If you're looking for dirt cheap meals for large families, Amish-inspired recipes are some of the best options out there. Amish families are used to feeding big households every day, so they've developed plenty of simple, frugal meals that stretch ingredients without sacrificing flavor.
These easy, old-fashioned recipes use basic, affordable ingredients to create hearty, satisfying dishes perfect for busy families. Whether you need budget-friendly meals, easy dinners for big families, or traditional Amish favorites, this collection will help you feed your crowd without overspending.
Jump to:
- Why Amish Meals Are Perfect for Large Families on a Budget
- Cheap Amish-Inspired Meals That Feed a Crowd
- Casseroles: Affordable Meals for Large Families
- Soup: Inexpensive Meal Idea for Large Families
- Tips for Stretching Meals the Amish Way
- Frequently Asked Questions
- What Makes a Meal "Dirt Cheap"?
- Final Thoughts on How to Create Cheap Frugal Meals
Why Amish Meals Are Perfect for Large Families on a Budget
Amish women are pros at feeding big households without spending a lot. Their cooking uses simple, affordable ingredients like eggs, potatoes, pasta, seasonal veggies, and cheaper cuts of meat. They know how to stretch these basics into hearty, filling meals that feed a crowd without breaking the bank.
Casseroles and other practical, make-ahead dishes are common in Amish homes, especially for busy weeknights or large families. These kinds of meals are comforting and satisfying - perfect for families who want good food without spending a fortune.
By using pantry staples, fresh garden produce, and simple cooking methods, Amish-inspired recipes show us how to make budget-friendly meals that don't skimp on flavor or tradition.
Cheap Amish-Inspired Meals That Feed a Crowd
Baked Potato Bar
Turn simple baked potatoes into a fun, customizable meal. Baked potato stacks are a fun and crowd-pleasing way to feed a family or group without draining your wallet.
It's easy to prep, inexpensive, and lets everyone load up their potato just the way they like it. From casual weeknights to relaxed get-togethers, a potato bar is always a hit.
Amish Haystacks
Amish haystacks are perfect for a quick weeknight dinner and ideal for serving at large gatherings. They're an excellent way to feed a crowd on a budget.
Easy to make, incredibly versatile, and loved by all, haystacks come together by piling various ingredients onto your plate in layers. The customizable nature of Amish haystacks makes it easy to cater to different tastes, which is why they're such a consistent crowd-pleaser.
Beefy Macaroni and Tomatoes (Amish-style Goulash)
This easy beef and tomato macaroni is a classic Amish-style stovetop dish made with tender pasta, canned tomatoes, ground beef, and simple seasonings. It's hearty, flavorful, and perfect for a quick, budget-friendly meal any time of year.
Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Pot Pie
The best chicken pot pie comes from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania! This brothy PA Dutch chicken pot pie recipe is a uniquely Lancaster County recipe that consists of square homemade pot pie noodles, chicken, and vegetables. (Add or subtract vegetables as desired.)
It is a hearty, comforting, and filling dish, perfect for cold winter nights. A traditional favorite in the Pennsylvania Dutch region that is sure to satisfy your cravings for a hearty, comforting, home-cooked meal.
PA Dutch Chicken and Waffles
Lancaster County-style chicken and waffles are made with roasted chicken and creamy homemade gravy that's served over fluffy homemade waffles. It's another one of those "unique Pennsylvania Amish dishes" that makes a filling and cheap meal.
Beef Stew
This hearty Amish beef stew is rich, savory, and packed with tender beef, hearty vegetables, and a flavorful, slow-simmered broth that melts in your mouth. It's perfect comfort food for a cold or rainy day, and an excellant way to feed a large family while keeping costs low.
Casseroles: Affordable Meals for Large Families
These simple, hearty, and affordable meals are all recipes that you will find on my blog at Amish Heritage. They're perfect for feeding large families without overspending - and many of them use ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.
Macaroni Casserole with Chicken, Ham, or Beef
Dinner doesn't get any easier than this simple Amish casserole recipe featuring macaroni, meat, and peas in a creamy sauce. Just mix it up in the evening, put it in the fridge overnight, then bake it the next day for a quick, comforting, and frugal dinner. (A great way to use up leftover chicken or ham and make a dirt cheap meal for a large family.)
Beef and Noodle Dairy Casserole
Dairy casserole is made with noodles, ground beef, corn, cream cheese, and mushroom soup. Sounds like a great combination, right?
