Michelin chefs are known for their exquisite and expensive dishes, but not everyone wants to break the bank for a good meal. This collection features 19 cheap meal upgrades that deliver delicious dinners without the high costs. Each recipe shows how you can achieve impressive flavors using everyday ingredients that won’t strain your wallet.
Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder with Mustard BBQ Sauce
Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder with Mustard BBQ Sauce is a dish that might make Michelin chefs cringe due to its simplicity and affordability. Despite taking 8 hours to slow cook, it delivers robust flavors using just pork shoulder, mustard, and honey, resulting in a deep, sweet, and slightly spicy taste profile. The use of common ingredients and a slow cooker for tenderization allows anyone to achieve a gourmet-tasting meal on a budget.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder with Mustard BBQ Sauce
Garlic Herb Pork and Potatoes
The Garlic Herb Pork and Potatoes recipe uses simple ingredients like pork tenderloin and potatoes, seasoned with just garlic and herbs, which might dismay a Michelin chef looking for complexity. However, the preparation requires only about an hour and the result is a flavor-rich dish that’s both hearty and satisfying. Rosemary, thyme, and garlic create an aromatic and comforting taste that belies its simple preparation.
Get the Recipe: Garlic Herb Pork and Potatoes
Grilled Pork Chop Surf and Turf
Michelin chefs may scoff at the idea of a quick Grilled Pork Chop Surf and Turf, but this dish proves that great flavors don’t need to be expensive or time-consuming. Ready in about 30 minutes, it combines pork chops and shrimp, grilled to bring out a succulent, smoky flavor. This meal upgrade challenges the norm by offering a high-quality dining experience with everyday ingredients.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Pork Chop Surf and Turf
Roasted Chicken and Vegetables
Roasted Chicken and Vegetables, a dish that turns everyday ingredients into a Michelin-style meal in under an hour, might not sit well with gourmet chefs due to its simplicity. It’s made with chicken, potatoes, carrots, and onions, seasoned with garlic and herbs. This one-pan meal is both nutritious and flavorful, providing a savory and slightly sweet dining experience.
Get the Recipe: Roasted Chicken and Vegetables
One Pan Garlic Pepper Pork Dinner
The One Pan Garlic Pepper Pork Dinner could ruffle feathers in high-end kitchens due to its straightforward and quick preparation, ready in about 30 minutes. Using just pork chops, bell peppers, and onions, this meal offers a bold, peppery taste that’s both delicious and easy to make. It embodies how simple ingredients can create a satisfying meal without the frills of gourmet cooking.
Get the Recipe: One Pan Garlic Pepper Pork Dinner
Pork Chops and Applesauce with Blackberries
Pork Chops and Applesauce with Blackberries might be underestimated by Michelin chefs for its unconventional twist on a classic dish. This recipe, ready in about 25 minutes, pairs tender pork chops with homemade applesauce enriched with blackberries, creating a sweet and tart flavor profile that elevates the ordinary. It showcases how minor tweaks to simple dishes can transform them into something special.
Get the Recipe: Pork Chops and Applesauce with Blackberries
Cilantro Lime Chicken & Rice
The quick and easy Cilantro Lime Chicken & Rice could be sneered at by gourmet chefs for its straightforward blend of flavors and 30-minute cooking time. However, the dish’s fresh zest from lime and cilantro paired with juicy chicken and fluffy rice offers a refreshing taste that’s light yet fulfilling. This meal stands as a testament to flavorful yet simple cooking.
Get the Recipe: Cilantro Lime Chicken & Rice
Pork Chops with Mustard Shallot Gravy
Pork Chops with Mustard Shallot Gravy brings a simple yet sophisticated twist to the dinner table in about 45 minutes, which may surprise those who undervalue simplicity. The rich, savory gravy made from mustard and shallots perfectly complements the seared pork chops. This dish illustrates how everyday ingredients can be elevated to a level that challenges even the most upscale recipes.
Get the Recipe: Pork Chops with Mustard Shallot Gravy
Chicken Shawarma Plate
The Chicken Shawarma Plate, ready in just over an hour, incorporates flavors like cumin and coriander in a dish that might be too simple for a Michelin star setting. Yet, the aromatic spices and the combination of marinated chicken with fresh accompaniments deliver a taste that’s complex and satisfying. This meal proves that street food-inspired dishes can hold their own against gourmet creations.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Shawarma Plate
Creamy Balsamic Chicken Skillet
The Creamy Balsamic Chicken Skillet, completed in about 35 minutes, uses common ingredients such as chicken, spinach, and tomatoes in a balsamic cream sauce to create a luxurious yet simple dish. Michelin chefs might not appreciate the quick blend of tangy and creamy flavors that make this skillet meal a crowd-pleaser. Yet, it’s a prime example of how simple cooking methods and affordable ingredients can produce a rich flavor profile.
