Eating this dish is like time travel. It takes me back to New Orleans where I learned how to make it as a way to use leftover rice. We love it so much, it’s a special request and like chili, it’s very wallet-friendly.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, ribbed, seeded, and finely chopped
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon Tex-Mex Rub
1 can (14 ounces) pinto beans, drained and rinsed, or 11⁄2 cups cooked pinto beans
3 cups cooked white rice
Hot-pepper sauce, optional

Make the Tex-Mex rub. I keep a couple of my own spice blends in the cabinet.  They keep for up to 4 months if stored in an airtight container or jar in a cool, dark, and dry spot. To make a batch of this one, I mix 3 tablespoons chili powder, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, and 2 teaspoons sweet paprika.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, salt, and black pepper and cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add the chili powder and Tex-Mex Rub. Cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes, and then mix in the pinto beans and rice. Continue to cook and stir until the beans and rice are heated through, about 5 minutes, adding water if it looks as if the spices or rice are sticking and burning. Serve with hot-pepper sauce on the side if using.

Meaty Red Beans and Rice
This is the version that is on offer at the restaurant, and people go crazy for it. Before sautéing the onion and bell pepper, I brown 1 pound of ground beef and 1⁄2 pound of sliced smoked sausage (such as andouille or kielbasa). Once the meat is browned, I add in the onion, bell pepper, salt, and black pepper, and continue with the recipe above.

After a long and crazy day at the Rock, I totally crave a bite of comfort for dinner. For my family, huevos rancheros fits the bill—it’s our chicken soup. I usually have all of the ingredients in my fridge too, so not only is it friendly on my wallet and totally delicious, but it’s easy to throw together. Sometimes, when I’m too beat to bother with frying the tortillas, I’ll throw in the towel and use store-bought chips instead. In fact, huevos rancheros is a great use for the last few chips in the bag—and I get more chill time (and sometimes that’s worth a heck of a lot more than money!).

Ingredients
3–4 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
4 corn tortillas (4″–6″)
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 large red or green bell pepper, seeded, ribbed, and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with juices
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons chili powder
1⁄4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 large eggs
1 cup grated Mexican Blend cheese
Hot sauce or salsa for serving

Fry the tortillas. Heat the oven to 250°F. Warm 3 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tortilla and fry until crispy and brown on each side. Transfer it to a paper towel–lined plate (an opened-up brown paper bag works too) to drain, and then put it on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven to stay warm. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, reducing the heat and adding more oil if necessary.

Cook the vegetables. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, salt, and black pepper to the same skillet you used for the tortillas, cooking them until the onion and pepper soften and the garlic is fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, cilantro, chili powder, and cumin, bring to a strong simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the tomatoes begin to break up, about 5 minutes.

Fry the eggs and assemble. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Crack 4 eggs into the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover the pan, and fry until the white is opaque, about 3 minutes. Place the tortillas on 4 plates. Slide 2 eggs onto 2 of the tortillas and top each of the 2 plates with a quarter of the tomato mixture and some cheese. Serve the first 2 portions immediately while you fry up the second batch of eggs.

Flank and skirt steaks are two of my favorite low-cost, big-flavor meats. Turned into fajitas, one steak easily stretches into four servings (and the recipe can be doubled to serve more), especially when smothered with onions and peppers. Fajitas are super adaptable to nearly any situation, too — if you have tortillas in the fridge (quesadillas are a house favorite so we always do), you’re in the clear. If not, serve it as southwestern steak stir-fry alongside some red beans and rice.

Ingredients
21⁄2 tablespoons olive oil
2 limes, juiced
1⁄4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1⁄2 to 2 jalapeño chile peppers, ribbed, seeded, and finely diced (optional)
2 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
11⁄4 pounds flank or skirt steak, sliced crosswise into 1⁄4″-thick pieces
2 large green or red bell peppers or 1 cup of roasted pepper strips
1 large white onion
8 flour tortillas
Salsa, for serving

Marinate the meat. Whisk 11⁄2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the lime juice, cilantro, jalapeños (if using), garlic, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt, and black pepper together in a large bowl. Place the meat in the marinade and toss to coat. Set aside while you slice the peppers and onion into 1⁄4″-thick strips.

Sear the steak. Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet (cast iron works great) for 3 minutes over medium-high heat. Remove the steak from the marinade. Drizzle 1⁄2 tablespoon of the olive oil into the pan and then add half of the steak to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the steak is nicely seared on all sides, about 2 minutes. Transfer the steak to a large plate and repeat with the remaining steak slices. Use tongs and a wad of paper towels to wipe out the skillet (be careful—it’s hot).

Brown the vegetables. Place the skillet back over the heat and drizzle in the remaining 1⁄2 tablespoon of olive oil in the pan. Add the onion and bell peppers to the pan and cook until charred and softened, about 5 minutes. Heat the tortIllas. While the onion and peppers cook, wrap the stack of tortillas in a kitchen towel or paper towels and place them on a plate. Microwave them until they are soft and supple, 20 to 30 seconds. Transfer the steak and vegetables to a large shallow dish and serve with the warm tortillas and the salsa.

If there was ever an econo-meal all-star, chili would win that title! Loaded with veggies, meat, and beans, a big pot of this chili serves 4 hungry people for less than $10, making it a real meal deal. Leftovers always get eaten up at my house—either as chili dogs with grated cheese and relish, or as chili-mac with elbow macaroni, cilantro, and scallions.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons salt
2 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
2 pounds ground beef (preferably 85% lean)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 can (14 ounces) pinto beans, drained and rinsed, or 11⁄2 cups cooked pinto beans
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
Hot-pepper sauce, to taste (optional)

Make the chili broth. Bring 21⁄2 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Whisk in the chili powder, cover, turn off the heat, and set aside.

Brown the veggies and meat. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and 1⁄2 teaspoon of salt and cook until the onion is soft and just starting to brown, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and cook until it’s fragrant, about 30 seconds, then stir in the ground beef. Cook, stirring often, until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in the flour, the remaining 11⁄2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

Cook the chili. Whisk a little of the chili-water into the meat while stirring to work out any lumps. Add the rest of the chili-water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and gently simmer for 1 hour. Pour in the beans and add the tomato paste (if the chili doesn’t look saucy enough for your taste, add 2⁄3 cup of water) and the sugar and simmer for another 30 minutes to bring the flavors together. Serve immediately with hot-pepper sauce on the side, if using, or cool and refrigerate for up to 5 days (or freeze in 2 quart-size resealable freezer bags for up to 3 months).

D2D
When I have just 1 serving of chili left, I’ll add a pound of pasta, some extra beans, chopped raw onions, grated cheese, and cilantro, and call it chili mac. everyone loves it, and it allows me to stretch one $2.20 serving out to feed 4 people.