Cooking can be fun, especially if you're making a meal for several people, but paying for food isn't always great. Luckily, cheap food can be delicious and easy to make if you plan, choose cheaper ingredients, and use what you already have at home. Whether you're a student learning to cook for the first time, looking to save money, or just spending less on restaurants or takeaway food, flavour doesn't always depend on the cost. With basic ingredients, creativity, and practice, you can make hearty, satisfying meals that anyone could enjoy. Here are 10 simple recipes that shouldn't break the bank.
| Dish | Estimated Budget per Person | Total Preparation Time | Active Cooking Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Style Burgers | $5 | 30 minutes | 15 minutes | Classic family favourite, quick and flavourful |
| Asparagus and Parmesan Puff Pie | $5 | 45 minutes | 15 minutes | French-inspired, can be made vegetarian |
| Chicken, Coconut, and Lemon Macaroni | $6 | 25 minutes | 20 minutes | Fusion of Indian and Western flavours |
| Cured Ham and Rocket Pizza | $5 | 30 minutes | 20 minutes | Light Italian-style pizza perfect for gatherings |
| Indian Rice Salad | $5 | 2 hours 20 minutes (includes chilling) | 20 minutes | Ideal for picnics or meal prep lunches |
| Lemon, Garlic, and Basil Calamari | $4 | 20 minutes | 15 minutes | Mediterranean-inspired seafood pasta dish |
| Roast Olive Chicken | $7 | 1 hour | 45 minutes | Middle Eastern-style roast, ideal for family dinners |
| Steamed Almond and Pear Trout Fillets | $7 | 45 minutes | 30 minutes | Elegant, gourmet-style fish meal |
| Tuna and Tomato Cottage Pie | $5 | 55 minutes | 40 minutes | Hearty British comfort food with a twist |
| Tomato and Gorgonzola Spaghetti | $4 | 20 minutes | 15 minutes | Quick, creamy Italian pasta dish |
American Style Burgers
This classic American-style burger is juicy, flavourful, and easy to prepare. You can make the burger patties with paprika and barbecue sauce, then pan-fry them and serve them with fries. These American-style Burgers are not just for family dinners or barbecues; they can also be a quick, creative weeknight meal. You could always consider getting cheap cooking lessons, even if you struggle with them.
Ingredients:
- 3 Beef Burgers (500g)
- 1kg Frozen Fries
- 1 Egg
- 1/2 Onion
- 1 Tablespoon Paprika
- 1 Tablespoon Barbecue Sauce
- 10ml oil
Recipe for serving four people:
- In a mixing bowl, crush the burger patties and mix in the paprika, ground onion, egg, barbecue sauce, and oil.
- Let the mixture stand for 15 minutes.
- Form four patties from the mixture.
- Fry the patties in a frying pan for two minutes without any oil.
- Serve the burgers with fries, fried, baked, or roasted. You can also add a side salad or some coleslaw for a complete meal.
Stretch your ingredients further by planning your meals for the week. Use the same ingredients across several recipes. For example, potatoes for the Tuna and Tomato Cottage Pie can also be used in Roast Olive Chicken. Buying in bulk and storing staples like pasta, rice, and frozen vegetables will keep your average meal cost low without sacrificing taste.
Asparagus and Parmesan Puff Pie
This creamy and savoury pie is inspired by French dishes. You can either use lardons or a vegetarian alternative. This is a fresh meal that's great for spring or dinner parties, especially if you use seasonal ingredients.
Ingredients:
- 1 Sheet Puff Pastry
- 300g Green Asparagus
- 60g Grated Parmesan
- 100g Lardons (or mushrooms/spinach for a vegetarian option)
- 3 Eggs
- 400g Cooking Cream
- Nutmeg
- Salt
Recipe for serving four people:
- Cut the asparagus into 2cm pieces.
- Place the puff pastry in a pie dish, pierce with a fork, and spread the asparagus and lardons (or alternative vegetables).
- In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, cream, salt, and nutmeg.
- Pour the mixture onto the pastry.
- Add the grated Parmesan.
- Cook in the oven at 190°C for 35 minutes.
per person.
