This makes a really lovely filling vegetarian dinner. Feel free to add more veggies if you have them lurking at the bottom of the fridge: carrots, parsnips, or swede would all work well, for instance. It's a great dish for using up leftovers. Get the recipe: Bean hotpot. Spanish omelettes are filling and healthy as they're made with spuds and peppers.

Try this simple Spanish-style tortilla recipe for a weekend lunchtime. Slice them up on a large plate, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle a little olive oil over the top to make a pretty tomato salad. Get the recipe: Spanish-style tortilla. Serves: 4 Cost per person : £1.

Meatballs are a great cheap family meal. A nifty trick is to bulk up mincemeat dishes using vegetables to make them go further. Adding an extra onion and a couple of finely chopped carrots would cost less than 50p.

It would add another portion to the sauce and the g pasta will easily serve five. Stay under budget by using dried herbs in this recipe and skipping the Parmesan and pesto, but use store cupboard ingredients to boost the flavour instead. Half a crumbled beef stock cube, for example.

Get the recipe: How to make meatballs. Serves: 6 Cost per person: £1. It goes well with value range rice if you have hungry teenagers to fill up. You can get a really good deal on this large pack, which portions out at two thighs per person.

Remove the skin if you like, to keep the fat content lower but it's not necessary. Get the recipe: Farmhouse chicken braise. This Slimming World recipe for bacon and broccoli pasta salad is not only cheap to make but healthy too. We've doubled the ingredients so it serves four.

We swapped the Tenderstem broccoli for regular broccoli which is more affordable. It has a lovely texture. Get the recipe: Bacon and broccoli pasta salad.

This veggie curry is a lovely weeknight supper. Onion, garlic, rice, and tins all last for ages. The tinned spinach and paste pots keep costs down for a single meal.

But if you have the cash and might repeat the recipe, or cook other curries, A jar of balti curry paste for £1. Get the recipe: Lentil and spinach balti. This hearty pork and pepper goulash recipe is flavoured with paprika and packed with veggies such as red onion, tin tomatoes, and roasted red pepper.

Chop it in half, place it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, and bake for 40 minutes. The skin will be blackened and ready to peel off. Get the recipe: Pork goulash. You may already have some of the ingredients, such as butter, flour, and milk, to make this delicious sausage and cheese bake.

Prep in just 15 minutes. We used normal pork sausages instead of spicy ones to keep the recipe on budget. Slice the mozzarella ball thinly so you get lovely gooey layers of soft white cheese in the dish.

Get the recipe: Spicy sausage and cheese pasta bake. Serves: 6 Cost per person: 82p Total cost: £4. This makes a lovely, vegetarian-friendly Sunday lunch.

With the homemade pie case, it does not feel like a budget dish at all. You can use any cream cheese with garlic and herbs, and we swapped the crème fraîche for sour cream as it works out a little cheaper.

Butter is one of our store cupboard staple ingredients, but you do need a large portion for this recipe - about half a pack. This recipe is great for sharing and as you've got a bit of budget left over you could easily serve it with a salad for a summer meal.

Leftovers also make the perfect lunch option the next day. Get the recipe: Courgette, garlic, and herb oaty crust quiche.

One of our favourite cheap family meals that use readymade pastry. This tart is quite big and serves six people. Get the recipe: Tomato tart. Frozen white fish fillets are often much more affordable than fresh fish, and will last a lot longer in your freezer. Value range frozen peas are another of my freezer favourites, and if you get some for the macaroni cheese recipe above, you could substitute some of the rest of the bag for the mushy peas.

You will need enough sunflower oil to deep fry your fish and chips. You can actually re-use oil around 10 times before you need to replace it so keep this in mind when cooking.

Get the recipe: Beer battered fish and triple cooked chips. Storecupboard essentials : For these recipes, we have assumed you have basic store cupboard ingredients already including milk, butter, cooking oil, flour, dried herbs, and spices like dried chillies, salt, and pepper, mustard powder, vinegar, ketchup, except where large amounts are used.

Full product price : For all budgeted ingredients, we have used the price of a full pack, even if less is required for the recipe. This is not included in the £1 per portion budget.

