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (could use hot sauce instead)2-3 Tbsp white vinegar1/4 cup warm water (pasta cooking water is perfect), or as much as needed to get desired consistency

Remaining Ingredients

Pasta for 4 people1 1/2 cups frozen peas

Cook pasta according to package. Add in peas for the last 2 minutes to heat up. When done, pull out about 1/2 cup of pasta water then drain. Add all the sauce ingredients to the cooking pot. Whisk until smooth. Add more pasta water if it seems too thick. Add pasta and peas back to the pot and toss to coat. Serve!

Pasta in Red Sauce

With a few simple spices, you can easily make your own red pasta sauce. This dollar store had everything you need.

1 28 oz. can tomato sauce1 1/2 tsp garlic powder1 tsp Italian seasoning1/2 tsp onion powder1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, optional, if you like a kicksalt and pepper to taste1 can Italian cut green beans, rinsed and drained1 can or 1 1/2 cup white beans or lentils, rinsed and drained, optionalpasta for 4 people

Cook the pasta according to package, drain, and set aside.

Add the tomato sauce and all of the spices but the salt and pepper to the pasta pot. Simmer for about 10 minutes covered to let the flavors meld. Add the green beans and beans, if using. Let simmer until heated through. Taste and add salt, pepper, and additional seasonings, if needed. Add pasta and stir to combine then serve.

Chili

Yes, you can pull together a chili with dollar store ingredients! This will make a pretty big batch, about 6 servings. Stretch this meal or have leftovers over pasta or rice.

1 28oz can diced tomatoes4 1/2 cups cooked beans (or 3 cans, rinsed and drained)1 can corn (or 1 1/2 cups frozen)1 jar salsa2 Tbsp chili powder1 Tbsp garlic powder1/2 tsp onion powdersalt and pepper to tasteHot sauce to taste (optional)

Add all ingredients to a large pot. Simmer 20-30 minutes until flavors have combined. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Corn and Pinto Bean Enchiladas smothered in Salsa

8 flour tortillas2 cups cooked pinto beans1 tsp chili powder1/2 tsp garlic powdersalt & pepper to taste1 can corn, rinsed and drained or 1 1/2 cups frozen, completely defrosted1 jar of salsa

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Mash the pinto beans with the chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Take a 9″ square baking pan of one of a similar size and coat the bottom in a layer of the salsa.

Grab a tortilla and spread about 1/4 cup of the bean mixture down the center. Add about 2 tablespoons of corn. Roll it up and repeat with the rest. These should all fit in the pan. Once the enchiladas are all rolled up, spread the remaining salsa all over the top. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until everything is heated through.

Even if you don’t shop for vegan food at the dollar store, I hope this will give you some ideas of meals you can make when options are limited. Do you have any meal tricks to share when trying to save money? Please share in a comment!

This post was last modified on November 30, 2024 8:26 am