Fast, Easy, and Cheap: Emergency Dinners

Don't dread dinner. Even if you hate to cook, forgot to buy groceries, or don't feel like you have the time there is always something you can make for dinner that is quick, easy, and you probably have all the ingredients already. Here are seven meals you can use in emergencies or make during a super budget week.

Breakfast for Dinner

If you've got eggs, you can make dinner. Make fried eggs, scrambled eggs, or omelets with whatever meats and veggies are on hand. Add some toast on the side or make French toast by soaking slices of bread in the egg and then frying. Or use your eggs in a simple pancake batter recipe: Mix together 2 cups baking mix, 2 eggs, and 1-2 cups of milk depending on how thick you like them.

Grilled Sandwiches

Does the thought of a cold sandwich for dinner make you think, "Why bother?" Then grill it. Grilling your ham and cheese, or turkey and tomato, or corned beef and swiss, turns your cold lunch into a quick dinner. You can even call it a Panini if it helps. Need more food? Serve with your favorite canned soup.

Tacos

Keep a package of ground beef, turkey, or sausage in the freezer and you've got tacos for dinner. If you forgot to thaw the meat, throw it in the sink with some cold water and it'll quick thaw in about 30 min. Brown it with some chopped onion then add a package of taco seasoning and water. Serve it with whatever you have on hand: wrapped in a tortilla, with lettuce as a taco salad, over chips ala nachos, or spooned into a baked potato. Don't have a taco seasoning packet? Use 2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp cornstarch, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp oregano, ½ tsp red pepper flakes.

Sloppy Joes

Same concept as tacos, just brown whatever ground meat you have with some chopped onion, add a sloppy joe seasoning packet, and serve on hamburger buns, sliced bread, or potatoes. To make them without a seasoning packet add 1 cup ketchup, 2 tbsp mustard, 2 tbsp vinegar, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, and 1 tsp salt then cook the mixture down until its thick.

Pizza

Forgot to pick up a frozen pizza for just this reason? Make your own. Use a frozen, premade, or refrigerated pizza crust. You can even use tortillas, pitas, or English muffins if that's all you have on hand. If you have it, use jarred or canned pizza sauce, pesto, or olive oil and minced garlic. Or spice up some plain tomato sauce with garlic, basil, and oregano. In a pinch, try barbeque or teriyaki sauce. Sprinkle with chopped deli meat or leftover chicken and any bits of veggies in the fridge or freezer. Top with whatever cheese you have and bake it until it browns around the edges.

Spaghetti

Any pasta will do here, folks. Open a jar of sauce and serve. If you have the inclination you can brown some ground meat and sauté any veggies on hand and add it to the sauce for more flavor. If you want it extra fancy you can add garlic bread and a salad. Forgot to buy an Italian loaf? Just make buttered toast and sprinkle a tiny bit of garlic powder over it. It'll be fine.

Hot dogs

If you have kids then you probably have a package of hotdogs in your refrigerator. Heat a can of chili and make chili dogs. Use slices of bread in place of hotdog buns. Or make them in your favorite style with relish, ketchup, mustard, etc.

Need Sides?

Always keep frozen vegetables and fruits on hand to round out your emergency dinners. Corn on the cob, broccoli, peas, green beans, and carrots all come conveniently packaged in the freezer aisle. They are nutritious and can be steamed in the microwave in minutes. Buy the ones you can steam right in their packaging and you won't even have to wash an extra dish. You can also keep a loaf of garlic bread and a package of hamburger or hotdog buns in the freezer. Look for frozen fruits to go with breakfast type food-add some blueberries to your pancake batter, or serve with strawberries instead of syrup.

Do your health and wallet a favor and skip the take-out. Keep basic ingredients on hand and you will never be without options when it comes to a quick and easy dinner.