4 meals for £10

[Grinchonrepeat]

My challenge for the week, spending a fair bit on Christmas days out this weekend. Can I make four dinners-Mon-Thurs (for 3 people) for £10?
Any ideas please

Raid your cupboards, fridge and freezer then plan what you need to bulk it out.

Pasta for a couple of nights, Sausage with mash n veg...it's going to be cold, so you need something that will fuel and warm you.

One of my favourite ‘comfort foods’ at the moment is a cheese and tomato pasta bake from a 75p jar sauce from Aldi. Creamy tomato and herb, essentially a ‘dupe’ of Homepride ones.
Cook the pasta, add the sauce, stir in some grated cheddar, put it in an oven dish, sprinkle more grated cheese on the top, bake until melty - about 10 mins if you’ve already cooked the pasta.

No, it’s not healthy and yes, I could make the sauce, but it’s cheap, tasty and easy on those kind of days.

Dhal and rice
mushroom and veg risotto
tortilla/ Spanish omelette
jackets or pasta with tuna Mayo.
cauliflower curry

I would buy a small chicken and roast it. The initial meal, leftover meat, bones for stock etc can feed a family of 5 for 2 weeks according to MN

Pasta bake is good, do it with or without ratatouille but you can add boiled potatoes to it.

Lentil burgers, lentil pie with potato topping.

pilau or risotto with chicken or not.

sausages and mash.

frozen or canned veggies to add to above.

Look in store cupboards. Agreed you can make wraps/savoury pancakes.

Tortilla may last longer in fridge than omelette if leftover. Add baked beans or whatever is warming and cheap.

Any of above even if you can use as side dishes just add more.

😂 The OP should only need a massive salad to feel stuffed for a week.

Massive salad? Pure greed. A true Mumsnetter is full for days by inhaling the steam of the chicken as it exits the oven.

1 small roast chicken and a few massive salads will feed an extended family for a month Op!

Four meals for £10 from Tesco.

🔸Stockwell and co Baked beans. 2 tins at 27p each = 54p
🔸Tesco six pack of medium free range eggs = £1.30
🔸Tesco chicken thighs 1kg = £2.90
🔸Redmere farms onions 1kg = 55p
🔸Growers harvest chopped tomatoes. 2 tins at 32p each = 64p
🔸Tesco all rounder potatoes 2kg = 95p
🔸Creamfields grated mature cheddar 250g = £1.99
🔸Woodside farms cooking bacon = 85p
🔸Hearty good co spaghetti pasta 500g = 28p

Total = £10

Four Meals.

1). Pasta, diced onion, half of the cooking bacon diced, the chopped toms. If you have them in you can add herbs, bit of oil, etc. Serve with some grated cheese on top.

2. Jacket potatoes with cheese and beans.

3. Chicken thighs traybake. Bake in a big tray with more of the potato and onion. Sprinkle with some herbs and oil if you have them in. But if you don't lots of oil will come off the thighs during cooking just give the tray a shuffle now and then during cooking. Serve with any veg you have in that's lingering in the freezer, cupboard, fridge etc.

4. Egg and potato fritata. Finely diced potatoes fried to soften a little. Half the pack of cooking bacon, diced onion. Some of the grated cheese. Bake it all with the six eggs. Chuck in some herbs, salt, pepper etc. Serve with any salad stuff you have lingering.

@Pheefifofuckthisshit That was one of the most organised and helpful comments I have ever seen on MN

Try googling these old recipes on Youtube

Great Depression Cooking - The Poorman's Meal

TheWolfePit - 'Hoover Stew' of the Great Depression - How to Feed 8 People for $3.74

... and for modern UK try the Atomic Shrimp channel, he does very cheap meal challenges.

Atomic Shrimp - Budget Challenge: One Pound, One day, 3 Meals (Limited Foraging) –Is It Still Even Possible in 2022?

