Feed Me For A Fiver

[starry]

Following on from the saving money on shopping thread I wondered if any off you cooks could help me.

I am looking for cheap, everyday meals that don't take a great amount of time (or cooking ability).

Any recipes that I can try that are cheap but cheerful ?

Thanks xx

ETA I am cooking for me and one teenage boy who eats like there is no tomorrow.

[alanatkie]

Some of our favourites are-

Corned Beef Hash Serves 4

- Cut your tatties in to cubes (about a lb), Boil them & when they are almost done. You can also put carrots in with the tatties to bulk it out.
-Put a wee bit of oil in another pan to fry off an onion Then add the corned beef (1 tin Cubed)
- break up the tatties a bit with a wooden spoon or mash them if you wish (i prefer it with lumps of tattie) the tatties & stir til its all combined.

Spag bol- make the tomato sauce from the below recipe & Brown mince & cook spaghetti.

This recipe will have left overs & that is from a fam of 5 - Jamie Oliver's Meat Ball Recipe

[starry]

thanks Al

[Julia]

Tuna Pasta

Large can of tuna, drained
Sweetcorn
Cooked pasta
Black pepper

Heat tuna and sweetcorn in microwave, toss hot cooked pasta in butter or olive oil, mix in tuna, sweetcorn and black pepper, serve

Costs about £2.50

[alanatkie]

Also one pot cooking like stewed beef or stewed sausages are great, just throw in the onion, carrot, Meat pour over gravy & cook slowly either in pyrex dish in the oven or slow cooker if you have one or in a pan on cooker.
You can even throw in your tatties at the same time as the meat in a slow cooker.

Macaroni cheese is a favourite as well.

put pan of pasta on & make cheese sauce, Then combine once all cooked - you can serve like this or you can put in oven with cheese on top to brown it up. You can add any thing to this if you want (ham/chicken veg)

Cheese sauce
(25 g) 1 oz butter
(25 g) 1 oz flour
(1/2 pint) 300 ml milk
(75 g) 3 oz cheese, grated

Put butter flour & milk in pan & whisk until it starts thickening & then put in cheese.

[starry]

Oh macaroni cheese tonight, I have everything in so won't need to go to the shop.

[squidge]

Cheese and onion pie!!!! Always goes down wellin our house and with many visitors too - in fact my friend requests it every time she comes.

Pastry - Just plain old shortcrust

8oz flour
4 oz marg
pinch salt
water

Rub the fat into the flour to make like breadcrumbs add the salt then add the water - lots of people worry about making pastry but its easy. Dont use too much water just enough to bring it together. if its a bit sticky then just roll it in a bit more flour. Dont worry about resting or any other stuff. As a mum you havent time. Dont worry about whether its Self raising flour or plain either. Just use what you have got.

Filling

Cheddar Cheese
Egg
Onions

You can do as much as you want - I like a really thick filled pie. Chop your onions and either fry them off or boil them til soft. I boil them cos i dont want any extra fat. Grate your cheese. Mix the cheese and onions together add an egg or two if you have a lot fo cheese - you want it to clump together but not to be very wet. You can put black pepper in it now but you wont need salt.

roll your pastry and lie a dish,plate or if you have a lot of people coming like we do sometimes a grill pan ( you'll need more pastry - the ratio is the same) put your cheese and onion mix on the top and then coveritwith a pastry lid, crimp the sides and bake in the oven til golden (bout half an hour) Potatoes,peas and tomato ketchup are good or chips or a nice green salad. Its good cold too.

[squidge]

Steak and onions

Cheaper cut of steak - stewing steak, chuck steak shoulder steak - whatever is on offer

Loads of onions sliced.

Either chop the steak into cubes or leave it in slices - i prefer slices. Put it in a casserole cover with the onions - make sure you use loads - three or four onions sliced into rings rather than chopped. Cover with cold water, add one or two oxo cubes ( red ones) and cover and cook in the oven for about three hours. Thicken the gravy with the old fashioned Bisto about half an hour before you are ready to eat and have with mash, or chips and lotsof bread andbutter. This will fill your boy up!!!

