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Simplify Recipes:
Good news! Living on less doesn't need to involve 75p ready meals
Some of us may not be accustomed to having to make dramatic cuts to spending, or making difficult decisions when buying groceries to fit the budget.
It is much more cost-efficient to make food at home, which may seem daunting - especially if your saucepans don't tend to ever venture out of the cupboard. All too often, we pay that little unnecessary extra to make our lives easier.
So we've included some simple - and reasonably priced - recipes for inspiration. Most serve four and vary from soups to desserts.
Have a go at some of them, make your own versions and share your own budget recipe suggestions by filling in the form. For further help on saving money on food shopping, see the tips section.
Soups and StartersSoups and Starters
Soups and Starters
Onion soup with cheese toast
Serves: 4
Time: 60 Minutes
Approx. Price: £2.50
Ingredients:
4 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
15 g butter
15g flour
50ml vegetable oil
1 litre vegetable stock
70g Cheddar,grated
4 slices Granary bread
Preparation method:
Heat butter and oil in a deep pan and fry onions on low for half an hour until brown. Add flour and stir for 1 minute. Add stock, stir and simmer for another half an hour
Sprinkle the bread with cheese and toast under the grill to melt it. Serve alongside bowls of the soup.
Warm Artichoke Bread
Serves: 10
Time: 15 Minutes
Approx. Price: £4.50
Ingredients:
One large crusty loaf
Filling:
One tin artichoke hearts
1/3 jar mayo
2 oz Parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves
Preparation method:
Hollow out the bread, keeping the tearing the soft insides into chunks.
Blitz the filling ingredients in a food processor.
Spoon into hollowed-out bread, replace the lid of the bread onto the top, and place in a hot oven for 10-15 mins until the filling is warm.
Serve, dipping the crusty outside of the bread and soft inside pieces into the filling.
Credit: From a friend
Leek and Potato soup
Serves: 4
Time: 30 Minutes
Approx. Price: £3.00
Ingredients:
1 tbsp oil
500g trimmed leeks
500g potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove
750ml vegetable stock
grated cheddar
Preparation method:
Fry leeks and garlic in the oil until soft.
Add potatoes and stock, bring to the boil and simmer until the potatoes are soft.
Mash and top with grated cheese
Main MealsMain Meals
Main Meals
Toad in the Hole
Serves: 4
Time: 50 Minutes
Approx. Price: £4.00
Ingredients:
8 sausages
225g plain flour
1 tablespoon oil
4 eggs
250ml milk
Pinch of salt
Vegetables of your choice – frozen or tinned.
Preparation method:
Preheat oven at 200 degrees C - Gas mark 6.
Pour the oil into the bottom of a baking tin and place sausages in it and cook for 10 minutes.
Whisk together flour, eggs, salt and a little of the milk until smooth. Gradually mix in the rest of the milk to reach the consistency of a smooth batter is achieved.
Spoon the batter mixture over the sausages. The sausages will not be fully covered. Bake for another 40 minutes, or if you have a fan assisted oven probably less. The centre will be risen and browned.
Don't worry if the underside seems a little soft, this is normal.
Serve with the vegetables and gravy.
Chilli con carne with rice
Serves: 4
Time: 50 Minutes
Approx. Price: £5.00
Ingredients:
500g minced beef
1 tin of kidney beans
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 green pepper chopped
1 large onion chopped
teaspoon or 2 of chilli powder
300g basmati rice
1 tbsp oil
Garlic
Preparation method:
Use a large, deep saucepan with a lid. Fry onion and garlic and pepper together until soft. Add the mince until it turns brown. Add chilli powder to your liking.
Add tin tomatoes, kidney beans and simmer the whole stew on low for 30 minutes,
Boil the rice separately in a saucepan in 600 ml water for approximately 15 minutes. Serve the chilli con carne on the bed of rice.
A Variation on Risotto
Serves: 4
Time: 35 Minutes
Approx. Price: £4.00
Ingredients:
2 cups rice
fresh ginger
tsp chilli powder
2 onions
2 peppers - green/yellow or red
1 carrot grated
1 tin of sweetcorn
1 tin water chestnuts - cut in small pieces
1 tin condensed mushroom soup
20g mixed savoury seeds
15 ml milk
Preparation method:
Boil the rice, adding salt if required.
Meanwhile toast the seeds/nuts in a dry frying pan on a low heat. Turn frequently.
Then saute onions in a little olive oil.After a couple of minutes add ginger, chilli powder, peppers chopped into small pieces and grated carrot Then the sweetcorn and water chestnuts.
After 4 mins fold in the rice Serve rice mixture on plates.
Add a tbsp of milk to the mushroom soup to thin it slightly and spoon a few tablespoons of sauce on the top of the rice and sprinkle toasted seeds over the sauce.
Vary the above with different vegetables you have in the fridge or store cupboard.
Stuffed Peppers with couscous
Serves: 4
Time: 45 Minutes
Approx. Price: £4.00
Ingredients:
4 peppers (whichever colour you choose)
2 courgettes
1 red onion
150g of tinned sweetcorn
225g plain couscous
30g raisins
Preparation method:
Cut the top of the peppers, remove the core and seeds and keep the tops. Bake them on a baking tray for 5 mins in a preheated oven at 200C
Chop the courgettes and chop up the red onion and lightly fry them for a couple of minutes in a pan.
Pour 450ml boiling water over couscous in a bowl. Add a teaspoon of oil and seasoning and stir well. Cover the bowl with a plate and leave to soak for 5 mins.
Add the raisins, sweetcorn, courgettes and onion and stir into the cous cous. Fluff up with a fork and serve the mixture into the peppers. Bake the peppers for a further 10 minutes.