We have budgeted for garlic, fresh herbs, and garnishes like Parmesan. Where a recipe uses a large amount of milk we have included the cost of a pint of milk in the budget.

If you're wondering which supermarket is the cheapest , then this for us varied widely depending on the recipes. Aldi often proved cheapest for large quantities, though we found it difficult to purchase smaller portions - for example, items of veg, like onions, are not sold singly.

This pushed up overall costs to some degree. Asda had the cheapest sausages and their Smart Price and Farm Stores range often represented the cheapest options. Tesco and Sainsbury's performed well for fresh vegetables; while Sainsbury's also has a good range of affordable cheeses like mozzarella and feta.

We spoke to food blogger Caroline Hartley from The Happy Food Kitchen to find out her top tips and tricks when it comes to cooking on a budget. From batch cooking to supermarket-own brands, here's everything you need to know about cooking cheap family meals If you're using two shelves to cook dinner, bake a tray of flapjacks or roast some veg for tomorrow at the same time," says food blogger Caroline Hartley from The Happy Food Kitchen.

Equally, over-ripe fruit can still be used. Make pancakes or freeze the banana before blending it with cocoa powder and a splash of milk for a delicious healthy chocolate ice cream.

Or blend with berries for a cold, thick smoothie. This is a quick and easy soup! Not into ham or craving more holiday spirit? Try this with sliced smoked turkey instead.

Your favorite Tuscan-inspired restaurant may not be the first place you'd head to get inspiration for healthy meals on the cheap. But much of this Italian region's cuisine is humble and healthy.

Tuscan cooks are fond of using cannellini beans. Here the beans partner with other great Mediterranean diet -friendly ingredients for a true-to-Italy dish that won't break the bank or your nutrition goals.

When coming up with cheap, healthy meals, consider cooking with whitefish. The affordable and lean protein is mild enough to please even picky eaters. Enjoy it on these crowd-pleasing tostadas perfectly seasoned with chili powder, garlic, and lime. On the hunt for affordable, healthy meals that work for dinner or brunch?

Get cracking—eggs, that is. Here protein-rich, budget-friendly eggs pair with other pantry staples for a cheap and easy recipe under calories per serving. Save even more money when you substitute dried herbs you have on hand for the fresh herbs.

Start planning your next chili night now. This low-cost slow cooker chili recipe can be prepped in 25 minutes. Stir everything together in the slow cooker early in the day and come home to a healthy dinner loaded with veggies and 14 grams of protein.

Sticking to healthy meals on a budget often means driving past your favorite eatery and straight home. But with nutritious restaurant remakes like this, you can don't have to miss out on take-out flavor while saving money, sodium, and calories. Not only does this well-balanced pasta recipe clock in at under calories per serving, but it also takes only 20 minutes to prepare.

Comforting chili flavors, pasta, and cheese make this meal a family favorite. Oh yes, and it all comes together in one pan. Grilling vegetables brings out their natural sweetness; in this recipe, they're spiced and seasoned to give the fajitas extra flavor.

Bonus: If you grill no matter the season , this dish belongs in your regular rotation of budget-friendly healthy dinner recipes because you can find these veggies any time of year. Burger night just earned itself a healthy vegetarian upgrade.

Here we blend fiber- and protein-rich chickpeas with warm spices, sear them to crisp perfection, then serve with crunchy, good-for-you veggies. Whole wheat noodles, no-salt-added canned tomatoes, and shrimp make this delicious meal surprisingly low-cal and nutritious.

Use frozen shrimp instead of fresh to cut the cost of the seafood. Just don't skip the pinch of crushed red pepper flakes—they give this healthy meal on a budget just enough kick. How many cheap, healthy meals can you make without chopping anything? This is one of the rare few.

It's a no-knife-needed, "dump and done" slow cooker recipe for when you have no more than 10 minutes of hands-on prep time to spare. This slow cooker dump dinner might be the easiest of all: It requires no chopping or measuring.

How easy is that? Six ingredients, 10 minutes of prep time, and great flavor combine to make this a cheap, healthy dinner idea for any night of the week. Since they're often loaded with affordable rice, canned veggies, and ground meat, stuffed peppers are one of the best dinner ideas to keep your wallet stuffed too.

