Home Cook Makes Hearty Lasagna Dinner With Only Dollar Tree Ingredients
The price of food keeps going up, and many home cooks are searching for innovative ways to save money while feeding their families. Some are turning to discount retailers, like dollar stores, to bring down their grocery bills. Dollar Tree, which was started in 1953, is one such store, and while these types of retailers are typically associated with selling dry goods, DT started introducing cold groceries in the early 2000s and has been expanding its selection, including many frozen side dishes worth picking up, over the past few years. As such, Dollar Tree is becoming more and more like a grocery store, and one TikToker even came up with a way to create a hearty lasagna-inspired meal using ingredients from this store.
@tianashalfdozen 🍝 WHEN THE BUDGET IS BUDGETING! You mean to tell me I can make LASAGNA with Dollar Tree ravioli?! 😭🍝💰 Let me show y'all! #cheapmeals #budgetmeals #easymeals #quickmeals #onepanmeal
By taking refrigerated ravioli, they bypassed the need for boiling lasagna noodles, saving them time, effort, and a dirty pot. The trick also works well with any sort of filled pasta, including tortellini, one of the stuffed pastas you should know about. And while they added ricotta to the layered dish, any cheese-filled pasta ticks the same box for a creamy mouthfeel. If you can't find the ravioli, you can opt for Pasta Zing pre-cooked spaghetti or farfalle. You can also switch up the sauce and use Alfredo instead, or mix it with red sauce and a splash of booze from your stash to create a quick vodka sauce. Keep in mind, though, that not every Dollar Tree sells the same items, and sometimes you need to shop at specific times in order to find the best selection and deals. Plus, you can always check the website to see what's on the shelves at your local store.
Dollar General's selection lets you create many quick, affordable meals
Lasagna isn't the only thing you can make with ingredients from Dollar Tree. The chain actually has a wide array of products that you can combine to make filling, delicious meals on the cheap. If you need some inspiration, below are a few examples of just how creative you can get making a satisfying entree for your family using only Dollar Tree ingredients.
There are many pasta dishes you can make from Dollar Tree products, including one using TGI Friday's spinach dip along with a box of Columbia rotini. And you can make a creamy macaroni and cheese with Columbia elbow macaroni, Ragu double cheddar sauce, and shredded cheese. If you want a meatier Italian dish, you can make a chicken parmesan dinner by starting with Tyson chicken nuggets. Arrange them in a baking dish and smother them with pasta sauce and shredded mozzarella. With a side of pre-cooked spaghetti, you have an easy and filling meal.
You can also make an Asian-inspired beef bowl by cooking a pack of Steak-umm with some Pantry Basics teriyaki sauce and serving it over some pre-cooked Jasmine rice. You can even take your family on a culinary trip to New Orleans with red beans and rice by using a couple of cans of Goya red beans and John Morrel smoked sausage, along with a few shakes of Cajun seasoning and serving it over that pre-cooked rice. Hopefully, these tips will help you look at the wares at your local Dollar Tree a little differently and save you enough money to buy yourself some of DT's kitchen essentials to help you make your meal.