Best Recipes of 2022

by Beth - Budget Bytes
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It’s that time again! At the end of every year, I take a look back at what we’ve published over the past twelve months and round up the most delicious can’t-miss recipes of the year. It’s fun remembering all those delicious first bites and the good times we had in the kitchen while developing the recipes, but it’s also a great way to single out the best of the best of what we have to offer. So whether you’re new to Budget Bytes or have been our friend for years, here are the BEST recipes of 2022 that you should add to your meal plan ASAP!

Collage of recipe photos with title text in the center.

So let’s get into it! Here are the top 20 recipes we published in 2022, from oldest to newest. I hope you enjoy! And if you can’t get enough of these budget-friendly recipes, you can browse the top recipe posts from years past, which are linked at the bottom of the post. ;)

Coconut Curry Ramen

Close up overhead view of a bowl of coconut curry ramen
You only need 5 simple ingredients and about 10 minutes to make this Coconut Curry Ramen, a vibrant bowl full of bold colors and flavors. 
5 from 24 votes
$1.34 recipe / $1.34 serving Get the Recipe

Coconut Curry Ramen – This quickie instant ramen upgrade is my new favorite way to eat instant ramen. It’s a nice departure from the usual seasoning packet that comes with ramen, plus it’s an easy way to get a dose of vegetables without having to chop a single thing. 🙌

Cajun Sausage and Vegetables

rectangular glass containers with Cajun Sausage and Vegetables lined up
This simple Cajun Sausage and Vegetables meal prep is a fast, easy, flavorful, and delicious way to get your daily dose of vegetables!
4.82 from 11 votes
$6.94 recipe / $1.74 serving Get the Recipe

Cajun Sausage and Vegetables – This recipe is the ultimate meal prep. It’s quick, it’s fresh, it’s FLAVORFUL, and it’s low-carb for those who like that sort of thing. ;) (You can also serve it over rice if you’re not into low-carb.)

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

flourless peanut butter cookies scattered on a surface
These dairy-free flourless peanut butter cookies are soft, rich, and have the perfect salty-sweet balance. 
4.73 from 18 votes
$1.65 recipe / $0.14 each Get the Recipe

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies – I don’t personally need a flour-free cookie for any reason but I still LOVE these cookies for their simplicity! The ingredient list is super short, they take minutes to prepare, and the cookie is soft, rich, and absolutely delicious.

Creamy Pesto Chicken

Overhead view of a skillet full of creamy pesto chicken.
Creamy pesto chicken is a fast, easy, and impressive main dish for dinner, whether you just want to treat yourself or impress guests!
4.93 from 97 votes
$10.70 recipe / $2.68 serving Get the Recipe

Creamy Pesto Chicken – I love a simple but impressive dinner recipe like this creamy pesto chicken because it actually makes me look forward to eating at home. It’s super easy and the end result makes me feel totally ✨spoiled✨.

Creamy Rice Pudding

finished rice pudding in the pot topped with sliced almonds.
Creamy rice pudding is a simple, delicious, and inexpensive dessert full of warm flavors like vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
4.85 from 19 votes
$1.68 recipe / $0.42 serving Get the Recipe

Creamy Rice Pudding – Rice pudding is the OG budget dessert. Like, how amazing is it that you can take something as humble as leftover rice and turn it into an absolutely crave-worthy warm, rich, and cozy dessert? Pure magic.

Cheesy Pinto Beans

Overhead view of a bowl of cheesy pinto beans over rice.
Cheesy Pinto Beans are a quick and satisfying meal made with simple pantry staple ingredients, like canned beans.
4.90 from 64 votes
$2.96 recipe / $0.74 serving Get the Recipe

Cheesy Pinto Beans – You really can’t go wrong with beans, rice, and cheese. This simple dish is super budget-friendly, easy to prepare, and it’s 100% comfort food. So when money is extra tight, THIS is the meal I’m making to get me through to payday.

Super Fudgy Homemade Brownies

Side view of a stack of fudgy homemade brownies.
These super fudgy homemade brownies are thick, rich, extra-chocolatey, and super moist. It's the ultimate homemade brownie recipe!
4.78 from 22 votes
$3.93 recipe / $0.44 serving Get the Recipe

Super Fudgy Homemade Brownies – I’m team #fudgebrownies all the way, so if you’re into the cakey brownies just keep scrollin’. I tested, retested, and tested these brownies some more (poor me) until I had the fudgiest homemade brownies ever.