This Amish ground beef casserole is honestly loaded with carbs, but it is so delicious! Some of my kids don't enjoy casserole dishes as much as I do, but this is one recipe that they all love.
Yumasetti
Yumasetti is a popular Amish casserole that is made with noodles, ground beef, and peas, in a creamy sauce and topped with toasted bread crumbles. It's a very comforting and filling dish that feeds a large family without costing a lot.
Dinner doesn't get much easier than this Amish chicken and rice casserole. It's a quick meal to put together that requires only one pan and a few simple ingredients.
This easy chicken and rice bake is a kid-approved, amazingly delicious, and comforting dish that's perfect for any day of the week.
Potato and Chicken Casserole
Amish potato and chicken casserole is the ultimate comfort food - a hearty, creamy dish that's perfect for feeding a hungry family or bringing to a potluck. This classic recipe combines tender chicken, shredded potatoes, a rich and cheesy sauce, and a buttery, crunchy cornflake topping that will have everyone coming back for seconds.
Whether you're craving something warm and satisfying or just looking for a simple, crowd-pleasing dinner idea, this casserole is sure to hit the spot.
Chickenetti
A simple and cozy Amish casserole dish made with chicken and spaghetti noodles. This comforting dish features cooked chicken and spaghetti smothered in a creamy white sauce. It's a down-to-earth, homestyle meal that brings the heart of Amish cooking to your table.
Amish-style Chicken Gumbo
Amish Chicken Gumbo features layers of sliced bread and cooked chicken, topped with a creamy sauce, cheese slices, and buttered bread crumbs for a delightful crispy finish.
This Amish chicken casserole is a warm, comforting dish perfect for a cheap family dinner. Every bite offers a delightful combination of creamy and crispy textures, making it a cozy and satisfying meal for any occasion.
Underground Ham Casserole
Underground Ham Casserole is a comforting Amish dish that makes a hearty and satisfying main course.
It's made with tender cubes of ham smothered in rich mushroom gravy, all topped with a layer of creamy mashed potatoes. This easy-to-make casserole brings simple ingredients together in a way that's warm, filling, and sure to be loved by the whole family!
Shipwreck Casserole (7-Layer Dinner)
Amish shipwreck casserole is a complete dinner in one dish. It's an old-fashioned frugal recipe that comes together very quickly and easily.
This seven-layer dinner recipe is a go-to for busy days when you don't have much time to cook. Just layer a bunch of ingredients into a casserole dish and pop it into the oven.
Hamburger Stuffing
This Amish casserole is made with a traditional bread stuffing that's layered with crumbled ground beef and topped with cream of mushroom soup. This cheap hamburger dish can be served as a side or a dinner entrée.
Soup: Inexpensive Meal Idea for Large Families
Soup is the perfect way to feed a large family on a budget because it stretches simple, affordable ingredients into a hearty, filling meal. You can use leftovers, seasonal produce, and pantry staples to create big batches that satisfy everyone. It's warm, comforting, and easy to make in large pots - ideal for feeding a crowd without breaking the bank.
Potato Soup
This creamy, savory Amish potato soup is the perfect comfort food for a cold or rainy day! It is very quick and easy to make and a dish that's loved by all.
All you need is one pot, and you can have a hearty, comforting, and cheap meal on the table in about thirty-five to forty minutes.
Vegetable Beef Soup
Amish Vegetable Beef Soup is a warm and hearty dish that's quick and easy to prepare. It's perfect for busy nights when you want something comforting without spending too much time in the kitchen.
We love this easy vegetable soup because it's so simple to make and packed with flavor. With a good serving of vegetables in every bowl, it's a meal the whole family enjoys while still being nutritious. It's a great choice for those chilly days when you want something satisfying and delicious!
Beef Barley Soup
Amish beef barley soup with hamburger is delicious, hearty, and easy to make. Loaded with barley, beef, and veggies, this recipe is a complete meal by itself. And it won't take long to get this pot of comfort food to the table, making it a handy dish for a busy day, as well as a cheap way to feed your family.
Hearty Hamburger Soup
This hearty hamburger soup is an Amish soup recipe that's made with hamburger, potatoes, carrots, tomato juice, milk, and a few other pantry ingredients.
It makes a delicious one-dish meal, and it's one of my family's favorite soup recipes. Not to mention that it is a very easy, quick to make, and frugal meal. So it's one of my fall and wintertime go-tos for busy days when I need to get dinner on the table quickly.
