Looking for some easy Aldi meals to feed the family? Here’s a cheap and easy dinner idea to through together on busy nights or when you are looking to add some frugal meals to your weekly meal plan!
This meal is not only easy but it is also delicious and family friendly! It’s great comfort food so it’s a favorite of ours to make during the colder fall and winter months.
The best part is that it has just four ingredients, requires almost no prep, costs less than $4 to make and is ready in just minutes!
It’s a great meal to throw in the rotation when you know you are going to have a busy day and are going to be too tired to make dinner.
Easy Aldi Meals: Chili Mac Ingredients and Cost Analysis
Here is what you will need to make this Easy and Delicious Chili Mac:
- 1 Box of Aldi’s Shells & Cheese
- 1 15 oz Can of Chili with Beans
- 1 10 oz Can of Diced Tomatoes
- 1 15.5 oz Can of Kidney Beans
The price breakdown is shown in the photo above. As you can see, this recipe costs just under $4 to make and will comfortably feed 4 people. The addition of the can of beans ups the protein and fiber content of the meal, making it more filling and satisfying. If you are not a big fan of a lot of beans, you could omit the beans and add a second can of chili! This would even out the meat to bean ratio in the meal some. Also, this meal is super flexible. I’ve made it before with pinto beans and it was just as good 🙂
*Note, I used the organic kidney beans because my Aldi was out of the regular kidney beans. You could substitute it for non-organic beans and the meal would be about $0.50 cheaper to make! I do however find that Aldi’s organic beans are a better quality than the non-organic. It’s just one of those things were if you are watching every penny, it might not be worth the additional cost to buy the organic beans.
Easy Aldi Meals: Chili Mac Preparation Instructions
The cheap and quick Aldi meal is super easy to make!
Start by preparing the Shells and Cheese according to the box instructions.
This involves boiling the pasta for 10 minutes and then draining it. After you drain the pasta, return it to the pot and add the included cheese pouch.
Once you have stirred and melted the cheese into the pasta, add the kidney beans (drained), canned tomatoes with chilis, and canned chili to the pot. I leave the heat on medium low and stir the added ingredients in until it is heated through!
That’s it! Dinner is ready in just minutes and at hardly any cost!
Ideas for Sides to Go with Your Easy Aldi Chili Mac Meal
You might want to add a side to this easy meal. Here are some easy and cheap ideas:
- Side garden salad
- Aldi’s bagged Caesar salad
- Apples or applesauce cups
- Grapes
- Clementines
- Cantaloupe
