Times are hard, the cost of living is rising, and so, like many people, I’m trying to cook cheaper meals for the family. I recently did the Piri-piri chicken wing, wedges and corn traybake from BBC Food.
Wings are cheap, potatoes are cheap, and corn isn’t crazy expensive. The limes were probably the most extravagent ingredient. Total price, probably £2-£3 per person.
It was great, and the family all enjoyed it. To the point where it would go on the regular rotation even if we had suitcases full of cash stashed around the place!
What are your best economical recipes that aren’t just beans, chickpeas, and rice? Meals you actively looks forward to, rather than just a budget way of getting calories inside you?
On my list for the coming week:
- Carbonara
- Sausage and mash with onion gravy
- Chicken Quesadillas
- Mac and Cheese with salad
- Spicy black bean tacos
- Stir-fried tofu
- Slow cooker leek and potato soup
I can supply recipes for any of these.
Indian food my friend! Loads of pulse based dishes that are not difficult, and very inexpensive. Dal, Channa, Pani Puri, Paneer etc… If it works for 1 billion modest Indians, it will work for you.
Even if you add meat, you can use the cheapest cuts and include the bones for savoury broth making built into the dish.
I did Gobi Aloo last week!
Pulse? Is that a typo for potato?
Pulse crops are things like lentils, peas, chickpeas, etc. Similar to how cereal crops refer to things like wheat, barley, oats, etc.
Thank you, never heard of that before
(And thanks to the guy asking for all the uncultured swines, like me)In the states that’s not a commonly known word, probably because we eat almost none of those foods. Thanks for the info!
Apparently ‘pulses’ are a subset of legumes that are used for human consumption, as opposed to livestock feed.
Usually when people say “pulse” in this context they’re talking about lentils.
In my search for a reference for you, I discovered that it’s a bit more complicated than that, and many beans are considered pulses too.
See “terminology” section https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legume
Pulse is pulse. No potato. Is only dream.
*Cries in Latvian.
Oh, man, I’d almost forgotten about the Latvian potato jokes from reddit :D
Beans and rice takes many forms, and is generally cheap, and fairly nutritious
I’m a fan of pork butt (or shoulder) in a slow cooker all day (or oven on low) it manages to be pretty cheap per serving, and you can spice it to match any cuisine
Beef is just for special occasions unfortunately
Some fish, like tilapia, can be cheap proteins… I cook mine with lemon and dill
Canned proteins should not be overlooked
Bread is one of those things that is cheaper to buy than make IMO
If only cheese wasn’t so fucking expensive lol
The noble potato, savior of many a meal
Bread is one of those things that is cheaper to buy than make IMO
I checked my Walmart. Premium bread flour is $5.25 for 5lb (enough for 6-7 loaves). The cheapest bread is $2.50. Bread is a pain to make, I won’t deny that, but your time would have to be pretty valuable to erase the savings.
For me it was more the responsibility to keep the sourdough well and alive, without really baking a loaf every few days/once a week
At least it didn’t work for us last time
Maybe, I should give it another try and read up more before - because bread is a delicious rabbit holeI’m a huge fan of soda bread, which does not require sourdough (or yeast). You can go from “I have no bread” to “I am eating bread” in about 40 minutes.
The rising is done via buttermilk and baking soda.
How is your bread so expensive? Cheapest loaf here is £0.45 for 800g in Aldi, most other shops same size is about £0.70-£0.90
Yes, I can make more money than I save by making my own bread with the time used
Beans and rice is a very good suggestion. Grains alone are missing many amino-acids. Legumes add them. And legumes are almost as cheap as grains are.
A good stew. Most expensive ingredient will be the osso-buco, or any similar meat-on-the-bone.
You cook the meat, bone and all, till the marrow melts out. Vegetables can be… Anything. One pot can last you a week and it’s a real hearty meal.
two jars of salsa
chicken thighs
veggies
crock pot on low for 4 hours
serve with rice
Though to be honest I don’t usually use a recipe or cook anything. I cube a block of soft/silken tofu, dump on some chili oil, add some kind of vinegar (and maybe sesame oil if I have it), and eat it raw and cold.
You could probably do it with any kind of sauce you like and put it on rice if you’re feeling fancy
some bread you like(soft bread is good for this), cheese slices, tomato. optionally tuna or salmon if you can find some with decent price, maybe some spices(i like dill and oregano). You can also just skip the tuna/salmon, its pretty good with just cheese and tomato too.
Butter the bread, put tomato slice on it and cheese on top of it. Put it on oven and set it to 200c. Let them be there until cheese has properly melted and bread has toasted a bit. Take it out and put tuna on top of it or small slice of salmon. or put something else you like on it.
You can put the spices on top of the cheese before the oven or after it.
And naturally you dont have to make just one singular bread, make as much as you want.
Another food i have been occasionally making is mashed everything. I boil some potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots until they are soft, then just mash them with the wooden… smasherthingy…? (perunanuija). Add some cream if you want, also some salt and other spices you feel might work (again, i like dill and oregano, they go with everything. Some other spices might work for you better so experiment). If it tastes good, its done, if not you could try putting it on stove for some time so new ingredients mix up better.
