What are the cheapest meals you can make?

PasturesNew

WantToBeSE wrote: »

the garlic spaghetti sounds like something i would really enjoy, maybe with a few prawns chucked in too.

You see that ... right there ... that's where you're going "wrong".

You're given a cheap recipe .... and your first thought is to add a luxury/expensive item into it!

WantToBeSE

PasturesNew wrote: »

You see that ... right there ... that's where you're going "wrong".

You're given a cheap recipe .... and your first thought is to add a luxury/expensive item into it!

:rotfl: Typical me, i cant just think simple!

[Deleted User]

Anything potato based is relatively economical particularly if you invest in a whole sack of potatoes from a farm shop, makes them so much cheaper than when you buy smaller amounts. Jacket potatoes make a filling meal and you can use up any cooked leftovers as fillings, baked beans and chopped cooked sausage, hard boiled egg in mayo/salad cream with an added chopped soft tomato is nice, cooked meat minced an mixed with chutney/pickle is good, really most savoury odds can be used. I like cooked potatoes sliced and fried in my wok with a few rashers of cooking bacon, just enough to flavour, that's the basic you can add in that half an onion that lurks in the fridge drawer, the bit of pepper left over from making pasta sauce, grate over the piece of dry cheese that looks unuseable and pop under the grill. Grate potato and make a 'rosti' type potato cake in a frying pan, cook one side then turn it to cook the other and use it as the base for a cheap pizza or pop on top of it some cooked root veg and grated cheese or the grated potato can be used as a topping over leftover savoury mince or corned beef or cooked sausage or ham and baked in the oven. Mash can be made into potato gnocchi by adding some plain flour and seasoning and making it into small dumplings which cook in 5 minutes and are nice with tomato sauce or just melted butter and grated cheese. Cheap and cheerful al of them but won't cost you much or be difficult to make.

Fosterdog

Rubber chicken is always my failsafe for cheap meals, one large chicken from Aldi or Lidl is less than £5 and I can make either a weeks worth of meals or make meals for a few days and freeze the leftovers.

I'd usually cook it in the slow cooker, make stock from the carcass, get a cooked dinner, salads or sandwiches for lunches, a stir fry, a curry, a pasta dish and a soup by just adding some veg and store cupboard extras. Once made the curry and soup freeze well.

luxor4t

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4z0mucQT7R4Q1RaeFVQYmlNNVU/view

The above link takes you to "The Miser's Cookbook" compiled by JackieO mse'r of this parish...sorry, Forum.

Jus in case the link doesn't work, it's from post 107 of this thread: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/54975865#Comment_54975865

It is a magnificent collection of recipies that JackieO has collected over many years

determined_new_ms

Ham,mushroom and cheese sauce crêpes. Cost pence but really feels special.

I make flour tortillas once a month. They cost 2.5p each. Recent made a Mexican dish, refried beans (home made again not very expensive), made a Mexican ish tomato sauce using some shallots, tin toms and coriander. Fried off the tortilla until crispy, added beans, sauce. Topped with cheese and baked until cheese bubbling

There's a group on Facebook called feed yourself for £1 a day. Highly recommend for tastey cheap meal ideas

Bogof_Babe

I have to ask the OP - how on earth do you currently spend £100 a week for three people? Is that just on food, or does it include household items? You could live on Waitrose ready meals for that amount!

karcher

Islandmaid wrote: »

One of my fall back 'OMG' well skint meals is -

Garlic Spaghetti

In a frying pan gently fry some crushed garlic and fresh bread crumbs in olive oil, whilst boiling up some spaghetti.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain and mix through the garlic and toasted breadcrumbs, add some more olive oil, salt, pepper to taste - a good mix and serve whilst the breadcrumbs are still crunchy.

Sounds boring, but it's really tasty ��

Thanks for that recipe IM, it sounds good and I happen to have all the ingredients for once

I'm still unwell but may try it tomorrow night after work, as garlic is medicinal. It will be ok made with wholewheat spaghetti, won't it?

Islandmaid

Karcher - I have made it with both - hope you enjoy it

Luxor- thanks for the reminder about JackieO's Misers Cookbook will enjoy re reading through (and saving some pennies)

suki1964

Don't put prawns in with the garlic breadcrumb pasta, you will ruin the dish



Seriously the spaghetti and garlic ( or chilli ) breadcrumbs won't take on another flavour


A spaghetti dish I use if I have a few prawns or a small ( and I mean small) bit of salmon is chilli salmon ( prawn ) pasta

Boil pasta, drain, save a cup of liquid, melt a bit of dairylea in the pan, add sweet chilli sauce, a handful of diced peppers, chopped olives if I've got them, flake in a finger of cooked salmon, add the pasta, a few frozen peas, bit of rocket or spinach ( if I've got them) liquid, stir and serve