Cheap dishes that seem more 'expensive'

[iwillgetout]

I'm running out of inspiration on a tight budget. I want to add a few dishes that don't make me baulk at the ingredient cost.

For example one my of recipes is a crab linguine using tinned crab and costs about 90p a portion..

Anyone got a favourite they can share?

You can get packs of smoked salmon trimmings which are cheaper and use them in things like pate, pasta dishes, risotto, omelettes

If you ever have roast chicken make stock with the carcass and use it to make risotto - stir through any leftover scraps of chicken and some peas

Carbonara with bacon can be pretty cheap

I make carbonara using value gammon steaks, pasta, onions, mushrooms, cheddar and a carton of single elmlea. It’s amazing (if I do say so myself!)

Baked portabello mushrooms with garlic butter, smeared with french mustard and served with fried new potatoes, fried onion and bacon bits, fresh parsley.

Pork dishes generally.

Chorizo is cheap and adds a lot of flavour. Check out chorizo and chickpea stew recipe by Nigella.

As a dessert, "Barbados Cream" = natural yogurt, brown sugar on top, leave it an hour (or overnight)

Pasta, leek, smoked mackerel, creme fraiche and a spoonful of mustard.

Chilli made in slow cooker with value frozen beef/pork mincd - with lentils, kidney beans, black beans, onion, carrot, celery, chopped toms. Tastes good, looks good, a generous 8 portions for about £6

Also a Nigella, lemon linguine... I've never found anyone who doesn't like it

Baked apples - one apple per person, cored, with spoonful of mincemeat inside. Serve with cream or scoop of ice cream. Easy, cheap, smells great, can be done in microwave if oven not on.

Pulled pork using pork shoulder in floury baps and spicy coleslaw

But carbonara is very cheap and easy as it is (and doesn’t contain onions, mushrooms, or cream of any type!) I’m sure your pasta is nice but it’s not carbonara.

Very thin crispy pancetta or bacon bits. Spaghetti and Parmesan. A smidge of garlic. That’s carbonara. Very minimalist and pretty cheap!

And eggs. Carbonara needs eggs - that’s the sauce. It’s a cheap and cheerful favourite here.

There was a Guardian article a while back about how to make the best carbonara. Lots of debate about what went in it!

Also, anything involving ham hocks. Super cheap and super delicious. Serve with puy lentils and you’ve got a gastropub-style dinner for very little money.

Some of Jack Monroe's recipes are fabulous for having all the taste of expensive cuisine without the price. Bootstrap Cook is the latest iirc or the original A Girl Called Jack.

I love spaghetti and meatballs. I always chuck in some garlic paste, fried onion and browned chestnut mushrooms. Tastes really nice!

And this - it’s delicious. Doesn’t need fresh pasta. www.waitrose.com/content/waitrose/en/home/recipes/recipe_directory/p/pappardelle-withfennelsausageragu.html

Dauphinoise potatoes made with milk instead of cream

Mushroom risotto using dried wild mushrooms

I came here to say chorizo and chickpea stew, too! It's so easy, as well as being fantastically tasty and very cheap to make.

A bit of chorizo - I often make this stew when they are selling the knuckle end of chorizo cheap. Two cartons of passata or two tins of chopped tomatoes. Two tins of drained chickpeas. Other bits - onion and so on - if you have them around, no worries if you don't. The trick is cooking it at a low temperature for a really long time.

Thank you all, some great inspiration here - I make a traditional carbonara as the family on my DP's side is Italian and fussy as fuck.

Skint foodie www.theskintfoodie.com/about.html

Great tips on buying well and using less...

Jamie Oliver's sweet potato and chorizo soup: www.google.com/amp/s/www.geniuskitchen.com/amp/recipe/sweet-potato-chorizo-soup-481293

Potato dauphinois

Well, I can’t compete with a fussy as fuck Italian family but my creamy, cheesey gammon and mushroom pasta is lovely :)

This is lovely. Dried or fresh thyme, lemon zest, chopped garlic, chopped chillies, salt and pepper, then add cherry tomatoes and a combination of mushrooms, chopped peppers and asparagus. Add ricotta cheese, cook in oven for 40 mins, when cooked add in some cooked spaghetti and lemon juice. Mix up with juices from baking tray. Serve. Delicious!

Banoffee pie
Breakfast for dinner
Crustless quiche
Egg curry
Egg korma
Enchiladas
French toast with cinnamon sugar
Jacket potato
Lentil soup
Potato salad
Shakshuka
Skillet mac and cheese
Spinach and potato curry
Strata

LtGreggs my mum used to make your ‘Barbados cream’ all the time! I didn’t know it was an actual thing (just googled) I loved it and had forgotten all about it, I will be making that regularly from now on. Thanks for the reminder!