Does anyone know some cheap family meals to prepare?

Question

looking for new recipes to dish up to the fam

Answer 1

I have £30 week after bills and rent to feed me and my two kids so I rarely buy meat and a cheap meal I make that fills us all up is a casserole dish with a tin of baked beans in the bottom, slices of potato on top of them then lots of cheese grated on top of that and baked in the oven. I serve it with slices of garlic bread and my kids love it. Sounds boring but when you're stuck for cash like I am, it's quite a nice meal. Makes a change from jacket potatoes with beans and cheese.

Answer 2

Pasta is cheap and tasty.

Take a onion, Garlic and 5-6 tomatoes.
Salt and Pepper.
And some Cheese.

Or take different Veggies such as zuccini, brokoli, pepper, leeks...
Let your imagination flow.

My tip: after boinling the pasta, drain it and fry the pasta and the sauce all together (best a Wok) for 5 minutes.
It makes the pasta soak up the sauce.

Roasted potatoes and Salad is also cheap and healthy.

Don't buy meat. Its expensive and unhealthy anyway!

Answer 3

Pasta dishes are very reasonable. You can buy really cheap tins of tomatoes, mince meat is not very expensive and cheese can be used as an alternative. Likewise shepherd pie.
You can buy trays or boxes of eggs which are not all one size and there is no limit to the things you can do with them, from omelettes to souffles.
Chicken is very reasonable and can be stretched to more than one meal once you have roasted it. It can be reheated and served in a white sauce with carrots. The left overs can be curried and served with rice.
Pancakes are cheap to make and can be stuffed with all sorts of ingredients such as tinned frankfurters and smothered in chopped tomato sauce.
Home made pizza is very inexpensive. You can buy cheap cuts of meat to go into casseroles. Liver and onions, devilled kidneys with rice and root vegetabes are also very affordable but not to everyone's taste, I know.
If you have the time, go to the local market just before traders pack up and you can buy vegetables and fruit cheaper. Lidl have half price vegetables at certain periods and so do Netto and Aldi.
Their tinned vegetables and fruit are extremely reasonable and can be adapted in all sorts of ways.For instance you can make fruit crumble out of practically any tinned fruit and serve with custard.
Go to your local Oxfam bookshop and you will be able to buy a cookery book with all sorts of suggestions for less than two pounds. There is an amazing choice on the shelf.
I hope this is the sort of suggestions you wanted.

Answer 4

I made a quick cheap meal last night for unexpected family visitors.Ham fried rice.Fry 1llb dry rice,add 32 floz boiling water or stock and put on lowest heat covered for 15 mins.Stir fry in a wok stirring in 2 0r 3 lightly beaten eggs and acouple of handfulls of frozen peas and a small tin of ham,diced.Continue to fry for few mins adding soy sauce to taste.Quick,easy and cheap.

Another easy one is to reduce some chopped tinned tomatoes with a glug of olive oil,a squeeze of tomatoe purree and basil till thick.Serve with any pasta.Costs pennies tastes great.

Answer 5

I like to go to recipezaar.com they have some good recipes. But my daughters favorite quick cheap meal is kraft mac and cheese with some cooked ground beef mixed in it. She loves it and I do to when I am on a limited meal budget.

Answer 6

MACARONI WITH SPICED BEEF AND TOMATO SAUCE
An interesting mix of spices lends wonderful flavor to this simple pasta dish — known as pastitsada — from Tavern Tripa.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground sirloin
2 large onions, halved, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 cup dry red wine
2 tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
8 ounces large macaroni
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese




Heat oil in heavy large pot over high heat. Add meat and onions and sauté until brown, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add cinnamon, cayenne, and cloves; sauté 5 minutes. Add wine, tomatoes, and tomato sauce; simmer until mixture is thick, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Chill sauce uncovered until cool, then cover and chill. Rewarm before continuing.)
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Add to sauce and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer pasta to bowl. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Answer 7

Brown a pound of hamburger & drain. Add chopped onions, celery, and green peppers. Saute until transparent. Add a can of stewed tomatoes, garlic powder, salt , pepper. Cover and simmer for about 5 min. or so and add minute rice into the skillet and remove from heat. Let set covered for 5 min. Serve with bread&butter.