Vegetable Beef Soup

Overhead view of a bowl of vegetable beef soup.
This super easy vegetable beef soup is a filling and flavorful option for lunch, dinner, or your weekly meal prep!
4.74 from 26 votes
$11.13 recipe / $1.86 serving Get the Recipe

Vegetable Beef Soup – Skip the canned soup aisle because THIS vegetable beef soup is everything. I used ground beef to keep it budget-friendly and it’s chock-full of flavorful and colorful vegetables so every bite is 💯.

One Pot Chicken and Rice

Close up of chicken being scooped out of the skillet.
This hearty and delicious chicken and rice combines rich and flavorful rice with well seasoned chicken or an easy one pot meal.
4.66 from 84 votes
$5.82 recipe / $1.46 serving Get the Recipe

One Pot Chicken and Rice – We love a good one pot meal around here and this simple chicken and rice might be one of my favs. EVER. The rice is cooked with chicken broth, tons of herbs, and all of the delicious flavor that drips off the chicken as it cooks. It’s just perfection.

Fluffy Homemade Pancakes

Side view of a stack of pancakes with a fork.
This easy homemade pancake recipe makes the most delicious and fluffy stack of pancakes around! Perfect for a cozy weekend breakfast.
4.27 from 30 votes
$0.95 recipe / $0.24 serving Get the Recipe

Homemade Pancakes – I am all about making my weekends as weekendy as possible, and there’s nothing that does that quite like the smell of freshly made pancakes on a Saturday morning. Trust me, do it once and it will become your new favorite weekend tradition.

Vanilla Pudding

Overhead shot of vanilla pudding in a white bowl topped with a dollop of whipped cream and surrounded by strawberries.
This homemade vanilla pudding recipe is super rich and creamy, only takes a few simple ingredients, and is so much better than instant mixes!
4.60 from 10 votes
$2.79 recipe / $0.70 serving Get the Recipe

Vanilla Pudding – I know instant pudding is convenient and all, but after tasting this homemade vanilla pudding there’s just no going back… It’s just so delicately creamy and delicious. There’s no comparison!

Easy 3-Ingredient Pie Crust

Overhead view of baked pie on a countertop.
This super easy pie crust recipe comes together in minutes and has just three ingredients: salted butter, all-purpose flour, and water.
3.89 from 17 votes
$2.34 per recipe Get the Recipe

3-Ingredient Pie Crust – Monti has made this pie crust several times in the studio since she joined our team this past summer, and I’m not mad about it! We’ve used it for sweet pies, savory pies, and one time we even baked it without filling and ate it by itself. 😅 #noregrets

Chicken Pot Pie

A slice of chicken pot pie taken out of the pie dish.
Chicken pot pie is a comfort food classic, with a flakey crust, rich sauce, tender chicken, and vegetables. Perfect for cold winter nights!
4.87 from 22 votes
$8.44 recipe / $1.06 serving Get the Recipe

Chicken Pot Pie – This is one of those recipes that will make you sad when the leftovers are gone, even though you’ve been eating it for four days straight. To make sure your chicken pot pie is next level, use the 3-ingredient pie crust in the previous link!

Slow Cooker Meatball Subs

Side view of a meatball sub on a plate with the baking dish in the background.
These Slow Cooker Meatball Subs are extra tender and flavorful thanks to a low and slow simmer in marinara sauce.
5 from 14 votes
$19.43 recipe / $2.43 each Get the Recipe

Slow Cooker Meatball Subs – We eat really well in the Budget Bytes kitchen studio, but on days when we make food like these meatball subs, we have to pinch ourselves to make sure this job is real. We SMASHED the leftovers of these meatball subs for a week straight.

Pollo Guisado (Puerto Rican Chicken Stew)

Side shot of Guisado de Pollo in a yellow bowl with a spoon in it.
Warm your bones and fill your belly with Pollo Guisado, a hearty Puerto Rican chicken stew packed with flavor that's easy to make and ready to devour in under an hour.
4.85 from 19 votes
$9.37 recipe / $2.34 serving Get the Recipe

Pollo Guisado (Puerto Rican Chicken Stew) – I often judge how good a recipe is by how quickly we eat the leftovers and let me just tell you… I ate this entire pot of pollo guisado by myself in TWO DAYS. It’s *that* good.

Pumpkin Pie

Side shot of a slice of pumpkin pie with a dollop of whipped cream on top of it.
This simple pumpkin pie recipe is a Thanksgiving classic that uses a few tricks to make the silkiest texture and bold fall flavors.
4 from 3 votes
$7.49 recipe / $0.62 serving Get the Recipe

Pumpkin Pie – I love making recipes as simple as possible, but this time around taking a few extra steps is SO worth it. This pumpkin pie is as smooth as silk and as light as air. It’s truly the best pumpkin pie out there.

