This thread is for you to post family recipes that are (well) under a fiver .. with costs

[Twiglett]

I'd be interested in this, will allow for basics from stores (like butter and flour and herbs and spices)

You are allowed to guestimate costs

Just made Macaroni Cheese (like my mama used to make) £4.89 will do 2 meals easily

Big packet penne pasta (about 80p)
onion (about 30p)
butter and flour
milk (about 50p)
tin chopped tomatoes (optional but nice about 49p)
mature cheddar (£1.79 somerfield organic offer)
serve with green veg (allow £1)

Boil pasta with chopped onion till cooked
Make white sauce and add grated cheddar to taste, tin tomatoes (optional add tsp english mustard)
Mix together, sprinkle with cheese and bake 45 mins

Bump, I'm following this thread for lots of ideas....

corned beef stew

I put stewing beef in with ours but you don't need it if you nee to save some pennys

Any root veg that is on offer Usally get a pack with sweed parsnip carrots ect for £1

some shallots or onions 75p - £1 (onions only 30p for a bag in morrisons!)

1 tin tomato puree 25p

2 tins of tomatos 75p ish

2 tins of corned beef £1.50 maybe

beef stock

salt

pepper

really nice we have it with mash or jackets or baugette but dp likes it with rice.

Tortilla type thing

3 x courgette (around 1.50, I think)
6 x eggs (around 1.50)
Onion (30p)
1 x Sainsbos Mozarella (40p)
Garlic

Cube the courgette and chop up the onion. Fry the onion in oil until soft, with the garlic. Add in the courgettes and cook until soft. Beat the eggs together with some milk (optional) and seasoning. Pour over the rest, then put dots of mozarrella on top. Cook it on top of the stove until it sets, and then finish it off under the grill. Can be served cold.
You can also have it with mushrooms instead, or practically any other vegetable. It is VERY filling and can be served hot or cold.

I knew this was an old thread when a "big" pack of pasta was 80p...

Great thread idea though, it's really helpful.

I do a 'mix-up' meal that's dead cheap.
Boil some rice or pasta, then add a tin of sweetcorn to the drainer before draining.
Meanwhile cook some bacon/sausages/tuna/get some cold meat and tear it into small chunks. Get whatever veg you have going out of date and chop it up. I aim for cucumber, peppers, spring onions at least.
Pour all the rice and sweetcorn into a big bowl. Squeeze on salad cream. Then add the meat and veg. Bit more salad cream and then mix it all up! Good for tea or lunch and with endless variations!

pasta with pea "pesto"
2 large handfuls peas(50p from shops own frozen brand)
1/2 bag pasta(25p shops own brand)
1 garlic clove,crushed(?)
1tsp dry basil or dry mint(?)
1-2 tsp dry parsley(?)
couple spoonsolive oil

cook pasta.
cook peas.add 1-2 spoons cooking water to drained peas.add garlic and herbs and blitz til smooth,adding oil to desired consistency
serve sprinkled with cheese/chopped pepper,chopped tomato(dep on budget)

I think I'm repeating myself from another thread but how about liver and kidney.

Liver is ridiculously cheap. Just dust it with flour, saeson, and fry it for a few minutes in oil+butter. If you happen to have the dregs of a bottle of red wine around, pour that in just before then end.

Tinned sardines on toast with a dash of Worcestershire sauce. Along with grilled tomatos. (Halved, a bit of olive oil over the cut side, and smeared with a bit of crushed garlic.)

Pea and ham soup.

Chunk of gammon - £3
a large onion - pence
4 cloves garlic - pence
4 bay leaves - I buy a massive bag from the chinese supermarket for 99p, so micropence
packet of dried marrowfat peas, soaked overnight - about 50p
some potatoes in large chunks - say 30p?
carrots, about 3 medium, half diced and half in large chunks - 30p again?

Soak the peas overnight with bicarb. I soak the gammon too and throw away the water. Fry chopped onion, garlic, add gammon to brown a little. Water, drained peas, carrots, potatoes and bay. Cook for a couple of hours on low.

Remove gammon, potatoes and some of the carrot chunks.

Mash or roughly hand-blend the soup. Have soup first, and the ham and veg after, or the next day. About £4.50 and dead easy. Would feed about 6 people easily.

Creamy chicken pesto pasta.

This works out cheaply if you use up left over roast chicken scraps.

Boil any type of pasta in salted water.

Whilst pasta is cooking, finely chop an onion (or half) and fry it til it softens. Now add a chopped sweet pepper (or half! ) and a clove or two of crushed garlic, and fry some more, gently.

