Cheap family meals: Budget recipes under £1 per head

From spaghetti Bolognese to fish and chips, from tuna pasta to risotto, our cheap family meals are budget recipes all under £1 ahead.  

The cost of living crisis isn't going away – in August, figures by Statista showed that over half of households in the UK saw their bills increase on the month before, and the price of food has gone up by almost 50% since the start of 2023, according to the Office of National Statistics. Even more shockingly, 5% of adults reported that in the two weeks before they were surveyed, they had run out of food and been unable to afford more.

As it's still such a challenge to feed a family nutritious food on a budget, we’ve brought together a collection of cheap family meals that are all under £1 per portion, with ingredients from Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, Sainsbury's, and Aldi (when it comes to where to shop, it might also help to know the answer to the million dollar question is Aldi or Lidl cheaper?) 

Faith Archer, mum-of-two, personal finance journalist, and money blogger at Much More With Less says, “I try to keep food costs down by switching to less expensive alternatives, stretching pricey protein with seasonal veg or beans, and slashing food waste. For example, using chicken thighs rather than breasts, and frozen white fish rather than fresh cod.

“What really makes the difference is planning meals over a week or more, rather than focusing on a single recipe," she adds. "That way if, for example, I splash out on a pack of soured cream, bacon, or fresh coriander for one meal, I can make sure to use the rest in a different meal another day. Binning food is like setting fire to fivers.”

From cottage pie to halloumi and tomato salad, here are our best recipes for everyone looking to save money on food.

Cheap family meals: Budget recipes

1. Meatballs with spaghetti

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 96p | Total cost: £3.82

Priced at Tesco 

Ingredients:

• 1 brown onion, 10p
• 500g minced pork, £1.79
• 1 garlic, 25p
• Hearty Food Co. Spaghetti Pasta, 20p
• 1 egg, from a pack of 6, 85p
• Tomato Puree, 35p
• 1 can Grower's Harvest Chopped Tomatoes, 28p

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 500g 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. Tesco Classic Green Pesto is an extra £1 (for a 190g jar) but you only need a spoonful, leaving plenty for other meals. An opened jar will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

Get the recipe: How to make meatballs

2. Farmhouse chicken braise

Serves: 6 | Cost per person: 92p | Total cost: £5.53

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• 2kg British Fresh Chicken Skin on Thighs, £3.50
• 500g carrots, 23p
• 2 leeks, 60p
• 150ml double cream, 75p
• Hubbard’s Foodstore English mustard, 45p

Faith says: “I’m a big fan of using tasty chicken thighs rather than more expensive chicken breasts, and the creamy mustard sauce makes this dish special. It goes well with value range rice if you have hungry teenagers to fill up.”

Chicken breast is probably the nation’s favourite cut, but it’s expensive and it’s not nearly as tasty or tender as thighs. 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

3. Bacon and broccoli pasta salad

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 89p | Total cost: £3.57

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• Smart Price Pasta Shapes, 32p
• Butcher's Selection 12 Unsmoked Back Bacon Rashers, £1.75
• Mild Tender Baby Spinach, 90p
• Broccoli, 50p

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. When you prepare the broccoli, don’t discard the stem - you can cube it and use it in the pasta sauce too. It has a lovely texture.

We used back bacon here, but check the prices of the streaky bacon too as it’s often cheaper. Keep any bacon leftovers in the freezer and you’ll have some ready for next time.

Get the recipe: Bacon and broccoli pasta salad

4. Courgette, garlic, and herb oaty crust quiche

Serves: 6 | Cost per person: 75p | Total cost: £4.50

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• Tesco Scottish Rough Oatcakes, 80p
• Soft Cheese with Garlic & Herb, 90p
• 3 courgettes, £1.20
• 2 eggs (from a pack of 6), 85p
• Sour cream, 75p

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 leftover 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

5. Lentil and spinach curry

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 95p | Total cost: £3.80

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• 1 tin green lentils, 48p
• Tinned spinach leaves, 75p
• Smart Price peeled plum tomatoes, 28p
• Red onion, 10p
• Garlic, 25p
• Pataks Madras paste pots, 99p (at Tesco or Aldi)
• Fresh coriander, 50p
• Smart Price Long Grain Rice, 45p

This veggie curry is a lovely weeknight supper. We’ve served it with rice rather than naan bread and chutney to keep the price down. Faith says: “This curry can be whipped up from store cupboard staples. 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, Asda sells a jar of balti curry paste for £1.50 and an 850g bag of frozen spinach for £1.40. These would make at least four meals and be cheaper over the long run.”

Get the recipe: Lentil and spinach balti

6. Tomato tart

Serves: 6 | Cost per person: 84p | Total cost: £5.06

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• Cherry tomatoes (500g), £1.35
• Green pesto, £1
• Sainsbury Frozen rolled puff pastry, £1.30
• Iceberg lettuce, 46p
• Sainsbury’s balsamic dressing, 95p

One of our favourite cheap family meals that uses readymade pastry. Check the frozen aisle for readymade puff pastry, as it’s often cheaper than the chilled versions (though Sainsbury’s chilled puff pastry does go on offer at £1 from time to time).

This tart is quite big and serves six people. We’ve served it with a dressed salad here, which still comes in under £1 per person. The tart on its own is 61p per portion.

Get the recipe: Tomato tart

7. Baked vegetable polenta

Serves: 6 | Cost per person: 71p | Total cost: £4.25

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• Tropical Sun Fine Cornmeal Polenta (500g), 85p
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley, 50p
• Garlic, 25p
• Farm Stores White Mushrooms, 50p
• 2 leeks, 60p
• Cherry tomatoes (325g), 80p
• Asda Greek-style cheese, 75p

Polenta is ground corn that can be cooked to a thick, creamy consistency, or left to set, then you can slice it. It’s an Italian staple, and it’s cheap. If you’re not tried cooking with it before, this recipe is a delicious, filling way to start.

Fresh cut herbs are pricey and tend to only be good for 1-2 uses; you can use dried instead. Alternatively, it’s only 10p more to buy a parsley plant from Asda. You can use it for this recipe then plant it in the backyard or in a window box. It’s a really low-maintenance plant and should survive all summer, if not longer.

Get the recipe: Baked vegetable polenta

8. Courgette pesto pasta

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 98p | Total cost: £3.92

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• Green Pesto Sauce, £1
• Hearty Food Co. Spaghetti, 20p
• 2 courgettes, 80p
• 1 onion, 10p
• Cook Italian Grated Hard Cheese, £1.35
• Fresh cut basil, 47p

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. You’ll use about half a jar of pesto here, leaving the other half for another meal (or to make this one again). Over two meals, that brings the cost down to 86p per portion.

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

9. Smoked bacon and onion tart

Serves: 6 | Cost per person: 91p | Total cost: £5.43

Priced at Morrisons

Ingredients:

• Everyday Value cooking bacon (500g), £1.49
• 2 onions, 20p
• Free Range Eggs (6), £1.20
• British soured cream (150ml), 75p
• Greenside Deli Mature Cheddar, £1.79

“This tart demonstrates how small amounts of cooking bacon and cheese can add loads of flavour, while still leaving lots to use in other meals," says Faith. "If you buy a larger container of soured cream, crème fraiche, or double cream it typically costs less per gram, and you could substitute the rest in the chicken braise or macaroni cheese. Plus, the tart tastes good cold too, so it works well for packed lunches or summer picnics.”

The original recipe serves eight but to give everyone a nice main portion, we’ve costed it to feed just six. There is enough room in the budget to serve it with an iceberg lettuce salad (an extra 55p).

Get the recipe: Smoked bacon and onion tart

10. Spaghetti Bolognese

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 85p | Total cost: £3.39

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• 2 medium onions, 20p
• Beef mince (500g), £1.79
• Garlic, 25p
• Mushrooms (90g), 32p
• 1 can Chopped tomatoes, 28p
• Tomato puree, 35p
• Hearty Food Co. Spaghetti Pasta, 20p

Faith says: “Spaghetti Bolognese is one of my children’s favourite meals, and a budget favourite too. You can pick up value range spaghetti for just 20p and stretch the sauce with vegetables, such as the mushrooms or grated carrot, and finely chopped celery. I make Bolognese sauce in my slow cooker to save energy costs too.”

Make the meal go even further by adding up to another 250g of mushrooms (75p) and another can of chopped tomatoes (28p). This will make an extra two portions, and any leftovers can be stored in the fridge overnight - or even frozen for dinner another night.

Another great thing about recipes using canned food is when considering 'how long does canned food last?' the answer is indefinitely. As long as the can isn't damaged in any way, e.g. bulges, leakages or rust, they can remain good to eat for several years. Once opened, just pop in fridge in an air-tight container and consume within three-five days.

Get the recipe: Spaghetti Bolognese

11. Pork kebabs in pitta

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1 | Total cost: £4

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• British Extra Lean Diced Pork Leg (425g) £2.45
• Mary Ann's Dairy Low Fat Natural Yogurt 500g, 45p
• Garlic 25p
• Cucumber portion 35p
• Value White Pitta (6) 50p

“Here’s an example where switching an ingredient, substituting chunks of pork for expensive lamb, brings the price right down," says Faith. "Investing in a big pot of natural yogurt means you can eat the rest with fruit or cereal, or add a cooling dollop to curry.”

