Meals that are cheap but healthy, when trying to cut down food spend!

[Lia756]

We are trying to cut down food spend, we live month to month so trying to save money! What cheap meals can also be healthy? Thanks

Lentils don't need soaking but if you soak they will cook quicker.

Lentils with chorizo:
Put a small amount of oil in pot and add chopped garlic, onion and sliced carrot, saute then add sliced panceta (or even cooking bacon but optional ) and sliced chorizo ( you don't need much)
cook until chorizo has released some oil , now add some smoked paprika and stir quickly, take off the heat so the paprika doesn't burn as it turns bitter, if you have bay leaf add one also pinch of ground cumin if you've got some
you can add some green or red capsicum and a ripe tomato but again optional.
If using dried lentils add now, add water and if you like a stock cube, allow to cook until lentils are almost done , add a chopped potato and taste for seasoning. Cook until done, if using tinned lentils add them towards the end.
If you added peppers and tomato you can puree and add back into the pot

Leftovers can be stretched another day by cooking some rice with spinach and adding to the leftover lentils.

Sometimes instead of adding the rice and spinach I puree the left overs , dilute if too thick and serve as a puree with a few drops of olive oil and croutons