Check Out These Four Holiday Dinners For Under $40 Including Char Siu Turkey Burgers and Sweet & Sour Ham Steaks

There can be a lot of pressure and stress when preparing for a holiday dinner. Entertaining family and friends in a larger group setting isn’t an easy task and can be darn expensive. Knowing some of the obstacles our fellow FOODBEASTs have during the holiday season, we’ve partnered with Walmart to bring you 4 custom holiday meals that all serve 6+ people AND cost less than 40 bucks. We brought in our partner chef Frank Deloach and spent countless hours at a local superstore to brainstorm these dishes that include: German Sweet & Sour Glazed Ham Steaks, Char Siu Turkey Burgers & Tater-Tot-Mac Casserole, Mexican Spiced Turkey Breast & Adobe Yam Chilaquiles and Hand-Made Bolognese Pasta & Spumoni Ice Cream Sandwiches.

That was a mouthful (literally). And we haven’t even listed all the sides! Check out all the ingredient lists, recipes and photos below. Photos by Peter Pham.

Mexican Spiced Turkey Breast, Adobe Yam Chilaquiles with Marshmallow, Black Bean Soup and Pumpkin Pie

What you’ll need from Walmart (prices and taxes may vary slightly):

Turkey Breast – $9.98
6 Cans of Black Beans – $4.08
2 Cans of Swanson Chicken Broth – $1.20
1 Can of Chipotles – $1.40
2 Cans of Great Value Enchilada Sauce – $1.36
Mexican Crema – $2.66
Cotija Cheese – $3.48
Pork Choriz0 – $1.18
Cilantro – $.58
Garlic – $.41
2 Jalapenos – $.17
Onion – $.93
2 Avocados – $1.36
Yam – $1.77
Santitas Tortilla Chips – $2
Achiote Paste – $1.78
Ground Cumin – $.88
Pumpkin Pie – $3
Total: $38.22

Chilaquiles

Large dice yam(s). Season with salt
Toss yam(s) in oil, place on a baking tray
Place yam(s) in oven at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes until tender
Add chiptole, chicken broth, enchilada sauce, chips and yams into a large skillet in medium heat
Reduce until half of the initial liquid remains. Make sure everything is coated in sauce.
Place contents in casserole dish and cover with mini marshmallows while still hot
Place casserole dish under broiler or use butane torch to toast marshmallows. Toast to taste.

Mexican Rub Turkey Breast

Pat turkey breast dry. Make sure it has completed defrosted.
Rub turkey breast with cumin, salt and achiote
Place on a small toasting pan, place in oven at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the thermometer readers 160 degrees.
Let turkey breast rest for 15 minutes. Carve and serve.

Black Bean Soup

Dice 1/2 a large onion. Crush 4 cloves of garlic
Place onion, garlic and a jalapeño with oil, 1/2 teaspoon of cumin and salt
Sweat this mixture until translucent
Open all 6 cans of beans and place in the pan with caramelized onions and garlic
Add the can of chicken broth
Heat thoroughly over medium heat
Carefully place the mixture in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add chicken stock or bean liquid if needed.
Place in bowls and top with cotija cheese, crema and avocado

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Char Siu Sriracha Mayo Turkey Burgers Topped with Pineapple & Red Cabbage Slaw, Mac ‘n Cheese Tater Tot Casserole and Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Pie

What you’ll need from Walmart (prices and taxes may vary slightly):

(2) 1 lb Ground Turkey – $5.56
1 lb Ground Pork – $2.98
Sriracha – $2.64 (c’mon we know you have it already)
Char Siu Seasoning – $.93
Great Value Mayo – $1.86
Great Value Pineapple Slices – $.96
Dozen Eggs – $2.38
Red Cabbage – $1.87
Scallions – $1.00
Cilantro – $.58
1 lb Green Beans – $2.98
Baked Buns/Rolls – $2.48
Frozen Tater Tots – $2.00
Great Value Premium Mac N’ Cheese – $1.68
Great Value Fried Onions – $1.28
Too Much Fun Ice Cream – $4.14 (we bought the good stuff)
Oreo Pie Crust – $2.00
Total: $37.32

Turkey Burger Slaw

Thinly shave red cabbage. Slice 3 scallions. Chop 1 bunch of cilantro.
Juice half a lime
Place cabbage, scallions, cilantro, lime, 1.5 teaspoons of mayo, and large pinch of salt in large bowl and toss.
Cover and refrigerate for half an hour.

Sriracha Mayo

Combine 3 tablespoons of mayo with 2 tablespoons of Sriracha. Scale as needed.

Char Siu Turkey Burger

Follow directions on char siu packet to prepare seasoning
Combine the 2 lbs of ground turkey, 1 lb of ground pork, char siu seasoning and 1 teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. Mix with hands thoroughly.
Form 6 patties.
Grill For 4-6 minutes until thoroughly cooked.
Toast buns during last few minutes of burger grill time.
Place sriracha mayo on bottom bun.
Place burger on bun.
Top with slaw, pineapple and egg (optional)

Tater Tot Mac N’ Cheese Casserole

Place tater tots on oven tray. Follow instructions on package.
Prepare mac n’ cheese with instructions on the package.
Blanch green beans. Bring pot of salted water to boil. Get a bowl of ice water ready. Place green beans in boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove and place in ice bath. Obviously this is fancy, there are many ways to prepare green beans.
Combine tater tots and mac n’ cheese.
Pour tater tots and mac n’ cheese into larger casserole dish. Top with shredded cheese (optional, but really worth it)
Top again with fried onions. Serve.