Chicken, Coconut, and Lemon Macaroni
This fusion dish is a breeze to prepare, blending Indian and Western cuisines with a lovely combination of creamy coconut and zesty lemon. Comfort food meets the exotic, and it's perfect for weeknight dinners and quick, easy to make.
Ingredients:
- 350g Macaroni
- 2 Chicken Breasts
- 100ml Coconut Cream (thicker than coconut milk)
- 1/2 Lime
- 10 Strands Coriander
- 50ml Olive Oil
- Curry Powder
- Salt
Recipe for serving four people:
- Cook the pasta in salted boiling water, then strain it.
- Cut the chicken into pieces and cook with olive oil, salt, and curry powder in a pot.
- Add the coconut cream, lime juice, and ground coriander to the pot and reduce it for a minute.
- Mix the cooked macaroni into the sauce.
Not every recipe needs hours in the kitchen. Dishes like Tomato and Gorgonzola Spaghetti and Lemon, Garlic, and Basil Calamari take under 25 minutes to prepare. Keep pre-chopped garlic, dried herbs, and pre-washed greens handy to save even more time when cooking on weeknights.
Cured Ham and Rocket Pizza
This Italian classic is great for casual gatherings or pizza nights, as almost everybody loves pizza. As it uses cured ham and rocket, it also feels surprisingly light while making a satisfying meal.
Ingredients:
- Pizza Dough or Pizza Base
- 3 Slices Cured Ham
- 1 Handful Rocket
- 2 Tomatoes
- 1 Ball Mozzarella
- 3 Tablespoons Tomato Purée
- 20ml Olive Oil
- Oregano
Recipe for serving four people:
- Coat a baking tray with olive oil and place the pizza dough on it.
- Spread the tomato purée and add the sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, and oregano.
- Cook in the oven at 210°C for 20 minutes.
- Add the cured ham and large pieces of rocket after cooking.
Indian Rice Salad
This Indian-inspired dish takes flavours from the subcontinent and makes a dish that you can serve cold on hot summer days. It is great for picnics, potlucks, or simply as a light lunch to take to work.
Ingredients:
- 300g Rice
- 2 Cooked Chicken Breasts
- 1 Tomato
- 1 Lemon
- 30g Raisins
- 2 Shallots
- 1 Tablespoon Ground Coriander
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 Pinches Curry Powder
- Salt
Recipe for serving four people:
- Cook the rice in boiling water, strain it, and let it cool.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the rice, olive oil, curry powder, lemon juice, diced chicken, fresh coriander, chopped shallots, diced tomato, raisins, and salt.
- Let the salad stand in the fridge for 2 hours before serving.
Low cost doesn’t have to mean low nutrition. Incorporate more colour into your meals by adding vegetables wherever possible: diced peppers to your American-Style Burgers, spinach to your Asparagus Puff Pie, or extra greens to your Indian Rice Salad. This improves flavour and boosts your intake of essential vitamins and fibre.
Cooking affordable meals isn’t just about saving money; it’s also about being creative with what you have. Learning how to substitute ingredients based on the season or supermarket offers can make cooking more flexible and less stressful. For example, swap rice for couscous, chicken for lentils, or asparagus for spinach, depending on what’s available.
Lemon, Garlic, and Basil Calamari
This light and tasty dish is inspired by Mediterranean cuisine. It features calamari cooked with lemon, garlic, and fresh basil. Served with spaghetti, it's a great option for seafood pasta lovers. And with most ingredients readily available in the pantry, it makes a low-cost recipe to learn to cook.
Ingredients:
- 500g Fresh or Frozen Calamari Rings
- 1/2 Lemon
- 1 Garlic Clove
- 8 Basil Leaves
- 350g Spaghetti
- 70ml Olive Oil
- Salt
Recipe for serving four people:
- Mix the ground garlic, chopped basil, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
- Heat up a griddle, add some olive oil, and cook the calamari for 5 minutes.
- Pour the sauce onto the calamari and cook for another minute.
- Serve with cooked spaghetti.
people.
Roast Olive Chicken
This dish is inspired by Middle Eastern cuisine. The chicken is tender with crispy skin and served with green olives and crispy diced potatoes. This is great for a family dinner or special occasion.
