Your Cheapest Evening Meal.

Iso

Loads of things are good in toasties (yes we really do eat toasties - sometimes!) tip: if you have a toastie machine put the butter (or marg) on the outside of the bread and not in with the fillings. We prefer cheese as the basic filling but often add ham or onions or tomatoes or chutney.

Spanish omlette - gently fry sliced potatoes and finely chopped onion till soft not brown. Add chopped garlic and cook for a couple more minutes. Add eggs to cover and cook for about 5 minutes. When the bottom is set put the pan under the grill to cook the top of the omlette. Delicious with green salad with garlic dressing.

Smoked salmon pate - yes really! use the cheap off cut packet of salmon. Process 1/4 - 1/2 small onion till finely chopped. Blend in a small tub of cottage cheese and a couple of ounces of butter (preferably) or marg till it's all soft. Add the salmon bits, lemon juice and pepper and process for a couple of seconds. Good on toast.

Other good cheapies - Maccaroni cheese / Sardines on toast (mash the sardines in their oil) / scrambled eggs on toast / home made pasta with home made tomato sauce / kidney and sausage casserole / home made beef burgers / warm chicken livers on green salad / egg and bacon on green salad.

Bogof_Babe

I agree with the above poster about toasties. When I'm just cooking for myself I use my double toastie-maker and do:

4 slices bread (tip - buy smaller loaves as they fit the toaster better) 16p
Butter/spread (only requires a thin scraping) 6p
1 large tomato, sliced 8p
Few shreds of onion 2p
1oz tasty cheese, grated 15p

Fills me up for less than 50p . Serve with half a tin of beans for a real gourmet blow-out .

filigree_2

madfrenchgirl wrote:

A favorite of OH is pizza pasties: make a base for pizza but roll it out very thin, put in the tomato sauce and any other bits or toppings, along with cheese (try to buy it from LIDL), close it like a pasty, and then bake in the oven at 200deg for 45mins/1 hour.

They can easily be frozen, and you can take your pizza to work without making a mess.

I've seen something similar in Italian restaurants and they call it calzone. See, you were cooking posh food all this time!

bulchy

A tin of tomato soup mixed with a carton of cream cheese, add to cooked pasta and warm through, sprinkle some cheese on top and stick under the grill for a few mins. Makes a nice creamy tomato pasta, you can aso add bacon or ham to it if your feeling rich, my kids love this one.
Sue

Rachie_B

bulchy wrote:

A tin of tomato soup mixed with a carton of cream cheese, add to cooked pasta and warm through, sprinkle some cheese on top and stick under the grill for a few mins. Makes a nice creamy tomato pasta, you can aso add bacon or ham to it if your feeling rich, my kids love this one.
Sue

this is one of my boys' faves too its nice with tuna and sweetcorn mixed in

or just tuna for my youngest :rolleyes:

bulchy

Will try the tuna, sounds nice. Thanks Rachie.
Sue

Rachie_B

no probs and welcome

captain_pigsfly

I buy 'bacon bits' (the offcuts) at Tesco for 76p; one pack provides enough bacon for two meals for four people (including two permanently hungry teenage boys) - one pasta bake and one 'Chinese' rice. Last time, when I opened the pack, it had four huge gammon steaks in it!

bulchy

captain pigsfly, I often look at the packs of bacon pieces, but I've never actually bought one, scared incase theres too much fat in, but I suppose I could just trim it off. Next time I go shopping I'll put one on my list, I'm thinking about using it for maybe a quiche and a pasta dish.
Sue

skintstudentbabe

my fave cheap meal is as follows:
i tin of tomatoes (aldi plum toms 13p)
2 handfuls of pasta (aldi (50p a kg) bout 15ps worth)
a small onion finely chopped (bout 8p)
one clove of garlic finely crushed (5p)
grated parmesan cheese (10p)
mixed dried herbs (1p)
olive oil (3p)

fry the onion and garlic gently in the oil. add the tinned tomatoes, breaking them up as you go along. leave to simmer for as long as poss til thick and pulpy.then add mixed herbs. meanwhile cook pasta as directed. wen pasta is cooked drain and tip bck into pan. pour over the tomatoes and mix together gently. sprinkle with parmesan and serve.

this costs me bout 50p and fills me up no end!!!!!!!!!!!