What cost effective side dishes are you making?

[ThistleyLions]

I'm looking for any suggestions of cheap, low cost but filling things to go with tea.

I don't want to fall in a rut of having the same few things over and over (rice, baked potato, cous cous, chips) so would be interested to read what swaps people have made to make evening meals more cost effective but still enjoyable and filling.

Thanks 😊

We’ve been having naan breads with a bowl of curry, instead of rice. I buy these ones www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/313189159 and we have half each. We also have pitta bread (55p for a pack of 6) with tagine or koftes, and ciabatta with Tuscan bean stew.
Pesto pasta makes a good side for chicken or salmon. Other favourites for things like goulash and sausages are cheesy mash or spicy sweet potato wedges.

To go with anything of the casserole type, potatoes Boulangere are a good choice. Prepared like potatoes dauphinois, with thinly sliced potatoes, but using stock (from a cube or powder is fine) instead of cream, they cook in the oven at the same time as the casserole. They are tasty and something a bit different if you often have baked potatoes.

I make a curry most Friday evenings and I always make a dhal alongside. Cheap, nutritious and any leftovers make a good lunch.

@Fivemoreminutes1 do you find the pitta/naan more filling than rice?
@AdaColeman that sounds delicious I've never tried that before but would make a good change from a bog standard potato!
@DutchKatje do you have any favourite dhal recipes?

Cauliflower cheese as a side is a favourite in our house

I'm not sure that you will get more cost effective or filling than pots, rice,cous cous, chips
More interesting but longer to prepare
Dauphinois potato
Vegetable or mushroom rice with almonds, coriander, spices, bake in the oven
Bombay potato-boil then cook in a large pan on the hob
Gnocchi- Nigeria has a nice recipe with pork steaks, cider and cream
Macaroni cheese

@Backonmyfeet love cauliflower cheese and not had it in ages, great suggestion.
@NattyNamechanger a better way of putting it perhaps was using the same things but in different ways so it doesn't get too repetitive but keeps costs down by being cost efficient. Bombay potatoes would make a great change though.

Veg can be cheap, so things like roasted carrots and parsnips with onions and garlic. Make a big ole tray of it. You can do the same with whatever other cheap British veg you can find. I also have kale still growing from last year so we have lots of steamed or sauteed kale at the moment as it's free.

Cheese 'anything' - costs of broccoli/cauliflower/leeks have gone up, but you can still make a sizeable dish that's filling for not very much.

Mac & cheese is the same - relatively low cost ingredients, just takes a bit of time and effort to make from scratch.

I often do cheesy toasts with vegetable soups. So make a blended carrot or parsnip or carrot/red lentil soup, but then you can make it more of a meal with cheesy toasts.

Eggs - we have chickens so we always have a lot of eggs. I realise that aren't so cheap if you have to buy them in the shops, but will be cheaper if you find someone local selling their own eggs. I add a boiled egg to the side of lots of different meals - curry/rice/naan or a stir fry or fried rice, etc. - because it bulks it out and adds some extra protein.

Big traybake of mixed vegetables, with planned leftovers for lunches. Just discovered roast cauliflower!

If I'm doing a stew, I'll top it with doughballs/dumplings instead of cooking spuds, just for a change.

I prefer brown rice, as its more filling, so that bulks out curries and chillis.

Tonight I have chicken breasts which I'll serve with roasted veg drizzled after cooking with half a tub of caramelised onion houmous, thinned down with a wee bit of water. Steamed brocolli on the side.

Some other ideas to make your meals go further or make them more substantial ...

Cheese scones or potato cakes served with soup.

Dumplings or cobbler topping (scone) with stews and casseroles.

Gnocchi is a change from pasta, try frying it in the air fryer if you have one.

Add beans and chickpeas to all stew/casserole style meals, don't forget the humble butter bean!

Mash with a few types of root vegetables
Homemade flatbreads or tortillas are very economical

@mindutopia we really like broccoli cheese and I hadn't really thought of experimenting with other veg other than cauliflower so that's a good shout. I would think there should be a way of finding a locally based egg supplier as well which is a good idea I will look into.
@Baldieheid I've never really used dumplings but it does seem a good way to bulk out things.
@AdaColeman I like the sound of a cheese scone to have on the side of something and different beans to bulk out would definitely make things go further. Can you freeze them once you've made a batch?
@snowqu33n I do like a bit of mash, I tried buying frozen mash as I wasn't getting through a bag of potatoes but I can't say I was a fan so I might try different veg out. Are flat breads easy to make?

This Roasted Carrot and Cabbage with Gochujang dish by Meera Sodha is fantastic. I love roasted vegetables generally (less effort and more flavour) but this spicy dressing is delicious and carrots and cabbage are pretty cheap, the rest are store cupboard staples for me. I haven't tried it but I bet it would work with other veggies like cauliflower and broccoli.

You can make flour tortillas in a frying pan. Flour, water, oil is all you need. There are lots of recipes online, like on the BBC food website.
I think they taste better than the shop ones and they don’t take too long. You can freeze any leftovers. Add some whole meal flour to make them healthier if you like.

Bread is a traditional filler for so many different cuisines. Tortilla's are often used with Mexican dishes, obviously stuff like burritos, quaesidilla or tortilla chips. Unbranded tortilla chips are easy to make yourself or the own brand ones in shops are also cheap. You can also serve things like refried beans or a sweetcorn and pepper Mexican salad. For both bulk and variety.

Italian dishes get garlic bread or flat bread and salad. Stews and casseroles are great all in one dishes but mash, either potato or carrot and swede will make it even more filling. And you can always serve with crusty bread. Or look for cobbler recipes.

I'll often serve spiced, roast cauliflower with curries. Chapati and rotti make a nice from naan or rice.
Garlic, stir fried broccoli is a nice side that's really versatile, like wise a tray of roasted veg or ratatouille.

Bubble and squeak is great for making things go further and using up lots of odds and ends of veg.

Homemade slaws make a good side for things like burgers, skewers, pieces of meat or fish or mixed bean salads are particularly filling.

The same applies to chapatis – chapati flour is widely available these days but you can get away with any wheat flour really.

With the price of pasta rocketing it might be cost effective to make your own if you have a dusty machine in the cupboard, but I haven't done the sums.

Cheap root veg makes wonderful curries – swede, carrot, potatoes. I will be the last person on the planet to go veggie, but doing meals without meat will save you more money than practically any other change you could make.

With the price of pasta rocketing it might be cost effective to make your own if you have a dusty machine in the cupboard, but I haven't done the sums.

I make my own pasta! I do 1 egg + 70g plain flour + 30g semolina for 2 people, you can make vegan by omitting the egg and using water instead (which will make it cheaper given recent egg prices...). You really don't need any speciality equipment - I only got pasta roller after I knew I really enjoyed making it, I love it for homemade ravioli or if I want thin sheets/tagliatelle/spaghetti, but you can certainly make nice parpadelle or mandilli with a simple rolling pin and knife. Other shapes like cavatelli don't even require rolling - link. I find pasta easier and more forgiving than pastry or bread.

Braised red cabbage
pickled beets (they need to stay in brine for a couple weeks)

@SummaLuvin that carrot and cabbage recipe sounds lovely, I will definitely be trying that out (gochujang isn't familiar to me but I'll have a Google where I can get some)
I've always fancied trying to make pasta and you've made it sound simple and if a machine isn't needed, no harm in giving it a go!
@snowqu33n I'll have a look on bbc good food, thank you for the suggestion.
@BlackForestCake, @AtleastitsnotMonday all great suggestions, and great ways to have similar things but not to get in a rut of being to repetitive in use.