Meal for two for 50p. Suggestions?

dancemac1

You can throw in anything to pasta - a can of peas/kidney beans, peppers, mushroom, tuna, carrot etc. The best thing is, it's not a big deal if they're not the freshest either, as it all gets mixed in with the sauce!

PixiePie

OK, heres one of our favs:


Bean Mess

1 tin of pinto beans 30 p (these go a bit gloopy so have a nice texture)
1 tin of aduki beans 30 p (these are like small but nicer imho kidney beans)
1 tin choppen toms 15p
1 onion 18p
1 garlic clove (no idea)
herbs, paprika, pepper etc to taste

Fry the onion and garlic off (we don't use oil or butter or anything for this) then chuck in the beans, toms and any herbs spices etc you are using (or fry the onion and garlic with paprika first), let it bubble away for about 20 mins max (you can use less gas and do it for less time but this develops a nicer and richer flavour we find) and serve.

If you're feeling extravagant you can add either a tin of tuna or some bacon chopped up, but we generally have it as a veggie dish. A pepper is nice in it too. Or you can change the pulses if you prefer.

A bit more than 50p, but then a lot of things I've seen on here are so guessed it would be allowed as it's only just over. If you add another can of toms and one of lentils or something it can be for two meals (we eat like total piggies and have this for dinner one night then lunch the next if we make the extra). Soaked lentils etc would be cheaper, but cost:benefit analysis has to be looked into if you work etc and the time this takes....

Other favs are Spanish Tortilla (as someone else has put), normal omlette/scrambled egg on toast and beans (with curry powder/Worcester sauce in the beans and cheese if we're feeling totally mad), pasta bake (cheap pasta, tin of toms, little bit of bacon (or not), an onion and garlic, layer the pasta and tom sauce then top with a little cheese and pop in oven) um...we eat a lot of the bean thing though just with different beans to be honest.
Oh, and:

TPV cottagepie (use some textured soya (about 60p for a bag (find it next to the lentils), use about 1/4 for 2 people) make it up with water, treat it as mince with an onion, stock made from a jar of generic bovril, garlic herbs. Layer this in a dish, add some mash made from a few potatoes and if going mad a spoon of fromage frais or creme friache or quark, bake in oven. The soya isn't too bad actually and cheaper than meat...)

Bambywamby

Beanie Chippings

Serves two.

Scrub 2/3 large spuds. Peel off skin. (Keep potatos chopped up in water in fridge for following days meal.)
Put peelings onto baking tray with a dash of cooking oil. Shake well so they skins get covered. Add a shaking of pepper and whatever herbs you like.
Bake on a high heat for 25 mins.
Serve with beans and poached egg. This is really scrummy, a low fat paupers version of chips, egg and beans.

Charlton_King

Just discovered this fab thread and have been copying recipes from it nonstop.

IMHO it should have sticky status or something like it.

Here's my idea:

Cheap Chicken Risotto

Strip and dice the meat from ONE 'value' type chicken portion. Stir fry for a few moments in hot oil with some chopped onion and mushroom, possibly a spoonful of sweetcorn.

Stir into some plain, boiled rice and season or add half a stock cube.

A 50p meal for two. It can still be done! You can use any meat for this, especially leftovers.

amanndajane

how about this, was stuck for something quick and easy the other night so raided the cupboards and this is what i came up with
served 4 of us !!!
1 can of baked beans....25p
1 can of chilli beans ....39p
1 can of ratatouille ....36p
1 can of cannellini beans 39p
half pint water
all heated through together with some mild chilli powder, left to simmer for half hour !
serve with boiled rice
absolutely delicious :j worked out under 50p each inc rice

Jolanta_Nowak

How about:

Four tablespoons couscous, mixed with half pint of boiling water from kettle.

Add the following 'stir fry' - one quarter each of medium onion and red/green pepper, 2 medium mushrooms (all chopped up, of course) and some ears of sweetcorn. For the meaty option, add any chopped up leftover meat or chopped up frankfurters, tin of tuna... anything really.

The final ingredient is either 2-3 dessertspoonfuls of balsamic vinegar or half a tin of value chopped tomatoes.

Mix all together. Brill. Doubt whether it comes to much more than the 50p mentioned.

JoJoB

I made a very filling and delish meal today which would have been about 50p in total - 25p per head (not far off anyhow)

Homemade spicy beanburgers with potato wedges and frozen peas

Beanburgers - 1 tin kidney beans, washed and drained (19p from aldi)
Fry 1/2 an onion till soft, add a chopped clove of garlic if you have it. I added a bit of green pepper as i had some lurking in the fridge. Added some chilli powder and cayenne pepper to taste. I added 1/2 a grated carrot as well as it was another thing about to go off in the bottom of the fridge, added the beans and mashed together. Then shaped into burgers, fried quickly each side to seal then finished cooking in the oven.

Cut 2 potatoes into wedges, drizzled with olive oil and dried rosemary, then roasted for 1/2 hour.

Fancied a bit of greenery so made a few peas to go with. The only expensive things in the meal are your store cupboard ingredients really - the potatoes and kidney beans are well cheap.

Charlton_King

And now for a semi-fatty treat. 'Poor man's pizza'.

4 x rounds of white bread, 'half toasted'.
Place on baking tray
Spread each with tomato puree
Just enough grated cheddar on top to give taste
Some sliced mushroom and bacon/ham bits scattered about
Finally, a good dusting of oregano for that 'Italian' tang

Into a hot oven for ten minutes

Serves 2. Goes well with baked beans!

Ephemera

American site but looks interesting - http://www.bloglander.com/cheapeats/

Mellika

Just posted this in a different thread and now realised it would go really well here!

"I don't have many ideas but did this last night: tin of Ratatouille Provenzal (tesco own brans, 39p) with rice. Made it for me and OH; it was delicious and we were so full we were bursting!! It can easily stretch to 3 servings instead of just 2."