Thanks to Cuban elements like briny olives, earthy almonds, and sweet raisins, this recipe is wildly flavorful. We know that combo might sound different from what you'd usually pair with beef and brown rice, but we bet you and your dinner companions will be blown away.

Easy, cheap, healthy meals don't get fresher or more flavorful than this. The minute recipe features favorites from the Mediterranean diet, including chicken , feta cheese, olives , and tomatoes, for a meal bursting with flavor that still feels light.

We'll never say no to pasta dinners , but sometimes, we're more in the mood for potatoes. On those nights, we turn to gnocchi, a traditional potato-based Italian dumpling. This healthy dinner brings together sweet corn , arugula, and a plethora of seasonings to make one delicious dinner that you'd never guess is budget-friendly.

The veggies amp up the nutrients, too. It's a great choice when you're looking for low-sodium recipes too. Turn a classic pork chop into a tangy, tropical meal.

Orange marmalade creates a simple yet mouthwatering glaze and becomes a refreshing topping when mixed with yogurt. Grilled pineapple slices on the side lend their bold sweetness to this new grill-season favorite. When you need a cheap, easy, healthy meal, it's time for a stir-fry. A little taco seasoning, some corn tortillas, a can of enchilada sauce, cover it with cheese and boom!

You've got a powerhouse meal for four or for two, with leftovers ready to go. Get the recipe for Beef Enchiladas. Want to make your whole family feel taken care of?

Treat them to a baked pasta dish. It's easy, it's cheap, and it's super filling. Get the recipe for Classic Stuffed Shells.

Who's in the mood for a minute dinner? Besides gnocchi and frozen spinach, all you need for this meal is some cream, some cheese, and a few pantry spices.

Get the recipe for Gnocchi with Creamed Spinach. Tuna salad has been the centerpiece of a number of cheap and easy snack dinners in our household.

Add some crackers, some cheese, a little fresh fruit, and you've got a meal! Get the recipe for Tuna Salad. Broken noodles simmer in a tomato broth with sausage and spinach, capped off with a big dollop of blended cheese.

Get the recipe for Lasagna Soup. An easy way to save on dinner costs? Have breakfast for dinner. This simple but delicious mix of eggs, tortillas, and sausage is a fun way to go all out while still saving some cash.

Get the recipe for Migas with Chorizo. If you're craving a tasty pasta dish that's a little more grown-up than jarred red sauce, give this dish a whirl.

We're pretty sure it'll become a regular part of your dinner plans. Get the recipe for Salmon and Creamed Spinach Fettuccini. We always seem to have the makings for tuna salad around, and elbow macaroni is not expensive.

So when we're on a budget, this tuna mac makes a dinner that's fun, filling, and fast. Get the recipe for Classic Tuna Macaroni Salad. Is there a more classic cheap dinner than mac 'n cheese?

Especially because this recipe shows you how to cook the pasta and make the sauce all in the same pot, no draining required!

Recipe: Healthier Veggie Fried Rice. Let's just face the facts: quinoa in salad is elite. This salad is a vegetarian's dream, with a refreshing combo of cucumbers, tomatoes, spinach. Top it all off with a lemony dressing to really seal the deal.

Recipe: Avocado Quinoa Power Salad. Stir-fry is always a good idea. This recipe is flexible, since we all know stir-fry can be made with everything and the kitchen sink and still taste delicious! You can even switch out the rice for noodles for a change in texture.

This recipe is easy and delicious — and, even better, you can swap out some of the vegetables for ones already in your fridge. If you have tofu, dijon, and something green, you are most of the way there.

Get scrambling! Recipe: Tofu Scramble. It only takes 15 minutes to whip up this simple-but-satisfying masterpiece. Plus, the whole recipe only requires one pan. So not only will cooking be easy, but so will clean up!

Recipe: Cheese Tortellini in Creamy Marinara. Craving sushi but don't want to go out? We got you. Even better, the recipe is flexible, so you can swap out the veggies or protein for whatever you happen to have on hand.

Recipe: Sushi Bowl. The recipe calls for a mixture of kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans, but of course you can swap in whatever canned beans or grains that are already in your kitchen.

