Feed your family for less than a fiver!

[MrsC]

Hi All

Just a thought. After picing up one of Mr Oliver's recipe cards I thought, hold on, we can do better. Any good recipes out there? I've just made a garlic mushroom bake using:-

fresh pasta 98p from Asda
mushroom soup 45p from Asda
mushrooms 50p worth
cheese 2oz 50p worth
chives, onion topping, broccoli (about 40p worth)
plus herbs from my garden
garlic bread (home made) 30p
chicken breast £1


make that just under and tastes lovely.


anyone like to share their recipes or money saving tips.

sue x

[Nicos]

Good thread!!...looking forward to loads of new recipes ( even cheaper with our GYO eh?????)

[Hilary B]

Monster pizza
1 pack bread mix (90p)
1 tin tomatoes (about 40p)
1 onion (20p?)
up to 3 cloves garlic (to your family's preference) (up to 30p?)
herbs (I use Oregano today, basil is better but the fresh basil I had has just run out)
1 pack "Discover mozarella" (£1 to £1,50, depending where you buy it)

whizz toms, onion, garlic and herbs in the liquidizer, then pour into a shallow saucepan and heat gently until reduced in volume to about 2/3 original. When you scrap a wooden spoon across the base of the pan, the mixture should be slow to refill. Leave to cool.
Make up the bread mix, roll out and line the base of a pre-oiled BIG roasting tin.
grate or thinly slice the cheese and use to cover the tomato base.
allow to rise for half an hour
bake at gas 6 for 30-40 mins.
Enough to fill 4 VERY big appetites, and probably more!
I make that about £3.70, but you could add mushrooms, peppers or whatever else you like on your pizza.

If your roasting tin is a bit smaller, don't use all the bread dough, roll out the rest into a long rectangle, cover 2/3 with finely chopped onion and a little grated strong cheddar, Fold like puff pastry, repeat with more onion and cheese, then roll up like a swiss roll, place on baking tray (oiled) cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise. Should be ready to go in the oven when the pizza comes out, takes about 25 mins, and will fill any holes left by the pizza.

[Winged one]

For Sunday evening dinner, I made a pasta dish as well: (I am basing mine on €5 rather than sterling so costs even less).

250g bag fresh pasta 1.69
One portion pak of lardons 0.75 (Lidl 1.49 for 2 servings)
Quarter of a chorizo 0.75 (Lidl 2.99 for a long U)
Leftovers of veg from lunch (will allow 0.62 for those as they were from M&S on the Dine for 2 offer)
Handful French beans (our own - first of this year)

Half of batch of tom sauce made with:
Tin tomatoes 0.24 (Sainsburys was 19p)
Half carton pasatta 0.35 (Lidl 0.69)
Onion and garlic - mine
Dried oregano and basil and olive oil allowing 0.50
Slug red wine - allowing 1.00 for this

Overall this came to €4.90 and served 3 adults, with the other half of the tom sauce for tonight with a different pasta (ravioli are £1.48 and some homegrown veggies and home roasted peppers that were 99c for a bag of 7 as they were a bit old!!) so tonight, serving 2 adults, will be about (1.89 + 1.00 + 0.45 + free veggies) €3.34.

Anyway, sorry, I digressed.

Tom sauce - slowly fry onion and garlic until soft and pale golden in some olive oil. Add a tin of tomatoes (and half a carton of passatta if it's in the fridge needing to be used ) with a teaspoon of sugar, decent shake each of dried oregano and basil, some freshly cracked pepper, tiny sprinkle salt. Add a slug of red wine if there's any left in the bottle from last night. Allow to cook through for about 20 mins. (Can also grate in lots of veggies like courgettes, carrots etc into this if desired - add when adding tomatoes etc).

In a dry pot, over a gentle heat to start, fry the chorizo and bacon lardons (they will release enough fat not to need oil if started at a gentle heat). When these are cooked through, add the beans and leftover veg (caesar mix of runner beans, brocolli and asparagus) and a couple of ladels of the tom sauce. Allow to heat through for about 5-10 mins. Cook the fresh pasta (with garlic and herbs in my case) according to instructions and drain.

Put pasta back into its pot, pour sauce over it and mix through. Serve immediately.

[MrsC]

wow both recipes above sound lovely,will have to them myself! thanks x

[di]

Bit Boring but quick/easy&cheap!
MINCE&PASTA~
1lb mince~1.80 from butcher
1 chopped onion(lottie)
2 chopped courgettes(lottie)
4 garlic cloves(lottie)
freezer bag of tomato sauce(made from lottie last year)
1/2 bag pasta~about 40p

Lightly fry chopped onion till soft,add courgette & 2 garlic cloves(crushed),fry for couple of mins.Add mince & brown.Add tom sauce & cook for 30 mins over a low heat.Just before serving add other 2 crushed garlic cloves. (BTW~You need to be cooking pasta 10(ish)mins before end)
Served 2 Adults&2 children with left over pasta for chooks tomorrow for approx £2.20 + however much a dribble of olive oil would cost?!