Happy Friday Reader!

Looking for tasty dinners that don’t bust the grocery budget? Pork is one of the most affordable and versatile proteins you can buy—and it cooks up in so many delicious ways.

Here are a few of my favorite budget-friendly pork recipes. Each one offers big flavor and great value, whether you’re feeding a crowd or a family of two.

Start With an Affordable, Easy to Prep Pork Loin

Pork loin is cut from the back of the pig. It's lean and mild-flavored, which means it will easily take on the flavors from your chosen seasonings and spices and fits any style of cuisine.

Pork loin can be roasted whole for a scrumptious roast dinner, sliced into thick boneless pork chops or shredded for sandwiches and casseroles.

It's affordable at around $2 per pound in my area. It's often less expensive than even chicken.

Pork Loin and Pork Tenderloin are NOT the same thing, though. Be sure not to confuse the two.

A pork loin is a larger cut of meat, like a roast. It IS lean, but has a large fat cap on one side. This is the most economical and versatile of the two and what I'll recommend in the recipes below, unless they call for ground pork.

Easy, Delicious and Affordable Pork Recipes for Fall

• ​Porcupine Meatballs - a beef and pork combo that can go all pork if you prefer. Great meat-stretching, money-saving and delicious weeknight dinner option.
• ​Sausage Balls - an easy five-ingredient recipe that freezes and reheats well. Great for snacking or appetizer trays or pair them with a salad and some cauliflower gratin for an easy delicious dinner!

• ​Perfect Pulled Pork: 2 Ingredient Easy - easy and delicious with so many possible uses. BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches are the obvious choice, but this roast is fabulous in tacos, on pizza and subbed into casserole recipes. Sub it for the tuna in Tuna Casserole with Cream of Mushroom Soup or use it to build these scrumptious Cuban Sliders.
• ​Easy Slow Cooker Maple Mustard Pork Loin - What a comfort-food flavor-bomb! It's so easy and pairs perfectly with creamy mashed potatoes or green beans & potatoes. Leftovers are excellent in sandwiches, casseroles, rice bowls and more. Chop or shred leftovers to use instead of chicken in Chicken Tetrazzini or Chicken Street Tacos. Or shred some of those leftovers and use them instead of meatballs in my Sweet and Sour Meatballs recipe. Delish!

• ​Ham Salad Recipe (Old Fashioned Deviled Ham) - Easy and great for sandwiches, but also delicious as a stuffing for celery, bell peppers or tomatoes and even as a topping on baked potatoes! No leftover ham? Just buy a ham steak as an affordable alternative.
• ​Slow Cooker Kalua Pork - smoky delicious pork from your crockpot! A pig roast without building a fire pit in the backyard. Eat it piled high on sandwich rolls alongside any of your favorite salads, like broccoli cauliflower salad or loaded baked potato salad.
• ​Egg Roll Bowls​
• ​Sheet Pan Honey Mustard Pork Chops​
• ​Easy Homemade Egg Rolls - This delish recipe uses leftover maple mustard pork loin, but leftover pulled pork or kalua pork would be excellent, too. And don't forget my easy five minute, five-ingredient Sweet Chili Sauce to dip them in!
• ​Perfect Pan Seared Pork Chops​

Pork is proof that great meals don't have to cost a lot! Whether you're in the mood for easy pulled pork, tangy maple-mustard roast, or a complete sheet pan dinner—it’s all here, flavorful and budget-friendly.

Try one this week—and let me know: which pork dish is your wallet's (and your family's) favorite?

Have a wonderfully blessed weekend! I hope you find some new favorite recipes to make your week delicious and affordable. And Friend, I hope someone else does the dishes! Hugs!

What's For Dinner?

This is the part of the newsletter where I share recipe ideas from some of my best blogging friends and myself to inspire you with what's for dinner at our houses this week. That gives you seven days worth of new recipes to inspire you for your own delicious meal plan. Enjoy!

• ​Antipasto Salad from Laura at Little House Big Alaska
• ​​​Carne Asada from Gen at Two Cloves Kitchen
• ​Rigatoni Bolognese from Glenda​
• ​Indonesian Fried Rice from Rupali at Caramel and Spice
• ​Easy Grilled Chicken Tenders from Sue at Sula and Spice
• ​Ground Beef Philly Cheesesteak Sliders from Lori at A Reinvented Mom
• ​Seafood Pot Pie from Kristin at Dizzy Busy and Hungry

​

Tools for Quick, Easy and Affordable Pork Dinners

These are Amazon and Walmart affiliate links to some of my favorite kitchen tools and ingredients for making quick and easy recipes. I may earn commissions on qualifying purchases. You can read my affiliate disclosure here.

• ​Pork Loin​
• ​Ham Steak​
• ​Best Crock Pot - 7 qts so it can hold enough for a crowd. It has a removable crock so it's easy to clean. Simple controls, easy to use and affordable. Still my favorite even though I own fancier ones. This gets used every week!
• My 12" Cast Iron Skillet​ - It makes heavenly fried potatoes and is essential to almost every meal I make year-round. But, this is especially handy in the winter for comfort-food cooking. It can be used on the stovetop and in the oven, so it's incredibly versatile.
• My Deep Dish 9x13 Ceramic Baking Pan is perfect for casseroles, Magic Cookie Bars, cakes and more.​
• ​Taco Holder Rack I LOVE these and I don't even own a Blackstone. They are oven-proof, with silicone grip handles and I can make up to six tacos at once in each of them. I don't have to worry about shells flopping over and spilling. And I can take them straight to the table. I own two and I am considering adding to the collection. lol They're great for setting up a taco bar.
• ​Pyrex ​Mixing Bowls I use daily. Of course, they're great for stirring together the ingredients for a recipe. But, they're also perfect for storing leftovers and even for serving things like this scrumptious Broccoli Cauliflower Salad. Another great feature is that they come with lids, so leftovers can easily go straight to the fridge.
• ​Sheet Pans - My favorite sheet pans are commercial grade and 13x18. This particular one comes with a bonus silicone baking mat.

Visit my Amazon Storefront to explore more of the tools and ingredients I love cooking with at home.