Budget Recipes & Meal Ideas

[Rouge]

Being the time of year that it is, most of us are pinching pennies wherever possible right? So lets see what money we can save by what we cook in the kitchen

[Rouge]

Ok here are some things I tend to cook when trying to be frugal:

Meatloaf (If I can't be bothered making it my butcher does 2 for $5)
Shepherds Pie
Porcupine Balls
Stroganoff with gravy beef in the SC
Osso Bucco in the SC
Corned Beef in the SC
Chicken Schnitzels with Salad/Potato Skins/Mash
Honey Soy Chicken Wings with Chicken Rice & Steamed Greens
Bolognese
Sausage Casserole
Steak, wine & mushroom casserole
Risotto
Fettucine Carbonara
Chili Con Carne & Cornbread & Mexican Rice

Will think of some more. But I'd love some new recipes if you are willing to share I have a great meatball hash recipe I'll share soon

[Kazbah]

I buy a single lamb backstrap (marinated) and quick fry that, and cook up a mess of brown rice, diced carrot, peas and corn. This will do 4 serves ...

[Rouge]

Come on guys I need recipes! What are some of your Budget friendly delights

Kazbah that backstrap sounds delish!

[Michelle71]

You already have it but spring vegetable risotto. I have a REALLY easy way of making it in the oven too.

bunch of shallots / green onions chopped
2 cups of aborrio rice
4 cups stock (vegetable or beef / chicken)
tbs oil
chopped seasonal vegetables (I used asparagus and zucchini tonight) not too small or they overcook

Place shallots into an oven proof dish on the stove with the oil and cook until soft. Add aborrio rice and stir until coated with the oil and slightly translucent. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Cover and place in the oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes. Stir and add the vegetables (parmesan too if desired). Return to the oven for 10 minutes. Remove, stir and serve.

[nickel]

Thanks so much Michelle71- sounds a lot easier than having it on the stovetop and adding water and stirring for 20 minutes - how does the risotto come out? - the texture ok?

[Michelle71]

how does the risotto come out? - the texture ok?

The oven risotto is lovely - not as creamy in texture as the stovetop variety but still really lovely.

[Alan]

OK here's one for you that’s as cheap as chips
Your favourite pasta
Sun dried tomatoes
Olives
Fetta cheese.
Olive oil

Cook and drain the pasta
Throw in all other ingredients in
add a splash of olive oil
You can also cook and add some bacon bits (chopped bacon)

[Kazbah]

Alan, I do something similar - no fetta but a can of tuna.

Really cheap, yummy eat is cook some pasta, drain it. while hot stir in a tin of flavoured tuna and some grated cheese.

[Alan]

Kazbah
I do that one as well. Try adding a little chilli

[mrsmac]

Tuna pie
2 cups grated tasty cheese
425g tin tuna
1/4 cup chopped onions
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1tbl lemon juice
1 cup crushed savoury biscuits (I use jatz or sometimes rice crackers)
chopped parsley.
Mix all ingredients together well and bake in a pie dish for about 45 minutes at 180C.

We don't like tuna so i make this recipe (which is one of my mum's) with tinned salmon.

[LucaJack'sMum]

We do a yummy tuna and sweet potato cake (fishcake patties) Easy, cheap and kid friendly served with beans or any other vege...

[christy]

I'm trying a turkeyloaf tonight, woollies has turkey mince on special for $3.99 500gms so I'm going to try it and I'll let you all know It will cost me $7.00 to make a dinner for 4 including the mash potatos and steamed carrots to go with the meatloaf.

ALSO.... going to try some lentil patties this week, sound heaps like Ruth's chick pea patties

[Visitor3]

In Safeway and Coles you can get little skinless sausages called cevape. They're from my background (Serbian) and they are scrumptious. You just grill them or you can put them in the oven, BBQ whatever really (except for boiling them eeew! he!) I usually slice up an onion and some cabbage and fry it up on the stove with some seasoning and with some fresh long rolls, whala ! Dinner for under $10 bucks !

[christy]

I forgot to say that the turkey loaf went off!!! We eat turkey burgers regularly now. But at our new house, our coles doesn't have turkey mince, so I'll have to find some.

[Kazbah]

Last night I made a very scrummy risotto using silverbeet & leftover spinach.

Diced 1 onion, sauted
Added 1 cup rice (aborio & long-grain mix) and coated 1 min
Added 1 cup simmering stock, stirred until absorbed.
Added 1 cup white wine, stirred until absorbed.
Added 1 cup sliced silverbeet, stirred to wilt
Added 1/2 cup simmering stock, stirred until absorbed. Alternated silverbeet/stock until all stock used (1L stock in total, about a bunch of silverbeet. I ran out of silverbeet and couldn't be bothered going down to the garden to pick more, so finished up some spinach I had in the fridge).
When all stock/silverbeet/rice cooked/tender, added about a cup and a half of peas. Removed pan from heat.
Stirred in a sprinkling of nutmeg & cracked pepper, a cup of cheese (tasty as I ran out of parmesan) and served.

Very yummy!

[Tracey]

I actually find a ropast can be quite exconomical... Roast Chook in slow cooker or oven then spuds, pumpkin etc!

The Aldi marinated chooks are good & with roast veggies last us atleast 2 nights & then i still have chicken for rolls for lunch or dinner the next night with salad or something (3 nights in a row is Ok when being frugal IMHO ;-) )

It's like maybe $12 for chook & veggies & for 3 nigfhts family of 4 (Zy isnt eating yet) it's bloody cheap!!!!

[slimjadey]

The cheapest recipe i know how to make is this, and my kids love it:

1 tin of woolworths brand chopped tomato, onion, garlic and basil (costs like $1)
Pasta ($1-2 a bag)
tasty cheese, grated

cook the pasta, drain and stick back into the pot, add the tin of tomatoes and grated cheese (enough so its nice and cheesy) mix it up and serve.
if you want a little extra body in it you could try sticking in maybe some chicken bits or something