Ingredients:
- 1 Ready-to-Cook Chicken (1.5kg)
- 100g Green Olives
- 700g Diced Potatoes
- 50ml Olive Oil
- 2 Pinches Ras El Hanout
- 2 Pinches oregano
- Salt
Recipe for serving four people:
- Pour the olive oil, oregano, ras el hanout, and salt into a bowl.
- Baste the chicken with the marinade and place it on a dish.
- Roast the chicken for 40 minutes at 210°C.
- Add the green olives once the chicken is cooked.
- Serve with sautéed diced potatoes.
Leftovers don’t have to mean eating the same meal twice. Use remaining vegetables or meats from one recipe to create a new dish the next day. For instance, leftover Roast Olive Chicken can be turned into a hearty sandwich filling, or extra Tuna Cottage Pie mash can top a mini shepherd’s pie. Planning like this helps reduce food waste, saves money, and keeps your weekly meals interesting and varied.
Steamed Almond and Pear Trout Fillets
Despite the price tag, this dish is definitely gourmet, though you can't really put a price on learning to cook, can you? You'll make steamed trout fillets topped with toasted almond flakes. This delicious fish dish is served with lemon and buttery steamed potatoes. It is an excellent option for a date night, a special family meal, or a sophisticated dinner.
Ingredients:
- 4 Trout Fillets
- 50g Almond Flakes
- 1kg Potatoes
- 1 Lemon
- 50g Butter
- 30g Flour
- 20ml oil
- Salt
Recipe for serving four people:
- Peel and steam the potatoes.
- Roll the trout fillets in flour and fry each side for three minutes in a frying pan with oil, butter, and salt.
- In another warm pan, quickly brown the almond flakes.
- Serve the trout fillets with lemon juice, almonds, and potatoes with some butter.
Tuna and Tomato Cottage Pie
This dish is a twist on the traditional British cottage pie. It uses tuna instead of minced beef and is complete with tomato sauce, creamy mashed potatoes, and Parmesan cheese. Consider making this when you want something as hearty as a cottage pie but feel like mixing things up.
Ingredients:
- 700g Potatoes
- 300g Canned Tuna
- 80ml Tomato Sauce
- 1 Onion
- 40g Parmesan
- 40g Butter
- 100ml Milk
- 30ml Olive Oil
- Nutmeg
- Salt
Recipe for serving four people:
- Steam and mash the potatoes.
- Add warm milk, butter, salt, and nutmeg to the mashed potatoes.
- Chop the onion and fry it in a frying pan with olive oil.
- Add the strained tuna and tomato sauce to the pan and cook for 5 minutes.
- Place the tuna mixture in an oven dish and cover with the mashed potatoes and grated Parmesan.
- Cook in the oven at 180°C for 20 minutes.
Tomato and Gorgonzola Spaghetti
This spaghetti dish features a tangy gorgonzola cheese sauce with fresh tomatoes. It's elegant, Italian-inspired, and surprisingly easy to make as you don't need many ingredients or cooking utensils.
Ingredients:
- 350g Spaghetti
- 70g Gorgonzola
- 2 Tomatoes
- 100ml Cooking Cream
- 20ml Olive Oil
- A pinch of oregano
- Salt
Recipe for serving four people:
- Dice the flesh of the tomatoes.
- Sweat them in a saucepan with olive oil, oregano, and salt.
- Add the cooking cream and reduce for 3 minutes.
- Add the gorgonzola and mix until it melts.
- Cook the spaghetti for 10 minutes in a pan of boiling salted water.
- Strain the pasta and pour the sauce on before serving.
Cooking anything can take time and skill, but you'll be able to cook more quickly and easily by working with a Superprof cooking tutor. A private tutor can guide you through cooking techniques like knife handling, seasoning, and ingredient substitution, so you can adapt recipes based on what you have or what's the cheapest at the market. With most tutors offering the first session for free, you can even try a few before choosing the perfect one for you, and exactly what kind of cooking you want to learn. Just search for cooking on the Superprof website today and start seeing how you can take your cooking to the next level.
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