Cheap meal ideas that aren’t pasta?

[CandyFloss35]

I’m trying to do two cheap meals a week to try and keep our food costs under control, we are a family of 5 and were spending over £200 in Asda. One dc has a rare allergy which his bloody had to be sent far and wide to test for so due to poor labelling Aldi and Lidl are out for us unfortunately.

We just had a 2 egg cheese omelet, 1 slice of toast, cooked mushrooms and tomato’s each. Apart from beans on toast, scrambled eggs on toast, soup and roll what other cheap meals do people do that aren’t pasta? We like pasta and have it once a week already just done want to fall into the pasta every night trap. We all eat jacket potatoes which are cheap to buy but the oven is on for 90 minutes which puts that not in the cheap category for fuel unfortunately.

Dc are 2 teens and a 10 year old, not fuss literally eat anything that’s put In front of them.

Thank you in advance

An ex of mine used to do an easy corned beef hash which was basically just get an oven dish and put in a tin of corned beef, spread out, beans on top then mashed potato. I think he actually then put it in the micro but prob taste better put in oven for 20 mins.

Chili
rice
tacos or soft tortilla wraps
Asian stir fry with just a little chicken or no meat at all, a lot of broccoli, vegetables, over rice

I make my own pizza dough (can be frozen) let it sit in fridge for 1-4 days. Put marinara, grated cheese on top, add whatever you have. My dc asks for my pizza twice a week. 4cups Bread flour, 1 1/3 cups cold water, 1/2 teaspoon rapid yeast, 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil. Makes 2 large crusts. This is a recipe I got out online. Add any seasonings to dough if you want but it is good as is. And I’m picky about pizza crust. Put green salad with it. Takes 14 minutes to cook. So easy and inexpensive and kids love it. I have to make it for dc’s friends.

Sorry, add some sugar and up the oil to 1 tablespoon for pizza dough.

Tesco magazine is doing 5 nights meals (for 4) for £25 with meal plan and shopping list. We’re trying it to save some cash from spiralling food bills and save my brain from constant planning. Food not the most exciting but we have been happy with it so far! They are published online too so you don’t even have to have a Tesco nearby.

Potato dauphinoise with small amounts of meet or fish. Chicken noodle soup, liver and mashed potato, haggis, lentil soup/casserole

Toad in the hole

Sausage baguette

Bacon & egg baguette

Egg, chips & beans

Tortilla pizzas

Tuna pie (white sauce, tinned tuna, mash)

(not health foods I'm afraid)

Vegetable fajitas

Veggie curries (pataks or similar curry paste)

Bulk cook things, freeze them or keep chilled and then get a microwave and microwave them!

we have small kids and cook nearly everything from scratch and I wouldn’t be anywhere without a microwave

Soup & a toastie, lentil dhal, baked risotto (I often use a chicken stock cube and whatever frozen veg I have in)
you can do decent baked potatoes in the slow cooker if you have one, wrap in foil!

Some great suggestions for meals here but not all are cheap. Brie and bacon risotto for example. I mean, sure if you have a lump of Brie and some ham left over from Christmas it’s a way to use them up but it’s not at all a cheap meal if you’re buying the ingredients. Potato dauphinoise is made with cream and generally some cheese and again those are not cheap ingredients to buy (although again it’s a common leftovers dish in our house)

My recent find - pulled pork. Make it with a shoulder or two and you will get absolutely loads. Ok, the oven has to be on for 4-6 hours, but if you cook two shoulders at the same time, and some jacket potatoes, you get the pulled pork and jacket potatoes meal the first day, serve it with rolls the second day, and with rice the third day.

Sausage and baked bean casserole.

Macaroni cheese with pancetta in (sort of pasta I guess)

We make a frittata. Onions mushrooms tinned potatoes (cheap ones - work better than fresh) little bit of chorizo for flavour and then beaten eggs and top with cheese.

Traybake with chicken thighs - bulk out with lots of potatoes, onions and peppers. again add little bit chorizo as it adds lots of flavour.

Think you mis read my suggestion for pea and bacon risotto!!!!!

Great dinner ideas

Slow cooker carnitas with rice or tacos, with salad and pickled red cabbage. We get loads of portions from one pork shoulder, once cooked, I shred it, keep our portions for that dinner to one side, then bag and freeze the rest. I do quartered Tortillas, rather than buying the mini wraps. I use the RecipeTinEats recipe.
Tesco do Bratwurst - we have them in part baked baguettes with corn on the cob and salad, about 80p per portion.
Mushroom risotto.
Corned beef and potato pie.
Chorizo goes pretty far as a protein source - we often have a paella-esque rice with just chorizo for protein.

Stir fry veg with egg rice
Jacket potatoes in the microwave
Toasties if you have a toastie maker
Slow cooker chilli, bolognese or cheap cut of beef like brisket with lots of veg
Slow cooker pulled pork - cheap pork shoulder - probs leftovers too for another dinner or lunches

Big fan of air fryers here. Would definitely recommend.

Tin of corn beef mashed into mashed tatties , cheese on top and grilled.

Cornbeef hash we call it.

Toad in the hole - price of a pack of sausages

Lentil bolognaise - very cheap to make

Haggis, Neeps and tatties

The cans of haggis are actually lovely according to my family (I'm veggie) better than the ones in fridge.

Shakshouka served with garlic bread

Thai vegetable curry with rice

Noodle stir fry

Peri peri chicken legs with rice/chips/salad depending on your preference.

Calzones made with bread mix (85p a bag at Asda)1 bag will make 4 big
calzones. Just add pizza sauce, cheese and whatever other fillings you like and I serve mine with salad.

Sausage casserole

Mixed bean chilli

Panackelty is cheap too - in a casserole dish, 1 tin of corned beef sliced, sliced carrots, chopped onions and peas, topped with thinly sliced potatoes. Mix 3 beef oxo cubes with a pint of water and pour over the top, pop a lid on, cook at 180 for an hour. Serve with bread for mopping up the gravy

Some great ideas here ladies

A really thick, multi-veg soup, with red lentils and/or pearl barley added. If you use mostly seasonal root veg (e.g. swede and celeriac can be cut and come again if you keep them,in the fridge) plus potato and onion, with some green veg added just for the last few minutes, they can work out very cheap. Some grated cheese to serve would add protein.

Ehh?!?!

Brie and bacon rissotto is bloody cheap!!! I freeze the cooking bacon in family sized portions

Brie £1.60 does 6 portions so 30p each if you are less stingy split by 4 so 40p each. Yes expensive brie us gorgeous but the cheap value stuff does the job

Bacon 85p a pack does 10 portions 30 9p each

Value rice 48p does 20 portions so 3p each

Frozen Peas £1.25 does 10 portions so 13p a each

Frozen broccoli £1.10 does 9 portions so 13p

Frozen green beans £1.25 10 portions so 13p a head

Fresh mushrooms £1.25 for 400g does 4 portions 30p

I haven't included a stock cube and a shake of dried herbs

Basically 79p a head if you are "stingy" (still a really decent yummy
pile on the plate and 3 of your 5 a day) and don't have fresh mushrooms. A bit more if you allow fresh mushrooms and more rice/brie per a person. Also cheaper if you do it according to the original jack Monroe recipe (less veg more bacon and rice)

Microwaves are for more than ready meals?!

if you don’t have a microwave, are you reheating leftovers in the oven?! That takes forever.

Risotto

We have to work around allergies too, and I try to stick to anything where I can use the raw ingredients rather than sauces etc. Have a look at Becky Excell recipes - she’s a GF cook but her food isn’t expensive, easy to cook and caters for quite a few allergies.