Stuff the pittas even more with shards of iceberg lettuce for an extra 46p. This budget recipe makes a great family dinner option in the summer months - or a hearty lunch time dish at the weekends.

Get the recipe: Lamb kebabs in pitta

12. Macaroni cheese with peas

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 95p | Total cost: £3.79

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• Everyday Value pasta penne quills (500g), 58p
• The Greengrocer garden peas (850g), 52p
• J James cooking bacon (500g), 75p
• Sainsbury's Mary Ann Dairy Mild Cheddar Slices 200g, 99p
• British Creme Fraiche, 95p

This is such a great classic family meal, made even tastier with bacon and even healthier with peas. Faith says: “Adding the bacon and peas to macaroni cheese lifts it from a side dish into a main meal, and this recipe is easy to scale up if you have loads of kids to feed.

Using cooking bacon keeps the costs down. You end up with the same great taste, it’s just that rather than paying extra for neatly packaged rashers you get a mix of streaky and back bacon, some chunks and some slices, some with rind and some not.”

Get the recipe: Macaroni cheese with peas

13. Beer-battered fish and double-cooked chips

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 94p | Total cost: £3.74

Priced at Morrisons

Ingredients:

• International Seafood Co Fish Fillets (450g), £1.89
• 4 baking potatoes, 39p
• Manns original brown ale (500ml) £1.10
• 2 x Smart price mushy peas (300g), 36p

Faith says: “Rather than splashing out on a takeaway, save by making your own fakeaway fish and chips instead. 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

14. Pork goulash

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 93p | Total cost: £3.71

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• Extra Lean British Pork stir fry 300g, £1.75
• Onion, 15p
• 1 red pepper, 48p
• Tomato puree, 35p
• Garlic, 25p
• Hubbard’s Foodstore Chopped Tomatoes, 28p
• Creamfields Low Fat Natural Yogurt, 45p

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.

To save money we’ve used a fresh red pepper - you can roast it yourself in the oven in about 45 minutes. 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

15. Turkey mince cottage pie

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 99p | Total cost: £3.97

Priced at Morrisons

Ingredients:

• Turkey thigh mince, £2.25
• Tomato passata (500g), 45p
• Onion, 20p
• Savers Marrowfat peas, 39p
• Carrots (500g), 29p
• 4 Potatoes, 39p

This warm and comforting potato topped pie is a perfect weekend supper for the whole family. It’s packed with meat, potatoes, and vegetables, a whole meal in one. Turkey mince is slightly more expensive than beef but it’s tasty and healthy - a lean source of protein.

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

16. Tuna and brown rice salad

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 98p | Total cost: £3.95

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• 2 Onions, 20p
• Smart Price Long Grain White Rice (1kg), 45p
• Mild salsa dip, 79p
• Black olives, 60p
• Smart Price red kidney beans, 33p
• 1 tin sweetcorn, 40p
• 2 tins Smart Price Tuna in brine, 59p

This tuna and brown rice salad is not only cheap to make but nutritional too. The original recipe serves one so we’ve doubled the amount of onion and tuna, and quadrupled everything else to make it serve four in total. This is a great choice for those warmer summer evenings when you're looking for something filling but not too heavy.

Leftovers can easily be stored in the fridge and eaten the next day for lunch. If you want to cut the cost of this dish further, leave the salsa dip and enjoy a plain tuna and brown rice salad instead.

Get the recipe: Tuna and brown rice salad

17. Bean burgers

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 95p | Total cost: £3.78

Priced at Morrisons

Ingredients:

• KTC Red Kidney Beans (400g), 45p
• KTC Butter Beans (400g), 45p
• Spring onions 59p
• Fresh coriander bunch 85p
• Morrisons Sliced White Rolls (6), 79p
• Onion 10p
• Shredded Iceberg lettuce, 55p

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.

Faith says: “Tinned beans are a good way to add protein for less, and your kids may be more willing to try them when shaped into these tasty burgers. 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.”

Get the recipe: Bean burgers

18. Bacon and chilli pasta

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 91p | Total cost: £3.64

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• Hubbards Foodstore spaghetti (1kg), 40p
• J James cooking bacon (500g), 75p
• Imperfectly Tasty Mixed Peppers, 80p
• Garlic, 25p
• Hubbard’s Foodstore Pasta Sauce, 39p
• Sainsbury's dried grated hard cheese, £1.05

This quick and easy bacon and chilli pasta recipe takes just 10 minutes to prepare. We’ve used ‘wonky veg’ peppers which usually come in a mixed bag of red and green, sometimes yellow. They don’t look as pretty as the standard peppers but you’re chopping them up here anyway, and they taste just as nice. Use dried basil to keep it under budget.

Get the recipe: Bacon and chilli pasta

19. Tuna pasta bake

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 90p | Total cost: £3.59

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• Asda Smart Price Tuna Chunks in Brine (145g), 59p
• Red onion, 10p
• Farm Stores White Mushrooms, 50p
• Sweetcorn in Water (198g), 40p
• Smart Price Peeled Plum Tomatoes, 28p
• Tomato Puree, 40p
• Smart Price pasta shapes, 32p
• Single cheese Slices (200g), 57p
• Lightly Salted Tortilla Chips, 43p

This tuna pasta bake is so tasty and delicious, it’s always welcome for dinner. The melty cheese topping is one of the best parts, but cheese is an expensive extra on a shopping list (starting at around £4.42 for the per kilo price). 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

20. Sausages with kale mash

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 77p | Total cost: £3.08

Priced at Morrisons

Ingredients:

• Sliced curly kale (200g) £1
• 4 baking potatoes, 39p
• Spring onions (100g) 59p
• Woodheads Pork sausages, 80p (special offer, normally £1)
• Savers gravy granules, 30p

“Sausage and mash is great comfort food," says Faith, "And value range gravy granules really help if you are tight for time mid-week. You can also ring the changes and shave costs by substituting half a savoy cabbage for a bag of chopped kale. Savoy cabbage lasts quite a while in the fridge, and you’d still have the other half to use in soups, stir-fries, and steamed as extra veg."

Make your own onion gravy if you prefer. Save the fat that comes off the sausages as they cook and use it to fry a sliced onion (10p). Don’t let it burn, but it should really soften and caramelise. Stir in a heaped teaspoon of flour, then pour in a beef stock cube melted in 150ml hot water and let it bubble until you get a nice thick gravy.

Get the recipe: Curly kale mash

21. Beetroot risotto with horseradish

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 95p | Total cost: £3.80

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• Arborio risotto rice (500g) £1
• 1 onion, 20p
• Garlic, 25p
• Sainsbury’s Cooked Beetroot vacuum pack (250g) 80p
• Everyday Value horseradish sauce (160ml) 70p
• G’s Little Leaves wild rocket (60g) 85p

This colourful, tasty beetroot risotto is packed with flavour. You may be able to save more by buying raw beetroot and cooking it yourself - check the price as it varies a lot depending on whether it’s in season or not. Otherwise, the cooked version is quicker and easier as you don’t have to peel it yourself (and probably get very purple hands).

Get the recipe: Beetroot risotto

22. Sausage omelette

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 96p | Total cost: £3.87

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• Herta Original Frankfurters (4), £1.45
• Eggs, £1.29 for 15
• Cherry tomatoes, 90p

This three-ingredient dish is a weekend brunch bargain. We’ve added cherry tomatoes to the recipe to add some nutrition to the dish. Use dried herbs to flavour it - as they're cheaper and go a long way compared to fresh herbs.

Buying 15 eggs means you can have them for Saturday and Sunday brunch. Instead of the four packs of sausages, buy the 10 packs for £2.30. Use five sausages each day (or freeze the extra two), use just seven eggs on one of the mornings but add 30ml milk, and use half the pack of tomatoes each time. That works out as a total spend of £4.49, or 56p per person per meal.

Get the recipe: Sausage omelette

23. Easy sausage and potato casserole

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 71p | Total cost: £2.83

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• Onion 10p
• Seasonal new loose potatoes, 86p
• Green pepper 48p
• Woodside Farms pork sausages (8 pack) £1
• Hearty Food Co Tomato and Herb pasta sauce (440g) 39p

This sausage and potato casserole is so cheap you could buy fancier sausages and still keep it under £1 a head. Though there is a pepper in the sauce, you’ll probably want to serve with another portion of veggies to add to your five-a-day. Curly kale goes really well with the tomato-y sauce and a 180g bag (72p) would take the spend up to 89p per person.

Get the recipe: Easy sausage and potato casserole

24. Peri-peri chicken

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 96p | Total cost: £3.85

Priced at Morrisons

Ingredients:

• British Chicken Wings (1kg), £1.75
• 2 x Morrisons Cook It Piri Piri Seasoning, £1
• Morrisons Wholefoods Couscous (500g) 70p
• Savers Marrowfat peas, 39p

A kilo of chicken wings at Morrisons is on offer this summer at £1.75 (until mid-July, normally £2.80). If you have a spicy rack at home you can make up your own Piri Piri seasoning using chilli, garlic, oregano, paprika, and lemon, but these sachets are good value and two will be enough to cover these wings.

To make it a full meal, we’ve served this with couscous mixed with a tin of marrowfat peas. Make the couscous even tastier by using a chicken stock cube to make it.

