How to make common recipes for less £££

kboss2010

I'm trying to reduce my food spend but keep similar foods which I enjoy.

Please share your tips and tricks to reduce cost/fat/sugar/calories/waste/whatever from everyday recipes.

Cheap, healthy-ish lasagna: cost £3 (feeds 4)

100g lean mince £1 (S'burys)
3 large cubed carrots 20p (@ldi)
1 diced onion 33p (@ldi)
1 beef stock cube 2p (S'burys basic)
1/2 tin tomatoes 15p
Pepper

1 1/2 200g tubs of cream cheese 50p each (@ldi)

Basic lasagna sheets 39p pack (S'burys)

Soak the pasta sheets in cold water until soft
Fry the first 5 ingredients together.
Layer the meat/veg then pasta then cream cheese x2
Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour at 200oC


Cheap Scottish breakfast: cost £3.30 (serves 2)

4 rashers Bacon 66p (£1 a pack of 6 f'foods)
4 sausages 50p (£1 for 8 @ldi)
4 eggs 40p (£1.50 for 15 f'foods)
1/2 tin Branson beans 25p (50p a tin)
Grated cheese 25p
2 slices haggis 50p (£1 for 4 @ldi)
2 slices black pudding 50p (£1 for 4 @ldi)
2 Tattie scones 25p (75p for 6 S'burys)

Uniscots97

I include oats in with my mince as well as some veg to make it go much further. When I make steak pie I put sausages in it to bulk it up.

karren

I pop lentils in my mince mix it makes them go much further and so far kids havent noticed

-taff

bulk out stuff with veg or potatoes or rice or pasta.

One of my favourite meal ingredients is a chuck together of stuff left over. If you have mince left over, or beef or have some mince, boild some potatoes and amsh them, mix in the mince and handful of parmesan and a handful of chopped parsley, maybe a crushed garlic clove. It's half -ish mince to potato ratio.

Make into patties, dip in flour, leave set in the fridge for a bit and fry.

Polpetti - very tasty....uses hardly any meat, but enough to think or fool someone into eating it, but are tastier than your average burger thanks to the parmesan and herbs.

splishsplash

1. Build a good store of herbs and spices (dried is perfectly fine for most dishes).
2. Learn to make a few quick variations of core sauces.

You'll never need to buy a jar or packet sauce again once you master those two things, which will save you a fortune over the years.

mi_jardin

Macaroni cheese is a good cheap meal. I use cheap cheese, and add cheapo mustard to give it a boost. Plus chopped up leftover bacon to add meat for the carnivores. Breadcrumbs too if I have a bit of spare bread.
Works well with cauliflower too, or a combination of both to be a bit more healthy!

maman

I'd save on the examples you've given by:

• buying Branston beans in Farmfoods at 33p a tin
• buying grated cheese in Aldi (can't remember the price but less than £5 per kg) or grating my own (delicious Aldi mature cheddar at £5 per kg)
• make my own cheese sauce for the lasagne with cheese above
• fill out the mince with mushrooms as well (currently £1 for 2 x 500 kg bags in Farmfoods)
• I'd be more likely to make a SC full of the Bolognese sauce using a whole pack of mince and portion it for the freezer. Some I'd make for a lasagne and others would be for spaghetti Bolognese or on jacket potatoes

As for other ideas, I tend to make a few fancy recipes but without fancy ingredients

http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/588087

so I'd just use bacon instead of pancetta, FF frozen leeks, maybe leave out the chorizo and use dried thyme instad of fresh.

I use chicken thighs for casseroles rather than breasts which are not so tasty anyway IMO.

I'm sure I'll think of more.;)

P.S. Not sure if it's a mistake but what about tinned tomatoes in your sauce? And herbs?

kboss2010

Thanks! Oops yeah forgot the tomatoes! I use about 1/2 a tin.

The only things I don't scrimp on are baked beans and ketchup. I've tried the cheaper ones, and if you like them that's fab, but I find the bit of extra worth it just for those two things. Thanks for the Branson tips, they're getting pricey!

Excellent ideas! Apparently haggis instead of mince works well in lasagna too according to my flatmate.

time_to_go

karren wrote: »

I pop lentils in my mince mix it makes them go much further and so far kids havent noticed

Karren, how many lentils do you manage to sneak in without the children noticing? I'm trying to get the mince in Bolognese go further..... A handful???

betterlife

i use lentils aswell, normally a generous handful, grated carrots are good aswell and takes less cooking, baked beans are nice in cottage pie and bulks it out, add frated cheese on top of mash, hmm making me hungry lol
i find chopping sausages up in casseroles or toad in hole, makes them go further so can use less, minus an egg in cake mix and add little milk instead, (done this when i didnt have enough and was fine) x

Uniscots97

If you want a cheap roast buy chicken legs or thighs. I've done this a few times.