Not too long ago, a dinner entree under $30 in a top Toronto restaurant was about as rare as an apology from Stephen Harper. Though excesses like the $40 hamburger and the $100 pizza topped with gold foil are a thing of the past, today’s savvy restaurateurs are slashing prices more deeply than ever. Here are NOW’s picks for the 15 best main courses in town with a sticker price of $15 – or less! This should help you ride out the recession with a full belly and a smile in your wallet.

Macaroni & Cheese @ Weezie’s

No Kraft Dinner this! Loaded with fat-happy Parmesan, Asiago and double-smoked bacon, Weezie’s take on the classic 50s casserole comes with frisée ’n’ chives dressed in a sharp Meyer lemon vinaigrette and a side of nostalgia. Available at lunch Tuesday to Friday 11:30 am to 2:30 pm, and at dinner Wednesday to Saturday 5:30 to 10 pm.

“I keep trying to take it off the menu, but the regulars complain,” says Weezie’s owner and chef, Constance Guitard, of the ultimate comfort food main. “It looks like I’m stuck with it.”

354 King East, at Power, 416-777-9339

Ox Tongue Bourguignonne @ Bistro Camino

Tongue’s not for the squeamish. But even those with delicate sensibilities will be persuaded that offal isn’t awful once they tuck into this succulent stew, especially when it comes with a cornucopia of sides – broccoli and cauliflower in real hollandaise, grilled peppers, balsamic-marinated shiitake, spicy Asian eggplant and lentil dal – as well as soup du jour, a serviceable salad and warm French bread with whipped butter. Available Tuesday to Saturday 5:30 to 10:30 pm, Sunday 5 to 9:30 pm.

“After 25 years of making sushi, I decided it was time to cook the way I want and not for everyone else,” explains Camino owner and chef Hiro Hatori, who only opened his offbeat Japanese-style bistro 18 months ago. “Besides, I own the building.”

2750 Danforth, at Dawes, 416-698-0283

Brit-style Roast Beef Dinner @ House on Parliament

A cozy old-school pub, the subterranean local gets even more so late every Sunday afternoon, when 8 ounces of spectacularly plated AAA prime rib in jus gets sided with a whack of horseradish, buttery roasted garlic mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus and brioche-like Yorkshire pudding for a nickel short of 15 bucks. And that includes a slice of caramelized apple bread pudding to boot. Be warned, though: because the small kitchen can only turn out three roasts, the Sunday special sells out early. Available Sunday from 5 pm until it’s gone.

“We started Sunday dinner about 10 years ago as a reflection of the Victorian nature of Cabbagetown,” says the House’s co-owner, Tania Waldock.

456 Parliament, at Carlton, 416-925-4074

Pho Tai Nam @ Pho Pasteur

Pho may be quite common across the GTA these days, but all are not equal, and this superlative bowl of pure comfort proves it. Built on a deeply aromatic broth rich with five spice, this massive Southeast Asian meal-in-one ($6.99 small/$7.75 medium) comes brimming with thinly sliced rare deli-style roast beef and deliriously fatty brisket as well as slivers of red, green and Spanish onion and a toothsome tangle of chewy rice-stick. Garnish with Thai basil, Vietnamese coriander, spiky saw leaf, bird chilies and generous lashings of lime, hoisin and Sriracha and fall in face first. Available 24/7.

525 Dundas West, at Spadina, 416-351-7188

Four-course prix fixe dinner @ Supermarket and Mini-Market by Tempo

This substantial pan-Asian supper starts with the likes of rustic lamb meatball soup sided with a wedge of house-baked focaccia, continues with ripe mango salad, skewers of turmeric-tinged chicken satay and quite possibly the best vegetarian pad thai in the city, before finishing with chocolate-banana spring rolls. Available Monday to Thursday 5:30 to 11 pm, Friday to Sunday 5:30 to 10 pm (Supermarket); Tuesday to Thursday 5:30 to 11 pm, Friday and Saturday 5:30 pm to midnight (Mini-Market).