Get the recipe: Peri-peri chicken

25. Tomato-baked chicken

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 93p | Total cost: £3.73

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• Asda Farmstores chicken thigh portions (1.1kg), £1.94
• Smart Price Bolognese sauce (440g) 39p
• Asda Growers selection baby potatoes (1kg) 90p
• Asda Farms Stores White Mushrooms, 50p

For this recipe, we’ve used our favourite cut of chicken: tender and juicy thighs. Even though they taste better than chicken breasts, thighs are always cheaper, making them a complete bargain.

The original recipe calls for mozzarella on the top as an optional extra. If you would like to include this you can buy a ball for 70p. 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. This would work out as 91p per person per meal. You can keep the second portion in the fridge overnight and reheat it the next day.

Get the recipe: Tomato baked chicken

26. Cauliflower curry

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 96p | Total cost: £3.85

Priced at Sainsbury's

Ingredients:

• Imperfectly tasty cauliflower head, 80p
• 3 onions, 60p
• TRS Mild Madras curry powder 60p
• Coconut milk 85p
• Bag of spinach (100g) £1

This cauliflower curry is a great alternative to a classic meat curry. Swapping meat for vegetables is a great way to keep your meals cheap and on a budget - plus it’s fabulously healthy.

If you think you’d make this lovely curry twice, upgrade the bag of spinach for a 1kg bag of frozen spinach for just £1.50. It will last for ages with no chance of leaves going soggy in the bottom of the salad drawer.

Get the recipe: Cauliflower curry

27. Sausage, squash, and onion toad-in-the-hole

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 96p | Total cost: £3.85

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• Woodside Farms pork sausages (8 pack) £1
• Butternut squash £1.20
• 2 brown onions, 20p
• 3 British eggs (from a pack of 6), 85p
• Whole milk 1 pint, 60p

Toad-in-the-hole is a great classic family dinner, packed with sausages floating in a sea of Yorkshire pudding. We’ve updated this version with some lovely chunks of butternut squash and sliced onion. It's a budget recipe at just 96p per serving.

Normally we count milk as a store cupboard staple ingredient, but since this recipe contains quite a large amount, so we’ve costed it into the budget. If you want to cut the cost of this dish you could leave the butternut squash, however, we think it adds a delicious texture and sweetness to this cheap family meal.

Get the recipe: Squash and onion toad-in-the-hole

28. Sausage and bean soup

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 90p | Total cost: £3.59

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• Grower’s Selection Shallots (300g), 75p
• Farms Stores pork sausages (8 pack), 86p
• Garlic, 25p
• Carrot, 8p
• Pinto beans in water (400g), 50p
• Savoy cabbage, 65p
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley, 50p

This warming sausage and bean soup can be a filling meal on its own, but you can serve it with an Everyday Value garlic baguette (32p for 170g). That brings the spend per serving up to 98p. We left the wine out of the soup recipe - it makes it slightly less rich but doesn’t affect the taste dramatically.

Get the recipe: Sausage and bean soup

29. Penne pasta arrabbiata

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 93p | Total cost: £3.71

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• Hubbards Foodstore Pasta Shapes (1kg), 58p
• Onion 20p
• 2 x Hubbards Foodstore Chopped tomatoes, 56p
• Garlic, 25p
• Sainsbury’s Pitted Black olives, 60p
• Fresh basil, 47p
• Sainsbury's dried grated hard cheese, £1.05

A classic Italian dish, this penne pasta arrabbiata has a rich and simple tomato-based sauce. This recipe takes just 15 minutes to cook and serves four. We’ve stayed under budget by swapping the fresh chillies in this recipe for dried ones from our store cupboard.

At 426 calories per serving, this dish is great if you're trying to eat a little healthier or you're calorie counting. It's a great lunchtime meal too as its super quick to prepare and cook.

Get the recipe: Penne pasta arrabbiata

30. Weight Watchers cheese and bacon gnocchi bake

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 89p | Total cost: £3.57

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• Tesco Gnocchi (500g) 90p
• Fresh spinach (250g) 93p
• Woodside Farms Cooking Bacon, 75p
• Creamfields Mild Cheese Slices, 99p

You can make your own gnocchi with flour and potatoes. If you make a large batch and freeze some, it would work out cheaper. Still, for ease here, we've opted for ready-made potato gnocchi. This dish is filling and bursting with flavour from the bacon and cheese.

If you don't already have mustard powder in your store cupboard, add normal mustard to taste. If you don't have any, pick up a jar of English mustard (190g) for 50p.

Get the recipe: Weight Watchers cheese and bacon gnocchi bake

31. Pasta, potato and bacon salad

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1 | Total cost: £4.02

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• Grower’s Selection Baby potatoes, 90p
• Spring onions, 40p
• Mild Baby Spinach, 180g, 90p
• Soured cream, 75p
• Farm Stores cooking bacon (500g) 75p
• Smart Price pasta shapes, 32p

This flavour-packed meal serves four and makes a lovely lunchtime meal, especially if it’s warm enough to eat outside. The soft new potatoes, salty bacon, sour cream, and spring onions pack this dish full of flavour. Toss in the pasta shapes and serve.

Pasta, potato and bacon salad is also a great BBQ side dish - ideal if you're throwing a cheap BBQ. If you want to cut the cost of this meal further, leave the pasta out of the recipe or leave the potato out and choose a potato salad or pasta salad instead.

Get the recipe: Pasta, potato and bacon salad

32. Bacon squeak frittata

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 96p | Total cost: £3.84

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• Woodside Farms Cooking Bacon, 75p
• 2 parsnips, 26p
• 2 potatoes, 50p
• Onion, 10p
• 2 carrots, 8p
• Spring greens (200g) £1.30
• British eggs (6) 85p

You can make this delicious bacon squeak frittata from leftovers. The original recipe calls for just one potato, carrot, and parsnip, but we’ve used two of each to make sure no one goes hungry. Add a good splash of milk to the eggs as well, to make them go further.

The great thing about this frittata is that it's made mostly with vegetables - which are cheap compared to meat. The bacon adds a saltiness to the recipe so there's no need for extra seasoning.

Get the recipe: Bacon squeak frittata

33. Vegetarian bean and pea pies

Makes: 6 | Cost per person: 88p | Total cost: £5.27

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• Grower’s Harvest Frozen Peas (900g), 55p
• Frozen broad beans (650g), £1.50
• Tesco puff pastry (500g), £1.25
• Spring onions, 37p
• British double cream (150ml), 75p
• 2 eggs (from a pack of 6), 85p

These bean and pea pies are easy to make and so tasty. We've used frozen peas and broad beans to keep it cheap too - both come in bags of larger quantities than you will actually need (so you can make more if you want to).

This is another good recipe for making in double portions. Two make 12 pies, buy the Jus-Roll puff pastry in a double pack for £2.35 (15p cheaper than two Tesco ones), a larger pot of cream (35p cheaper than buying two small pots), and another bunch of spring onions. You will have enough eggs, peas, and beans leftover from the original batch. Freeze any pies you are saving uncooked, then cook from frozen whenever you are ready to eat them. The total cost will be £7.14 (or 60p per pie).

Get the recipe: Vegetarian bean and pea pies

34. Pasta alla norma

Serves: 4-6 | Cost per person: 98p | Total cost: £3.93

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• 2 aubergines £1.50
• Fresh basil (31g) 55p
• 2 x Grower's Harvest Chopped Tomatoes, 56p
• Smart Price pasta shapes, 32p
• Garlic, 25p
• Asda Greek-Style Cheese, 75p

You can use Parmesan, ricotta, or feta cheese in this quick, simple pasta alla norma recipe. We've used Greek-style feta cheese as it's cheaper but still full of flavour. The recipe serves 4-6 but we’ve costed it up for as 4 generous servings, which is still under £1 per person.

Get the recipe: Pasta alla norma

35. Tuna and potato layer

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 93p | Total cost: £3.73

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• Grower’s Selection Baby potatoes (1kg), 90p
• Colman’s Cheddar Cheese sauce mix (40g) 65p
• 2 x Asda Smart Price Tuna Chunks in Brine (145g), £1.18p
• Asda Sweetcorn in Water (198g), 40p
• 1 pint Graham’s Whole Milk, 60p

This layered potato bake is packed with sweetcorn and tuna. We’ve taken the cheese out of the original recipe and used a cheesy sauce instead, to give the flavour for less cost.

Normally milk comes under our store cupboard staples, but since this recipe uses a large amount (300ml) we’ve included it in the costings.

Get the recipe: Tuna and potato layer

36. Sausage and chickpea stew

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 89p | Total cost: £3.57

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• Woodside Farms 8 Pork Sausages, £1
• Onion 10p
• Celery, 46p
• Garlic, 25p
• 2 large potatoes, 50p
• Grower’s Harvest Passata (500g), 39p
• Summer Pride Chickpeas in water (400g) 40p
• Fresh cut thyme (25g) 47p

This warming sausage and chickpea stew can be prepared in just 10 minutes and then just left to bubble. You can also make passata by pureeing a 400g can of chopped tomatoes and adding 2 tbsp of tomato puree.

We’ve used fresh thyme but you can simply use dried to reduce the cost further. Add dried thyme when you add the sausages back into the dish to give it plenty of time to infuse.

