You know what’s cheap? Cabbage. You know what’s cheaper? Cabbage from an Asian grocery store. You know what’s even cheaper? Cabbage on sale at the Asian grocery store.
Thank goodness, because I love cabbage. And even more importantly? Thank goodness, because it means I can live off of less than $1 worth of cabbage plus whatever I can scrounge out of the freezer or cabinets this week. Luckily, you can eat the same thing every day without, well, eating the same thing every day.
—
I love proving you can eat well for cheap, so I’m also going to prove you can eat well for cheap and easy. Each of these is a complete meal in under ten minutes and under a dollar! Without eating the same thing every night. The recipes below are guaranteed to be inauthentic and easily adaptable to whatever ingredients and close-enough spices you can find around your house. Enjoy.
Mexico: Repollo Fajitas
(Cabbage Fajitas with Tempeh)
Saute onion and cabbage. Toss in tempeh slices, seitan strips or what have you. Sprinkle liberally with cumin and chili powder.
Cabbage: $0.12. Tempeh: $0.75. Total: $0.87.
Germany: Ei and Kraut
(Eggs and Cabbage)
Saute onion and fennel seeds. Add cabbage until wilted. Whisk egg whites, parsley and black pepper together, add to pan. Scramble and cook. Serve with a generous blob of good mustard.
Cabbage: $0.12. Eggs: $Free (from backyard chickens). Total: $0.12.
Japan: Kyabetsu Udon
(Cabbage “Noodles” with Seitan)
Stir-fry sliced cabbage with some garlic and a little soy sauce. Add homemade or store-bought seitan. If you want a noodle-like experience, eat with chopsticks.
Cabbage: $0.12. Homemade seitan: $0.30. Total: $0.42.
India: Patha Gobi Channa Masala
(Chickpea and Cabbage Stew)
(Imagine picture of stew here. I’m really hungry when I get home from work. Taking pictures takes time that could be spent inhaling food instead.)
Put water or broth, canned chickpeas, cabbage, garlic, curry powder and cumin in a crock pot on low. Go to work. Come home from work. Eat.
Cabbage: $0.12. Chickpeas: $0.15. Total: $0.27.
—
And if you’re interested in, well, not cabbage, check out the rest of the What I Ate Wednesday gang at Peas and Crayons.
—
How do you spice up the same old, same old? Favorite cheap, easy and complete meals?
I love cabbage too!! And you know I’m trying to save ££££! My co-worker is from India and he just shared this recipe with me, which I plan to make immediately! Super cheap as well, and can easily be made vegan: http://foodviva.com/curry-recipes/aloo-matar-paneer/
Now that looks good! And makes me want to go out for Indian buffet. Which I think defeats the purpose of cooking in to save money. Darn.
Yum- it’s been far too long since I last ate cabbage! I especially like the look of the “Udon” bowl. As for the Indian bowl, if you want to go all the way with the name, it would be: “Patha Gobi Channa Masala”
!
Yes! You are my lifesaver! I was trying to find a translation for Cabbage online, and just couldn’t! Updated my post
Hahahah this really makes me smile
You always impress me with your under $1 meals! I’m looking forward to coming home and eating clean with simple ingredients! I love Asian markets and if you live near an Indian market you can get beans, rice, seeds and spices extremely low cost! Love and shine c
I have an Indian market near me as well, but it’s surprisingly high-end, so not everything is a better deal there–still the best source for rice, though!
Great recipes. I love finding cheap and healthy meals. It’s definitely a lot easier then it seems. One of my favorites is using a bad of plain frozen veggies and making a soup or stirfry. Frozen veggies are so inexpensive and work well with anything!
Frozen veggies are definitely the best thing ever! So cheap and, like you say, what can’t you do with them??
Love cabbage and its year-round affordability!
If you think cabbage is stinky, try making kim chi! Smelliest, lovliest stuff ever!
I’ve always wanted to make my own kimchi–holy cow is that stuff expensive in stores (even at the Asian grocery store!). You need to post a tutorial!
I remember the moment I realized my favorite Asian grocer had such amazing produce, and … I looked around like, “are these the secret membership prices??”
I LOVE this post so much!! Inexpensive, quick AND International!
I couldn’t believe the price differences the first time–I was immediately suspicious, too.
The last time I got a cabbage in my CSA share, I really had no idea what to do with it, other than coleslaw. How uninventive. I won’t be making that mistake again. Who knew cabbage was so versatile (other than you of course), and now I need to check out the Asian markets.
And I only ran out of ideas because I ran out of cabbage! When in doubt, go international. I feel like that can apply to many areas of life. Like travel.
Cabbage is fantastic, isn’t it?!? Love the recipe round-up. I use cabbage for chips, too. I just chop it into squares (instead of thin shreds), and use it like chips with salsa. Yum.
Umm, this idea is amazing. I love salsa. I love cabbage. This has to happen!
we are the same person. i was at the store last weekend, cabbage was on sale so i bought a whole ton because it was dirt cheap. i got stares but boy is it so versatile
You make me feel guilty for my eating habits…I just spent $6.99 on strawberries. I was craving them though!!! They smelled so good as I walked past the display… damn you, Whole Paycheck.
Look at you, your taste buds are traveling ALL around the world.
I haven’t seen cabbage used as a noodle. Genius!
I’m eating cabbage this week, too!
girl your about to turn into a head of cabbage
And people say it’s expensive to eat healthy. It’s so annoying when people mention healthy eating and Whole Foods in the same breath, like you have to be a millionaire to eat healthy. I do pretty well and I shop at Costco and Walmart!
I definitely need to go buy some more cabbage. It is just a glorious food. Everyone who looks down up on the concept of the cabbage soup diet has obviously never looked beyond the broth. I want to try a curry now, and I’m still LOVING the whole ‘noodle’ idea.
Your first paragraph is truth.com.
Love cabbage and yes I do buy my cabbage at the Asian grocery store too
I love it in everything- salads, fried, sauerkraut… you name it. The eggs with cabbage sound amazing!
At the produce place I go to I can get 2 heads of cabbage for $1.25. Lasts forever!! I have cabbage, I have egg whites…I think I know what’s for dinner!!
I totally love cabbage too….and this post is just genius!! It was a trip around the world of deliciousness!