Budget recipe thread

[Quackpot]

Given so many people are concerned about the energy price hike, and contemplating heating or eating, I thought a budget meal ideas thread would be helpful. If we could add rough costings too. Might help us all through the rough patches.

My contribution is spaghetti carbonara.
Feed 4 for £5.54 with some food left towards next meal:

Spaghetti: 29p
Parmigianino reggiano: £2.75
6 free range eggs: £1
Bacon: £1.50

Parmesan will freeze so it doesn't get wasted, and can be grated from the freezer as needed.
The left over eggs and bacon can be used with the next meal, maybe omlette.

Here is the recipe I use, though it's for 2 so you need to double it for 4.

www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pasta-recipes/easy-carbonara/

The thing I like most about carbonara is that it's so quick and easy, therefore cooking costs are minimal too.

Oh I forgot, I squeeze in about a tspoon of tomato puree too.

I buy passata instead of pasta sauce and add Italian herbs and paprika etc to give it more flavour.

Rice and pasta can be cheap and filling dishes.
I buy frozen mixed veg which is convenient and cheaper.

Sainsburys do a pack of cooking bacon which is 75p for 500g. Can use this in pasta dishes or soup.

Sometimes, buying things from the world food section of the supermarket can be cheaper too.

Mushroom burgers

Pack of Portobello mushrooms - £1.20
Pack of white rolls 40p
Outside leaves from a round lettuce - 40p
2 sliced tomatoes - 20p
Tin of baked beans - 50p

Fry the mushrooms for 5 minutes on each side in a little oil. Cut rolls in half and when you take mushrooms out put the rolls in the pan cut side down to toast a bit. Layer up lettuce tomato and mushrooms in the rolls and serve with a tin of baked beans. £2.70 so 68p a head.

Stalk soup

Save the stalks from broccoli or cauliflower (and the cauli leaves too) - I put them in tupperware in the fridge.

Stalks - free
1 onion - 20p
1 smallish potato - 20p
2 cloves garlic - 20p
1 stock cube and 2 teaspoons pesto - 20p
Grated cheese to garnish - 30p
Toast fingers (4 slices of bread cut into "soldiers") - 10p

Finely chop onion and sweat for 5 mins - chop and add the garlic and fry for another 2 minutes. Cut stalks and potatoes into small dice and add to the pan with the pesto, stock cube and half a litre of water. Simmer for 20 minutes until the stalks are tender. Liquidise (a stick blender is fine for this). Serve in mugs with a little grated cheese on top and toast fingers for dipping. Lunch for £1.20 or 30p a portion and less kitchen waste.

@londonmummy1966

Mushroom burgers

Pack of Portobello mushrooms - £1.20
Pack of white rolls 40p
Outside leaves from a round lettuce - 40p
2 sliced tomatoes - 20p
Tin of baked beans - 50p

Fry the mushrooms for 5 minutes on each side in a little oil. Cut rolls in half and when you take mushrooms out put the rolls in the pan cut side down to toast a bit. Layer up lettuce tomato and mushrooms in the rolls and serve with a tin of baked beans. £2.70 so 68p a head.

Stalk soup

Save the stalks from broccoli or cauliflower (and the cauli leaves too) - I put them in tupperware in the fridge.

Stalks - free
1 onion - 20p
1 smallish potato - 20p
2 cloves garlic - 20p
1 stock cube and 2 teaspoons pesto - 20p
Grated cheese to garnish - 30p
Toast fingers (4 slices of bread cut into "soldiers") - 10p

Finely chop onion and sweat for 5 mins - chop and add the garlic and fry for another 2 minutes. Cut stalks and potatoes into small dice and add to the pan with the pesto, stock cube and half a litre of water. Simmer for 20 minutes until the stalks are tender. Liquidise (a stick blender is fine for this). Serve in mugs with a little grated cheese on top and toast fingers for dipping. Lunch for £1.20 or 30p a portion and less kitchen waste.

Stalk soup is a very good one, that really is budget eating 🙂 like the sound of the mushroom burgers too 🤤

Stalk soup is actually delicious - can use other stuff too - eg the tough stems from the middle of kale leaves etc. Is extra delicious if you have a bit of stilton to crumble on top.

@londonmummy1966 I'll have to give it a go 🙂

Broccoli and potato soup three large potatoes two heads of broccoli and a large onion cover with water boil until soft add to veg stalk cubes and pepper and mash it down its thick and filling

You could make that for much less than £3.50 per portion. I put all those ingredients in my basket, plus a bottle of oil.

1kg onions, 600g peppers (about 5), 1kg rice, 6 eggs, 300g mushrooms, 300g courgette, 1 garlic bulb,1 bottle soy sauce, 1 litre oil. All for under £7. You'd get way more than 2 portions from that.

Soups - lentil, lentil and tomato, leek and potato, vegetable. All really cheap - and yes, use up older veg and broccoli stalks etc.

I used i make a minestrone soup, basically a tomato, veg and macaroni soup - that would serve four as a main meal, then left overnight the liquid would soak up in the pasta, and the following day I would top it with cheese and breadcrumbs and bake it. Two very different meals in one.

Toad in the hole, or stuffed Yorkshire puddings, is cheap to make, as are savory pancakes - ie pancakes served with a savoury filling. It's a good way to use up leftover chilli, Bolognese, curry etc, if there isn't enough to feed everyone twice, as you need less per person. You can roll them, or just stack them (lasagne style). Very filling.

Spanish omelette/frittata is cheap.

Risotto is good for using up bits of veg - whole it is improved by parmesan, you would get away with a cheap mature cheddar.