When most people hear good food or fine dining, they often assume that it involves spending considerably. They feel that good ingredients are often costly, and so great food is expensive to make.
But this doesn't have to be the case. You can enjoy great food without breaking the bank or hurting your pocket for it. Tips like eating more vegetarian and bean-centered meals, or cooking pasta-based meals, or choosing cheaper proteins like chicken or fish or ground beef will help you enjoy meals befitting a king without spending too much.
Try these delicious meals below. You can make them with affordable, easy-to-get ingredients. Enjoy!
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Spicy Sausage Rice
There's a reason rice is the most popular and widely eaten staple in the world. It is relatively easy to make, but it packs quite a punch to fill the stomach. Furthermore, in most parts of the world, rice is relatively cheap.
Here's a quick and easy recipe with rice, and you can use leftover rice too.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 Spicy Sausages (With the skin peeled off. You can easily do this at home yourself; Chopped)
- 1 Red Onion (Sliced)
- 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
- 1 Red Bell Pepper (Sliced)
- 2 cloves of Garlic (Chopped)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Rice (Parboiled. Each type swells differently. If you're using long-grain, 3 cups should be okay)
- Stock (whether chicken, beef, vegetable, or whatever)
- Spring onions (optional)
- Four cherry tomatoes (optional)
- Roughly chopped fresh parsley
Recipe for 4 Servings
Before cooking, parboil the rice for about 5-8 minutes. Drain and leave to cool
In a hot pot, put in a tablespoon of olive oil with the gas at medium heat
When the oil starts boiling, pour in the onions and leave to fry for 5-6 minutes, stirring to make sure it doesn't burn.
Pour the pepper in and add the garlic almost immediately.
Turn the gas up to maximum and make a space in the middle of the pan
Put the chopped, de-skinned sausage in the pan and stir. (Note: you can use any type of sausage you want)
Add the paprika and the parboiled rice
Leave for 30 seconds, then pour in the stock
Reduce the heat back to medium and let the rice simmer for 10-15 minutes
Add in the spring onions and diced tomatoes
Switch off the heat and add the parsley
Stir to mix
Leave to cool, then serve.
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Baked Spaghetti
Pasta is a very handy dish, easy to prepare, and does not require complicated cooking skills. Most people serve pasta with a simple sauce, but you could spice things up with your pasta and cook up baked spaghetti. Here's how to do it:
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- Salt
- Cooking spray
- Spaghetti
- 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 yellow onion (Chopped finely)
- 2 cloves of Garlic (Minced)
- Ground beef (about 1 pound)
- Black pepper (ground)
- 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning (2 Teaspoons of dried thyme is an excellent substitute)
- 1 can of crushed tomatoes
- Chopped Basil
- Mozzarella (shredded)
- Parmesan (grated)
- Fresh parsley (optional)
Recipe for 6 Servings
Preheat your oven to 350° F (or 175° C)
Cook spaghetti until al dente, then drain and leave to cool
Grease a medium baking dish with cooking spray
Heat olive oil over medium heat and add onions. Leave to cool for about 5-6 minutes.
Stir in garlic and cook for one minute
Add ground beef, salt, Italian seasoning, and pepper and cool for about 8-10 minutes (the important thing is that the meat isn't pink anymore)
Drain off the fat and then return to the pan. Then add crushed tomatoes and basil
Simmer for about 10 minutes
Season again with salt and pepper
Mix with the spaghetti, then transfer to a baking dish
Top the dish with parmesan and mozzarella.
Bake for about 20 minutes. The cheese should have melted, and the pasta should be warm.
Sprinkle parsley and serve.
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Black Eyed Peas and Greens
Proteins are very important to our diet. And while when most people think of protein, they think of meat or beans, there are also other ways by which protein can be gotten. Peas are one of them.
Here's a recipe for a low-cost yet nutrient-packed meal. Enjoy!