PS you can put pastry on the top too if you want it more filling

[laguna2]

Tuna Pasta

Large can of tuna, drained
Sweetcorn
Cooked pasta
Black pepper

Heat tuna and sweetcorn in microwave, toss hot cooked pasta in butter or olive oil, mix in tuna, sweetcorn and black pepper, serve

Costs about £2.50

... and if you want you can mix through a packet of cheese sauce - still be under £3.00

[squidge]

Tater Pie

5lbs Potatoes
1lb mince or steak.

Cut the steak if using into very small peices Peel and Cut your potatoes into small chunks. Put in a dish and cover with water - mix your meat in and spread it out with your fingers so it is all well mixed up. Couple of oxos if you want, carrot if you want, onion if you want, pretty much anything you have in your cupboard if you want. Slam in the oven and cook for as long as you need - 3 hours usually on a low heat. Take out thicken with old fashioned Bisto then put a pastry lid on and cook for half an hour or so.

Serve with red cabbage, HPsauce or picked beetroot

Note

When we were really skint I used 5lb bag of tatties and half a pound of mince. I could feed four of us with this.

Yummyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

[htwood]

Lentil soup recipe

1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups dry lentils
8 cups water
1/2 cup spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons vinegar
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste


DIRECTIONS
In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery; cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and basil; cook for 2 minutes.
Stir in lentils, and add water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve stir in spinach, and cook until it wilts. Stir in vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper, and more vinegar if desired.

[weegie]

Shopping

Ham Hough (about a quid from the butchers)
Veg Stock Cube (Optional)
2 Onions
2 Carrots
3 or 4 Tatties
bag of Lentils
salt and pepper

Set up a large pan of boiling water
De-skin and score the ham hough and fry golden on each side
Add ham to water
Add roughtly chopped onion , grated carrot and grated potato
Add veg stock
Boil for 20mins
Remove Hough and flake meat
Add lentils about 1/2 a bag and meat to soup
cook until lentils are softened

well under a fiver

[connieb19]

Would you really use a whole bag of lentils for a pan of soup?

[laguna2]

Would you really use a whole bag of lentils for a pan of soup?

The recipe actually says add about half a bag!

[Dorrie]

If you go to YouTube and type cheap meals in the search box you will get all sorts of videos showing you how to make stuff too. I don't know if any of it is any good but it might give you some ideas.

Lentil soup is a mainstay for us and you can't beat it. Some good recipes on here for it too.

[Birdie Wife]

Sausage casserole
Feeds 4(ish)

8 sausages
1 large onion
2 cans chopped tomatoes
A couple of large mushrooms
1 red or yellow pepper
Chicken or veggie stock
A couple of tbsp cornflour

Brown the sausages in a frying pan with a little oil. Put them in a casserole pot. Slice up the onions and put them in the pan that the sausages were in, stir well to get the sticky sausage juices off the bottom and when the onions are softened, put them in the casserole with the sausages. Slice up the mushrooms and the pepper and put them in the casserole, also add the chopped tomatoes. Add a little stock to barely cover the sausages, cover and cook at 180degC for about 40 minutes. Take out of the oven, adjust seasoning if necessary. Mix the cornflour with a little cold water and stir into the casserole. Put it back into the oven for about 10 minutes. Serve with the carbohydrate of your choice (mine is chips).

[starry]

Thanks everyone, it is amazing how cheaply it can be done isn't it.

I was never interested in cooking but am enjoying learning.

[sjr014]

Omlettes cheap and easy! And u can put in them wotever u have!

I just spray a little oil in fryin pan heat it up add 2 switched eggs then add ur filling i love cheese, ham and red onion. When egg is i fold it over leave for a min then turn onto other side for a min! Easy as!