Are you just sick of beans and rice or have you not found a recipe you like? If the latter, try this one. I made it a day or two ago and it’s good.
Serious Eats Foolproof Pan Pizza is one of my regulars. You can put all kinds of stuff on a pizza and it’s still good. I’m vegetarian so I use fake chicken and such, but here are a few of my favorites. (they all have mozzarella)
- Teriyaki sauce base, fried tofu, green beans, mushrooms, red onion, fried eggplant
- Barbecue sauce base, chicken, mushrooms, red onions, pickled jalapenos, sweet corn
- Refried bean base, cheddar, onions, mushrooms, pickled jalapenos. Top with Romain salad w/ ranch.
- Tomato sauce base, mushrooms, onions, peppers, olives. (flexible, use what you like)
You can make the pickled jalapenos. And the refried bean base is just a can of beans with a little water, garlic, and salt. Heat to cook the garlic then blend/mash.
I also like a good vegetable pot pie. That one is made with simple ingredients like potatoes, carrots, celery, and mushrooms, along with any spices you like. She has a nice pie crust recipe too. Turned out well when I made it.
I have half a dozen beans and rice recipes, from Red Beans and Rice to Rajma Masala to Nigerian Rice and Beans. But I’m looking for recipes a step up from that. Might try the homemade pizza, it’s been a while!
You can basically never go wrong with a curry/stew. Japanese curry/rioux cubes are amazing and people sleep on the jarred thai curry pastes. Excellent with frozen veggies although I try to still grab fresh carrots or some other root vegetable.
Aside from that? My go to (that I made probably a bit too much during the pandemic…) is a boxed rice mix (think zatarans or goya), some low sodium spam, and some varying quality chicken stock. Minimal effort, basically all stuff you can buy in bulk and keep in the pantry. and it usually makes 2-3 servings depending on your tolerance for sodium. Bonus points if you use half and half homemade stock (which is a lot less effort than people would think) and carton, but Better than Boullion is an expensive way to get close.
Potatoes are good. Cut up potatoes (peeled or not, I like unpeeled because less work and more nutrients that way), season with olive oil (rapeseed oil will also work probably) and thyme (or other herbs of your choice), cook in a 225℃ oven for 20-25 minutes. (I recommend setting a timer for 20 minutes, then checking if they are done yet and setting a timer for 5 more minutes if not to prevent burnt potatoes.)
cheap is tacos here.
heat up the tortillas
heat up whatever goes in the taco (usually some leftovers from the fridge, or some ground meat)
saute some onions
make some salsa
put it all together
eat the tacoyou should probably do it in the order that has them all done at the same time, but like tacos is usually leftovers. like, leftover pork butt, leftover beef, leftover whatever. it’s delicious.
i’ve also got a cheap pasta
-boil some water, add a small handful (about 1 T) of salt
-get a can/jar of unseasoned tomato sauce, passatta if you can get it
-brown some ground beef/pork/italian sassage (meat optional, you can just add the spices and wine to the tomate if you’re going veg)
-season the sassage (use italian seasoning if you don’t know what you’re doing, if you do or want to learn: add garlic, basil, oregano, fennel/aniseed, pepper of your choosing (i usually add red/white/black in ratios of my whim that day) a little sugar if you want i never do (that’s my mother’s variation), some onion if you want i never do (that’s my wife’s variation)
-when the sassage is browned deglaze the pan with a decent red wine of your choosing and add the tomate
-let the sauce warm, bring to a simmer
-MEANWHILE: boil the pasta in the salted water. about halfways through, add 1/2c of pasta water to the tomate. this helps the sauce stick to the noodle.
-If it’s a long noodle, when the noodles are al dente add them directly to the tomate with tongs. don’t use a strainer. if it’s a short noodle, get a spider skimmer, do the same. finish in the tomate. serve with a good crusty pugliese.Potatoes and lardons
I do a tartiflette which is pretty similar to this.
I’d love to see it on the cooking sub °o°
What are your best economical recipes that aren’t just beans, chickpeas, and rice?
I mean I eat beans and rice almost daily and always look forward to it, so…
Try this Eggplant with Garlic Sauce. I just use standard dark soy sauce and an American eggplant, it’s still great. Anyone in college in particular should try it, just because of how cheap and easy it is.
Also cabbage soup is one of my favorite lunches.
I do cook beans and rice, those meals are already in my rotation, I just don’t feel I need more beans and rice recipes. I’ll give the eggplant recipe a go.
Cook in bulk. Everything is cheaper if you can make 10 portions, divide and freeze.
Mille feuille nabe. It’s cabbage and pork (sliced thin) layered together and cooked in dashi or whatever broth you have. Pack it with other veggies, mushrooms, whatever is on sale. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, serve with rice or noodles.
I like to put the whole pot on the table and have people take pieces like hot pot.
Also a good time to break out any sauces you have. Ponzu, chili oil, sriracha, whatever your taste. It’s very flexible.
Tater tot casserole.
We don’t really have tater tots here.