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 Large onion (chopped)
- Chicken Broth (fat-free)
- Smoked bacon (2 slices)
- Salt
- Black pepper (ground)
- Thawed black-eyed peas (1 pound)
- Pepper vinegar (2 tablespoons)
- 1 Bunch of Fresh turnip greens (Trimmed and roughly chopped)
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Recipe for 4 servings
Cook bacon in an oven until it is crisp
Remove bacon, leave to cool, then crumble
Add the onions to the bacon bits in the pan
Sauté for 4-5 minutes
Add in chicken broth and peas and greens
Bring to a boil
Reduce heat and simmer until the peas are tender. This will take about 55 minutes
Serve and tip with crumbled bacon
Eat on its own or with rice
Mushroom and Leek Pasta
This dish is so attractive because it is made with ingredients that you can easily find in your cupboard. It transforms humble ingredients into a pasta masterpiece that is affordable yet bursting with flavor and health. Here is how to make it.
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- Pasta (Any kind, although spaghetti is recommended)
- 6 Large mushrooms (portobello preferably, sliced)
- Olive Oil
- One clove of Garlic (Finely chopped)
- Leeks (Rinsed and roughly chopped)
- Chicken stock
- Fresh cream (Two tablespoons)
- Chopped tarragon or parsley
Recipe for 4 people
Boil the pasta until al dente, then drain and leave to cool
Slice the mushrooms into slightly thin pieces
Heat a frying pan and add olive oil
Put in the mushrooms, and switch off the heat after 10 seconds
Toss the mushrooms, and then add in the garlic
Rinse the leeks to get rid of any dirt
Add the leeks, switch on the gas, and stir. Leave for 2 minutes
Add the chicken stock
Reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes
Add the cream
Bring it back up to boil
Simmer for 4 minutes
Add the pasta into the sauce and turn off the heat
Add the tarragon
Serve with bread or as a dish on its own.
Turkey Sausage, Mushroom, and Potato Gratin
Casseroles are popular comfort food, especially among people living in the USA. It reminds people of the community, of home, and nutrition. It packs a lot of nutrients and flavor and eating it feels like heaven. When you add home fries, it gets even homier!
Here is how to make a great-tasting casserole - the turkey sausage, A, and potato gratin.
Preparation Time: 27 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 links of Hot turkey Italian sausage (remove the skins)
- Cremini mushrooms
- Butter
- Onion
- Red potatoes (roughly chopped)
- Salt
- Cooking spray
- Swiss cheese (shredded)
- Fresh thyme
- Chicken broth (preferably Fat-free and lower-sodium)
Recipe for 4 people
Preheat your oven to 400° F (205° C)
Over medium heat, heat a large skillet (nonstick skillet is advisable)
Add the sausages and sauté for 5 minutes
Stir the sausages to crumble them, then remove sausages from the pan
Clean the pan with paper towels or a clean cloth
Melt the butter in the skillet
Add the onions and sauté for about 4-5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Add the cremini mushrooms and sauté for about 6 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Add the potatoes and salt and sauté for 5 minutes or until browned.
Add the sausages and the chicken broth and turn off the heat
Spoon the potato mixture into the dish (it could be an 11 x 7-inch glass or a ceramic baking dish). Whatever you are using, make sure to coat it with cooking spray
Top the mixture with cheese.
Cover the mixture tightly to prevent the flavor from escaping
Bake the mixture at 400° for 30 minutes.
Remove the cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes. This is to make the mixture crispy on top.
Dress or garnish the meal with fresh thyme.
Serve for four people.
Tuna and Tomato Cottage Pie
Cottage Pie reminds people of joy and family and days passed in front of a fireplace. Cottage cheese screams comfort and style. Here's how to make a really interesting cottage pie
Preparation time: 15 minutes.
Cooking time: 40 minutes.
Ingredients
- Tuna (about 300 grams); strained
- Potatoes
- 1 large Red onion (Roughly chopped)
- Tomato sauce
- Parmesan cheese
- Milk
- Olive oil (about 3 tablespoons)
- Nutmeg
- Salt
Recipe For 4 servings
Mash the potatoes (make sure to steam it first. They will make it easy to mash)
Make the milk warm, and then add it to the potatoes
Add the nutmeg, butter, and salt
Fry the roughly chopped onion in a frying pan and fry for 5 to 6 minutes
Strain the tuna and add it to the onion. Add the tomato sauce too.
Leave to cook for about 5 minutes
Lightly mix, then put in an oven dish.
Cover it with the mashed potato and top with cheese
Cook for 20 minutes at 180°C until cheese is melted.
Remove from oven and leave to cool, then serve with a green salad. Vinaigrette are optional but really great for this meal.
We hope you find one that you can cook here with these cheap recipes. Discover more tips for cooking on a budget.
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