Then, I tried to focus on options with the largest national footprint. Sadly, its limited national reach rules it out. Get your greasy fingers away from the keyboard. What if I already have a drink, or what if I want a burger, a chicken sandwich, and some fries?

Too bad. Look, the McDouble is an icon. Close your eyes and imagine a mouthful of Chicken Nuggets. What vaults the King ahead of the Golden Arches? Simple: better sandwich options on the value menu. It almost pains me to do this. More than half the options are vegetarian, which explains the love this chain gets from the plant-based crowd.

Sure, but how was I supposed to pass up two burritos one beef, one chicken and a spicy potato taco? Slather the whole mess in Fire Sauce and forgive yourself for your sins. Takeout Tested. Found mainly in the Southwest, El Pollo Loco is the place to indulge in Mexican favorites based around savory grilled chicken, including grilled chicken breasts.

Dating all the way back to , Bob Evans serves up hearty comfort food in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic in a country living-themed atmosphere. Cooking up sliders since , White Castle is often credited as the first fast-food burger chain. Now it can be found in 13 states, mostly in the Midwest.

Named after the football huddle, Huddle House is a hour family restaurant that was founded in the s and is concentrated in the Southeast. Spaghetti, lasagna, and garlic breadsticks are crowd-pleasers, so it's no surprise this Italian restaurant chain is a hit with families.

Best known for its outlandish slogans, commercials, and having "all the meat," Arby's satisfies its customers with roast beef, curly fries, and fresh deli sandwiches. Biscuit and fried chicken lovers adore this Southern fast-food chain that serves breakfast all day. You can add a swipe of creamy pimento cheese to any biscuit — and you should.

Looking for a healthier breakfast option? Check out these healthy fast-food breakfast items. With about locations, mostly in the Southern states, Zaxby's has carved a niche out of the fried chicken market, selling only tenders sometimes in sandwiches and wings.

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Sign up for our newsletter. Score the Best Value Meal Deals at These Chains. January 05, by Lacey Muszynski. updated by Lacey Muszynski. fact checked by Erin Kuschner. Cheapism is editorially independent. We may earn a commission if you buy through links on our site. Prices and availability are subject to change and may vary by location.

Christian C. Kathy S. Focus on Burger King Large Fries on Serving Paper, a Whopper Jr. on the Right Side by yum9me CC BY-NC-ND.

Henry C. Closeup of Domino's Medium Pizza with Pepperoni, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, and Green Bell Peppers by Nadir Hashmi CC BY-NC-ND. Among the big pizza chains, Domino's has some of the best long-running deals. Trending on Cheapism. Free Burgers, Free Pizza, and More Bonkers Fast-Food Deals Near You.

These Are the 7 Cheapest Fast-Food Joints To Try Right Now. Cindy C. Kim T. Miori I. Torya M. Daniel K. to 11 p. Alla G.

5 Cheap and Healthy Food Combinations to Try Now · 1. Beans and Rice · 2. Oatmeal and Peanut Butter · 3. Chia Seeds and Almond Milk · 4. Pears and Greek Yogurt I find Wendy's and Taco Bell to offer the best value meals (complete). McDonalds has some sandwich deals (2 for 1) but you gotta just stick to big.kim › best-fast-fooddollars-ranked-best-worst-value-menu-1

Value-for-money food combos - 21 Cheap Foods to Buy if You're Broke or on a Budget · Canned fruits and vegetables are just as nutritious as the more expensive fresh fruits and 5 Cheap and Healthy Food Combinations to Try Now · 1. Beans and Rice · 2. Oatmeal and Peanut Butter · 3. Chia Seeds and Almond Milk · 4. Pears and Greek Yogurt I find Wendy's and Taco Bell to offer the best value meals (complete). McDonalds has some sandwich deals (2 for 1) but you gotta just stick to big.kim › best-fast-fooddollars-ranked-best-worst-value-menu-1

Check out these refreshing strawberry recipes. Looking for a fun and fresh workout routine to kick off your summer? Step away from the screen and bring your workouts outside with this amazing Holistic Outdoor Training audio program.

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Press Partnerships Workouts Apps Privacy Terms Menu. Scroll to Top. That same filling would work well in burritos, too. If there happen to be leftovers, that meat and mozzarella and marinara make for a great sandwich the next day.

Store-bought puff pastry and a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken are two very helpful shortcuts when it comes to this one-pot meal.