Get the Recipe: Creamy Balsamic Chicken Skillet
Grilled Maple Mustard Chicken
Grilled Maple Mustard Chicken, which takes about 20 minutes to prepare, combines the sweet and tangy flavors of maple syrup and mustard. This simple yet flavorful approach to grilling chicken might not align with Michelin-starred expectations but delivers a perfectly balanced and delicious meal. The recipe is a testament to the power of great marinades to elevate basic ingredients.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Maple Mustard Chicken
Chicken Pot Pie with Tarragon Gravy
Chicken Pot Pie with Tarragon Gravy, ready in about 1.5 hours, transforms simple ingredients into a comforting meal that could challenge the intricate dishes of Michelin-starred menus. With its flaky crust and creamy chicken and vegetable filling, the slight anise-like flavor of tarragon enhances the gravy, proving that traditional comfort food can be both sophisticated and satisfying.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Pot Pie with Tarragon Gravy
Citrus Glazed Pork Chops
Citrus Glazed Pork Chops are ready in just 25 minutes and feature a bright, tangy glaze made from oranges and lemons. This quick and vibrant dish might be looked down upon in gourmet kitchens, but it exemplifies how a simple citrus twist can profoundly enhance the flavor of pork chops. It’s a budget-friendly recipe that punches well above its weight in taste.
Get the Recipe: Citrus Glazed Pork Chops
Air Fryer Chicken Legs
Air Fryer Chicken Legs, which cook in about 30 minutes, achieve a crispy exterior and juicy interior with a minimalistic spice blend. This cooking method might not impress Michelin chefs used to more elaborate techniques, but it showcases how air frying can yield delicious results that rival traditional methods. The recipe highlights the effectiveness of simple seasoning and modern cooking techniques.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Chicken Legs
Oven-Baked Buttermilk Chicken and Potatoes
Oven-Baked Buttermilk Chicken and Potatoes is a meal that combines tender chicken marinated in buttermilk with hearty potatoes, baked to perfection in about an hour. While Michelin chefs might dismiss the simplicity, the buttermilk creates a juicy, flavorful chicken that pairs beautifully with the crispy potatoes. This dish is a testament to the comfort and elegance that can come from straightforward, wholesome ingredients.
Get the Recipe: Oven-Baked Buttermilk Chicken and Potatoes
Chicken Biryani
Chicken Biryani could be seen as too accessible for Michelin standards, but this dish, rich in spices and fragrance, takes about an hour to prepare. It’s a lavish combination of rice, chicken, and a potent blend of spices like saffron and turmeric, cooked together to infuse the rice with flavors. The vibrant layers of color and depth of flavor in this one-pot meal prove that gourmet tastes don’t always require complex or expensive ingredients.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Biryani
Pork and Shrimp Wonton Soup
Pork and Shrimp Wonton Soup may be a simple broth-based dish that Michelin chefs might overlook, yet it delivers an exquisite eating experience in just 45 minutes. The soup combines delicate wontons filled with a mix of pork and shrimp, seasoned subtly to complement the clear, soothing broth. This dish exemplifies how minimal ingredients can be crafted into a comforting, yet richly satisfying meal.
Get the Recipe: Pork and Shrimp Wonton Soup
Easy Beef Stew
Easy Beef Stew might defy Michelin-level expectations with its basic ingredients and simple cooking method, ready in about two hours. It combines chunks of beef, potatoes, carrots, and onions in a hearty broth, slowly simmered to enhance the flavors. The robustness and depth of taste achieved with such straightforward ingredients showcase the unpretentious elegance of traditional cooking.
Get the Recipe: Easy Beef Stew
Crispy Beef
Crispy Beef, often underrated by gourmet chefs for its simplicity and quick prep time of about 20 minutes, offers a crunchy texture and a sweet, spicy glaze. The beef is thinly sliced and fried until golden, then tossed in a sauce made from soy sauce, honey, and chili flakes. This dish proves that even the simplest ingredients can be transformed into a flavor-packed meal that challenges more labor-intensive recipes.
Get the Recipe: Crispy Beef