Feed the gang (a few times!) for less

Why pay for expensive takeout? Save time and money by loading up on those big family-value packages of chicken, sausages, pork chops and ground beef. Then follow our lead to quickly turn them into a duo or trio of meals - one for dinner tonight, the rest to stock your fridge or freezer

By Monda Rosenberg; Photographs by Yvonne Duivenvoorden

Updated November 2, 2012

Chicken drumsticks (16 per package)

• Honey-curry chicken

• Caribbean chicken

• Chicken tacos

Sausages (16 per package)

• Roasted sausage dinner

• Speedy sausage-and-bean ragout

• Express sausage sub

Pork chops (about 8 per package)

• Tex-Mex chops

• Hot-and-sour pork and cabbage

Ground beef (about 3 lb (1.5 kg)

• Big-batch Tuscan beef mix

• Shepherd's meat loaf

• Herbed burgers

• Parmesan meatballs

The very best of Chatelaine straight to your inbox.

Copy link

The cover of Chatelaine magazine's spring 2025 issue, reading "weekend prep made easy"; "five delicious weeknight meals", "plus, why you'll never regret buying an air fryer"; "save money, stay stylish how to build a capsule wardrobe" and "home organization special" along with photos of burritos, chicken and rice and white bean soup, quick paella in a dutch oven, almost-instant Thai chicken curry and chicken broccoli casserole in an enamelled cast-iron skillet

Subscribe to Chatelaine!

Want to streamline your life? In our Spring 2025 issue, we’ll show you how—whether it’s paring down your wardrobe, decluttering your messiest spaces or spending way less time cooking thanks to an easy, mostly make-ahead meal plan for busy weeknights. Plus, our first annual Pantry Awards.