I sometimes add some broccoli florets or any green veg needing to be used up, into to the pasta pot to cook, around this time.

Now add a good dollop of green pesto, along with the chicken scraps and let cook in the pan for a few mins to enable the chicken to heat through thoroughly, and the pesto to infuse and become fragrant. It'll only take a few mins.

Once the pesto/ veg mixture is heated through, the pasta should be ready and drained of water.

Tip the pesto and chicken mix into the pasta saucepan, add a small pot of either creme fraiche, or sour cream, and mix.

Season if needed. The pasta is now creamy, garlicky, herby and filling, and depending on the amount made, can be eaten cold for lunches the next day or two after.

Woodstock - your lentil and feta salad sounds lovely.

No idea about actual costs but pretty cheap -

lentil soup: fry onion, carrots, garlic, add spices, add a tin of coconut milk (or coconut cream is cheaper) and water, add lots of red lentils - cook. Less than a fiver deffo. Serve it with pitta breads which have been brushed with butter, sprinkled with garlic and baked for about ten minutes (about 70p, I'd guess).

Saute leeks and mix into mashed potatoes with lots of cheddar. Put more cheddar on top and bake until golden. Serve with peas cooked with lettuce, some chilli flakes and a a bit of stock. Again, must be less than a fiver.

Chick pea curry is dead cheap if you already have spices.

Pitta bread pizzas. Spread pittas with red pesto (or green) and sprinkle with garlic. Top with Sainsbo's basics mozarella (or even cheddar) and any bits of onion, mushroom, pepper etc at the bottom of the fridge. Bake until crispy. I like them with baked potatoes and coleslaw (even Taste the Difference is only a pound and even cheaper if you make your own) for a cheap carb overload!

My best budget meal is sausagemeat roast [Tesco's do sausagemeat for £1 at the moment]
Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes, add a big yorkshire pudding [25p?], roast pots, carrots etc. A mini roast dinner for well under a fiver. It should serve 4 if you stretch it out with lots of pots etc.
I also use sausagemeat to make sausagemeat plait or roll, add a little diced fried onion and mixed herbs, roll up into homemade pastry, serve with mash, gravy and peas
Sausagemeat also makes great meatballs to go with spaghetti and tomato sauce, again add your choice of flavours and roll into little balls.
Vegetarian - lentil hotpot - orange lentils, diced carrots, peas, tinned toms, diced swede, whatever you fancy, just cook in pan, add veg stockcube, dried herbs etc, then put into casserole dish, top with sliced cooked pots and finish in the oven. My late MIL used to do this as a mince casserole .
Nut roast - chopped mixed nuts [I buy a bag for £1 in the homebaking dept], 1/2 quantity of wholemeal breadcrumbs, finely chopped fried onions, herbs, a little bit of marmite and enough veg stock to make a sloppy mixture. Serve with pots and veg of choice.
I make veg chilli out of Sainsbury's basic kidney beans, sweetcorn and tomatoes, plus 1 green pepper and 1 onion. You could also add a tin of basic baked beans [rinse the sauce off 1st], costs under £2 and could easily serve 4 with rice or baked pots and pittas.

Colcannon

Plenty of potatoes
Either a large leek or an onion
Kale or cabbage a good helping per person
1 egg per person

Peel, cook and mash the potatoes with plenty of milk & some marge or butter.

While the tatties are cooking soften the leek/onion in a saucepan in some oil, add the shredded cabbage or kale leaves, put on a lid & cook til soft (add some water if needed).

Drain the cooked kale/leek mixture & beat into the mashed potato.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed frying pan & put the colcannon into the pan to fry. Make dimples in the mixture & break an egg into each one, put a lid on the pan & cook until the egg is done (white set but yolk runny).

Eat with tomato ketchup.

If short of time, skip the stage of frying the colcannon & just fry the eggs separately & put on top.

Can't do prices as we grow our own spuds, leeks & kale + have chickens (hence why it is a popular recipe here!) but they should all be pretty cheap . . . can't imagine it would cost more than a fiver unless there are an awful lot of you.

Ooh, just thought of a couple of pies, 1 from my Mum, 1 from my MIL.
My Mum's recipe [always made on a pyrex pie plate] was homemade shortcrust pastry, filled with a small tin of ham sliced up. Then break 4 eggs between the slices, break the yolks with a fork, cover with pastry lid and cook.
My MIL made corned beef, onion and sliced tomato pie. I loved that one.
A good vegetarian pie is grated cheese, diced cooked potato and diced onion.
Making your own pastry is a good money saver - basic plain flour and cooking fat [lard/trex, or 1/2 fat with 1/2 butter or even margarine] costs very little and is a great way of making a small amount of meat go further.