Get the recipe: Sausage and chickpea stew

37. Sausage rigatoni pasta bake

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 98p | Total cost: £3.92

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• Woodside Farms 8 Pork Sausages, £1
• Onion 10p
• Garlic, 25p
• Red pepper 48p
• Tomato puree, 35p
• 2 x Grower’s Harvest Chopped tomatoes, 56p
• Penne, 75p
• Creamfields Mozzarella (125g) 43p

This hearty sausage pasta bake serves four, and the budget includes garlic and tomato puree. You’ll have plenty of both of these leftovers so you can add them to your store cupboard staples.

We've skipped the wine to keep this cheap but if you have any leftover, add a splash or two. We also dropped the cheddar cheese in favour of using twice as much mozzarella. Slice it thinly and place it over the top of the bake so it oozes into the tomato sauce. Feel free to use cheddar as well, or instead.

Get the recipe: Sausage rigatoni pasta bake

38. Pasta with juicy cherry tomatoes

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 89p | Total cost: £3.55

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• Asda Spirali (500g) 75p
• Garlic, 25p
• 4 x Asda Farm Stores Cherry Tomatoes, £2
• Fresh basil bunch (28g) 55p

You need a lot of cherry tomatoes for this fabulous pasta dish - a whole kilo. But it’s really worth it. The tomatoes get roasted down in herbs, oil, and sugar to really concentrate the flavour and the sweetness. Then you just toss them in the cooked pasta with plenty of torn basil and hey presto. A brilliant summer pasta supper that feels anything but budget.

Get the recipe: Pasta with juicy cherry tomatoes

39. Winter vegetable soup

Serves: 6 | Cost per person: 45p | Total cost: £2.71

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• Asda Scratch Cook Frozen Casserole Root Veg Mix (1kg),  £1
• Asda Farm Stores Cooking Bacon (500g), 75p
• White cabbage 96p

Start this week with a bowl of this deliciously filling winter vegetable soup, serving six. It’s so simple to make - just 10 minutes to prep and then about three-quarters of an hour to cook. It’s also one of our cheapest dishes at 45p a portion. It freezes well, so you can batch cook it too.

To make more of a meal, serve with two Asda Smart Price Garlic Bread Baguettes, 32p each, taking the per portion to spend up to 56p.

Get the recipe: Winter vegetable soup

40. Root vegetable layer bake

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 79p | Total cost: £4.74

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• Onions, 20p
• Garlic, 25p
• Celeriac £1.16p
• Parsnips 26p
• Carrots 12p
• Baking potatoes 75p
• 2x Woodside Farms pork sausages (8 pack) £2

This root vegetable layer bake uses dried herbs to keep it under budget. Rather than 24 chipolata sausages (4 per person), we’ve gone for regular sausages and allowed for 3 per person.

If you want to make it vegetarian, skip the sausages and top with cheese instead such as British Mature Cheddar Cheese, £1.65 for 220g. Making this dish vegetarian will also cut the cost per person.

Get the recipe: Root vegetable layer bake

41. Butternut spaghetti

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 99p | Total cost: £3.95

Priced at Sainsbury's

Ingredients:

• Butternut squash, £1.25
• Onion, 20p
• Garlic, 25p
• Fresh sage, 60p
• Hubbards Foodstore Pasta Shapes (1kg), 58p
• Mary Ann’s Dairy Greek Style Salad Cheese, 75p
• Sainsbury's cashews, 50p

With fresh sage, onion, and sweet tender butternut squash, this butternut and cheese penne pasta dish is really filling. We’ve made a few changes to the recipe to keep it under budget. We used cashews instead of pine nuts for crunch, Greek sheep’s cheese instead of goat’s, and served it with plain spaghetti instead of pasta shapes.

It's a really simple budget recipe that takes just 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook. It's a healthy dish, that will keep you fuller for longer.

Get the recipe: Butternut and cheese penne

42. Lemon chicken and potatoes

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 96p | Total cost: £3.96

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• Asda Farmstores chicken thigh portions (1.1kg), £1.94
• Smartprice British small potatoes (1kg) 90p
• Lemon 25p
• Farm stores green beans (200g) 87p

Grilled lemon chicken with potatoes is a really great one-dish family meal that is quick and easy to prepare with very little washing up afterward. If you use cheaper cuts of meat like chicken thighs instead of breasts, you can stay under budget. We left out the optional olives. This is one of our favourite cheap family meals as it's so simple to prepare, and cook and costs just 96p per serving. An all-around winner.

Get the recipe: Grilled lemon chicken with potatoes

43. Leek and egg salad

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 89p | Total cost: £3.57

Priced at Sainsbury's

Ingredients:

• 4 loose leeks £1.20
• Basics mixed sizes barn eggs (6) £1
• Hubbard’s Foodstore English Mustard, 45p
• Fresh tarragon bunch (20g) 60p
• Stamford Street Single Garlic Baguette, 32p

Keep it light with this tasty leek and egg salad served with garlic bread. If you don't have mustard, buy Basics English mustard (180g) for 35p. This is a really simple dish that takes just 25 mins (10 mins to prepare and 15 mins to cook). It's a great summer option, particularly if you've had a heavy lunch. A portion of this recipe is just 230 calories per serving.

Get the recipe: Leek and egg salad

44. Pappardelle with tuna sauce

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 88p | Total cost: £3.51

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• Asda Tagliatelle (500g), 75p
• Onion, 10p
• Garlic, 25p
• Farm Stores salad tomatoes (6), 72p
• Asda Smart Price Tuna Chunks in Brine (145g), 59p
• Asda pitted black olives (180g), 60p
• Fresh parsley (31g), 50p

There's lots of flavour in this pappardelle with tuna sauce dish. We've used tagliatelle pasta instead as pappardelle isn't always available and often only comes in the premium varieties. We also skipped the capers to keep it under budget, but if you’d like to include them, Melis capers in brine are £1 a jar (180g) and you would only need 1 tbsp for this recipe.

Get the recipe: Pappardelle with tuna sauce

45. Cheese sausage batter

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 96p | Total cost: £3.87

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• Asda Cheesy Singles, 95p
• 1 egg (from a pack of 6), £1
• Asda Farm Stores 8 Pork Sausages, 86p
• Broccoli (approx 170g) 50p
• Baking potatoes (4) 45p

This cheese sausage batter uses items from your store cupboards like flour and milk. We’ve made it into a full meal by adding potatoes for mashing (or baking) and a healthy portion of broccoli. With the additional sides, this cheap family meal is still just 96p under the £1 a head budget which is perfect if you're trying to keep the costs down.

Our recipe for cheese sausage batter serves four and uses just five ingredients. It's the perfect Sunday lunch alternative. Toad in the hole with a cheesy twist.

Get the recipe: Cheese sausage batter

46. Broccoli, red pepper and cheese frittata

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 96p | Total cost: £3.87

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• Eggs (6) 85p
• Loose broccoli 52p
• Red pepper 48p
• Mlekovita Mazdaamer Cheese Slices (150g), £1.10
• Hearty Food Co 2 Garlic Baguettes, 69p

This simple, healthy broccoli, red pepper, and cheese frittata serves four, and to make it even better we’ve served it with half a garlic baguette per person. Cheese is one of the most expensive ingredients in budget cooking, but look out for special offers, especially if your supermarket has a deli section. You can ask for small portions to keep meals within budget, and pre-cut deli portions are often reduced towards the end of the day.

Get the recipe: Broccoli, red pepper and cheese frittata

47. Spanish-style tortilla

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 76p | Total cost: £3.03

Priced at Morrisons

Ingredients:

• Wonky Potatoes (1kg), 69p
• Free-range eggs (6), £1
• Onion 10p
• Garlic, 25p
• Morrisons Salad Peppers, 99p

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. There’s enough money left in the budget to get a packet of salad tomatoes (75p) alongside. 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

48. Linguine with creamy lemon and mint dressing

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 88p | Total cost: £3.55

Priced at Morrisons

Ingredients:

• Garlic & herb soft cheese (250g) £1.10
• Linguine or tagliatelle (500g) 80p
• Greek-style natural yoghurt (200g) 50p
• Lemon 30p
• Fresh cut mint leaves (28g) 85p

Sounds fancy but this linguine with creamy lemon and mint dressing is really cheap and easy to make. It makes a lovely light, fresh weekend lunch or dinner, especially on warm summer days. If you have a couple of slices of stale bread, make them into breadcrumbs and toast them in the oven for a couple of minutes. Add sprinkle over the pasta as you serve for a bit of added crunch.

You could serve this pasta with a fresh side salad as it's still under the £1 a head budget.

Get the recipe: Linguine with creamy lemon and mint dressing

49. Spaghetti and meatballs

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 89p | Total cost: £3.54

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• Beef mince (500g), £1.79
• Onions, 20p
• Garlic, 25p
• Grower’s Harvest Chopped tomatoes, 28p
• Hearty Food Co. Spaghetti Pasta, 20p
• Fresh basil (31g), 47p
• Tomato puree (142g) 35p

This classic spaghetti and meatballs is a budget dinner. This recipe is also part of our special 'cooking with kids' collection so that you and the kids can make it together. It’s a great way to get them involved in the kitchen and teach them cooking skills for life.

You can save more money by using dried herbs here and it will still taste nice, but we’ve included fresh basil here because it makes it even more delicious.

