10 Cheap Dinners That Use Up Sweet Corn
Ten dinners and lunches to cook through peak sweet corn — salads and salsas, skillets and tacos, chowders and chilis — with cost per serving and macros.
Sweet corn is at its cheapest and its sweetest right now — roughly 25 to 50 cents an ear in season — and the sugar in it starts turning to starch the day it's picked. That's the whole argument for cooking corn in August and September: an ear bought this week is a different vegetable than one bought in February. Cut the kernels off raw with the cob standing in a bowl, and they need about two minutes of heat, no more.
Anychef catalog data: 72 lunches and dinners in our library cook with corn kernels, at a median $2.10 a serving — 31 of them under $2, and 31 of them meatless. Cheapest first inside each group.
Cold plates, salads, and salsas
1. Rainbow Pasta Salad
14g protein410 cal$1.20/serving25 min
Colorful pasta tossed with veggies, beans, and a tangy lemon dressing.
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2. Black Bean and Corn Salad
11g protein240 cal$1.40/serving20 min
Hearty black beans, sweet corn, and bright cilantro lime dressing make a vegetarian bowl that's filling, colorful, and crowd-pleasing.
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3. Classic Vegan Burrito Bowl
14g protein480 cal$1.50/serving25 min
Loaded bowl with seasoned black beans, cilantro lime rice, fresh salsa, avocado, and crispy tortilla strips.
View the full recipe →Skillets, tacos, and fried rice
4. Loaded Vegetable Fried Rice
10g protein380 cal$1.10/serving18 min
One-pan dinner with day-old rice, vibrant vegetables, and a savory soy and sesame finish done in under 20 minutes.
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5. Elote Street Corn
7g protein240 cal$1.50/serving20 min
Sweet charred corn coated with tangy crema, sharp cotija, and chili-the street vendor's treasure.
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6. Breakfast Fried Rice with Sausage
22g protein420 cal$1.80/serving20 min
Leftover rice fried with sausage, eggs, peas, and corn for a hearty one-pan dinner with Asian-inspired flavors.
View the full recipe →Chowders, chilis, and bakes
7. Smoky Black Bean Chili
15g protein310 cal$1.10/serving25 min
Black beans and corn in a smoky, deeply spiced tomato base, a fast meatless chili with serious backbone.
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8. Corn Chowder
10g protein350 cal$1.10/serving40 min
Sweet corn and tender potatoes in a creamy, buttery broth, the kind of chowder that makes a plain Tuesday feel special.
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9. Black Bean Enchilada Casserole
20g protein470 cal$1.20/serving50 min
A hearty meatless stack of corn tortillas, seasoned black beans, sweet corn, and plenty of bubbling cheese.
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10. Fiesta Bean and Rice Bowl
13g protein450 cal$1.30/serving35 min
Slow-cooked pinto and black beans with Spanish rice, corn, and zesty lime cilantro dressing.
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Every recipe above comes from the Anychef library of 1,700+ recipes, each with cost per serving and full macros — browse the budget collection and all dinner ideas. Or skip the browsing entirely: scan your fridge with the Anychef app and get recipes built from what you already have, macros and grocery list included.