“Everybody’s pulling in their belts these days, but people still want to go out,” says the restos’ co-owner, Greg Bottrell, who came up with the $15 prix fixe after repeatedly failing to qualify for Winterlicious. “It’s not that our food isn’t terrific – it’s just not expensive enough.”

Supermarket, 268 Augusta, at College, 416-840-0501; Mini-Market by Tempo, 596 College, at Clinton, 416-531-2822

Mock Duck Curry @ Jean’s Vegetarian Kitchen

Bathed in a luxurious green coconut curry intensified with hand-ground galangal and lemongrass, this dazzling vegan combo of faux tofu duck, sweet red pepper, broccoli, snow peas and green beans paired with soothing coconut sticky rice generates some serious heat. Available Tuesday to Sunday 5 to 10 pm.

“My recipes are a little bit family and a little bit me,” says Kitchen co-owner and chef Jean Seow, who with hubby Harry was one of the first cooks to introduce Toronto to fiery Thai fare back in the early 80s. “They’re like home, but a little different.”

1262 Danforth, at Greenwood, 416-778-1388

Roasted Root Ragout @ Big Mamma’s Boy

Taking its inspiration from locally sourced seasonal produce, this hearty veggie stew features beets, parsnips, turnips, carrots and onions in a piquant tomato sauce kicked with Ukrainian paprika, and comes sided with brown basmati rice, arugula tossed in a maple-balsamic vinaigrette, toasted My Market Bakery sourdough and a dollop of low-fat sour cream. Available nightly 4:30 to 11 pm.

“February’s such a depressing time of year,” explains Big Mamma’s Michael Guenther when asked how he came up with a dish that not only showcases the roasted vegetables’ naturally sweet flavours but their vibrant colours as well. “Think of it as a delicious way to cure the winter blues.”

554 Parliament, at Amelia, 416-927-1593

Fesenjaan @ The Pomegranate

Also served in a vegetarian version with shiitake and button mushrooms instead of fowl, this time-honoured Persian stew finds chunks of tender boneless chicken breast swimming in an intoxicating gravy made of caramelized onion, ground walnuts and pomegranate syrup. Plated with saffron-scented basmati rice, Salad Shirazi – English cucumber, red onion and tomato doused in an olive oil/lime dressing – and pressed yogurt garnished with crushed rose petals, it’s the perfect antidote to winter. Available Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday 5 to 9 pm, Friday and Saturday 5 to 10 pm.

“The recipe might look easy, but the trick is getting the balance between the flavours right,” says the Pomegranate’s co-owner and chef, Alireza Fakhrashrafi. “People are always surprised by the sweet and tangy aftertaste.”

420 College, at Bathurst, 416-921-7557

Raw Canadian Pizza Eh? @ Live Organic Food Bar

If you like your pizza with a thin cracker crust, you’ll love Live’s completely raw crust made from sprouted buckwheat. But that’s not all that’s raw. Topped with sun-dried tomatoes, crunchy green peppers, marinated mushrooms and puréed cashew “cheese,” this unorthodox ’za also comes draped with rashers of “bacon” fashioned from dehydrated Japanese eggplant. Available Monday to Wednesday 11 am to 10 pm, Thursday and Friday 11 am to 11 pm, Saturday 11 am to 10 pm, Sunday 3 to 9 pm.

“Woody Harrelson loves it,” says Live guru Jennifer Italiano, who often caters the Hollywood A-lister’s local film shoots. “Sometimes I crave pizza, but not that doughy franchise crap. This is as close to the real deal as I get.”

264 Dupont, at Spadina, 416-515-2002

Tunisian Veggie Couscous @ Djerba La Douce

Equipped with a hookah and an all-halal card, this quirky North African spot built its considerable rep with couscous, fluffy heaps of semolina topped with cabbage, carrots, Chinese daikon, chickpeas and rapini splashed with quality olive oil and hellishly hot harissa. Carnivores can upgrade to include spicy house-made merguez sausage and chicken ($13.95) or slow-braised lamb shank ($14.95). Available Tuesday to Sunday 4 to 10 pm.

