Cheap Recipes for Cooking on a Budget

Cheap Recipes for Cooking on a Budget 10 Cheap Dishes Anyone Can Make Chapters1 - Tomato and Gorgonzola Spaghetti2 - Asparagus and Parmesan Puff Pie3 - American Style Burgers4 - Indian Rice Salad5 - Cured Ham and Rocket Pizza6 - Steamed Almond and Pear Trout Fillets7 - Chicken, Coconut, and Lemon Macaroni9 - Roast Olive Chicken9 - Tuna and Tomato Cottage Pie10 - Lemon, Garlic, and Basil Calamari“To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.” - François de La RochefoucauldAverage monthly grocery basket value in the United Kingdom in 2017 was over £80.Making your own pasta dishes, fish dishes, and desserts is a great way to save money and eat more healthily.  Opening a cookbook is a great idea after a hard day at work when you should sit down and eat some healthy food.If you're looking for easy dinner meals, here are ten affordable recipes and hearty meals you can make. You can say goodbye to baked beans on toast, tinned meatballs with spaghetti, and leftover macaroni and cheese from the restaurant you went to last night!Make sure your knives are sharp before you start preparing any food. (Source: 2102033) GiovanniCooking Teacher 4.83 (12) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors HalimaCooking Teacher £12/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors HakimCooking Teacher 5.00 (5) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors VincenzoCooking Teacher £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GinellaCooking Teacher £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ArronCooking Teacher 5.00 (2) £9/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JoshuaCooking Teacher 5.00 (5) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors FlickCooking Teacher 5.00 (1) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors1 - Tomato and Gorgonzola SpaghettiThere are plenty of great cheap dinner recipes you can make with pasta! Easy dinners can be satisfying, healthy, cheap, and, most importantly, delicious!So here’s a quick and easy spaghetti recipe.Preparation time: 10 minutes.Cooking time: 10 minutes.Budget per person: £1Ingredients:350g of spaghetti70g of gorgonzola2 tomatoes100ml of cooking cream20ml of olive oilA pinch of oreganoSaltRecipe for serving four people:Dice the flesh of the tomatoes.Sweat them in a saucepan with the olive oil, oregano, and salt.Add the cream.Reduce for 3 minutes.Add the gorgonzola, mix until it melts.Cook the spaghetti for 10 minutes in a pan of boiling salted water.Strain the pasta and pour on the sauce before serving.2 - Asparagus and Parmesan Puff PiePies are quick and easy to make and are some of our favourite cheap recipes. During asparagus season (spring), you can get them fresh (and you’ll have to cook them in water), otherwise, a jar will do the trick. They take such little time to make, you can bake them for your weeknight dinners after work.Preparation time: 10 minutes.Cooking time: 35 minutes.Budget per person: £1.50.Ingredients:1 sheet of puff pastry300g of green asparagus60g of grated parmesan100g of lardons3 eggs400g of cooking creamNutmegSaltRecipe for serving four peop le:Cut the asparagus into bits about 2cm in lengthPlace the puff pastry in a pie dish, pierce with a fork, and then spread the asparagus and lardons.In a salad or mixing bowl, beat the eggs, cream, salt, and nutmeg.Pour onto the pastry.Add the Parmesan.Cook in the oven at 190 °C.For a vegetarian alternative, you can replace the lardons with mushrooms, spinach, or some other veggies.Learn how to cook these dishes and more for free!3 - American Style BurgersThis is an easy and cheap recipe that could inspire cooks all over the world. Let’s head across the pond and start making one of the world's most famous sandwiches, the hamburger!Preparation time: 10 minutes.Cooking time: 5 minutes.Stand for 15 minutes.Budget per person: £1.50.Ingredients:3 burgers.1kg of frozen fries.1 egg.1/2 an onion.1 tablespoon of paprika.1 tablespoon of barbecue sauce.10ml of oil.Recipe for serving four people:In a mixing bowl, crush the burger patties and mix in the paprika, ground onion, egg, barbecue sa uce, and oil.Leave them to stand.Make four patties out of this mix and fry in a frying pan for two minutes without any oil.Serve with the fries. The fries can either be fried in a frier (if you have one) or baked or roasted in your oven.You could also replace the burger patties with a good bit of steak. While these can't be classified as healthy meals, they are delicious.4 - Indian Rice SaladNow let’s have a look at a refreshing and original recipe for summer! If you're short on dinner ideas, you can make this as a main dish or a side dish.Cooking is no longer just for the women, it's for the whole family! (Source: ArtsyBee)Preparation time: 10 minutes.Cooking time: 10 minutes.Stand for 2 hours.Budget per person: £1.50.Ingredients:300g of rice2 cooked chicken breasts1 tomato1 lemon30g of raisins2 shallots1 tablespoon of ground coriander3 tablespoon of olive oil2 pinches of curry powderSaltRecipe for serving four people:Cook the rice in boiling water, strain, and let it cool.In a mixing bowl, mix the rice, olive oil, curry powder, the juice from the lemon, diced chicken, fresh coriander, chopped shallots, diced tomato, raisins, and salt.Leave it to stand in the fridge before serving it.Find out the cost of kitchen accessories before you head to the store... GiovanniCooking Teacher 4.83 (12) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors HalimaCooking Teacher £12/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors HakimCooking Teacher 5.00 (5) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors VincenzoCooking Teacher £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GinellaCooking Teacher £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ArronCooking Teacher 5.00 (2) £9/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JoshuaCooking Teacher 5.00 (5) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors FlickCooking Teacher 5.00 (1) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors5 - Cured Ham and Rocket PizzaLasagna, risotto, carpaccio, pesto pasta, etc. Italy is home to a huge range of flavours that’ll inspire your menus and this cured ham and rocket pizza is no exception.Preparation time: 10 minutes.Cooking time: 20 minutes.Budget per person: £1.50.Ingredients:Pizza dough or pizza base3 slices of cured ham1 handful of rocket2 tomatoes1 ball of mozzarella3 tablespoons of tomato purée20ml of olive oilOreganoRecipe for serving four people:Coat a baking tray with the olive oil and place the pizza dough in itSpread the tomato purée and add the tomatoes, sliced mozzarella and oregano.Cook in the oven at 210 °C.Add the cured ham and large pieces of rocket.Learn more about this art during cooking courses.6 - Steamed Almond and Pear Trout FilletsHere’s a quick and simple gourmet recipe.Preparation time: 15 minutes.Cooking time: 30 minutes.Budget per person: £2Ingredients:4 trout fillets50g of almond flakes1kg of potatoes1 lemon50g of butter30g of flour20ml oilSaltRecipe for serving four people:Peel and steam the potatoesRoll the fish fillets in flour and fry each side for three minutes in a frying pan with oil, butter, and salt.In another warm pan, quickly brown the almonds.Serve the trout with lemon juice, almonds, and potatoes with a bit of butter.Find some  cooking class London, click here.7 - Chicken, Coconut, and Lemon MacaroniThis is like a creamy chicken curry with pasta instead of rice.You'll be surprised what you can make for very little money! (Source: Free-Photos)Preparation time: 10 minutes.Cooking time: 15 minutes.Budget per person: £2Ingredients:350g of macaroni2 chicken breasts100ml of coconut cream (thicker than coconut milk)1/2 a lime10 strands of coriander50ml of olive oilCurry powderSaltRecipe for serving four people:Cook the pasta in salted boiling water and then strain itCook the cut chicken in a bit of olive oil, salt, and curry powder in a pot.Add the coconut cream, lemon juice, and ground coriander.Reduce it for a minute.Mix the macaroni into the sauce in the pot.Of course, there's nothing stopping you making this with noodle s, rice, or courgetti (spiralised courgette).Discover more ways you can start cooking on a budget...9 - Roast Olive ChickenPreparation time: 10 minutes.Cooking time: 45 minutes.Budget per person: £2Ingredients:1 ready-to-cook chicken100g of green olives700g of sautéed diced potatoes50ml of olive oil2 pinches of ras el hanout2 pinches of oreganoSaltRecipe for serving four people:Pour the olive oil, oregano, ras el hanout, and the salt into a bowlBaste the chicken with the marinade and then put it on a dishRoast the chicken for 40 minutes at 210 °CAdd the olives once it’s cookedServe with the potatoesThe chicken skin should be crispy You can replace the chicken with turkey.Who doesn't love a good roast? (Source: PublicDomainPictures)9 - Tuna and Tomato Cottage PieA cottage pie is arguably one of the most traditional dishes around. Here’s a variant with tuna in place of the minced beef.Preparation time: 15 minutes.Cooking time: 40 minutes.Budget per person: £2Ingredients:700g of potatoes300g of tuna80ml of tomato sauce1 onion40g of Parmesan40g of butter100ml of milk30ml of olive oilNutmegSaltRecipe for serving four people:Steam and mash the potatoesAdd warm milk, butter, salt, and nutmegChop the onion and fry it in a frying pan with olive oilAdd the strained tuna and tomato sauceCook for 5 minutesAdd to an oven dish and cover with the mashed potato and ParmesanCook for 20 minutes at 180 °CServe with a green salad and a vinaigrette. You can also use the tuna and the tomato to make stuffed courgettes. You can also replace the fish with veggies like carrot, mushroom, cauliflower, etc.10 - Lemon, Garlic, and Basil CalamariTo top off our top 10 recipes, let’s go with something perfect for the summer, calamari!Preparation time: 10 minutes.Cooking time: 10 minutes.Budget per person: £1.50.Ingredients:500g of fresh or frozen calamari rings1/2 a lemon1 garlic clove8 basil leaves350g of spaghetti70ml of olive oilSaltRecipe for serving four people:Mix the ground g arlic, chopped basil, olive oil, lemon juice, and saltPut to one sideHeat up the griddle, add the olive oil, and cook the calamari for 5 minutesPour the sauce on and cook for another minuteServe with cooked spaghettiIf you stock your cupboards with the right ingredients, you'll always be able to cheaply make a filling casserole, stir fry, or chicken dinner.You should try to keep a good supply of things for soups, broths, sauces, a selection of common herbs and spices, fresh meat such as pork, sausage, bacon, beef, and chicken, and stuff for healthier dishes like broccoli, couscous, beans, grains, and salad.This also means you won't have to eat the leftovers from the previous night's takeaway the following day!For those with busy lives, investing in a slow cooker is a great idea. You can prepare a lovely stew or soup during the day and finish it off when you come home.For more healthy dinner ideas, there are a lot of easy recipes available online on dedicated cooking websites with me al ideas.Cooking VocabularyCooking terminology can be really tricky so we’ve included some vocabulary for you in our articles on cooking.SweatWhen you sweat food in oil, it means that you cook it until it’s are translucent and giving up liquid on a heat so low that they don’t caramelise.Ras El HanoutThis is a mix of spices from North Africa. You can find them in international food aisles of large supermarkets.Now read all about the cost of becoming a cook...