Mushroom omelette and baked beans
Serves: 4
Time: 20 Minutes
Approx. Price: £3.50
Ingredients:
200 g mushrooms
1 clove garlic
12 eggs
1 tin Baked beans
50 ml olive oil
100g cheese, grated
Salt and pepper
Preparation method:
Fry chopped mushrooms and crushed garlic on high with a little oil for a few mins until brown. Remove to a bowl and keep warm
Beat eggs with salt and pepper and a little cold water in big mixing bowl.
Add 1/4 of mixture to a pan and cook for 3mins. Add 1/4 mushrooms and cheese over centre and cook for 1 minute more. Fold omelette and serve with heated baked beans. Make 3 more the same way.
Roasted Red Pepper, Rocket and Goats Cheese Pizza
Serves: 4
Time: 40 Minutes
Approx. Price: £4.50
Ingredients:
Pizza base:
2 mugs of flour
one sachet of yeast
Tomato sauce:
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 healthy glug of olive oil
2 tins of tomatoes
1 small tin of tomato puree
black pepper
Pizza topping:
2 packs (aprox 200g) of goats cheese
1 red pepper
1 bag of rocket
Preparation method:
1. Heat oven to 50oC.
2. Chop up red peppers into strips, brush with olive oil and place under a medium grill. Take out when they
start to become blackened.
3. Place flour and yeast in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and add half a mug of warm water
gradually. Add more water to use all of the flour and knead to make a ball of dough. Leave the dough in
the bowl, cover with a clean tea towel, and place in warm oven.
4. Meanwhile, chop up onion and garlic into small pieces and fry on low heat in olive oil until soft.
5. Turn up the heat and add tins of tomatoes and tomato puree. Let it boil down until most of liquid has
evaporated.
6. Take the risen dough out of the oven (turn the oven up to 180oC) and roll out to form the pizza base –
have a quick look at your baking trays to make sure it will fit! You may need to make two pizzas or you
could make 4 individual pizzas. Prepare the baking trays by brushing with olive oil then covering with
dusting of flour before placing the bases on.
7. Spread the tomato sauce over pizzas.
8. Add the toppings of red peppers, sliced goats cheese and rocket.
9. Place in the oven for 15 mins or until brown.
Credit: Christians Against Poverty (with permission)
Vegetarian Curry
Serves: 4
Time: 25 Minutes
Approx. Price: £4.00
Ingredients:
250g bag unsalted peanuts
One large onion
Two tablespoons cooking oil
One courgette
One red pepper
Two cans own brand chopped tomatoes
Three tablespoons tomato puree
Medium curry powder to taste (recommended - three tablespoons)
To accompany - 400g basic rice
Preparation method:
1. Whizz peanuts in blender until roughly chopped.
2. Chop courgette and pepper.
3. Chop onion & fry in oil till soft and golden
4. Add courgette and pepper, stir and fry for 3 minutes.
5. Add chopped nuts and stir quickly till nuts start to brown.
6. Add chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and curry powder. Stir well and let simmer on lowest heat.
7. Cook rice as per packet guidelines.
Credit: Christians Against Poverty (with permission)
Tuna Bake
Serves: 4
Time: 25 Minutes
Approx. Price: £3.50
Ingredients:
2 tins of tuna (in brine, oil or water)
1 tin of tomato soup
1 tin of mushrooms or fresh mushrooms (aprox 100g)
1 green, red or yellow pepper (optional)
1 garlic clove
1 leek or onion chopped
Grated cheese
Preparation method:
1. Soften leek or onion in oil.
2. Add everything else and heat through.
3. Sprinkle grated cheese on the top and bake in oven for 10 minutes or heat under grill.
Alternatively you can just eat it with cheese grated over, or no cheese at all.
You can eat with baked jacket potato, pasta shapes or rice.
It tastes even better if cooked the day before, left to cool and then put in the fridge overnight.
Credit: Christians Against Poverty (with permission)
DessertsDesserts
Desserts
Banana and Raspberry ice Lollies
Serves: 4
Time: 10 Minutes
Approx. Price: £1.50
Ingredients:
2 Medium Bananas
16 x raspberries
2 Tbsp Natural greek Yoghurt
Lolly moulds
Preparation method:
Slice up the fruit. Throw all the ingredients into a blender and blend till smooth. Divide into 4 lolly makers and freeze over night.
Fruit Cake/Pie
Serves: 4
Time: 60 Minutes
Approx. Price: £1.50
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter or margerine (4oz)
Tinned fruit (pears are best!)
Preparation method:
Place fruit in the base of a fairly deep oven proof dish.
Add only half of the juice or syrup that the fruit is preserved with.
Mix the rest of the ingredients together using an electric whisk or hand whisk.
Pour cake mixture over the fruit, and bake in the oven at 200°c for 3/4 hour.
South African Melktert (Milk Tart)
Serves: 4
Time: 50 Minutes
Approx. Price: £2.50
Ingredients:
Pastry base:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
125g butter
1 egg
2 tsp baking powder
Filling:
1 litre milk
2 1/2 heaped tbsp cornflour
2 1/2 tbsp flour
1 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 eggs
12g butter
Preparation method:
Method for base:
Cream butter and sugar together and add the egg.
Beat well and add all of the dry ingredients to make a stiff dough.
Press into 2 round tart pans and bake at 175°C until cooked.
Method for filling:
Sieve the cornflour, flour, sugar and salt together.
Bring the milk gently to the boil (simmer over a low temperature otherwise the milk may burn).
In a seperate bowl, beat the eggs then add the sugar, flour, cornflour and salt mixture. Mix well.
Pour into the simmering milk and stir briskly until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat.
Beat in butter and vanilla essence and pour into the baked pastry shells.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and allow to cool.
Best served chilled.
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