3 Great Recipes For You When You Are On A Budget

by A Guest Author

We have all been in the situation at some point or another, where payday is just around the corner and our budget is under some serious stress. You look in the fridge and the cupboards and they actually resemble mother hubbard’s cupboards, we all know the feeling. However just because your budget is tight it doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice good food and start eating poorly. There are many recipes that use basic ingredients that are cheap, tasty and easy to find and here are a few of them.

Pasta & Meatballs

 

This recipe will make 4-6 portions.

Ingredients

  • 750 grams of beef mince (the leaner the mince the more expensive it will be)
  • A couple of crushed garlic cloves
  • 1 finely chopped onion
  • 3 beaten eggs
  • 2 pieces of white bread, made into crumbs
  • A drop of milk
  • 2 tbsp of parmesan (or any other cheese that can be grated)
  • 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
  • 1 Kg of tomato passata
  • Pasta (any kind will do)

Directions

  1. Add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil to a pan, then add the onion and the garlic. Fry until softened. (usually takes around 4 minutes)
  2. Pour in the passata sauce and bring to the simmer. Leave it to simmer gently for around half an hour.
  3. To make the meatballs, place the mince, eggs, bread crumbs, drop of milk and cheese into a bowl. Then mix together using your hands. After the ingredients are mixed well, roll them into the shape of a ball.
  4. Add the other tbsp of vegetable oil to a frying pan and add the meatballs. You should fry them for around 10 minutes until they are fully cooked. You should turn the meatballs regularly.
  5. Cook the pasta and add everything together and enjoy.

Chilli Con Carne

 

A common favourite of students alike this recipe is great when your budget is a little squeezed. However this variation adds a touch of class to the standard recipes that you may have come across. It makes 4-6 portions and can be put in the fridge to be reheated at a later date.

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 small red chilli (If you like it spicy then buy a bigger chilli or keep the seeds in)
  • Vegetable oil
  • 500 grams of beef mince
  • Ground cumin and some paprika
  • 400 grams of chopped tomatoes
  • 400 grams of kidney beans (they need to be drained and rinsed)
  • 150 ml of chicken or beef stock
  • 200 ml soured cream
  • Boiled rice (to serve it with)

Directions

  1. Add a couple of tbsp of vegetable oil to a pan and add the onion, garlic and chilli cook until softened.
  2. In a separate pan add the mince and a little oil and cook into browned.
  3. Add the beef to the mixture of onions, garlic and chilli. You should add the cumin and paprika in at this point along with the tinned tomatoes. Let it cook for around 6 minutes.
  4. Add the stock and bring to the boil then leave it to simmer. The sauce should start to thicken when this happens you should add the kidney beans then leave it to cook for about 10 minutes.
  5. Serve on top of the rice with a spoonful of soured cream.

Chicken & Onion Kebabs

 

Simple to make and great tasting each serving has an estimated cost of about £0.50p. The recipe that follows makes 8 servings.

Ingredients

  • Barbecue sauce
  • Tomato sauce
  • 1 grated onion
  • Lemon juice (optional)
  • 3 chicken breasts chopped into 1 inch cubes
  • Olive oil
  • 1 and ½ onions chopped into quarters then separated by layers

Directions

  1. Preheat the grill to 200 degrees celsius
  2. Brush a little olive oil over the cubes of chicken
  3. Add the chicken to 8 metal skewers, alternating with the slices of onion
  4. Add the barbecue sauce, tomato sauce and grated onion to a bowl and whisk until mixed thoroughly
  5. Cook the kebabs in the grill until slightly browned, it should take around 10 minutes make sure that you turn them frequently
  6. Serve with the sauce and enjoy

Image is a courtesy of shutterstock.com

About The Author

Article was written by Sonia Meehan, a writer on personal finance related topics like short-term loans online,

This post was written by A Guest Author

This post was written by a guest author. If you have high quality, useful information to share with students, send us an email or click Write For Us to learn more. And in case you're wondering - yes, you can promote yourself in this fancy author byline.

Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post: