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Food bill depressing - cheap meals needed!

34 replies

Munzle · 30/04/2011 12:35

We desperately need some ideas for some cheap meals. I tend to do one night chicken, 1 fish, 2 red meat, 1 veggie, 1 grab from the freezer + 1 other. Veggie tends to be the cheapest but I have zero inspiration in this area other than risotto and pasta. Can anyone suggest what they eat to pad out their week without sending the bill through the roof?

OP posts:
HannahHack · 03/05/2011 18:57

Veggie meals we frequently have:
Salad nicoise (without tuna if you like)
Roasted veg and cous cous with harissa dressing
Baked eggs, which are onions fried with peppers then simmered with a tin of toms and a big spoonful of smoked paprika. Then you put the mix into ramekins, make a well in the middle of each, crack and egg in and bake for 25 mins until set. Its good with garlic bread!
Tonight we are having asparagus with poached egg followed by mushroom risotto!

BaronessVonEvenstar · 03/05/2011 19:35

when we were children my mum made a meal which now as adults my brother sister and I still make.

The Budget Meal

1 pkt sausages
2 or 3 tins of beans
6 large potatoes
grated cheese.

Put sausages in pan to fry
peel and boiled potatoes
when fried either cut the sauages or leave whole
put sausages in a deep pyrex dish
pour the beans over the sausages
Mash the potatoes and put it over the beans
grated cheese on top

put it in the oven until cheese is melted and brown (thats how I like it)

Then serve with bread or salad or anything you want.

I personally find a serving of it is plentiful lol Grin

And the best thing is you can use the value range of beans and sausages as the flavours are gorgeous together.

Oh and a MUST is always make enough to last 2 days as for some reason it taste better the next day

and don't forget the dollop of home made ketchup!!

stressedHEmum · 03/05/2011 20:01

This is a nice baked eggs recipe as well,

2lbs greens
carton of double cream
6 eggs
nutmeg, salt and pepper
grated cheese

Wilt the chopped greens in butter (you can use kale, chard, spinach anything really) season well with salt, pepper and nutmeg. When they are well wilted pour in the cream and simmer until the greens are cooked. Divide them between 6 ramekin things. Make a dent in the greens with the back of a spoon and crack an egg into each bowl. Scatter over some grated cheese and bake for about 10 minutes or so until the eggs are just set. Serve with toast. You can make a similar thing using mushrooms and an onion instead of the greens.

Other cheapy things:

Scrambled egg rice - one cup cooked rice per person, 1/2 an onion per person, 1 beaten egg per person, garlic to taste. Fry the onion and garlic in a good amount of oil. When it is soft, stir in the rice and cook, stirring, until hot through. Pour in the beaten eggs and cook until the eggs are set. Season well. You can add thawed, frozen peas to this to give it a bit more to it and add a bit of colour.

Sesame soy noodles - stir fry a couple of chopped onions with some garlic and ginger in sesame oil. When they are soft chuck in a bunch of straight to wok (or cooked dried noodles) and fry about. Add some peas and a lot of soy sauce (I use about 100ml for 4). Stir fry until well combined and hot.

carrot pie - cook 1kg of sliced carrots and a couple of chopped onions until done. Drain the water but keep it to the side. Make about 1 pint of cheese sauce using the carrot water and milk. Mix the carrots into the sauce and pour into a baking dish. Top with mashed potatoes and sprinkle with a little bit of grated cheese. Bake 20 minutes or so until golden and bubbly.

Quick minestrone - bag of frozen mixed veg, tin of some kind of beans, tin of tomatoes, garlic, squirt of tom puree, veg stock, little pasta shapes, serve scattered with grated parmesan.

Potato and leek pie - mashed potatoes mixed with 3 or 4 leeks, sliced and softened in butter and grated cheese. Spread in a dish top with sliced toms and grated cheese and bake until golden and delicious.

Root veg pie - cook 2 or 3 pounds of mixed root veg in water to cover. Drain and keep cooking water. Make about 1pint of cheese sauce using the veg water and milk. Mix through the veg along with a bundle of chopped parsley. Pour into a dish. Take a few slices of bread and cut into cubes. Toss in a couple of tablespoons of oil and scatter over the veg to form a crust. Bake at 180 for 20-30 minutes until bread is crisp and golden and veg is bubbly.

barley mince - cook 4oz barley, a couple of chopped carrots, a couple of chopped onions and some parsnip or turnip or whatever in 1 1/2pints of stock until the barley is cooked. Drain the stock, but keep it. Finely chop some cooked meat, I usually use either lamb or beef and use the corresponding stock. Return the barley mix to the pan and stir in a couple of tablespoons of flour. Add the meat and mix. Make the stock up to 1/2 a pint with water and slowly pour it into the meat mix. Stir all the time until the stock forms a smooth gravy. Bring to the boil and boil for a minute or two until thickened. Serve with jacket potatoes and cabbage or broccoli. (this serves 4)

root veg stew - carrots, swede, onions, potatoes, a handful of barley or rice, veg stock to cover, plenty of pepper and some cumin. Just simmer until veg is cooked and grains are tender making sure that it never boils dry.

chicken tortilla bake - Shred a cooked breast of chicken and mix with a tin of tomatoes, a jar of salsa and 1/2pint of creamy tomato sauce (or a tin of condensed tomato soup). Cut a packet of tortillas into inch squares and mix with chicken. Put in a pie dish, sprinkle with grated cheese and bake for about 20-25 minutes.

greenbean and sweetcorn bake - slice and parboil 1lb green or runner beans with 1lb sweetcorn, frozen is fine. Mix with 1lb chopped tomatoes or a tin of chopped toms and 1/2 pound chopped, roasted nuts. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. Pour into a casserole dish and top with a crumble made from breadcrumbs mixed with about 4oz grated cheese. Bake at 180 for about 30-40 minutes.

hedgehogs - boil 1lb of potatoes with 1lb chopped veg. I usually use onions, carrots and turnip. Mash until smooth. Mix in 1/2lb of finely chopped cooked meat of any kind. Add some salt, pepper and chopped parsley and a handful of breadcrumbs, also a couple of spoonfuls of stock, gravy, sauce or pickle to help bind it. Shape the mix into sausage shapes, this is enough for about 16, then roll them in porridge oats. bake at 180 for about 20 minutes. Serve with baked beans or green veg.

spinach and cottage cheese lasagne
tuna lasagne - tuna, spinach, chopped tomatoes, corn, lemon juice and nutmeg mixed together and layered with lasagne sheets. Top with white sauce and grated cheese.

tortilla pie - brown 1lb of mince with a couple of onions. Add a tin of chopped toms and some taco seasoning. Cook until mince is done. Put a tortilla wrap into an 8inch deep sided cake tin. Pour 1/2 the mince in and top with a handful of grated cheese. Add another tortilla then the rest of the mince then some more cheese. Top with another tortilla and sprinkle with some more cheese. Bake 20 minutes or so until golden and bubbly at edges. Cut into wedges to serve and serve with salad and chips/crispy potatoes. (this feeds 5 or 6)

I'm just a font of cheap recipes, I am Grin

StickThemWithThePointyEnd · 06/05/2011 16:48
MaryMungo · 06/05/2011 17:11

Don't do big breakfasts in the morning. Save them for the evening meal. It's cheap, and easier to cook when you're fully awake Smile

mrspear · 06/05/2011 17:15
MaryMungo · 06/05/2011 17:29

Mash up 3/4 kilo of potatoes with 1/2 a cup of flour, salt and a big egg. Spread in a big pie dish and top with chopped toms, herbs, and what-have-you (fried mushrooms, onions, etc). Sprinkle with cheese, a good cup or two, and bake in a very hot oven til golden, 20-25 minutes. This serves four and is very good.

stressedHEmum · 07/05/2011 10:02

1lb bag of green lentils
2 chopped onions
2 tins chopped toms
garlic
chilli powder
6 oxo cubes, whatever flavour you like
black pepper

Cook the lentils and onions in 8 cups of water for about 1/2 an hour. Keep an eye on them to make sure that they don't boil dry. When the lentils are just about done, chuck in the garlic, chilli powder, chopped toms and stock cubes. Simmer for another 20 minutes or so, checking that it doesn't boil dry again. You can add a splash of olive oil if you like to give it a kind of richness. Serves 6, well. If you use beef cubes, it gives it a meaty flavour for non veggies.

piebald · 07/05/2011 18:10

Cowboy Pie
Fry up some tinned corned beef with onions and any other veg you like, top with baked beans then mashed potatoes then cheese
Bake in oven Yum

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