It can sometimes be difficult to keep the cost of meals down when there are a lot of mouths to feed. A simple way to increase the amount of food that you’re making, while keeping the cost at or below is to substitute the more expensive parts of your dish.

A great example is this simple pasta dish with meat sauce, which includes:

• 2 lbs. Ground Beef
• 1 White Onion
• 1 package of spaghetti (16 oz.)
• 1 jar of Field Day Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce

We know that the ground beef is going to be the most expensive part of this dish. So how about, instead of a second pound of ground beef, we substitute it out!

Here are 3 variations of ground beef substitution that will help bring the cost of your meal down:

Ground Beef + Ground Turkey

Keeping the meat texture and flavor.

Cook ground turkey the same way you would ground beef! Mix them together into the sauce at the same time. Double the amount of meat, while benefitting from the lower cost and adding some leaner meat into your meal. This is a good mix for those who need to eat less red meat for health reasons, but still want that beef flavor.

Ground Beef + Zucchini + Mushrooms + Lentils

Increasing your fiber while keeping the meat flavor.

This combination goes a long way. If cutting meat out of your meals entirely is not an option, this can help you increase the amount of servings-per-meal, while introducing more vegetables into the dish.

Sauté the zucchini and mushrooms, and then add them to the sauce with the meat and the lentils. Mix it all together and add to your spaghetti!

Zucchini + Mushrooms + Lentils (Double it!)

Double the veggies, cut the cost!

The best way to cut your cost is to replace all the meat in a dish with this veggie combination. Getting one or two more zucchinis will always be less expensive than buying another pound of beef.

If you and your family are used to eating meat, one practical option is to try just one meatless meal a week (this could be it!). That single change can free up room in the budget without forcing a full overhaul.

Applying this Approach to Other Meals

The same high-volume, low-cost approach works across a lot of familiar meals, not just pasta. Try these variations with:

• Tacos
• Chili
• Sloppy Joes
• Meatballs
• Meatloaf
• Breakfast-for-Dinner scrambles

Treat them as part of the recipe.