Slow cooker stew
Root veg of whatever sort you have around
Onion and if you like it garlic.
A small packet of whatever cheap basics meat is on offer. Eg braising steak.
Either a tin of chopped tomatoes about 30p near us or the dregs of some tomato ketchup. Agree dregs red wine if available.
One bouquet garni or herbs and salt + pepper.
Add about 2 cups water.
Put on high for 6 hours. Eat.

I also do a meatloaf which has mince carrot mashed potato in it. To make it extra luxurious you can surround in bacon. I think it comes out with veg at about 4.50.

Stuffed peppers or cabbage leaves are all cheap and filling. You can use meat or lentils or beans but the key is rice and again the wonderful tin of chopped tomatoes. Create the filling ensuring the rice is cooked first. Then take thei tops off the peppers and remove the seeds. Fill and bake slowly until done. With cabbage leaves remove the stalks and blanch then roll into parcels and bake in a bin Marie. If feeling extra Mediterranean which is where tjese

Darn pressed send too soon.

Where these recipes come from, then add a yoghourt sauce. Many Mediterranean recipes are delicious and cheap as they are high on seasonal veg and low on meat and dairy.

Very quick and cheap meal (very filling):

Saute some onions and garlic. Add about 1/3 bag of frozen cabbage, tin of tomatoes, tin of black eye beans or red kidney beans and bit of curry powder or chilli. Cook for 10 min and serve with rice.

About £1.50.

Smoked salmon trimmings 98p
Penne about 80p
Single cream 50p?
Frozen peas 50p?

Boil pasta, add frozen peas a couple of minutes before end. Drain pasta and peas and stir in cream and salmon.

And don't forget the good old English classics.

Beef stew with carrots and dumplings
Irish stew with pearl barley
Toad in the hole. Costs the price of a package of sausages, the batter and a green veg.

Trixy, that very thing is a HUGE favourite in here. I sometimes add a bit of soft cheese to the cream, that always goes down well.

Pasta and chick pea soup

1/2 a bag of dried chick peas, soaked and cooked 50p
2 onions, chopped 20p
about 1/2 a head of garlic 20p
1/2 a bag of cheap pasta 20p
4 or 5 veg stock cubes 60p ?
water about 4 pints
some dried basil
crusty loaf of some kind £1 or so

Fry onions in a little oil until soft. Add water, stock cubes, chick peas, basil and garlic. Cook for about 1/2 an hour. Blend roughly with a stick blender, but make sure that there are still bits of chick pea. Add pasta and cook for another 15 minutes or so. You may want to add a bit more stock, depending on how thick you like your soup. Serve with crusty bread.

Cheese and Egg rice

6 eggs £1
1/2lb cheese £1.50 ? less if there is a good offer on
2 cups rice 20p (I use value for this)
White sauce made with 2 pints milk, butter and flour 80p
salt and pepper
Frozen mixed veg 50p

Cook rice, Boil eggs, peel and chop them. Grate cheese. Make sauce. Layer half the rice in a deep casserole dish. Spread over 1/2 the egg, 1/2 the cheese and pour over half the sauce. Season. Repeat layers finishing with sauce. Bake at 180 for about an hour. Serve with cooked veg.

Slow cabbage with pasta

1 onion, chopped 10p
some garlic 10p
1tblspn smoked paprika 20p?
1 head cabbage, finely shredded £1
1 carton sour cream £1
1 bag value pasta 40p
oil and butter 30p salt and pepper

Fry onion and garlic in some oil and butter until soft. Add Paprika and stir about. Add cabbage and stir until coated with oil and beginning to wilt. Season. Reduce heat to very low and cover well. Cook for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Boil pasta. While pasta is cooking Add sour cream to cabbage and mix well. Add a splash of pasta cooking water to make it a bit looser. Drain pasta and stir into cabbage. serve immediately.

Creamy tuna on toast

1 tin tuna 80p (buy it on offer)
1 tin condensed cream of mushroom or celery soup 50p (buy on offer)
1 onion, chopped 10p
bit of garlic 10p
1/2 can milk 10p
frozen peas, thawed 50p
salt and pepper
Toast, pasta or mash to serve 40p - £1 depending on what you choose.

fry onion and garlic in a little oil until soft. Add soup and milk and mix until smooth and hot. Stir through tuna and peas and reheat. Serve over wither pasta, toast or mash.

