With food prices still high, sticking to a budget doesn't have to mean boring meals. Sophie Harris stuck to a strict £20 budget on a recent trip to Lidl, aiming to buy ingredients for five dinners to feed four people. Sometimes, all it takes is a little planning to realise that cooking from scratch is often cheaper, especially if you already have seasonings in the cupboard. When it comes to stretching your food budget, Lidl and Aldi are the best places to start. Most of their prices are consistently lower than those of many big supermarkets, but the quality is still great.
Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs
Instead of buying ready-made meatballs, Harris made her own using minced meat, breadcrumbs and some simple seasonings. She even made her own breadcrumbs from leftover white bread instead of buying them. If you don't have breadcrumbs or some stale bread, you can always use an egg to bind the meatballs together. Or, you could use some cheese. It's all about working with what you have.
Served with spaghetti and some homemade tomato sauce, which was just a tin of chopped tomatoes and some seasonings, this was a comforting family favourite that costs far less than buying everything pre-made. The spaghetti was around 80p, the mince was around £3, and the chopped tomatoes were around 50p. Harris already had seasonings at home, and a garlic bread in the freezer, but this could easily be dropped from the meal. Total cost: £4.
Caesar Pasta Salad
This is a quick, fresh meal that's perfect for busy evenings and warmer weather. Harris cooked macaroni, mixed it with lettuce, Caesar dressing and a sprinkle of cheese. She used a couple of rashers of the bacon she had purchased for her pasta dish in this meal too. If you have a little extra in your budget, adding cooked chicken makes it even more filling. She also made her own croutons from the same loaf of stale bread.
It's an easy meal that comes together in minutes, and if there are any leftovers, it's great for lunch leftovers too. You can also add anything you have in the fridge that needs using up, so it isn't a strict Caesar salad; sweetcorn, cucumber and pepper make a great addition. The entire meal cost around £3, with the majority of the budget spent on the Caesar sauce. You could always swap it for a homemade dressing if you have the ingredients at home. If you have Parmesan cheese or your budget allows, buy Parmesan cheese, but finely grated cheddar or whatever cheese you have works just fine.
Jacket Potato with Cheese and Beans
Sometimes the simplest meals are the best, and baked potatoes are perfect to cook in the air fryer if you don't want the oven on for ages. Jacket potatoes with baked beans and cheese make a hearty, satisfying dinner that is incredibly affordable. You could also add salad or coleslaw on the side if you already have them at home. Harris needed two full-size tins of baked beans for this recipe, four large baking potatoes, and a bag of cheese, which she used for several other dinners throughout the week. She finds buying cheese in supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl is much cheaper than bigger supermarkets and brands. Total cost: £3.
Sticky Chicken, Rice and Cucumber
Using frozen chicken is a great way to save money without compromising on taste. Harris coated the chicken in a sticky sauce, then served it with fluffy rice and fresh cucumber for a balanced, flavourful meal. If you don't eat cucumber, pair it with broccoli. She buys frozen as it lasts longer and is cheaper. Long-grain rice is also incredibly affordable when bought in a large bag and much cheaper than pre-cooked rice. It can be tricky to cook, but once you nail it, it's easy.
You can use a variety of cupboard ingredients for the sauce, but Harris stuck to soy sauce, ketchup and honey, which she already had at home. If you had to buy these ingredients, they could fit well within the budget. The main expense for this meal was the chicken, and she used battered chicken dippers, with more than 15 leftovers in the bag for other meals. Total cost: £4.
Cheesy Bacon Pasta
This creamy pasta dish is one of Harris's favourites to make. Crispy bacon is mixed through cooked pasta with a cheesy sauce made from just cheese, black pepper and pasta water. She simply boils some pasta in water, fries chopped bacon until crisp, then adds the remaining bacon fat to make the sauce. She adds a ladle of pasta water, mixes it with cheese and uses plenty of black pepper to season before adding the pasta.
The main expense in this meal is the bacon, and Harris used smoked rashers to add flavour. The pack was around £2.50, and she used most of it for this meal, with two rashers going into the Caesar salad. Total cost: £4.
Total Spend
For the five dinners, Harris spent £18, leaving £2 or a couple of seasonings if you need some.