Recipe: Vegan 3-Bean Chili. Recipe: Egg Pizza With Scallions. This hearty chickpea masala is the perfect recipe for vegetarians and can be prepared spicy or mild, depending on your taste. The recipe calls for a splash of heavy cream, but you can use coconut milk to keep it vegan.

Recipe: Cauliflower and Chickpea Masala. This easy, kid-friendly dish starts with crescent roll dough on the bottom, then it's loaded with ground beef, cheese, and any of your favorite taco toppings.

Recipe: Taco Pizza. This recipe uses baby kale to stuff the toast cups, but feel free to use spinach or arugula if kale isn't your favorite. Recipe: Bacon and Egg Toast Cups. Feel free to use any hearty veggies you have on hand in place of the beets and radishes.

Brussels sprouts, diced sweet potatoes, and carrots would all work well. Recipe: Baked Eggs With Roasted Vegetables. This creamy mac 'n' cheese is loaded with all kinds of good stuff, like white cheddar, broccoli, and seared chicken.

Leave out the chicken. Broccoli isn't your favorite? Feel free to substitute it with whatever vegetables you have on hand. Recipe: White Cheddar Mac 'n' Cheese With Chicken and Broccoli. This baby is everything you love about caprese and grilled cheese crammed into one delicious sandwich.

Serve it with salad or soup, and you've got yourself a dinner that's both fancy and budget-friendly. Recipe: Caprese Grilled Cheese. This recipe calls for a lot of basic ingredients you'll already have in the pantry.

It makes six to eight servings too, so you can enjoy leftovers for lunch all week. Recipe: Chicken Noodle Soup. Dal is a timeless classic — and this version is an ideal starter if you've never made it before. You only need a handful of ingredients, and the whole thing only takes 20 minutes.

The original recipe calls for red split lentils, but if you want to get more creative, add some French lentils, too. Recipe: Dal. Black bean patties are one of the most popular alternatives to meat. They're also pretty easy to make. Recipe: Black Bean Burgers. Recipe: Tuna Melt. Pair it with any greens you have handy!

Recipe: Sweet and Spicy Glazed Chicken. Tangy, spicy kimchi or Korean-style fermented vegetables is another way to add a ton of flavor to a dish for not a lot of money. Keep a jar stocked in the fridge, then work it into fried rice, noodle bowls, or burgers.

Recipe: Minute Kimchi Fried Rice. Recipe: Rice Bowl With Fried Egg And Avocado. Recipe: Southwest Turkey, Vegetable, and Rice Skillet.

This recipe calls for only three ingredients, and you can always add a protein to the mix if you want. Recipe: Creamy Tomato Shells. As long as the can isn't damaged in any way, e. bulges, leakages, or rust, they can remain good to eat for several years.

Once opened, just pop it in the fridge in an air-tight container and consume it within three to five days. Get the recipe: Spaghetti Bolognese. At just £1. You can make this dish even cheaper by mixing the mashed potatoes with mashed carrots, which are cheaper per kilo.

Adding in the mushrooms makes the meat go further, as well as adding to your five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Get the recipe: Cottage pie recipe.

Opting for a strong cheese means you won't use loads of it in your recipe so you'll have leftovers for another recipe - a great money-saving tip.

Get the recipe: Bacon and pea risotto. Even though they taste better than chicken breasts, thighs are always cheaper, making them a complete bargain. To keep the per head price down you can make two meals worth.

Buy the chicken mushrooms and sauce twice, and use all the potatoes and 1 ball of mozzarella over the top. You can keep the second portion in the fridge overnight and reheat it the next day.

Get the recipe: Tomato baked chicken. The melty cheese topping is one of the best parts, but cheese is an expensive extra on a shopping list starting at around £4.

These cheese slices are a handy cheat - you can just place them over the top of the past bake before you put it in the oven and it will melt in place. Scrunched-up crisps or tortilla chips make a nice crunchy topping.

You can get a similar effect from breadcrumbs made from stale bread which may end up being cheaper too. And a nifty way to use up leftover bread.

Get the recipe: Tuna pasta bake. This warm and comforting potato-topped pie is a perfect weekend supper for the whole family. This Woman's Weekly turkey mince cottage pie is perfect for Sunday dinner.