Curried split pea soup

1 bag yellow split peas 60p
2 carrots, chopped 25p
2 onions, chopped 20p
2 celery stalks, chopped 20p
3 l or so veg stalk 80p
curry powder
pepper
blob of mango chutney if liked 40p?
naan bread £1?

Bung everything into a big pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 3 hours or so. keep your eye on the amount of liquid because peas absorb a lot. Serve with warm naan bread. there will be leftovers that can be served with rice or on toast the next day when they have thickened a lot. or you can thin it down and eat as soup again.

Barley mince

4oz barley 20p
4oz left over meat, chopped finely (lamb or beef work well) 50p -£1?
2 pints matching stock 40p
1 onion, chopped 10p
2 carrots, chopped, 25p
2 sticks celery, chopped, 20p
bit of swede, chopped, 20p
1tblspn flour
1tspn dried herbs
seasoning
Jacket potatoes £1.50

Boil the barley, with the veg, in the stock and herbs for about 45 minutes until tender. Drain the stock and reserve. Make it up to about 1/2 a pint. Stir the flour into the barley mix and cook for a minute or 2. Add meat. Slowly add stock, stirring. Bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes until thick and hot. You can add a little bit of gravy browning if you want to give it a stronger colour.

The majority of the meals we have are in this price range

here's some of them

I buy 1 pack of Aldi everyday essentials minced beef £2,70 this does use 2 meals- family of 4

Beef hotpot £3.00 max + 39p for part baked rolls Kids fave in this house

minced beef £1.35
celery stick, chopped 10p
carrot chopped 10p
slice swede 5p
2 mushrooms finely chopped 5p
onion chopped 10p
4 medium potatoes 40p
cheap tin beans 18p- the juicer the better
tbsp tomato puree
dried mixed herbs
tsp dijon mustard

preheated oven 200 degrees

peel and thinly slice the potatoes (1/4 inch thick) and put in a pan with water to boil.

brown mince in a frying pan , once browned put to one side leaving oil from meat in the pan, add the veg and gently cook 5 mins,

drain potatoes once just boiling and leave to one side.

add meat back to pan with veg and add a sprinkle of dried herbs, mustard, tomato puree and beans, stir and heat through .

Put meat mix into oven dish and layer potato slices on top 'hot pot' style, lightly butter the potatoes and put in a preheated oven for 25-30 mins or until potaoes are turning golden on top.

We have this with crusty part baked rolls ( 39p Aldi)

The other half of the mince I freeze or make a bolognaise with.

that's just mince, carrot, onion, garlic, herbs,celery, tomato puree, worcester sauce, sugar and 2 tins of cheap chopped tomatoes - can give proper recipe if anyone wants it.

I also do a Chorizo stew like thereistheball but also add cheap pork belly slices - the ones for this week were £2.05 and there's plenty of meat on them- we have this just with crusty bread too.

Chorizo in Aldi is £1.80 , but I only use half in 1 dish .

If we have a Roast Chicken, I will make a baked Chicken, Chorizo and Tomato Risotto the next day with the left over chicken - that's under a fiver too.

Risotto wise- we also have a bacon and cherry tomato one too.

Beef Cobbler - a beef stew with cheese and herb cobbles instead of dumplings - a nice winter warmer.

Have the recipes if anyone wants them.

Red lentil and coconut soup (have some cooking right now!)

Tesco prices 7/2/2012
1/2 bag red lentils = 45p
1lb carrots, chopped reasonably small = 50p
1 onion, chopped = 33p
2 medium potatoes, small cubed = 75p
1 clove of garlic, very finely chopped = 10p
1" piece of ginger, very finely chopped = 30p
1/3 pack of creamed cocnut, chopped = 25p
pinch of turmeric, pinch of cayenne pepper, salt
Tablespoon of veg oil

Method:
Fry the onion, garlic and ginger in the oil for a few minutes until softish
Add the carrots and potatoes and fry for a couple of minutes
Add the lentils and spices/salt and stir
Add enough water to cover and the creamed coconut
Cook at a medium heat for about 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are soft
Eat with bread - it goes down very well indeed with my young children.

Total cost about £2.50, serves 4. Very filling and yummy.

Seafood pasta serves 4 adults

Pack of mixed seafood & pack of mussels (£1 each fridge section Tesco)
Packet pasta (spaghetti good)
Tin of tomatoes
2 Sticks of celery
Small red onion
Garlic
Twist of black pepper
optional lemon juice/tabasco/small slug white wine

Marking my place as this looks like a great thread :)