There are lots of Italian dishes that would be great for this. It doesn't have to be all about carbs and cheese, either. Think a simple pasta with a garlic and olive oil sauce, escarole and beans (or be flexible with the greens and mix escarole, spinach--whatever is on sale and in season or that you can pull from the garden). Optionally add sausages on the pasta or on the side with peppers and onions.
Enchiladas can be intimidating to learn to make but well worth it for meals like this and easy once you get it down. I like the enchilada sauce recipe from the Budget Bytes blog. Tortillas are inexpensive anyway, but you can get great deals when they are on sale and they freeze well. Since recipes usually call for shredded meat it makes the pricier ingrediants stretch further. I like to do a mix of black bean, spinach, and maybe sweet potato enchilada and a chicken and cheese enchiladas. Making your own taco seasoning is also really easy and inexpensive and for whatever reason seems to impress people. Serve a few trays of enchiladas, rice and beans, and a simple salad with romaine, tomatoes, and red onion, and that's a great meal.