We've used tinned peas instead of frozen to keep them cheap. Get the recipe: Turkey mince cottage pie. This is such a great classic family meal, made even tastier with bacon and even healthier with peas. Using cooking bacon keeps the costs down. Get the recipe: Macaroni cheese with peas.

This cauliflower curry is a great alternative to a classic meat curry. It will last for ages with no chance of leaves going soggy in the bottom of the salad drawer.

Get the recipe: Cauliflower curry. This recipe is priced on using the two spare burger buns to make breadcrumbs, but if you have crusts of bread knocking around you could grate them into breadcrumbs and use the buns for a packed lunch.

Use the two spare burger buns to make breadcrumbs for the burgers and instead of binding them with egg, add a small splash of milk - just enough to bring them together.

Get the recipe: Bean burgers. Light yet filling, this spring courgette and pesto pasta dish is simple to make - you can have it on the table in just 20 minutes. If you want to jazz this recipe up, swap the regular pesto for red pesto instead. Leftovers can be easily reheated the next day and served for lunch or served cold with a leftover side salad from a previous meal.

Get the recipe: Courgette and pesto pasta. This root vegetable layer bake uses dried herbs to keep it under budget. If you want to make it vegetarian, skip the sausages and top with cheese instead, or swap for vegetarian or chicken sausages.

Making this dish vegetarian will also cut the cost per person. Get the recipe: Root vegetable layer bake.

Serves: 4 Cost per person: 96p Total cost: £3. This sausage and potato casserole is so cheap you could buy fancier sausages and still keep it under £2 a head. Curly kale goes really well with the tomato-y sauce and a g bag 87p would take the spend up to £1.

Get the recipe: Easy sausage and potato casserole. Serves: 6 Cost per person: 75p Total cost: £4. Start this week with a bowl of this deliciously filling winter vegetable soup, serving six. It freezes well, so you can batch cook it too. Get the recipe: Winter vegetable soup.

Serves: 4 Cost per person: £1 Total cost: £4. This recipe is one of our oldest and still really popular. In fact, it first appeared in in Woman's Weekly magazine.

Lots of the ingredients are things you will already have in the store cupboard, so there are only three items to add to the shopping list.

Get the recipe: Chicken and spring onion pancakes. This minute bean hotpot is packed full of veggies. This makes a really lovely filling vegetarian dinner. Feel free to add more veggies if you have them lurking at the bottom of the fridge: carrots, parsnips, or swede would all work well, for instance.

It's a great dish for using up leftovers. Get the recipe: Bean hotpot. Spanish omelettes are filling and healthy as they're made with spuds and peppers.

Try this simple Spanish-style tortilla recipe for a weekend lunchtime. Slice them up on a large plate, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle a little olive oil over the top to make a pretty tomato salad.

Get the recipe: Spanish-style tortilla. Serves: 4 Cost per person : £1. Meatballs are a great cheap family meal. A nifty trick is to bulk up mincemeat dishes using vegetables to make them go further. Adding an extra onion and a couple of finely chopped carrots would cost less than 50p.

It would add another portion to the sauce and the g pasta will easily serve five. Stay under budget by using dried herbs in this recipe and skipping the Parmesan and pesto, but use store cupboard ingredients to boost the flavour instead.

Half a crumbled beef stock cube, for example. Get the recipe: How to make meatballs. Serves: 6 Cost per person: £1. Creamy One-Pot Pasta With Chicken and Mushrooms Mark Bittman.

Brodo di Pollo con Pastina Chicken Soup With Pastina Naz Deravian. Pasta and Lentils Pasta e Lenticchie Ali Slagle. Vegetable Tofu Curry Genevieve Ko. One-Pan Orzo With Spinach and Feta Melissa Clark. Beans and Greens Alla Vodka Ali Slagle. Pasta e Patate Pasta and Potato Soup Naz Deravian.

Lemony Shrimp and Bean Stew Sue Li. Frijoles Borrachos Drunken Beans Ali Slagle. Creamy White Beans With Pecorino and Pancetta Sarah DiGregorio. Big Pot of Beans Melissa Clark.

Turkey Chili Eric Kim. One-Pot BBQ Pork and Beans Ali Slagle. One-Pot Rice and Beans Ali Slagle. One-Pot Roasted Squash Soup J.

Kenji López-Alt.