MoneyMagpie Editor and financial expert Vicky Parry shares the best midweek meals that can feed four for under a fiver
Wallets are straining under the cost-of-living crisis especially as the weekly shop seems to grow in price and shrink in size.
Feeding a family of four costs a lot these days, but there are some staple midweek meals that work out at £1.25 per person or less. Get even more value by doubling the portions with larger packs and serving either for the next evening, using for lunch, or freezing for later.
Keep reading to find more tips on saving money on your weekly shop to keep costs down and tummies full. Most of these recipes require olive oil and some pantry seasoning like basic spices, salt, and pepper, which are not included in the cost breakdowns. One large bottle of olive oil costs around £4 and makes many meals.
Easy chicken curry
The trick with keeping the cost of chicken curry down is to bulk with vegetables. You can also consider cheaper cuts such as thighs and drumsticks, but make sure to alter cooking times if you cook with bone-in options. Frozen meat is also a great way to save money. For a vegetarian option, opt for boiled eggs for a protein-hit that goes well with curry flavours.
You might be expecting a ‘from scratch’ recommendation here, but the point of midweek meals is that they’re quick and easy. So, all you need is 500g (defrosted) frozen chicken thighs, which are £3.45 from Tesco, and a large jar of ready-made curry sauce – opt for own-brand to spend around 80p.
Add an onion (20p) and some vegetables such as sweet potatoes, peppers, or cauliflower depending on your tastes, budget, and what’s left over in the fridge (about 50p). Remember you can use frozen veg so raid the freezer to save money! The total four-portion dinner comes to £4.95.
Brown the chicken and follow instructions on the jar for the rest. Delicious!
Gourmet jacket potatoes
Everyone loves a well-cooked spud, and they’re brilliantly inexpensive and filling, too. The great thing about cooking jacket potatoes for the family is that you can adapt your fillings to your family’s tastes, and rotate different ones each week. A ready-packed bag of four jacket potatoes is about 80p, or choose large loose ones for bigger potatoes on a smaller budget.
Level up your jacket potatoes with a few easy steps. First, check out Sorted Food’s video on levelling up a basic cheese jacket potato to see how easy it can be to take a mundane meal into a midweek marvel.
Next, decide on your fillings. Tuna is very cheap, with a pack of four tins around £2.50. For four people, you need two tins of tuna or three if they’re very hungry! Mix with sweetcorn (frozen is cheapest and fresh) or mayo for a quick and easy filling.
Beans is the most filling option you can choose. A couple of tins of baked beans will set you back about 80p, but consider going for tins of mixed beans instead. You can even get some which come with a tomato sauce and seasoning for under £1 a tin.
Cheese is the almost-essential topping for jacket potatoes. Get a large block of strong cheese, which will cost around £4 but last more than one meal (unless you all really love cheese).
To level up, consider cutting open your potatoes when they’re ready, adding your toppings and cheese, then grill or airfry for a few more minutes. Experiment with spices and seasonings, and consider trying a range of toppings such as leftover chicken curry to reduce food waste.
Cauliflower cheese bake
This is an easy recipe that is filling and allows for lots of recipe customisation depending on your family’s tastes, and makes a great alternative to pasta bakes (which are also cheap and quick to make!). The full recipe is available on the Good Food website.
This recipe has lots of ingredients that you only need to use a portion of, saving you lots for later. The prices below are the average cost for the portion, not the product. For example, 50g of butter is 45p from a £2.25 stick of butter that weighs 250g.
You’ll need an extra large cauliflower (£2), 100g cheddar (£1.10), 500ml milk (80p), 50ml of butter (45p), and 4 tbsp plain flour (5p) for a total four-portion spend of £4.40.
If you can spare a little more butter and a little more cheese, it makes for a richer dish. You can also add other veggies such as broccoli and boiled potatoes to make it go further, and double up on the amount of sauce made to cover it all. Ham or bacon also goes well into the dish.
Chop and boil the cauliflower for five minutes and preheat the oven. Drain the cauliflower and put in an ovenproof dish, then use the saucepan to make the cheese sauce.
Add the milk, flour, and butter, and keep whisking as the mixture boils, then whisk for two more minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in most of the cheese, then pour over the cauliflower. Top with the remaining cheese and bake for 20 minutes.
Baked feta with harissa chickpeas
This recipe from Sainsbury’s has everything: it’s quick and easy to make, vegetarian, full of protein and fibre, and – of course, tastes delicious. The listed recipe calls for a large tin of chickpeas, at 65p without any discount offers.
But if you prefer, choose a larger bag of dried chickpeas, which are £2.25 for 1kg. This works out cheaper per kilo (£1.13 compared to £1.63 tinned) and means you can add more or less depending on how many portions you want to include. You just need to remember to allow time to soak the dried chickpeas ahead of time. Store the rest in an airtight container until you next need them.
You will need:
- a block of Greek-style salad cheese (85p)
- chickpeas (65p)
- a couple of cloves of garlic (22p a bulb)
- a tin of chopped tomatoes (45p)
- harissa paste (£1.80)
- parsley (optional)
- Total: £3.97
Slice and fry the garlic for a couple of minutes, then add 2 tbsp of harissa paste. Cook a couple more minutes before adding the chopped tomatoes.
The next step is optional depending on your kitchen appliances and time. Your first option is to half the chickpeas and add half to the tomato mix and bake the other half with 1tbsp harissa paste in the oven so they go crispy and add texture. Or, add them all to the tomatoes if you’re short on time. Cook the tomato mix for 2-3 more minutes before putting into an oven-proof dish. Top with the feta cheese and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Serve.
Pizza tortillas
These are a fun midweek meal that you can get the kids involved in, too. Choose your favourite toppings and let them make their own. Pizza tortillas can be made in a grill or airfryer, and you can put almost anything you like on top!
Grab a pack of large flour tortillas (99p for eight) and some tomato paste (59p) and a block of cheese (£2.20 for 220g). Find other toppings such as tuna, anchovies, veggies, anything you love, and add to taste. You can also add herbs and spices to lift the flavour.
Spread the tomato paste sparingly on the tortillas and add toppings and cheese as you fancy. Grill or airfry for a couple of minutes until the edges start to turn golden.
Quick tips for saving on groceries
It’s worth signing up to supermarket loyalty schemes these days. In the past, they mostly offered vouchers in return for points – but these days, most mean you get access to much lower prices across the store as well as being able to earn points.
Check for deals and offers online, but try to get to the shop in-person if you can as online prices can fluctuate and you can’t take advantage of things like yellow sticker reductions.
Finally, buy dried goods like pasta and rice in bulk if you can; they are filling, cheap, and incredibly versatile. Eggs are ideal for protein, and choose cheaper cuts or frozen meat for reductions (but always check seasonal prices such as turkey in December).
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