Get the recipe: Spaghetti and meatballs

50. Tomato risotto

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 80p | Total cost: £3.20

Priced at Morrisons

Ingredients:

• Savers Long Grain Rice (1kg), 45p
• Onion, 10p
• Tomato passata (500g), 45p
• Cherry tomatoes (250g), 85p
• 15 Cheesy Slices (15), 88p
• 2x Savers garlic frozen baguettes, 60p

Make this tasty tomato risotto with just a few simple ingredients. This is a cheaper version of a classic dish using basic rice instead of Arborio rice to cut down the costs. Created by our mummy blogger, it’s a great recipe for kids’ teatimes and makes a lovely change from pasta.

Swap the cheese for any other kind you prefer. If your supermarket has a deli counter you should be able to purchase smaller portions than you can find packaged on the shelves, to stay under budget. You could also try crumbling a Greek-style cheese (75p) over the top.

Get the recipe: Tomato risotto

51. Spicy pumpkin or swede risotto

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 96p | Total cost: £3.85

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• Onion 20p
• Arborio risotto rice (500g) £1
• 2x swedes, £1.60
• Sainsbury's dried grated hard cheese, £1.05

This is a brilliant squash risotto that you can adapt depending on what is in season. In Autumn, you can buy pumpkins really cheaply. You can eat any pumpkin, even if it’s labeled as ‘carving pumpkin’ but the larger ones tend to be watery and stringy, so keep to the little guys.

We used dried chillies here and skipped the wine. However, if you ever have a glass of wine leftover at the end of a bottle (red or white), you can freeze it in an ice cube tray, so you have some handy portions to add to dishes.

Get the recipe: Spicy pumpkin risotto

52. Creamy bacon and mushroom pasta

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 95p | Total cost: £3.80

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• Asda Fusilli, 75p
• Farm Stores Cooking Bacon (500g), 75p
• Farms Stores White Mushrooms, 50p
• Frozen Garden Peas (1kg), 80p
• Philadelphia Garlic and Herbs, £1

Using cooking bacon in this recipe really keeps the cost down, without it feeling like a budget meal at all. You can use Smart Price pasta and own-brand soft cheese to save an extra 53p on the total spend if you prefer. Using soft cheese flavoured with herbs and garlic instead of cream is a great, easy way to make a tasty pasta sauce.

If this becomes a regular recipe for your family why not swap the peas for sweetcorn - it's the perfect alternative, and frozen sweetcorn is just as cheap as peas too. A portion of this dish works out at just 407 calories per serving, another great choice if you're counting calories or wanting to eat a little healthier.

Get the recipe: Creamy bacon and mushroom pasta

53. Slimming World’s bacon and tomato risotto

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1 | Total cost: £3.99

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• Cherry tomatoes (300g), £1.15p
• Everyday Value cooking bacon (500g), £1.49p
• Onion, 10p
• 2 courgettes, 80p
• Morrisons Savers Long Grain Rice, 45p

Eating on a budget gets even harder if you’re also trying to slim down for summer. But this bacon and tomato risotto recipe is Slimming World approved and still comes in at just £1. Long grain rice will work just as well in this recipe as arborio risotto rice, and it’s significantly cheaper.

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge but are best eaten the next day for lunch. The cherry tomatoes, courgette, and onion count towards your five-a-day.

Get the recipe: Bacon and tomato risotto

54. Squash and green tart

Serves: 6 | Cost per person: 82p | Total cost: £4.60

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• Butternut squash (approx 850g) £1
• Frozen Broccoli Florets (1kg), £1
• 1 leek (approx 200g) 40p
• Sainsbury ready-rolled puff pastry, £1
• Sainsbury’s French Mild Brie, 200g, £1.20

This delicious squash and green tart make the perfect Sunday lunch or dinner. You can use cabbage or other green veg and whichever cheese you prefer. If you want to serve this to just four people, you can still keep it under budget by swapping the Brie for Mary Ann’s Dairy Mozzarella, 43p (this would be 96p per person).

Get the recipe: Squash and green tart

55. Sloppy Joe

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 95p | Total cost: £3.78

Priced at Morrisons

Ingredients:

• Morrisons British Minced Beef (500g) £1.89
• Onion 10p
• Morrisons BBQ Sauce (450ml) £1
• Wholemeal Rolls (6) 79p

Sloppy Joe's is an American-style burger sandwich made with lean beef mince and infused with BBQ sauce. We like ours with a slightly healthier wholemeal roll, but you can buy larger white rolls for the same price. Serve with Savers Coleslaw (300g) for an extra 9p per person, or you could serve with salad leaves instead if you want a lighter option.

Get the recipe: Sloppy Joe

56. Cheese and spinach pasta bake

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 86p | Total cost: £3.42

Priced at Aldi

Ingredients:

• Mary Ann Dairy Mild Cheddar Cheese Slices, 75p
• Baby spinach (240g) 80p
• Essentials Penne, 29p
• Merevale Free Range Eggs, 89p
• Milk, 69p

Not your average pasta bake. Rather than a classic pasta and sauce combo, this dish contains a cheesy, eggy batter, which makes a light and fluffy - almost omelette-style - bake. We’ve counted the butter and flour as store cupboard staples, but since you need about half a pint of milk, we’ve included the cost in the budget.

A portion of this dish works out at just 86p per serving, calculated for four people. It takes just 15 minutes to prep this recipe. A portion also works surprisingly out at just 409  calories per serving.

Get the recipe: Cheese and spinach pasta bake

57. Ham, bean and potato pie

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 98p | Total cost: £3.91

Priced at Aldi

Ingredients:

• Greenvale Ready Rolled Shortcrust Pastry, 85p
• British honey ham, 79p
• Nature’s Pick green beans (220g) 59p
• Spring onions 40p
• Everyday Essentials potatoes in water (560g) 33p
• Crème fraîche (300ml), 95p

This ham, bean and potato pie recipe serves 8 but we’ve halved it to serve 4. Rather than beating an egg into the crème fraîche, mix in a splash of milk to loosen it slightly, then simply pour over the filling. Using tinned potatoes keeps the price down, and once they’re baked into the pie, you can barely tell the difference.

If you have time to make your own pastry, you can save another 16p by using a shortcrust pastry mix from the home baking aisle (69p).

Get the recipe: Ham, bean and potato pie

58. Open Mediterranean lasagne

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 96p | Total cost: £3.87

Priced at Aldi

Ingredients:

• 2 aubergines £1.18p
• 2 x Italian Mozzarella Cheese (125g) 86p
• Cucina lasagne sheets (500g) 59p
• Red onion 10p
• Chosen by You green pesto sauce (190g) 69p

You can’t buy single onions at Aldi - the cheapest pack is 49p for 1kg (there are about 8 onions in there though, and they last over a week so they are a good investment). Even with this outlay, this dish comes in under budget. If you have an onion already, or you pick one up elsewhere (around 10p), you’d have enough money to get fresh basil to go in this dish (47p).

We used dried lasagne sheets instead of fresh, which will need to be cooked for a little longer - about 8-9 minutes, or until al dente.

Get the recipe: Open Mediterranean lasagne

59. Gino D’Acampo’s classic Margherita pizza

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 72p | Total cost: £2.86

Priced at Aldi

Ingredients:

• Cucina Passata (500g) 39p
• 2 x mozzarella cheese ball, 86p
• Fresh basil, 47p
• The Pantry Plain flour (1.5kg) 55p
• The Pantry Yeast (56g) 59p

It costs just £2.86 to make Gino D'Acampo's classic Margherita pizza. This recipe makes two pizzas which are perfect for sharing amongst four people. If you want to serve a salad alongside the pizza, pick up iceberg lettuce (39p) and a packet of cherry tomatoes (48p) to bring the spend up to 93p per portion.

Get the recipe: Gino D'Acampo's classic margherita pizza

60. Homemade tagliatelle

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 36p | Total cost: £1.44

Priced at Aldi

Ingredients:

• The Pantry Plain flour (1.5kg) 55p
• Merevale Free Range Eggs, 89p

This recipe for homemade tagliatelle is less than £2 for four servings. Homemade pasta is so delicious, you don’t need a complex sauce to go with it. Try tossing it in a little oil, chilli, garlic (25p), Gran Padano cheese (£1.29), or a couple of spoonfuls of pesto (69p). Alternatively, whip up a batch of one of our great pasta sauces.

Get the recipe: Homemade tagliatelle

61. Chilli potato cakes with fish fingers

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 92p | Total cost: £3.66

Priced at Aldi

Ingredients:

• Salad potatoes (1kg) 95p
• Emporium Kids 8 Original Cheese Slices 200g, 75p
• Fresh coriander (31g) 47p
• The Fishmonger 15 Breaded Omega 3 Fish Fingers 450g, £1.49

These spicy potato cakes are really easy to make and you can use the herbs and spices you already have in the cupboard to cut the cost. Adapt to whatever you have - cumin, fennel seed, curry powder, and any dried herbs. You can serve them with a salad, but we like them best with fish fingers.