Homemade Lasagna

Side view of a slice of lasagna being lifted out of the pan.
This easy homemade lasagna recipe has layers of homemade meat sauce, tender lasagna noodles, and a rich combination of Italian cheeses!
4.80 from 10 votes
$14.96 recipe / $1.66 serving Get the Recipe

Homemade Lasagna – Lasagna is the ultimate comfort food, full stop. Lasagna can be super pricey at restaurants, so if I’m going to splurge on it I’m going to make it at home and get a whole pans-worth for the same price that I’d pay for one slice if ordering out! And this homemade version is every bit as indulgent as what you’d get at a restaurant.

Swedish Meatballs

Overhead view of a bowl full of mashed potatoes topped with Swedish meatballs.
This cozy and delicious recipe for homemade Swedish Meatballs features tender and flavorful meatballs simmered in an easy cream sauce.
4.92 from 23 votes
$5.83 recipe / $1.46 serving Get the Recipe

Swedish Meatballs – I don’t know if I’ve told you, but I’m meatball-obsessed. And you can’t be meatball-obsessed without having a really great Swedish Meatball recipe. These meatballs are tender and flavorful, drenched in a super creamy gravy, and are just all-around cozy.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Overhead view of chocolate chip cookies on a surface, one broken in half.
This easy chocolate chip cookie recipe makes deliciously chewy cookies with crispy edges and melty semi-sweet chocolate chips throughout.
2.50 from 2 votes
$4.58 recipe / $0.25 serving Get the Recipe

Chocolate Chip Cookies – I was never a huge chocolate chip cookie fan UNTIL I had Monti’s chocolate chip cookies. They’re soft and fudgy in the center and fully of that heavenly nutty brown butter flavor. 🤤

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

Overhead view of a bowl of turkey and wild rice soup.
Turkey and Wild Rice Soup is a great way to use up those Thanksgiving leftovers, plus the leftovers are great so it's the perfect meal prep!
5 from 17 votes
$8.94 recipe / $2.24 serving Get the Recipe

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup – I originally made this soup just as a way to use up our leftover roasted turkey from Thanksgiving, but I’m definitely going to keep making it for the rest of the winter using rotisserie chicken because it’s just so hearty and delicious!!

So there we have it! It was a busy year and there were so many great recipes to choose from! Was there a recipe that you really loved this year? Let us know in the comments!

And thank you to everyone out there who has stuck with us for another fantastic year. Budget Bytes wouldn’t exist without YOU! 😘 HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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  1. There were so many great BB recipes this year! Monti’s 3-Ingredient Pie Crust was a knockout hit on several occasions, especially paired with her Apple Pie. (One family member told me it was the best pie he had ever had!) Beth’s Cheesy Pinto Beans were a lunch prep staple, and her Fluffy Homemade Pancakes were perfect both for just-because weekend breakfast pancakes and holiday brunch waffles.

    And, coincidentally, I’m making the One-Pot Chicken and Rice tonight! :)

  2. Hi Beth. I enjoy your recipes and was going to try your chocolate chip recipe, but didn’t have enough time to do the brown butter process. While baking cookies this past holiday season I noticed that the butter doesn’t cream up like recall in the past. I’m not sure if I’m doing something wrong when trying to soften the butter or if its just that the butter is not what it use to be. Can you recommend your favorite brand.

  3. You’ve definitely included some of my favorites here! We’ve been making the Coconut Curry Ramen recipe with nearly zero calorie (and flavorless) shiritake noodles with delicious results, and the Creamy Pesto Chicken shows up frequently on our table. Since “cook and serve” pudding seems to have disappeared from our supermarkets, the Vanilla Pudding has become a lifesaver–lots of ways to use the leftover egg whites–and I’m able to cut the carbs with that recipe, too. Plenty of economical old faves, too, that deserve attention. Thanks, Beth–you and your new staff are doing a great service to anyone on a tight budget, and others of us who just enjoy saving some time and money while still enjoying great food! Looking forward to the New Year with you and your staff!

  4. I want to thank you and your staff for sharing your budget friendly recipes. With price inflation that has been going on, my sister and I (along with everybody else I’m sure) had to make some adjustments of what to make, as well as shopping at different grocery stores to get what we need. Nobody shouldn’t have to skimp on flavor just to save money. It’s all about being creative, and using what’s available at home, while still tasting delicious at the same time. I’m looking forward to your new recipes to cook in the year 2023. Thank you, Beth for all that you do, and you are making a difference to the lives of many with your budget friendly recipes. Cheers to the year 2023! 🍾🥂

  5. Curious how you choose the “best.” Highest number of stars? Most viewed? Most comments? Staff favorites?

    So many on here that I need to try in 2023!

    1. Hi Susan, they’re simply the recipes that I thought were best and I don’t want other people to miss out on. :)