Fave cheap eats

[thenextmrsjonsnow]

Desperately trying to make ends meet so need to stick to a tight food budget. What are your fave and cheap eats? Thanks

The cheapest meals I make are predominately veggie as I am quite particular about meat, so
Pasta arabiata
Tuna pasta bake
Root vegetable crumble
Shakshuka
Cauliflower and chickpea curry
Lentil dhal and rice
Veg and mixed bean chilli
Shakshuka
Veggie toad in the hole
Jacket potatoes and toppings
Homemade baked falafel in pita
Mediterranean veg frittata
Mushroom risotto
How many people are you feeding? Do you have to provide 3 meals a day?

Omelette
Jackets with baked beans and cheese
Pasta with veg and sauce

Eggs, eggs, and more eggs. Omelets, eggs on toast, etc, etc,

Butternut macaroni cheese realfood.tesco.com/recipes/vegetarian-butternut-squash-macaroni-cheese.html Forget the cherry tomatoes.
Chipotle bean stew www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chipotle_pinto_bean_stew_94139
Lentil bolognese www.asda.com/good-living/recipe/lentil-bolognese
Chickpea burgers realfood.tesco.com/recipes/sweetcorn-and-chickpea-burgers-with-smoky-tomato-sauce.html

At the moment, I'm making 'free' wild garlic pesto. It's growing all over the UK at the moment.

Skip the expensive pine nuts and parmesan, if you're after a budget version. Just use any nuts or seeds you have and some mature cheddar. It freezes well and is brilliant for super-cheap, fast and nutritious meals, just stirred into pasta etc.

Save old bread and make breadcrumbs to top bakes and make fishcakes (with a bit of leftover mashed potato and a tin of tuna). Again, great for freezing.

I agree that ditching meat is a good idea to eat cheaply - sustainable fish, beans, pulses, eggs, etc. are all far better than cheap meat.

Shepherd's pie
Sausage casserole
Enchiladas (we normally put chicken or minced beef in ours)

These are great suggestions - thank you so much! Cooking for me and 3 children who are a little picky but not too bad.

Meat free here too which saves a fortune

West African peanut stew
Veggie jambalaya
Various pasta dishes
Lentil shepherds pie
Dahl and naan

Cheese pudding www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/savoury-cheese-pudding/
Egg fried rice with soy sauce, spring onions, peas and chopped ham
Jambalaya www.asda.com/good-living/recipe/easy-chorizo-jambalaya