Get the recipe: Chilli potato cakes

62. One-pot chicken pepper bake

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 99p | Total cost: £3.96

Priced at Aldi

Ingredients:

• Ashfields British Chicken Legs, £1.89
• Four Seasons Frozen Sliced Mixed Peppers 500g, 65p
• Salad potatoes (1kg) 95p
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley 47p

This one-pot dinner is a great cheap family meal option. Legs are one of the cheapest cuts you can buy and great value because you get all the tender meat of the thighs plus the fun of chicken drumsticks. There’s enough veg here to make this dish twice, so you’d only need to buy the chicken for a second night.

We’ve kept it under budget by using frozen, sliced peppers - which taste just as good as fresh and they’re much easier to use because they’re already prepped. A win all around.

Get the recipe: One-pot chicken pepper bake

63. Tomato and pepper galettes

Makes: 4 | Cost per person: 86p | Total cost: £3.43

Priced at Aldi

Ingredients:

• Four Seasons Frozen Sliced Mixed Peppers 500g, 65p
• Onions 49p
• Greenvale Puff Pastry, 85p
• The Deli Pitted Green Olives 340g, 49p
• Nature's Pick Baby Plum Tomatoes 325g, 95p

“Don’t fancy making your own pastry? These galettes use a pack of ready-made puff pastry instead, along with frozen sliced peppers to make life even easier," Faith says. "Puff pastry tarts are a brilliant way to make meals out of odds and ends that might otherwise get thrown away. Try a pizza version, spread with tomato puree and topped with grated cheese and bits of bacon or ham, or slices of elderly apples with a glaze using heated apricot jam or value range marmalade.”

Baby plum tomatoes are just that little bit tastier than cherry tomatoes, so we think they’re worth the extra spend if you can, but you could use regular cherry tomatoes and save an extra 47p.

Get the recipe: Tomato and pepper galettes

64. Courgette and parmesan gratin

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 80p | Total cost: £3.18

Priced at Aldi

Ingredients:

• 3 courgettes £1.15
• Onions, 49p
• Emporium Parmigiano Reggiano Shavings 80g, £1.29
• Garlic, 25p

A really pretty and enticing way to get kids eating more vegetables - cheese always helps. Courgettes start coming into season around mid-June in the UK, and that’s when they get much cheaper, so look out for special offers. You can use green or yellow ones or a mixture. A regular pack has only 3 in, at Aldi, but larger packs are sometimes available. Otherwise, you can make up the shortfall with extra onion.

This dish works well over spaghetti (20p extra in total) or simply with some nice, crusty bread to dip in the sauce.

Get the recipe: Courgette and parmesan gratin

65. Smoky cheese souffle omelette

Makes: 4 | Cost per person: 88p | Total cost: £3.35

Priced at Aldi

Ingredients:

• Merevale Large Class A Scottish Eggs From Caged Hens 10, £1.29
• Curly parsley 47p
• Emporium German Smoked Cheese With Jalapeño 200g, £1.59

We’ve more than doubled the ingredients for this souffle omelette. Buying 10 eggs means you have enough for just over 2 per person, so you can use the whole box, or save two for another recipe. Serve with chipped potatoes on the side for a more complete meal. There’s enough in the budget to get 4 baking potatoes at 16p each, taking the total spend to £3.99.

Get the recipe: Smoky cheese soufflé omelette

66. Sweet potato pasta

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1 | Total cost: £3.99

Priced at Aldi

Ingredients:

• Loose sweet potatoes (approx 350g) £1.71
• Essentials Penne, 29p (500g) 29p
• Four Season’s Frozen peas (900g) 55p
• McCallum’s low-fat natural yoghurt (500g) 45p
• Everyday Essentials 10 Mild Cheddar Slices 200g, 99p

Cheese slices are a great way to add flavour to this dish whilst not using a whole block of cheese. Sweet potatoes will get cheaper as they come into season as the year goes on, so this is a great late summer or early Autumn pasta dish.

It costs just £1 per person to make this easy recipe - it's one of our best cheap family meals that has been given a 4.5-star rating by over 350 people.

Get the recipe: Sweet potato pasta

67. Bangers and apple mash

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 95p | Total cost: £3.78

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• Woodside Farms pork sausages (8 pack) £1
• Baking potatoes (4) £1
• Gala Apples, £1.29
• Onion 10p
• Stockwell & Co Gravy Granules, 39p

This hearty, cheap family meal works out at only 84p per serving. The apples add a sweet, autumny fruitiness to the potatoes, which goes really well with thick, tasty onion gravy. They are more expensive than potatoes, so you can save money by leaving them out, but it’s a nice way to add another portion of fresh fruit into your meal.

Get the recipe: Bangers and apple mash

68. Bacon with sprout bubble and squeak

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 89p | Total cost: £3.54

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• Woodside Farms Cooking Bacon, 75p
• British baby potatoes (1kg) £1
• Redmere Farms Brussels sprouts, 47p
• Eggs (6) - 85p
• Fresh parsley, 47p

Using plenty of filling spuds and a little rich bacon you can make this bacon and sprout bubble and squeak for under £4 for the whole family. It takes just five ingredients to make this filling recipe. Swap the fresh parsley for store cupboard dried herbs instead to save spending 47p.

This cheap family meal is also great for using up leftover roast dinner favourites - particularly from Christmas like Brussels sprouts and roast potatoes.

Get the recipe: Brussels sprout and bacon bubble and squeak

69. Bean hotpot

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 85p | Total cost: £3.41

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• Celery, 47p
• Loose sweet potatoes, 45p
• Yellow pepper, 48p
• Imperfectly Tasty Green beans (220g), 77p
• Butter Beans (400g), 60p
• Stamford Street Garlic Baguette, 64p

This 20-minute bean hotpot is packed full of veggies. Instead of ciabatta topped with thyme and cheese, we’ve served it up with two garlic baguettes, which are on price match with Aldi for only 64p for 2. 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

70. Chicken and spring onion pancakes

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 85p | Total cost: £3.39

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• J.James & Family Cooked British Chicken Breast Slices 240g, £1.99
• Sainsbury’s Woodland Free Range Eggs, £1
• Spring onions 40p

This recipe is one of our oldest and still really popular. In fact, it first appeared in 1924 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.

It’s also a great way to use up the last of the roast chicken if you had one for Sunday lunch - you don’t need all that much per person to make a nice, tasty meal.

Get the recipe: Chicken and spring onion pancakes

71. Bacon and cheese frittata

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 99p | Total cost: £3.96

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• 2 large baking potatoes, 50p
• Woodside Farms Cooking Bacon, 75p
• Eggs (6), 85p
• Creamfields Grated Lighter Mature Cheese 250G, £1.49
• Spring onions, 37p

Gary Rhodes’ bacon and potato frittata is made using only a handful of ingredients including potatoes, bacon, spring onion, and eggs. We’ve used lighter cheese, already grated, because it makes it as quick and easy as possible to make.

However, if you prefer regular cheddar, see if you can find it at the deli counter to keep it under budget. Otherwise, swap it for feta (£1.35) or a slab of brie (95p).

Get the recipe: Bacon and cheese frittata

72. Italian cabbage and white bean stew

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 79p | Total cost: £3.16

Priced at Sainsbury's

Ingredients:

• Onion 20p
• Celery, 47p
• Sainsbury's Garlic, 25p
• 1 carrot, 8p
• 2 x Hubbards Foodstore Chopped tomatoes, 56p
• Savoy cabbage, 45p
• Cannellini beans in water (410g) 60p
• Ciabatta Bread Mix (500g) £1

Whip up this hearty Italian cabbage and white bean stew in just 30 minutes. This budget recipe is bursting with vitamins thanks to all the veg like carrots, celery, cabbage, and tomatoes. This is lovely served up with some crusty bread to mop up all of the juices.

Cheaper than a ciabatta loaf is this ciabatta bread mix, which is to make yourself at home and will fill the house with the delicious smell of freshly baked bread.

Get the recipe: Italian cabbage and white bean stew

73. Bombay potatoes recipe

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 89p | Total cost: £3.54

Priced at Aldi

Ingredients:

• Nature’s Pick salad potatoes (1kg) 95p
• Onions 49p
• 2 x Bilash plain naan (2 per pack - 260g), £1.18
• McCallum’s Low Fat natural yogurt (500g), 45p
• Fresh coriander (31g), 47p

Potatoes are always a filling choice and this spicy, aromatic curry is no exception. It comes with a plain naan bread per person, but you can swap these for garlic and coriander naans for the same price. In addition, you can add extra root vegetables to bulk up the dish. Carrots or parsnips would work without breaking the budget.

Get the recipe: Bombay potatoes

74. Courgette and lemon pasta

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 84p | Total cost: £3.37

Ingredients: (priced at Asda)

• Tagliatelle pasta (500g) 75p
• 2 courgettes £1.12
• Garlic 25p
• 1 lemon, 25p
• Ricotta cheese, £1

A quick, light pasta, perfect for summer evenings. This original recipe serves two, so we’ve doubled all the quantities except the lemon. One will be sufficient, but two would be too lemony for the dish. There’s enough room in the budget to buy two Smart Price garlic bread baguettes (32p each) bringing the total spend to £1 per person.

Get the recipe: Courgette and lemon pasta

75. Roast sweet potato soup

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 52p | Total cost: £2.10

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• Grower’s Selection Sweet Potato (1kg),  £1
• Onion 10p
• Garlic, 25p
• Asda Farm Stores Cooking Bacon (500g), 75p

Sweet potato makes a delicious, velvety soup that is a welcome treat at lunchtime or as an evening meal. You could double the batch of this by simply buying one more onion (this is because you will have enough bacon and sweet potato already).

