Food Stamps

Living on just $20 a week can come at a price. It’s often the cheaper, processed, frozen food that is priced lower than fresh, organic vegetables. That doesn’t mean you can’t create a scrumptious dinner with very little. At an estimated 80 cents per serving, a garden gumbo is full of taste, hearty vegetables, and delicious spices that create a lasting meal that can benefit anyone living on a tight food stamp budget. The recipe basically includes a bunch of different vegetables, so don’t be afraid to experiment and fix up your own style of gumbo based on this cheap recipe.

Ingredients List

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

3 to 4 celery stalks, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

8 cups of water

1 14-oz of stewed tomatoes

2 tsp. oregano

1 ½ tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

3/4 cup brown rice

1 15-oz of red beans

You need a large stock pot to cook all of the ingredients with. Heat the oil inside of the pot and add in onions, zucchini, green pepper, celery and garlic. Then, add in the spices, sauté for 10 minutes on medium heat until veggies are tender. Add water, stewed tomatoes and brown rice. Bring to a boil and allow it to simmer for 45 minutes. At this point, just stir in the beans and simmer for another 10 minutes, then serve.

This recipe can easily serve about six people, but you can definitely have leftovers and create more all at once if you have a larger family or are planning a big dinner. In addition, much of the spices here can be bought in packets, for very cheap, and you can find much of the canned vegetables are also pretty cheap to purchase. All in all, most items are under a $1 for this recipe. You can decrease costs even more by ordering some food online or looking for deals at your local market.