Ice Cream Pie

Let ice cream soften for 10 minutes outside the freezer.
Scoop ice cream onto oreo pie crust. Flatten.
Place in freezer for 10-15 minutes. Serve.

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German Sweet & Sour Glazed Ham Steaks, Oven-Roasted Mustard Vinegar Sprouts, Fall Apple Kale Tangerine Salad and Corn Bread

What you’ll need from Walmart (prices and taxes may vary slightly):

6 lb Cooks Pork Shoulder – $10.28
Great Value Apple Cider Vinegar – $.96
Great Value Spicy Mustard – $1.00
Aunt Jemima Country Rich Syrup – $1.00
Package of Brussels Sprouts – $2.48
(2) Onions – $1.84
5 lb Bag of Potatoes – $1.77
Garlic – $.85
Jiffy Cornbread Mix – $.56
Great Value Butter Unsalted – $2.98
Dozen Eggs – $2.38
Gallon of Whole Milk – $3.25
3 Granny Smith Apples – $2.78
4 Tangerines – $2.32
Baby Kale Baby Spinach Blend Bag – $2.98
Great Value Raspberry Vinaigrette – $1.66
Total: $39.09

Ham Glaze

Combine 1/2 cup of spicy brown mustard, 2 cups of home style syrup and 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar in a bowl and whisk

Ham Steaks

Unwrap the ham and cut 1/2″ wide steaks to the bone. You will need to rotate the ham as you hit the bone.
Throw the ham steaks on a high heat grill.
Once the ham steaks are on the grill, glaze the top side. Flip every 3 minutes, a total of 4 times. Glaze each time.
Pull off the grill and serve.

Brussels Sprouts

Make a glaze with 1/2 cup vinegar and 1 cup mustard
Cut Brussels sprouts in half. Place on sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, salt. Put in the oven at 425° for 15 minutes
Rotate sprouts, place back in oven for 5 minutes
Place glaze in a skillet on medium high heat. Then add the sprouts. Cook until glaze cooks down and reduces by half. Sprouts should be covered
Serve

Apple Tangerine Salad & Corn Bread

Cut tops and bottoms off the tangerines. Peel. Slice them into rings.
Slice 3 apples.
Combine tangerines, apples, kale/spinach mix into a bowl with vinaigrette dressing. Toss.
For Corn Bread – follow Jiffy Corn Bread Mix instructions.

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From Scratch Bolognese Pasta, Grilled Vegetables & Spumoni Ice Cream Sandwiches on Toasted Hawaiian Rolls

What you’ll need from Walmart (prices and taxes may vary slightly):

Parmesan Cheese – $2.48
Red Wine (1 Cup) – $1.97
(4) Large Cans of Crushed Tomatoes (28 oz cans) – $6.48
Small Can Tomato Paste – $.44
Dozen Eggs – $2.38
Great Value Flour – $1.96
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (2 Tablespoons) – $3.55
Ground Turkey or Beef – $2.78
Salt Pork – $3.84
Onion – $1.54
Garlic (9 cloves) – $.85
3 Carrots – $.78
1 Lemon – $.49
Bag of Celery (8 sticks) – $1.98
1/2 lb Zucchini – $.95
Parsley – $.88
Radish Bunch – $.88
King’s Hawaiian Rolls (12 pk) – $2.48
Spumoni Ice Cream – $2.97
Total: $39.68

The Bolognese

Small dice the carrots, onion and celery Should have a rough 2:2:1 ratio respectively. Crush garlic cloves.
Render out fat from the salt port over low/med heat in a large sauce pot. Remove pork once a liquid layer of fat covers the bottom of the pot
Add in the carrots, onion and celery
After 5-10 minutes, add tomato paste and garlic
Mixture should become caramelized after another 5 minutes.
Once caramelized, make a hole in the center of the sofrito (vegetable mixture) and add your olive oil and ground meat. Change heat to med/high
Season turkey with small pinch of salt
Add 1 cup of red wine to deglaze the pan
Reduce the mixture for 3-4 minutes to cook out the alcohol
Add the four cans of crushed tomatoes. Finish with one can of water
Bring up to boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover the pot.
Let summer until reduced by almost half, and sauce is dark red. At least 2 hours
Stir the sauce regularly to prevent bottom from burning

The Fettuccine Pasta

Combine 2 cups of flour, 7 egg yolks and pinch of salt into a food processor. Pulse together until you can form a ball.
Slowly add water, tablespoon by tablespoon, until the dough starts to pull away.
Take dough and place on clean and lightly floured surface or counter
Knead until it comes together. Shiny and firm but not sticky. Flour as needed.
Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for one hour.
Use a pasta roller/maker to finish. These instructions may help.

Grilled Zucchini

Slice l lb of zucchini long ways in 1/2″ thick slices. Finely chop bunch of parsley.
Juice lemon and combine with sliced zucchini, parsley, 1 clove of garlic, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 2 teaspoons of salt. Make sure mixture is completed coated.
Marinate for 15 minutes then grill with radishes.