We also developed a soup version of chicken pot pie , just for fun. Giving chunky zucchini pieces a hard sear develops lots of texture and color while minimizing sogginess.

The dilly sour cream provides a garlicky counterpart. When you need a weeknight-friendly recipe that doubles as a cheap dinner idea, stir-fry is the answer.

Is there ever a bad time for a quesadilla? This one is easy, cheesy, and a smart way to finish up that jar of kimchi hanging out in the fridge. Although we and most of our readers love the mixture of nutritional yeast , garlic powder, and onion powder on these vegan nuggets, one commenter was less impressed.

If you too crave something bolder, try the method with taco seasoning instead. The humble onion is given center stage in this cheap meal. Seared, then gently roasted with paprika and tomato paste, these onions prove they have star quality. Transform a can of pumpkin purée into a near-instant pasta sauce—no slow cookers here— that delivers major fall feels.

Bonus: Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for two to three days. With a generous layer of caramelized onions and plenty of sharp Gruyère cheese, this tart packs the depth of French onion soup into every bite.

The tofu in this cheap recipe absorbs all of the flavors in the sauce—and there are a lot of them: shallots, ginger, garlic, cumin, red chile, turmeric, coconut cream , and peanut butter. It all becomes a sauce you have to make and see to believe. Crunchy fried onions transform a simple cabbage salad into a sensorial delight: hot and cold, crisp and soft, sweet and spicy.

Make sure to assemble it just before eating in order to capture those different textures. When the coffers are dry and so is the bread on the counter, this is the one.

This cheap meal requires just a few other ingredients, most of which are already in your kitchen. A garlicky mixture of ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, and maple syrup cooks down until almost sticky in this riff on a Chinese-American classic sesame chicken.

An untraditional but logical addition to the sauce: tahini. You might be surprised by just how flavorful a combination of chicken stock, celery, and chickpeas can be. Garlic, red chiles, lemon, and fresh cilantro contribute to making it so—while still keeping it feeling clean.

If you can swing it, add a big pinch of asafetida for an extra savory note. Quick-cooking, budget-friendly, and pretty hard to screw up that dark meat is automatically juicier , chicken thighs are our default weeknight dinner—and this is our simplest way to prepare them.

These battered, oven-baked florets come out crackly before getting bathed in a sticky-sweet gochujang glaze. It means you have croutons. Ground turkey is a lean protein that, when simmered with white beans, seasonings, and chipotle chiles in adobo and topped with Greek yogurt, delivers major body and richness.

The key to stress-free stir-frying is in the prep work. Be sure to chop, slice, and grate everything before even thinking about turning on the stove. Once you do, it comes together in 15 minutes.

A little bit of flour and butter, garlic, lemon juice, and capers , and you've got a super savory supper. Say that three times fast. This cheap recipe leaves out the smoked pork or turkey, which is typical in the American South, and goes heavy on garlic for flavor.

This all-star easy dinner recipe will work long after corn has gone out of season. In the winter, just sub in shaved cauliflower or torn kale.

This soup packs in all the ingredients that would make your doctor happy—lentils, sweet potatoes, leafy greens—but the fiery Thai green curry paste keeps things interesting. This Haitian meal consists of sos pwa nwa, black bean sauce enriched with coconut milk, served alongside mayi moulen, a creamy cornmeal porridge flavored with garlic and herbs.

Nothing is cozier. This family-friendly weeknight dinner takes a cue from Japanese grilled chicken meatballs called tsukune as well as the glossy, sweet-and-sour sauce that comes with them. A classic Italian pesto , this is not. Spinach, cilantro, and miso come together for this uber-green sauce, which dresses, of course, springy ramen noodles.

In this brothy beans recipe, caramelizing fennel, shallots, and lemon builds a base layer that is sweet, tangy, and bright. Tinned sardines add protein and a briny flavor. A beloved Hong Kong dish with approximately one billion variations, this soup—which relies heavily on fridge and pantry staples—is meant to be a little sweet and a touch sharp.

Its silky texture comes from blended potatoes and broccoli stalks rather than heavy cream. Well, this is the salad version, with noodles in addition to pink radishes , orange carrots, purple cabbage, and green cucumbers.

One head of cabbage goes a long way. This recipe, where wedges are bathed in turmeric-accented coconut milk until meltingly tender and sweet, uses just half of one to feed four. The soul of this recipe comes from the ginger and tamari marinade that gives crispy tofu a sweet and savory glaze.

