40+ Cheap Meals and Recipes
Cheap doesn’t have to mean boring. We’ve combined our favourite cheap meals that are still healthy and definitely don’t compromise on flavour.
With the the price of food only increasing week on week across the country, we want to help as much as we can here at Good Housekeeping. Since food prices are rocketing, it's making the basic need of eating and feeding our families a very costly business. However, making some small changes to your way you shop and cook can make a huge difference to your yearly outgoings.
Making a shopping list stops you from buying unnecessary ingredients and in turn spending unnecessary money by being tempted with eye-catching luxuries. Another way to save is by cooking with more grains and pulses. They are cheap to buy, fill you up easily and can be used to bulk out recipes to make them stretch further.
Waste nothing; this is absolutely key, not only will you be saving money but you'll also be saving the planet, win win! Add the remaining veg and meat that’s left in the fridge at the end of the week to a soup or stew. Another way to save on waste is to freeze your leftover bread that would otherwise go stale, veg and fruit that would otherwise go mouldy, and entire meals that won't otherwise get eaten. Follow our guide on freezing if the thought of it seems daunting. We have plenty of freeze-ahead inspiration to prevent you from getting bored with the same old go-to recipes!
Go vegetarian or vegan for some of your meals. Vegetables are much cheaper than meat and you’ll be doing your bit for the planet too!
Cook recipes from scratch rather than buying pre-made things such as sauces or bread and always, always save leftovers from the night before for lunches or dinners the next day.
Finally, get organised and write a meal plan for the week. This will ensure that leftovers and remaining veg and meat is accounted for. Batch-cooking is also a way of saving money and using up all of the ingredients you bought the week.
Spicy Chicken Peanut Noodles
On the table in minutes and packed with flavour, this will be a recipe you turn to time and time again.
Recipe: Spicy Chicken Peanut Noodles
Pissaladière
Anchovies give a salty punch to this traditional pizza-style tart. The key is to make sure the onions are meltingly soft before spreading on to the pastry.
Recipe: Pissaladière
Tuna Lasagne - cheap meal recipes 2022
If you're looking for cheap meal ideas, this cheap and easy and easy lasagne costs £1.22 per portion. Adjust the chilli flakes to suit your heat tolerance. If you like things extra cheesy, double the torn mozzarella on top.
Recipe: Tuna Lasagne
Sausage and Mash Pie
This sausage and mash pie is a great cheap meal option for colder months. If you don’t have a casserole dish, cook the filling in a deep frying pan then transfer to an ovenproof serving dish before topping with mash and popping in the oven.
Recipe: Sausage and Mash Pie
Watermelon and Smokey Chickpea Salad
This salad is a cheap lunchtime meal for summer months. It would also make a lovely accompaniment to a late-summer barbecue. You can add some crumbled feta for an additional salty kick, if you like.
Smoked Haddock and Sweetcorn Curry
Using frozen fish in this speedy and cheap curry recipe is a great way to cut costs, but feel free to use fresh smoked haddock.
Tinned Salmon and Courgette Quiche
Tinned tuna makes a delicious and cheap quiche filling. Swap the Pecorino Romano for Parmesan, if you prefer. Any leftovers will keep well in the fridge for 1 day. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Spicy Tofu salad
A light yet satisfying salad made with courgette and artichokes makes a cheap lunch idea. Add some pumpkin or sunflower seeds for extra crunch, if you like.
Recipe: Spicy Tofu salad
One Pot Mexican-Style Quinoa
This healthy hands-off dish is on the table in 30min and only uses 1 pan! If you have leftovers, roll up in tortilla wraps and bake like enchiladas.
Recipe: One Pot Mexican-Style Quinoa
Gnocchi Cacio e Pepe
Traditionally made with spaghetti, this dish is so quick and easy to make it’ll become a weekly staple.
Recipe: Gnocchi Cacio e Pepe
Okonomiyaki-Inspired Traybake
This traybake combines the ingredients of the Japanese dish with the method of a toad in the hole. Top with sushi ginger and mayonnaise, if you like.
Recipe: Okonomiyaki-Inspired Traybake
Hake and Red Pepper Traybake
Jarred roasted peppers are the secret to a super simple but flavoursome sauce.
Recipe: Hake and Red Pepper Traybake
Fish Finger Tacos
These speedy tacos give the humble fish finger a tasty makeover. For a more substantial meal, you can serve with rice.
Recipe: Fish Finger Tacos
Nduja and Mussel Spaghetti
A Calabrian speciality, nduja is a spreadable salami made with pork and chilli pepper.
Recipe: Nduja and Mussel Spaghetti
Greek Salad and Meatball Traybake
Full of colour and flavour, this traybake is easily adapted to what you have in your fridge. You can use beef mince instead of lamb, if you prefer.
Goat’s Cheese, Mushroom and Lentil Hotpot
This comforting dish will satisfy vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. You can leave out the goat’s cheese and up the potatoes to make a vegan version, if you like.
Beetroot Soup with Rye Rolls
This vibrant soup keeps well for a couple of days, simply cool, cover and chill. Reheat to serve.
Recipe: Beetroot Soup with Rye Rolls
Vegan Butternut Squash Risotto
Swap the fresh sage for 1/2tbsp dried, if you prefer. Check your breadcrumbs are vegan, if needed.
Recipe: Vegan Butternut Squash Risotto
Pea and Ham Minestrone
You can also use snapped spaghetti instead of the small pasta shape to make this green and hearty soup.
Recipe: Pea and Ham Minestrone
Cheeseburger Pie
Comfort food at its finest, this easy pie is sure to become a family favourite.
Recipe: Cheeseburger Pie
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
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