Spaghetti with bacon & greens: $1.76/serving

What many people out there might not know is that the kitchen in our house, which was built in the early 1940s and is otherwise very charming and spacious, is about the size of a very small walk-in closet. There are 4 very small cupboards, requiring us to keep most of our gadgets and pots in the basement, and the counter space comprises about 2 square feet—enough room for one plate or one pot, with the stove and edge of the sink serving as auxiliary work surfaces. As you can imagine, this prompts much teeth-gnashing on my part, as well as constant dishwashing diligence. Sometimes, due to circumstances beyond our control, the latter does not get done, as was the case this weekend. Therefore, this may not be the most inexpensive meal we eat this week, but it’s certainly the quickest and easiest. It doesn’t take but 20 minutes from start to finish—and I mean “start” as in taking the package of bacon out of the freezer, not putting food in a pan. Any pasta shape or type of greens are suitable, and you could even swap out the bacon for Italian sausage and balsamic vinegar for a few splashes of white wine if that’s what you have on hand.

Steak & chard ravioli with sage-butter sauce: $2.43/serving

This is bordering on a splurge, I know, but the rest of our meals for the day consisted of bread and coffee, so we’re still on budget. This is not a quick weeknight meal by any means, but I assure you the returns on your time investment will be exponential. I’ve been on somewhat of a ravioli kick since tasting the pumpkin-chanterelle ravioli at Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco (which cost almost a week’s worth of groceries), and while this is nowhere near that, it’s heads and shoulders beyond any ravioli you’d buy at the store or eat in a neighborhood restaurant. And it’s healthier, too.

Shiitake & chard soup with hand-cut noodles: 84 cents/serving

Garden chard, you fought the good fight. You survived slug infestations, heat, frost, and your bed being used for walnut storage by squirrels. But I see where you’re headed, with your wilty stems and pallid leaves, and you don’t deserve to go that way. Which is why I’m harvesting you—all that’s left of you, anyway—to be honored in this addictive ramen-style soup.

The recipe was adapted from one by David Chang by way of Food & Wine magazine. As listed here, it makes 3 generous servings. However, be forewarned it’s somewhat traumatizing when it runs out, so if you’re without shame and untroubled by budgetary concerns, you may want to consider doubling it.