We like to turn leftover tofu into tacos, for some Japanese-Mexican fusion. Toss roasted sweet potato wedges in a sweet and nutty tahini dressing for this quick vegetarian weeknight dinner. And no, it will not break the bank. This budget meal is about turning leftover side dishes into something totally new.

Nearly any roasted vegetable or cooked grain could be worked into a frittata using this method. This looks like something that took hours in a crockpot to make, but in reality, the black-eyed peas soak up the flavors of an onion- and tomato-based gravy in under 30 minutes.

Tuna salad deserves to be considered a dinner dish, not just a sandwich filling. Let the pan-fried chickpeas and red endive in this recipe convince you. Pan-crisped and glazed sweet potatoes. With hearty, almost meaty lentils. And pistachios.

Purchase lasagna noodles, mushrooms, mozzarella, and Parmesan. The rest of the ingredients for this cheap dinner recipe are already in your fridge or pantry. One style of cheap meals: recipes chosen with their leftovers in mind , making two meals out of one.

Value-for-money food combos - 21 Cheap Foods to Buy if You're Broke or on a Budget · Canned fruits and vegetables are just as nutritious as the more expensive fresh fruits and 5 Cheap and Healthy Food Combinations to Try Now · 1. Beans and Rice · 2. Oatmeal and Peanut Butter · 3. Chia Seeds and Almond Milk · 4. Pears and Greek Yogurt I find Wendy's and Taco Bell to offer the best value meals (complete). McDonalds has some sandwich deals (2 for 1) but you gotta just stick to big.kim › best-fast-fooddollars-ranked-best-worst-value-menu-1

Despite the glorified reminiscing about times gone by, a dollar didn't actually get you a whole lot when there were genuine dollar menus at most fast-food chains. You still needed to spend a little extra cheddar to make it a meal.

So, instead, let's see where a Lincoln can take you. We rolled around to ubiquitous chains like McDonald's, Subway, and Chipotle to find the best meal that can be cobbled together for about five bucks.

To eat on a budget, you need a system. Here are the three principles driving the food selection for this list:. We're looking for the best food the joint offers on a budget. It's not about the most food you can get. It's about the best meal you can construct.

It's a little bit about the most food you can get. It's a meal, right? Also, we're not paying attention to limited-time offers that won't be around in a few weeks. Sorry, Nacho Fries and unicorn thingamajigs.

Build your own combo. What to order: It's a little tricky to get the price down while filling up at your favorite mall-based restaurant. Nonetheless, you can get pretty close, especially if you opt to skip a soda and get some water.

You probably need to hydrate anyhow, right? It's pretty damn solid all things considered. While this meal is put together with menu prices, you can pretty reliably find a deep discount in the Wendy's app and occasionally even land a free burger.

Nonetheless, to get your meal, skip the Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger and grab two Jr. You haven't really eaten at Wendy's until you've dipped your fries in a Frosty. The money goes to charity and you wind up getting free Frostys for an entire year. What to order: If you're looking to maximize your caloric intake for the buck, the Sausage Egg and Cheese on a croissant has a whopping calories.

The bagels at Dunkin' tend to survive life before your mouth a little more intact than the croissant. No, you aren't getting a coffee, but Dunkin' isn't fooling anyone with the name change. You still came there for the donut. What to order: Chipotle is not the go-to spot for a budget-conscious eater.

You really can't get anything there's a kid's menu. The same thing less the juice box from the adult menu costs slightly more. However, it's entirely possible if you think outside the Mountain. Yeah, the Jamocha Shake is only available here, but these are the best damn fries in the game. It's also worth checking if they're offering anything for signing up for the Arby's email list.

Sometimes handing over your email lands you a free sandwich or gyro. What to order: If you've ever been to a White Castle or have seen a film with the words "Harold and Kumar" in the title, you know the drill.

What to order: No, the Colonel still isn't bringing back the long-dead Double Down. Though, the nuggets would substitute well and keep you in the same price range. Plus, you'd be getting those sweet, sweet sauces. Sometimes the classics are classics for a reason. What to order: Jimmy John's hasn't always been the best place for a super-cheap lunch.

However, in late , JJ added the Little John. It's no secret that eating at McDonald's isn't typically a super expensive venture. Sure, you can definitely see your total start to add up if you order extra sides of fries, a dessert, or ice cream assuming the ice cream machine at your local spot is actually working.