I also make this with chicken thighs or drumsticks.

Answer 8

Prepare some any starch material,red or white meat,Green vegitable,cooking oil,some fruits and some fresh water.This means you already having a very cheap dieted meals for your family.

Answer 9

Tuna Salad:

In a small bowl, flake the fish and mix with 2 tbsp of mayonnaise. Tuna and mayonnaise should dominate the salad and not be overwhelmed by the other ingredients. Add celery, green pepper or cucumber (any one or any mixture) chopped in small bits. Add a tablespoon of sweet pickle relish, and two chopped scallions. Add a little salt to taste.

Cut the tops off of two tomatoes, cut each in half, and remove the core and seeds. Put on a bed of a lettuce leaf (Bibb lettuce is best) with ripe olives to make a ring around the periphery. Spoon the tuna salad into the center, and top with a pepperoncini or two. Of course, any other relishes that you may enjoy can be added, such as radishes. Makes a satisfying supper.
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Shredded Potatoes, Egg and Toast:

Roast a couple of potatoes and shred them using a grater. Place some of the shredded potatoes on buttered toast. Fry a couple of eggs on place on top of the toast. Make an exciting and delicious inexpensive meal.

Options:
You can also add a slice of cheese in on the potatoes first before the eggs or grilled mushrooms on top of the cheese too.
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Bubble-and-Squeak:

( There are many versions of this). This particular on is a casserole of sausage meat, cabbage and Béchamel sauce that turns out to be an excellent one-dish meal.

Fry the sausage meat ( see how much you need) in a skillet until all the pink is gone, and transfer to a bowl. Now mince half an onion and sauté it in what fat is left from the sausage until transparent, add it to the meat, and mix.

Butter a glass baking dish, about 8 x 4 inches, and make a layer in the bottom of the sausage meat.

Chop about half a head of cabbage into about six pieces and boil it until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, and make a layer of cabbage on top of the meat.

Prepare a generous cup of white sauce, using a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of flour, in a small saucepan. Make a roux, let it cook a little and become foamy, and add the milk. Add salt and pepper to taste.

When the white sauce has thickened, let it cook a minute and then pour it over the cabbage, covering the top. Put the baking dish in a 350° (moderate) oven for about half an hour. It should come out bubbling and with a little browning on the top, and is now ready to serve.

The "bubble" refers to the bubbling of the white sauce, and the "squeak" was the sound of the sausages in casings bursting. It's better made from crumbled sausage meat.
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Tuna Casserole:

Put two quarts of water on to boil, adding a tablespoon of oil and some salt. When it's boiling, add a cup and and a half of wide noodles and boil gently about 7 minutes .

Make a little more than a cup of white sauce, using a tablespoon each of butter and flour, and a cup of milk. Make a roux first, until it is nice and bubbly. If you use too much butter, add more flour. If the roux is dry and does not bubble, add more butter. Heat to boiling, and boil gently for two minutes to allow it to cook. Then stir in about a half-cup of good grated aged Cheddar cheese.

Open a 6-ounce can of tuna, and a small can of mushroom stems and pieces, drain both, and put in a large bowl. Add the cheese sauce, and then the drained noodles when they are done. The noodles will have time to cook a little more while baking.

Put in a casserole dish, and cover with a good layer of bread crumbs (stale baguettes and a food processor make good bread crumbs). Sprinkle on a goodly amount of grated Parmesan cheese, and dot with little pats of butter. Now put in a 350° oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top has browned a little and the contents are bubbling. The casserole is ready to serve.

Answer 10

I make a soup that is a meal by itself with chicken thighs, onions, carrots, brocoli, cauliflower, celery, whetever veggies you got, and add rice in it. You can make it with tomatoes or not,
Then after you have had a meal with it. All that's left can go into the blender and be used between layers of lasagna, with cottage cheese and mushrooms, green and yellow peppers and mozzarella cheese on top of slices of tomatoes., baked in the oven