Chicken Corn Noodle Soup
Amish chicken corn noodle soup is a very popular wintertime meal in many Amish homes. It's similar to traditional chicken noodle soup but includes added corn.
This easy Pennsylvania Dutch chicken corn soup is the perfect meal for a cold winter night or a rainy fall day. It's a one-dish, inexpensive meal that feeds the whole family without sacrificing flavor or stretching your budget.
Cheesy Chicken Chowder
Hearty and packed with flavor, cheesy chicken chowder is a comforting soup featuring a delicious blend of chicken, cheese, potatoes, and vegetables.
Warm up with a big bowlful of this easy, cheesy chowder made with simple ingredients. This Amish chicken soup recipe makes a big pot of creamy comfort food perfect for any day of the week.
This Amish Chili recipe makes a hearty and warming comfort food for cold or rainy days. It's a dish full of ground beef, beans, and tomatoes, with lots of flavor from spices. It is a very easy and filling meal that does not take long to prepare - a dirt cheap way to feed a large family.
Tips for Stretching Meals the Amish Way
- Use leftovers creatively. Don't toss those mashed potatoes or extra chicken: Use leftover mashed potatoes to make bread or homemade donuts, etc. Use leftover cicken to make croquettes, casseroles, or soups.
- Cook in big batches. Making large pans of casseroles or soups means you feed more people at once and have leftovers for busy days.
- Serve meals with bread or cornbread. A simple slice of homemade bread or cornbread helps fill hungry bellies without adding much cost.
- Make meat go further. Use ground beef, ham, or chicken in small amounts mixed with vegetables, noodles, or beans to stretch your protein.
- Plan meatless or meat-light meals. Incorporate dishes with beans, eggs, or potatoes to save on meat and still serve hearty food.
- Use seasonal or canned produce. Fresh garden veggies or canned fruits and vegetables add nutrition and flavor without a big price tag.
- Make Soups. Amish women tend to make soup out of anything. You can always add more broth or water to stretch it farther. I grew up on cold bread soup - made with milk, a bit of sugar, vanilla, sliced bananas, and homemade bread cubes :). I loved the stuff!)
Frequently Asked Questions
A: Think casseroles, soups, baked oatmeal, potatoes, and simple pasta dishes - all made with affordable pantry staples and easy to stretch.
A: They focus on simple, homemade meals made from scratch, using basic ingredients like potatoes, eggs, beans, and ground beef, often cooking in large batches.
A: Yes! Many recipes like casseroles and soups freeze well, making meal prep and feeding a crowd easier.
What Makes a Meal "Dirt Cheap"?
A dirt cheap meal is one that uses basic, affordable ingredients but still fills everyone up. Amish cooks are great at this - stretching staples like potatoes, pasta, rice, flour, and eggs into hearty meals the whole family can enjoy.
Many of these dishes rely on ground beef or chicken, which is cheaper than other cuts of meat and easy to stretch in casseroles and baked dishes. You'll also see recipes that make use of leftovers, like turning mashed potatoes into potato filling, or using leftover chicken in a casserole. Amish meals are often made from scratch in big batches, which helps keep costs down while feeding a crowd.
Final Thoughts on How to Create Cheap Frugal Meals
Feeding a large family on a budget doesn't have to be hard or expensive. Amish-inspired meals show us how to make the most of simple ingredients to create hearty, satisfying dishes everyone will love.
Many Amish families grow much of their own produce and butcher their own meat, which helps keep costs low throughout the year. Amish women also preserve hundreds of jars of garden-grown fruits and vegetables, providing affordable, homemade food even when fresh produce isn't in season.
If you're looking to cut costs even more, consider starting a small garden or trying your hand at canning and preserving (affiliate link). Growing your own vegetables and saving them for later can make a big difference in your grocery budget - and it's a rewarding way to bring more homemade goodness to your family's table.
Try some of these recipes this week and see how easy it can be to stretch your grocery dollars without sacrificing flavor or tradition!
If you try any of these dirt cheap meals for large families , I'd love it if you left a comment below. Let me know which one you tried. Thank you!
Check out my YouTube channel at MyAmishHeritage
Check out Eddie Swartzentrubers book "The Amish Ways" (affiliate link). The Amish have been thriving for generations without electricity or running water…without supermarkets, without pharmacies, and many other modern necessities that would simply vanish in a collapse.
Inside The Amish Ways you'll uncover the survival skills and projects of independence that allowed them to do so.
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