Yes

Spag bol

Jackets cheese beans

Ommlette ham pepper cheese

Sausage and mash

OP this totals £10.10 at Tescos. Meals are:

1. Sausages with mash, broccoli, cauliflower and onion gravy
2. Tomato and ratatouille pasta bake with bacon lardons topped with cheese, served with garlic bread and rocket (if you already have chilli flakes or paprika add a pinch to the sauce)
3. jacket potatoes with chopped bacon, baked beans and cheese
4. pasta with cream cheese, bacon broccoli and cauliflower topped with cheese (if you have mustard add some to the sauce). Served with garlic bread.

It’s basic but cheap and doesn’t feel too Spartan.

Lentil and carrot soup
Mexican bean soup

spaghetti bolognaise
tuna pasta bake
chilli con carne
kidney bean curry
chick pea curry

if you buy the pulses dried, they can go alot further, and you can bulk up the mince with them

Tesco

🔸1 tin ratatouille = 90p
🔸Bay fishmongers white fish fillets 520g = £2.50
🔸Hearty food co golden savoury rice, two packs at 25p each = 50p
🔸Tesco classic green pesto jar = £1.10
🔸Hearty food co penne pasta 500g = 41p
🔸Tesco British chicken legs 1kg = £2.10
🔸Growers harvest peas 900g = 55p
🔸Hearty food co garlic baguette, 2 at 35p each = 70p
🔸Growers harvest chopped tomatoes 32p
🔸Tesco baking potatoes = 57p

Total = £9.65

Meals

1. Cod in ratatouille and tomato with savoury rice. Chuck cod, ratatouille and toms in slow cooker for 3-4hrs. Serve with the savoury rice.

2. pesto and pea penne pasta and two garlic baguettes

3. chicken (drumsticks), chips and peas.

French Onion Soup & Crusty Bread (home made bread is good).

My photos didn’t upload, hope this works!

Four Meals £9.94 Tesco.

1. Spaghetti and Lentil Bolognese
2. Veggie Curry and Rice
3. Veg and Lentil Soup with Breads
4. Veggie Curry and Rice

Ingredients:
Tesco 2kg Potatoes £0.95
Celery £0.52
1 loose leek £0.63
Flour £0.58
Tin chickpeas £0.70
Cauliflower £0.95
4 tins finely chopped tomatoes £1.80
Long grain rice 1kg £0.48
Spaghetti 500g £0.28
10 loose mushrooms £0.60
1kg onions £0.55
1kg carrots £0.45
1kg red lentils £1.89

This assumes you have oil, veg stock and some dried herbs/spices.

Lentil Bolognese:
Chop a couple onions, fry in some oil,add dried garlic if available. Grate in 3 carrots, finely chop up the mushrooms. Cook for a bit. Add in 350g of lentils and two tins of tomatoes. Veg stock and any dried herbs like mixed herbs or basil. Cook. Keep adding bits of water to allow to cook.

Veggie Curry (enough for two nights):
Chop up a few onions and fry in some oil with any Indian style spices available like curry power, garam masala, cumin etc. Chopped up Cauliflower and add that, chop up half the potatoes and add in, chuck in the chickpeas and two tins of tomatoes. Add a bit of water and veg stock. Cook.

Lentil Soup:
Fry onions, add chopped carrots and celery, then leek and potatoes. Add veg stock and boil for a bit. Add the rest of the red lentils. Keep topped up with water so it can cook. Season to taste.
Make some sort of breads with the flour and some water.

Lots of veg and some.protein in all these recipes.

This is one of my favourite dinners. It does me and DH twice.

Lentil and Bacon soup from the pinch of nom book.

4 rashers of bacon cut into bite sized pieces.

3 or 4 fist sized potatoes diced.

1 onion diced
2 medium carrots diced
1 leek finely chopped
150g red lentil
1.4l of chicken or veg stock.

Dried or fresh sage
salt and pepper to taste

Hear some oil in a large saucepan. Soften the leeks and onion and fry off the bacon. Add the carrots, lentils and potatoes and stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and let it simmer for 20mins. Add a teaspoonish of dried sage (I don’t always put this in) and let simmer for 5 more minutes then serve.

I usually serve with warm bread.

Sorry what are you on?!
You think you can get 4 meals for 3 people out of one chicken?!
12 meals out of one chicken?
Is the chicken a turkey or ate the people actually teeny tiny magic people that live under the floor boards?

Thanks so much everyone 🙏X