“It’s traditionally Tunisian, but I’ve changed a few things,” says Djerba owner and chef Adul El-masari Abderrazak when asked to describe his unique cooking style. “I’ve cooked in kitchens in France, Italy and North Africa, and I discovered that everybody likes a little bit of everything.”

1475 Danforth, at Parkmount, 416-778-7870

Bone Marrow Cabbage Rolls @ Torito

Delicate organic cabbage leaves stuffed with a mix of beef marrow, bread crumbs and brandy, then braised in bouillon, these rapturous rolls arrive at table in a pool of deeply flavoured broth thick with melt-in-the-mouth short ribs, celery, parsley root, carrots and Jerusalem artichokes. Available Monday to Saturday 5:30 to 11 pm.

“We like to work with traditional ingredients that remind us of our childhood,” says Veronica Laudes, who co-owns the popular Kensington Market tapas bar with chef Carlos Hernandez. “By going back to the basics, we’re able to share something old but in a new way.”

276 Augusta, at College, 647-436-5874

Mussels with Belgian Frites @ Le Petit Dejeuner

Steamed in a rosé sauce made from white wine, coconut milk and Asian-inspired ketchup, two dozen or more PEI mollusks come coupled with exquisite cookbook-correct Yukon Gold frites twice-cooked Belgian style, with a ramekin of house-made mayo and a side of toasted challah for sopping. Available Tuesday to Friday 11:30 am to 10 pm, Saturday 6 to 10 pm.

“Mussels were one of the first things I learned to cook,” laughs Dejeuner’s Belgian-born co-owner and chef, Johan Maes. “People never seem to get tired of them. Just yesterday, a customer from Calgary emailed me for the recipe!”

191 King East, at George, 416-703-1560

Pink Slip Special @ Greg Couillard’s Spice Room & Chutney Bar

Pitched as a recession buster, this impressively plated platter is a veritable encyclopedia of cuisine de Couillard: flash-marinated tandoori shrimp, sticky Indonesian-style baby back ribs in guava paint, Mbassa-style chicken on sugar cane, kick-ass samosas and greens tossed with sweetly pickled beets and passion fruit, all blasted into orbit by a quartet of chutneys (mango, plum, tamarind and killer Kenyan mustard hot sauce). Surely, the Spicemeister is giving the food away at these prices. Available Tuesday to Saturday 5:30 to 11 pm.

“The special’s a way of thanking our regular customers for supporting us,” says Couillard’s chef de cuisine, David Nganga. “And if it gets new customers through the door, it’s a bonus.”

Hazelton Lanes, 55 Avenue Road, at Yorkville, 416-935-0000

Stuffed Pig Snout on Happy Cabbage @ The Black Hoof

Brined, braised in pork stock, then slow-roasted, the Hoof’s gloriously gelatinous pork proboscis gets stuffed with shredded pig’s face, sweetbreads and smoked ham hock and served over a hillock of sweet wine-soaked cabbage laced with house-made bacon, caramelized apple and cider vinegar. Available Thursday to Saturday 6 pm to 2 am, Sunday and Monday 6 pm to midnight.

“Once you get past the gross factor, it’s just another piece of pig,” says the Black Hoof’s chef de charcuterie, Grant van Gameren. “It’s a beautiful piece of meat that usually gets tossed out. We put it on our Valentine’s Day menu and it sold out. Obviously, there’s something very romantic about snout.”

928 Dundas West, at Gore Vale, 416-551-8854

Beef Cheeks in Red Curry @ Foxley

Marinated in aromatic Asian spices, seared and slow-braised in a coconut-based red curry, then finished with fresh coriander and crispy-fried shallots, this multiculti main marries the toothsome texture of a hanger steak with the firepower of a mellow hand grenade. Available Monday to Saturday 6 to 11 pm.

“It’s pretty simple,” says Foxley owner and chef Tom Thai. “I took the idea of a Vietnamese beef curry but cook it in a French way. I wasn’t sure if anyone would like it, but it’s been on the menu since we opened two years ago. I had lamb testicles for a while, but the response wasn’t so good.”

207 Ossington, at Dundas West, 416-534-8520