Cheap and easy family recipes

[nutcracker]

Having pinched some recipies off the veggie thread I am looking for some more cheap and easy things to cook for the family (2 adults, 3 kids).

I am not a very good cook, get easily flustured so anything easy and quick would be a big hit, as would cheap things.

I'm trying to get us all to eat more veg too so anything veggie would be great.

anythnigh pasta-based is v. easy
i've made loads of cougette pasta sauce type thing recently - we've been given a lot for free by gardening friends!

just slice courgettes thinly and fry gently in olive oil and lads of garlic, salt pepper.
cook pasta
mix in with pasta and add butter and a couple of handfuls of grated parmesan

also, slice and cook potatoes and onions in a pan, add stock/white wine+stock, then bake for a while with cheese on top.
can add bacon bits an thyme too
serve with green salad/green veg

Sound lovely, thanks

anyone got anymore

I can give you recipes for tomato and green bean risotto, bacon and butternut squash risotto, my version of ratatouie, brocolli and red pepper curry or tomato pasta sauce if any of those appeal...

I tend to cook casseroles with plenty of veg in it as the kids don't seem to notice the veg in along with the beef or chicken casserole. The veg I put on the side of thier plate goes untouched but its lurking in the dish they just ate! lol

I just made this for dd and my lunch:

Cook pasta (any sort except spaghetti- or tagliatelli-types)
Takes about 10mins boiling, so once it's on roughly chop a handful of green beens and add them after about 5mins (or a handful of peas).
While this is cooking, open a tin of tuna in oil and leave to drain, and roughly chop a couple of tomatoes.
When the pasta is cooked, drain it, add the tomatoes and the tuna. Add also a good splash of lemon juice and grind a little black pepper into the mix. I also like to add something tangy, like some capers, or a snipped up anchovy or two.
Mix well and dish up.

The good thing about this is that it's quick and easy, uses ordinary stuff that I have in the house day-to-day, and, because you are adding fridge-cold stuff to the pasta, the dish cools down quickly so you don't need to wait for it to be safe before serving it to a toddler.

We usually boil up some rice (get measure jug - about 400ml of dry white rice should do it. Boil kettle and in a large lidded saucepan/fry pan add double the volume of boiled water to the dry rice put lid on and put on lowest hob setting for 15 mins and leave). You can do this a day or two in advance if its easier because rice should be totally cooled before you cook it.

Then chop up some bacon, and whatever veg is in the fridge usually spring onion, peppers, courgette, carrot, mushroom, frozen peas and sweetcorn/broccoli (any mixture of these but i would say that peas and onion with any of the above is good). Bung it all in a large fry pan or wok with a little oil (not olive) and stir fry for a few minutes with some soy sauce to your taste if you have it. Crack in an egg and just roughly mix it in and cook for a further minute.

My DP actually usually cooks this one for us!

Ooh - im nicking that recipe pretty candles!

A heavily veg laden cottage pie is one i do (i cut the veg in small dice and grate the carrot) and mix in with the mince mixture so my DD doesnt notice it. I sometimes add some grated cheese on top of the mash potato too. Not very imaginative but classics are always good in my book!

1 chicken, I stock cube, handful herbs (tarragon if you have it) 1 litre of water, 2 carrots, 1 parsnip, 1 swede
Unwrap chicken (if from supermarket) or pluck it if from back garden .
Plonk it in casserole dish
Peel all vegetables & cut into large chunks
Place vegetables in casserole dish
Put stock cube (chicken or veg) into litre of boiling water, stir in herbs
Pour over chicken.
Put lid on casserole dish & put in over for 4 hours at 100 deg C - or do the whole thing in a slow cooker.
Takes 5 mins to prepare and costs as little as your chicken costs.
You'll get at least one meal out of it - just add rice, pasta or potato. Leftover bits of chicken can be used to make risotto or chicken & bacon pasta next day.