15 Budget-Friendly Recipes Starring Pasta

Eating on a budget can be easy when you have pasta in your pantry. With a little sauce, cheese, some protein (maybe), and some veggies (maybe), you can have a delicious meal in very little time. Here are our favorite budget-friendly pasta recipes that can work for lunch, dinner, and all your leftover needs.

This recipe uses hearty (and generally cheap) vegetables — potatoes and cabbage — to create a satisfying meal. It’s perfect for winter, but also something that’s nice to just cozy up to when you’re in the mood.

This pantry-friendly pasta salad gets dressed up with canned tuna and roasted peppers. The dish also includes a delicious oregano vinaigrette.

Pasta, sauce, chicken, and vegetable — it’s an easy combination that, when done right, can be both cheap and delicious. This chicken and broccoli number comes together with an indulgent cream sauce.

Chili and pasta are a pretty delicious pair. This recipe calls for making chili from scratch before you add it to pasta, but I think just about any chili recipe will do. Go ahead and try this pumpkin chili if you’re up to it.

Cheese tortellini holds a special place in my heart. It feels so fancy — like you made it from scratch — but it’s pretty cheap and the easiest thing in the world to make. Pair this classic with tomatoes and even more cheese because life is short.

Turn one can of pumpkin purée into a delicious pasta sauce. Top the whole thing with some pumpkin seeds, Parmesan, and sage.

This pasta gets a hearty lift from roasted cauliflower. The whole dish is laced with breadcrumbs, tomatoes, and basil.

This gorgeous pasta looks fancy as hell, but it’s actually super easy to make and requires very few ingredients. The pink color of the pasta is made from beets, obviously. I like that this recipe uses almonds instead of pine nuts to make the pesto.

Macaroni and cheese is the classic budget pasta dish to make at home. This recipe switches things up a little by using Dijon mustard for a classic, rich dish.

This dish will be there for you if you’re having a rough day. There’s cream cheese and hot sauce and chicken to keep you happy.

This recipe uses purchased basil pesto, store-bought pasta, and cherry tomatoes. You can cut down on the price of pesto by making your own and subbing in another, cheaper nut for pine nuts (which tend to be on the pricier side of things).

This is great for lunch or dinner with a little grilled chicken mixed in.

Grab a bag of frozen shrimp at the grocery store and make this easy pasta recipe.

This mac and cheese recipe uses cottage cheese to lighten the classic dish. It’s all loaded with roasted red peppers.

Savor the last days of summer with this delicious recipe. It uses eggplant, fresh herbs, and tangy feta.