Creating nutritious and filling meals every day can become quite taxing. It becomes a bigger problem when there are picky eaters and an aversion to greens.
You are left with no choice but to cook meat every other day in one form or another. Cooking meat every so often can cause a strain on your wallets.
However, if you plan your menus ahead and utilise your pantry staples you will be surprised to find out that preparing budget meals isn’t as challenging as you considered it to be.
Another common misconception is that budget meals are usually boring, bland, and unhealthy. But that is not the case.
I am sharing some recipes of budget-friendly meals along with the price breakdown of grocery-bought items (basic pantry staples like olive oil, dry spices, salt, and pepper are already in stock).
3 Great Meals For £20
Chicken Lasagna
Yes, you’ve read it right, many people consider lasagna to be an extravagant dish. But if you follow my recipe, you will be able to make it in 20 quid.
Ingredients
Red Sauce
- Minced Chicken - 500g (£4.50)
- Lasagna sauce - 2 cups (£2.19)
- Oregano - ½ tsp
- Italian seasoning/mixed herbs - 1 tsp (£0.05)
- Black pepper - 1 tsp
- Red chilli flakes - 1 tsp
- Soy sauce - 2 tbsp (£0.27)
- Peri peri sauce - 2 tbsp (£0.20)
- Onion - 1 chopped
- Garlic powder - 1 tsp (£0.05)
- Salt - 3 tsp
- Butter - 3 tbsp (£0.35)
Cheese
- Mozzarella - 1 cup (£2.00)
- Cheddar - 1 cup (£1.59)
- Cream cheese - 1 cup (£1.75)
Lasagna strips
- 1 pack (£1.99)
Directions
- Boil lasagna strips in salt water and keep them aside after straining.
- In a pan, add butter and heat on medium to low heat. Add chopped onions and saute until pinkish brown.
- Add minced chicken and stir well to avoid forming lumps.
- Add in all the dry seasoning and mix well, cover, and let it cook for 10 minutes.
- Then add lasagna sauce, peri-peri sauce, and soy sauce (for that umami flavour).
- Let it simmer for another 10 minutes on low heat and your red sauce is ready.
Assembling
- Layer your dish with boiled lasagna strips, spread cream cheese over the strips, then add a layer of minced chicken red sauce over it.
- Cover the sauce with a generous amount of mozzarella and cheddar cheese.
- Then with another layer of lasagna strip and follow the same layering twice.
- In the end, cover the topmost layer with the leftover cheese, and some oregano.
Baking
Place the lasagna dish in a preheated oven (375 degrees) and let it bake for around 20 - 25 minutes, or until the cheese starts to melt into a crispy brown colour.
Hyderabadi Chicken Tahari/Pulao
Being a true desi, how can I not include a dish so popular in my country, and so loved by my family?
Yes, Chicken Pulao or Tahari as many people call it. The recipe is very close to my heart as I learned it from my amma and she, in turn, had learned it from my nani.
It won’t be wrong to say that the recipe has been passed on in my family for generations. Plus, this amazing recipe falls under the 20 quid category, I make it at least once a week.
Ingredients
- Chicken Bone-in - 1kg (£4.99)
- Basmati Rice - 2 cups (£1.50)
- Tomatoes chopped - 3 - 4 (£0.99)
- Onions thinly sliced - 2 (£0.50)
- Ginger garlic paste - 2 tbsp
- Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
- Salt - ½ tsp + 2 tsp
- Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
- Curry leaves - 9 -10
- Cumin powder - 1 tsp
- Cilantro - 1 bunch (£0.89)
- Mint leaves - 1 bunch (
- Yoghurt - ½ cup (£0.70)
- All spice powder - 1 tsp (£0.03)
- Potatoes - 3 (£0.50)
- Whole green chillies - 3 (£0.30)
- Cooking oil - ¼ cup (£0.35)
- Whole spices - 3 cardamoms, 3 cinnamon stick, 5 cloves, 1 tsp caraway seeds(shahzeera) (£0.50)
Directions
- Soak rice in a bowl for at least 30 minutes.
- In a deep pot, heat oil on medium heat, add onions and whole spices.
- Saute onions till they turn translucent, then add chicken, and ginger garlic paste.
- Fry till the chicken starts changing colour.
- Now, add all the spices including ½ tsp salt and tomatoes.
- Cover and cook on low flame for 10 minutes or till the tomatoes change into a gravy-like consistency.
- Now add beaten yoghurt and potatoes cut into cubes.
- Stir and let it cook for another 10 - 15 minutes on medium heat.
- Around this time, chicken will be 70% cooked.
- Now add around 2 ½ cup of water to the pot, add 2 tsp of salt (adjust the salt according to your preference).
- When the water starts boiling, add in the soaked rice.
- Sprinkle chopped coriander, chopped mint leaves, curry leaves, and whole green chillies.
- Cover and let it cook on high heat until the water dries.
- Mix gently to combine the masala in rice, and let it simmer on low flame for 10-15 mins until it is well steamed. The term we call ‘dum’ in desi lingo.
- Serve with raita and side of salad bowl.
Grilled Fish In Lemon Butter Sauce
Although I'm not big on seafood, my husband loves his crabs, prawns, and especially fish. This fish recipe is not only easy on the pocket, but tastes heavenly as well. It tastes so good that even I don’t mind the overindulgence from time to time.
Ingredients
- Fish fillet - 2 (£3.19)
- Lemon juice - ¼ cup (£1.50)
- Corn flour - 2 tbsp (£0.39)
- Butter - 2 tbsp (£0.28)
- Sugar - a pinch
- Black pepper - ½ tsp
- White pepper - ½ tsp
- Garlic cloves crushed - 2 (£0.25)
- Salt - as per taste
- Parsley - chopped (£0.89)
Directions
Lemon Butter Sauce
- In a non-stick pan, heat butter, let it melt, and slightly change colour.
- Add crushed garlic and saute until it becomes fragrant.
- Now, add 4 tbsp lemon juice, white pepper, black pepper, salt, and chopped parsley.
- Let it cook for 2-3 minutes until the ingredients become well combined.
- Then, add cornstarch dissolved in water and let it cook for 3-4 minutes until it thickens.
Grilling the Fish
- Marinate the fish fillet with black pepper and salt and let it rest for 15 - 20 minutes.
- Now, heat up the grilling pan, add some olive oil, and 2 tbsp butter.
- Place the fish on the grill pan and let it cook from both sides.
- Serve the grilled fish on a platter and pour the lemon butter sauce over it. Sprinkle some fresh parsley and enjoy.
Wrap Up
Prices of basic commodities are skyrocketing these days, and inflation has seen a new peak.
At the end of the month, it is all about survival. Therefore, eating on a budget is a very sensible way to save some extra quids.
But, to be able to create meals within the budget, and at the same time making sure they are not boring, and bland is the trick.
These recipes are just an example of how you can use different items available at home and with sensible grocery shopping create amazing budget meals under 20 quids.
Fill up your bakers, and order now get express delivery, and budget delivery options. Save Co. has various delivery options according to your area.
