The $10-Meal Diaries: Quick Dinners Anyone Can Master

For all its health benefits, cooking at home can be an expensive endeavor. Here's what happens: You head to the grocery store with lofty aspirations of Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon and, well, you get a little carried away. You end up with ingredients for coq au vin and potage parmentier, too. And, for some reason, Indian saffron that costs more than your watch. Sure, you will totally use that. At checkout, you realize taking yourself out for dinner would've been more affordable.

If we nailed your buying habits, fret not — these under-$10 recipes will reform you. For the price of a deli salad, you'll be able to whip up a nutritious meal in five easy steps or less. The ingredients are all low-cost staples you can find in the produce aisle — heck, you might have some inventory in the fridge already. Keep reading to discover how to master affordable dinners, and feel free to splurge on some gelato with all the savings you rack up.