Freeze any portions you do not intend to eat in the next three days and the spend per portion drops to an incredible 28p per portion. You can add also a crusty baguette for dipping for another 80p.

Get the recipe: Roast sweet potato soup

76. Spicy sausage and cheese bake

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 88p | Total cost: £3.53

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• Hearty Food Co pasta shapes (500g) 32p
• Woodside Farm pork sausages (8 per pack - 454g) £1
• Creamfields Mild Cheddar Slices (200g), 99p
• Fresh cut thyme (25g) 47p
• Creamfields mozzarella (125g) 75p

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

77. Mango and tomato curry

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 89p | Total cost: £3.56

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• Red onion, 10p
• Red chillies (50g), 70p
• Garlic, 25p
• Classic round tomatoes, 69p
• Small mango, 79p
• Mary Ann's Dairy Low Fat Natural Yoghurt 500g, 45p
• Sainsbury's White Rice (1kg), 40p
• Lime, 18p

This recipe swaps meat for mango instead making it cheaper than classic curry. The mango is not only cheaper but adds a real depth of sweetness to this dish. You do need a few spices to follow this recipe exactly - mustard seeds and curry leaves, for instance.

Don’t worry too much if you don’t have them though. We left out the mustard seeds and swapped the fresh curry leaves for some lime zest from fresh lime because it is a good substitute. You can also add a squeeze of lime juice at the end to give it a fresh little twist.

Get the recipe: Mango and tomato curry

78. Pea and bacon pasta

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 70p | Total cost: £2.80

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• Hubbards Foodstore Pasta Shapes (1kg), 58p
• The Greengrocer Garden peas (850g) 52p
• J.James cooking bacon (500g), 75p
• Sainsbury’s British Light Creme Fraiche, (300ml) 95p

Using only five ingredients; pasta, peas, olive oil, bacon, and crème fraîche you can make this simple pasta dish in just 20 minutes. There is enough money left in the budget for a bag of baby leaf salad (£1.20) as a nice healthy extra.

This recipe is perfect for lunch or dinner - and is a great lunchbox filler for the kids if they're bored of sandwiches. The pasta will keep you fuller for longer and the peas count towards your five-a-day. One of our favourite cheap family meals.

Get the recipe: Pea and bacon pasta

79. Bean and root vegetable casserole

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1 | Total cost: £4.01

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• Onion, 10p
• Carrot, 8p
• Celery, 47p
• Red pepper, 48p
• Garlic, 25p
• Hubbards Foodstore Chopped tomatoes, 28p
• 2 x KTC Red Kidney Beans (400g), £1
• Sainsbury's Fresh Grated Parmigiano Cheese 60g, £1.35

This hearty bean and root vegetable casserole is filling and so easy to make. We've used dried herbs to keep it cheaper but bought a small amount of fresh Parmesan cheese because it gives such an amazing flavour. However, if you want to save even more money, use dried grated Italian hard cheese, £1.05.

Get the recipe: Bean and root vegetable casserole

80. Bacon, tomato, spinach, and ricotta spaghetti

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 96p | Total cost: £3.84

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• J.James cooking bacon (500g), 75p
• Ricotta, 89p
• Hubbards Foodstore spaghetti (1kg), 40p
• Red onions, 40p
• Spinach (100g), £1
• Tomatoes, 40p

This bacon, tomato, spinach, and ricotta pasta makes a cheap family meal. Sun-dried tomatoes are an expensive ingredient, but if you have some time you can cheat - by making your own. Simply slice 2-3 tomatoes into quarters and roast them on your oven’s lowest setting (about 120ºC/250ºF/Gas ½) for about 3 hours.

Get the recipe: Bacon, tomato, spinach, and ricotta linguine

81. Creamy bacon, pea and mint risotto

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 85p | Total cost: £3.39

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• Dairylea Cheese spread, £1
• J.James cooking bacon (500g), 75p
• 1 onion, 20p
• Sainsbury’s White Rice (1kg), 45p
• The Greengrocer Garden peas (850g), 52p
• Fresh mint, 47p

This delicious risotto is infused with mint, onion, bacon with a hint of cheese. You can use cream cheese, which costs 69p and gives a mild, creamy flavour, but for more cheesiness, Dairylea is currently on offer at just £1. You don’t need to use arborio rice to make risotto - any white rice will work.

Get the recipe: Creamy bacon, pea and mint risotto

82. Smoked salmon and broccoli frittata

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 93p | Total cost: £3.73

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs, £1
• Asda Smoked Salmon Trimmings, £1.70
• Broccoli, 53p
• Dill, 50p

Smoked salmon trimmings are the cheapest way to buy smoked salmon, but they still have all the lovely flavour. Simply double the original ingredients when making this smoked salmon and broccoli frittata, to feed four. It makes a brilliant weeknight dinner because it only takes 5 minutes to prep and another 10 minutes to cook.

Get the recipe: Smoked salmon and broccoli frittata

83. Fried potato and sausage salad

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 90p | Total cost: £3.58

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• Woodside Farms pork sausages (8 pack) £1
• Growers Harvest Potatoes in Water, 33p
• Nightingale Farms Cherry tomatoes (250g), 48p
• Spring onions, 37p
• Iceberg lettuce, 50p
• Tesco Honey & Mustard Dressing (250ml), 90p

This fried potato and sausage salad is filling and delicious. Plus, it’s a great way to convert non-salad-eaters into having some greens. We’ve swapped the bagged leaves for iceberg lettuce which goes further and has a much better shelf life.

If you already have condiments like oil, vinegar, and ketchup at home, you can make up a dressing very cheaply. Add a little mustard (50p) or mustard powder and honey if you have it, or a pinch of sugar if you don’t.

Get the recipe: Fried potato and sausage salad

84. Courgette bacon and chilli pasta bake

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 99p | Total cost: £3.96

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• J.James cooking bacon (500g), 75p
• Onion 20p
• Loose courgettes 80p
• Garlic, 25p
• Red pepper, 48p
• Hubbards Foodstore Pasta Shapes (1kg), 58p
• Mary Ann’s Dairy Mozzarella, 43p
• Fresh cut basil (25g) 47p

The smoked bacon, garlic, and basil infuse this pasta dish with plenty of flavour. Rather than topping with cheddar, which can be very expensive, we’ve used a ball of mozzarella. Cut it into chunks and lay it over the top of the pasta when you pop it in the oven for a lovely, creamy cheese finish. We also swapped the fresh chillies for dried ones from the store cupboard, which give just the same spicy kick.

Get the recipe: Courgette, bacon and chilli pasta bake

85. Warm radish, halloumi, potato and tomato salad

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 96p | Total cost: £3.95

Priced at Aldi

Ingredients:

• Chosen by You Cypriot halloumi with chilli (225g), £1.69
• Radishes (240g), 55p
• Everyday Essentials cherry tomatoes (250g), 48p
• Nature’s Pick Baby Potatoes (1kg), 79p
• Mustard, 39p

Halloumi is reasonably priced at both Aldi and Tesco, making this filling, colourful salad a good budget buy. It makes a great weekend lunch for vegetarians or mixed diners - in fact, even confirmed carnivores can be won over by this salty cheese. You’ll need a few store cupboard ingredients to make the dressing, but we’ve priced in the cost of a jar of mustard to use.

Get the recipe: Warm radish, halloumi, potato and cherry tomato salad 

86. Chunky vegetable soup

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 99p | Total cost: £3.96

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients: 

• Oatly Organic Healthy Oat Drink, £1.10
• 1 Onion 10p each
• 2 Carrots, 8p
• 2 parsnips, 26p
• 1 large leek, 50p
• Red lentils, £1.15 (500g)
• Redmere Farms Green beans, 77p

This chunky vegetable soup is packed with carrots, parsnips, and leeks. It can serve up to six people, but we’ve priced it to four so that everyone gets a nice big portion. If you’re serving for six, use the extra budget to get some bread - HW Nevill’s Part Baked Baguettes (49p for 2), for instance, to serve alongside.

Get the recipe: Chunky vegetable soup

87. Mushroom Stroganoff

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 94p | Total cost: £3.75

Priced at Morrisons

Ingredients:

• Wonky mushrooms (650g) £1.60
• Longley Farm Luxury Jersey Extra Rich Double Cream (250ml) 99p
• Onions, 49p
• Garlic, 25p
• Baking potatoes, 42p

This creamy mushroom stroganoff makes a great cheap family dinner. To keep costs down we’d serve our version with mash instead of rostis, but you can make your own potato rostis. Simply grate the potatoes (there’s no need to peel them), squeeze out any excess moisture, and season.

Next, melt a little butter on the hob, allow to cool slightly, then mix it into the potatoes. Form into round handfuls, then flatten them like a patty, and finally, fry in a frying pan for about 12 minutes on each side, until crisp and golden.

Get the recipe: Mushroom Stroganoff

88. Couscous salad

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 88p | Total cost: £3.52

Priced at Sainsbury's

Ingredients: 

• Sainsbury’s Couscous (500g) 70p
• 1 lemon, 30p
• 1 bunch spring onions, 40p
• Celery, 47p
• 330g cherry tomatoes, 90p
• Mary Ann’s Dairy Greek Style cheese, 75p

A lovely light salad. This original recipe serves 8 as a side dish, but we’ve translated this into four portions which would work as a main meal. A crunchy green salad alongside would be a nice addition. Iceberg lettuce (50p) and some extra cherry tomatoes, for instance.

