Kung Pao Style Noodles – a cheap and easy weeknight meal

Eating cheap doesn't have to be bad for you or bland. Can you believe a healthful meal like this Kung Pao Style Noodles recipe costs less than $2 per serving? Believe it!

As I'm writing this we're in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and many people have lost their jobs or had their hours cut. So I wanted to show that it's possible to eat well on a budget. And I made this the focus of a recent Spoonfed newsletter.

Calculating the Recipe Cost

In order to get a handle on how much recipes cost, I ran the calculations on a few of our staples. I'm pretty good at knowing which of my recipes are cheaper to make but I'd never done the math. It is a pain in the butt to look up each item and calculate the cost but it really does show you where your money is going in a recipe. I recommend you try this with a few of your recipes.

To calculate the recipe cost, I turned to Kroger's online store. Kroger tends to be pretty middle of the road on pricing and Kroger owned stores are in most of the U.S. And the pricing online was about the same as what we've been seeing at the City Market where we are now. 

Which products did I choose? Usually the cheapest one! And the cheapest option is usually the store brand product. That's not always the case, though, so scan the shelves before you make your final decision.

Flexibility

Another reason this Kung Pao Style Noodles recipe is so budget-friendly is because of its flexibility. Similar to fried rice, you can use this dish as a way to use up odds and ends in your refrigerator or freezer. Peas, corn, celery, carrots, bok choy, and cabbage would all be wonderful additions. Do you have some basil or cilantro you need to use up? Chuck it in!