Whether if falls into the, “guilty pleasure” category or the, “I don’t have time to cook” category, takeout food is something we all splurge on every now and then. But if you find yourself doing it more often than you (and your wallet) are comfortable with, consider making your own takeout meals at home. Sure, there may be a bit more work involved than simply picking up the phone and ordering a pizza, but when you make meals from scratch you can you control every single thing that goes into them—and it tends to be much easier on your pocketbook too.
In fact, according to Cheapism1, without any sort of restaurant promotion factored in, it costs between $6 and $8 to cook a simple chicken dinner for one. That same chicken dinner would cost approximately $13 for takeout, and $15 if you dined in at a restaurant. When you multiply those amounts by the number of mouths you’re feeding, it’s clear that it’s definitely more affordable to cook at home.
But those fast-food meals and treats we love are just so tempting, aren’t they? So we scoured the Internet for copycat takeout recipes that we think look every bit as good as their fast-food restaurant counterparts. Give them a try and see if your family agrees!
- Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme
- Chipotle burrito bowl
- White Castle sliders
- Wendy’s chili
- McDonald’s Shamrock Shake
- Starbucks pumpkin spice latte
- Crackerbarrel hashbrown casserole
- KFC fried chicken
- Olive Garden angel hair pasta with tomatoes
- McDonald’s Big Mac
- McDonald’s “special sauce”
- Olive Garden toscana soup
- Panera broccoli cheese soup
- Chicago-style deep dish pizza
- Panda Express sweet fire chicken
- California Pizza Kitchen kung pao spaghetti
- Panda Express chow mein
- Chick-fil-a mac and cheese
- Popeye’s chicken sandwich
If your reason for avoiding takeout is the fact that it often isn’t as healthy as other fare, check out Food Network, Greatist, and Slender Kitchen for healthier takeout recipes.
Bon appetit!
SOURCES
1 https://blog.cheapism.com/eating-at-home-vs-eating-out/
417943A CAN/US 01/20