Get the recipe: Couscous Salad

89. Sausage and spinach frittata

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 97p | Total cost: £3.86

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• Asda Farm Stores 8 Pork Sausages, 86p
• 1 onion, 10p
• Farm Stores Cherry Tomatoes, 50p
• Mild Baby Spinach, 180g, 90p
• 6 eggs, £1
• Iceberg lettuce, 50p

A heart and filling frittata with big meaty sausages. We’ve swapped the bag of mixed salad for iceberg lettuce which keeps better and goes further but costs about half as much. This makes a great brunch or lunch at the weekend - it's not too heavy but will keep you full up for a long time. One of our favourite budget recipes.

Get the recipe: Sausage and spinach frittata

90. Carrot and coriander soup

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 83p | Total cost: £3.32

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, 20p
• Imperfectly tasty carrots (1kg), 30p
• Garlic, 25p
• 1 lemon, 30p
• Ground coriander, 85p
• Fresh coriander, 47p
• Fresh baguette, 95p

Carrots are amazing value - one of the cheapest ingredients you can buy by weight. Moreover, if you go for the imperfectly tasty or ‘wonky’ ones, they are even cheaper and taste just as good.

Normally we count ground herbs as part of our ‘store cupboard’ ingredients, but since ground coriander is so crucial to this recipe we’ve budgeted for it. It’s also not something that everyone would have on their spice rack - though once you taste this soup, you’ll probably want it to be.

Get the recipe: Carrot and coriander soup

91. Spicy tomato chowder

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 70p | Total cost: £2.81

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, 10p
• Garlic, 25p
• 4 baking potatoes, 45p
• 2 x Asda Smart Price Peeled Plum Tomatoes, 56p
• 1 green pepper, 45p
• Garlic & herb baguettes, £1

Another big and hearty soup. Even chunky soups like this can feel a bit thin as a whole meal, so we’re serving this with half a garlic baguette per person as well to fill you up. If you want to add a meatier taste, use some cooking bacon, 75p, bringing the total spend up to £3.56.

Get the recipe: Spicy tomato chowder

92. Cottage pie

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1 | Total cost: £4.01

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, 10p
• Asda carrots, 25p
• Butcher’s Selection mince beef, £1.89
• Farms Stores White Mushrooms, 50p
• Smart Price Peeled Plum Tomatoes, 28p
• Farm Stores White Potatoes, 99p

At just £1 a portion, this classic cottage pie is the perfect budget meal for the whole family. 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

93. Spicy Mixed Bean Tortillas

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 87p | Total cost: £3.48

Priced at Aldi

Ingredients: 

• Village Bakery Super Soft Original Wraps (8), 85p
• 1 onion, 49p
• 1x Everyday Essentials chopped tomatoes, 28p
• Carrots, 24p
• 1x Everyday Essentials kidney beans, 28p
• 1x Four Seasons Mildly Spiced Taco Mixed Beans, 59p
• Emporium Cheese Slices, 75p

This meal makes a really nice change from soups, pasta, and potato dishes. It’s really easy to make and it’s ready in only 35 minutes. You might even find some of the ingredients - such as kidney beans for instance - are things you already have lurking in your cupboards.

Get the recipe: Spicy Mixed Bean Tortillas

94. Jambalaya

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 87p | Total cost: £3.49

Priced at Morrisons

Ingredients:

• Onion, 10p
• Savers Long Grain Rice (1kg), 45p
• Celery, 49p
• Tinned tomatoes, 45p
• Spicy Spanish chorizo ring, £2 (special offer, normally £2.25)

There are only five ingredients in this recipe, which neatly keeps it under budget. Rather than using tinned tomatoes with chilli in (which are more expensive), we’d just add some dried chilli to the dish for a fiery kick.

Chorizo is the most expensive ingredient in this recipe - if you want to cut the cost of this dish even further you could leave out fo the chorizo and add paprika spices and chill seasoning instead.

Get the recipe: Jambalaya

95. Squash and pepper risotto

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 87p | Total cost: £3.92

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, 20p
• Sainsbury’s Arborio risotto rice (500g), £1
• 1 butternut squash, £1.25
• 1 red pepper, 42p
• Sainsbury's dried grated hard cheese, £1.05

This is lovely comfort food, especially towards the end of summer and into Autumn when butternut squashes come into season. If you want to cut the cost further on this dish, opt for extra spring or mature cheese. That way you won't need to use too much of it to get the flavour - and then they'll be plenty left over for next time. It's also a low-calorie option too as too much cheese ups the fat and calorie count.

Get the recipe: Squash and pepper risotto

96. Bacon and pea risotto

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 96p | Total cost: £3.85

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• Sainsbury’s Arborio risotto rice (500g), £1
• J James cooking bacon (500g), 75p
• Frozen Garden peas (910g), £1
• Sainsbury's dried grated hard cheese, £1.05

Last on our cheap family meals list is this delicious bacon and pea risotto. The original recipe here was made with ready mixed risotto but it’s a pricy way to buy it, so we’ve used regular risotto rice which you can cook as normal with stock.

Bacon is always a great addition to a risotto because it’s so flavourful and not too expensive either. 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

How were prices calculated for these recipes?

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. For example, if the recipe calls for mustard, we’ve priced a full pot of mustard. If a recipe calls for 1 egg, it’s still necessary to purchase a pack of 6, so that is the price we’ve used in the recipe.

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.

Prices and portions:

• All prices in a particular recipe relate to a single supermarket.
• Most meals serve four people, except where otherwise stated.
• Prices may vary but are correct at the time of publication.

Which supermarket was the cheapest?

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.

How to cook on a budget - expert tips

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...

Batch cook everything

“You'll save on fuel by batch baking, so never use your oven with one item in it – always fill it. 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. 

“Get into the habit of cooking double what you need. Bolognaise, stews, curries, and pies freeze brilliantly so ‘eat one, freeze one’ and soon you will have a wealth of choices in your freezer.”

Don't always follow 'best before' dates

"Check the dates on your perishable food and bear in mind the sniff test for things like milk – it is often fresh for days after the date on the packet but if you're worried about drinking it, use the milk in pancakes and Yorkshire pudding so you're not throwing it down the drain," says Caroline. Equally, over-ripe fruit can still be used. 

“Black bananas have the best flavour. 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.” 

Choose your cooking appliances wisely

"Slow cookers, microwaves, and air fryers are cheaper to run than trying to heat a whole oven if you are cooking smaller amounts or reheating, so it is worth adapting recipes to use these," says Caroline.

Prevent food waste

"Some people find a meal planner the best way to do this, others buy online to prevent impulse purchases or shop the offers in the supermarket before deciding our meals," says Caroline.

Make inventive use of leftovers

"It can be fun to have a ‘random’ or ‘use up’ meal every week, where all the things that need using from the fridge and freezer – like small bits of cheese or the odd slice of ham and the end of a bag of oven chips – are put together with jars of pickles and sauces to make a meal in itself,” says Caroline. 

“Got half a courgette, an onion, a bit of garlic, and a couple of sad carrots in the bottom of your fridge before shopping? This is a quick and easy soup! Or leftover mashed potato can be used as the base for another dish. It's perfect with a tin of tuna or some ready-cooked mackerel to make fish cakes.”

Make the most of your freezer

We all use our freezer to house a packet of frozen peas and a tub of ice cream, but there are more inventive money-saving uses for it. “Pre-packaged lunch box treats are expensive, so do a cheaper version of the treat box in your freezer. Make brownies, flapjacks, cookies, and rice krispie cakes and portion when cool before wrapping and freezing. The night before, take one out and pop it into the kid's lunch bag,” says Caroline. 

“And if you see a loaf of reduced bread but you don’t need any bread, freeze it or turn it into ready-prepped sandwiches. Cheese, jam and peanut butter, ham or chicken sandwiches can all be pre-made on buttered bread and frozen. Wrap and label them before freezing then they can be placed in a lunchbox the night before. The cheese version can be toasted straight from the freezer too.”  

Increase your veggies and cut the meat

“Meat is one of the most expensive products to purchase, so reduce the amount you use and you will immediately save money. Beans and lentils are far cheaper and can be used to bulk up meals. So if you're using mince, add a tin of lentils to the mix. If you're making a stew, add root veg, chopped mushrooms, and a tin of mixed beans,” says Caroline. 

"Make your usual chilli recipe with a couple of tins of beans and a sweet potato instead of mince and you'll make a great saving as well as feeling really full."

Buy supermarket own brands

By switching 12 big brand items for a supermarket's own-label goods, you could save nearly £15 on each shop – and more than £500 a year, according to research by The Sun newspaper. So imagine how much you'll save by ditching major brands altogether. 

This month, Heinz Baked Beans are £1.40 at Sainsbury's, while their own brand, Stamford Street Co, is a mere 27p, nearly five times less. Asda's own brand of ketchup, meanwhile, is £1 for 550g while a (smaller) bottle of Heinz ketchup is a whopping £3.40. Those are quite some savings.