Delicious Meals You Can Enjoy on a Budget

Ready to whip up a few delicious meals… and earn some big cash back? We’ve put together a few of our favorites that you can afford on a smaller budget. Take a look below!

Simple Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed bell peppers

Ingredients:

  • 6 green, yellow, or orange bell peppers
  • 1 lb ground beef or plant-based meat
  • ½ cup uncooked white rice
  • 1 jar of tomato-based pasta sauce
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • Olive oil for drizzling
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 cup shredded cheese, Monterey Jack recommended
  • Best Foods Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, optional

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Cook the rice according to package directions. If desired, put a few cloves of garlic in the water prior to boiling to give the rice extra flavor.
  3. While the rice is cooking, season and cook the beef or plant-based meat in a skillet over medium heat until it’s evenly browned.
  4. Cut off the tops of the bell peppers and remove the seeds and insides so the peppers are hollow. Place the peppers cut side-up in a 9”-x-13” baking dish and drizzle with oil.
  5. In a bowl, mix the browned meat, cooked rice, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and pasta sauce. Add the pasta sauce a cup at a time – you want enough to keep the mixture together, but it should not be runny.
  6. Spoon an equal amount of the mixture into each pepper. Top each pepper with a little more pasta sauce and cheese, then cover the baking dish with foil.
  7. Bake until the peppers are tender, about 20-30 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese is bubbly, about 10 minutes more. Serve with Best Foods drizzle sauces such as Roasted Red Pepper or Roasted Garlic, optional.

Customizable Fried Rice

Fried rice in a bowl

Ingredients:

  • 5 cups of cooked rice, preferably cold
  • 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
  • 1-2 cups of protein like chicken or tofu (optional)
    • Recommended:
      • 1 lb. chicken breast, cubed
      • 1 package tofu, cubed
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 small white onion
  • Fresh or frozen vegetables of choice
    • Recommended:
      • 2 small carrots, peeled and diced
      • ½ cup frozen peas
      • If using a frozen pea and carrot medley, use 1.5 – 2 cups total for both ingredients
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Scallions (optional)

Directions:

  1. If you are including protein such as chicken or tofu. heat the vegetable oil in a deep skillet and season your protein with salt and pepper. Add the protein and cook until it’s almost done, then remove from the skillet. The protein will cook a bit more when you mix everything together.
  2. If you have not already added your oil to the skillet, do it now, and then add the garlic and onion over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the onions are translucent.
  3. Add in the rest of the vegetables and cook until they are tender – about 2-3 minutes for frozen vegetables or 5-8 minutes for fresh vegetables.
  4. Once the vegetables are almost cooked through, push them to the edge of the skillet and crack the eggs in the middle of the pan. Scramble the eggs until just set, and then add the chicken and cooked rice into the skillet.
  5. Add in the soy sauce and sesame oil, and then mix everything together.
  6. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with chopped scallions and Sriracha if desired.

Don’t forget to use Ibotta the Ibotta app to earn cash back on tons of ingredients!

*Offer only valid for new users and excludes grocery purchases and purchases made on the Ibotta mobile app. May take up to 90 days to receive credit.