But, for the best deal at McDonald's, you can't beat the Cheeseburger Combo meal. It's the epitome of a value meal, and you'll definitely want to try it. The Cheeseburger Combo meal at McDonald's is a great option for when you're super hungry, low on cash, and low on time.

Yeah, that's definitely a lot of food for not much money at all. And because the burgers at McDonald's are kind of what they're known for, you also get some of the best things on their menu.

If you want to make the most of your McDonald's run, then definitely get the Cheeseburger Combo meal. Rest assured that it's truly the best value meal for your money at the chain.

It might seem as if most fast food joints are all pretty unhealthy — and you would often be right, considering that much of the fast food menu landscape is made up of burgers and fries. But fortunately, this is where Subway comes in.

Sure, it's not the absolute most healthy option out there, but it's definitely lighter than a greasy burger or some admittedly delicious fried chicken. And believe it or not, you can get a super filling meal at Subway for super cheap. That was definitely a good deal, but it's no longer available everywhere.

While Subway's prices may have gone up over the years, you can still get a great value meal there. And with so much variety on their menu, why wouldn't you? Oh, Taco Bell. This fast food chain is probably one of the most beloved of its kind, and for good reason.

It's cheap, it's delicious, and it's open late at night to satisfy all your late night, potentially alcohol-induced cravings. Plus, they are constantly adding new items to the menu to make you fall in love with their food all over again.

Take, for instance, the chain's Nacho Fries. These are french fries that have been seasoned with a Mexican spice blend, then served with a side of nacho cheese. It all might sound simple, but because Taco Bell only brings them out of retirement every so often, you never know when you'll get another taste of this drive-thru delicacy.

Fortunately, when the Nacho Fries are available, they can make up what is arguably the best value meal at Taco Bell: the Nacho Fries Box. If that's not a filling and delicious meal, then what is?

Though Wendy's might not be one of the biggest competitors in the fast food burger game, at least not compared to giants like McDonald's and Burger King, there's no denying that the chain can crank out a good burger, a good chicken sandwich, and some wonderfully tasty chicken nuggets.

Honestly, part of what makes Wendy's so great is the fact that the fast food restaurant has so much to offer and at such a great price. But because Wendy's naturally wants to make its customers happy, the restaurant actually has a ton of value meals that are definitely worth checking out.

Bacon Cheeseburger, Crispy Chicken Sandwich, or a Jr. Clearly, Wendy's knows how to satisfy their customers on a budget, and that's what makes them so special. Though Dairy Queen might be known for its delicious ice creams, Blizzards, ice cream bars, and even ice cream cakes, they actually have a pretty large food menu with some items that might surprise you.

Their burgers and fries are super tasty, for one, and so are their chicken strips. And what's more, if you want a great deal on Dairy Queen, their value meal is perfect for you because it's bound to satisfy all that you're hungry for. Yes, even dessert. You can choose between one of their delicious Double Cheeseburgers or the 3-piece chicken strips with dipping sauce, of course.

The meal also includes french fries, a drink, and an ice cream sundae of your choice. The meal deal is honestly a great purchase, and if you don't want to spend an arm and a leg but find yourself seriously hungry, then this is where it's at.

Because really, who doesn't want an ice cream sundae with their meal? While Del Taco might not be in every city or state, it tends to be pretty popular wherever it is located.

From the delicious burritos to the tacos, and even the burgers, pretty much everything at the fast food chain is totally delicious. And while you might think you can't get a full meal at Del Taco without spending a ton of cash or ordering solely from the dollar menu, you'd be wrong.

Yes, it might sound strange to order french fries with a burrito, but that's just how it's done at Del Taco — fans of the establishment wouldn't want it any other way. Of course, while this is probably the best of the bunch, it's not the only meal deal worth checking out at this fast food joint.

Again, the meal comes with fries and a drink and will definitely fill you up for a great price. So, if you're lucky enough to have a Del Taco near you, what are you waiting for? But fortunately, even if you're on a strict budget, you can get a delicious pizza for way less than that amount, so long as you're willing to pick it up yourself.

And no, you don't have to take it home and bake it in your own oven, either. At Little Caesars, you can get a hot and ready pizza for a shockingly low price. If you've never had Little Caesars, then you probably shouldn't expect it to be the best pizza in the world, sure, as there are some better pizza chains out there.

If a single large pizza is not your style, Little Caesars also offers pizza combos for a great price, too.

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