Beat the Budget: 3 Delicious, affordable and simple recipes

5 min prep + 25 min cook

Note: Make your own Italian seasoning: 1tsp dried basil, 1 tsp dried oregano and 1tsp dried thyme or rosemary.

2 courgettes, chopped and cubed 

1 aubergine, chopped and cubed  

200 g mushrooms, thinly sliced 

8 pork sausages (454 g), casing removed and roughly torn 

2 tbsp olive oil 

1 tbsp Italian seasoning pinch of chilli flakes (optional)  

500 g passata 

250 g mozzarella, grated 

salt and pepper to taste 

fresh jalapeño, thinly sliced to garnish (optional) 

3 tbsp finely chopped fresh 

chives to garnish 

A low carb, high-protein dream, the oven does all the hard work for you here. The vegetable and sausage mix takes on some colour and flavour in the first stage of roasting, before the pizza-inspired sauce and toppings are added. It’s such a delicious way to incorporate more vegetables into your day – feel free to switch up the veg according to your preferences.

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C Fan.

2. To a large bowl, add the veggies and torn sausage pieces. Add olive oil, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. If you like spice, add a pinch of chilli flakes. Toss to incorporate all the ingredients.

3. Take five ramekins and divide the veggie and sausage mix equally between them. Pop in the oven for 15 minutes to brown or take on some colour.

4. Remove carefully from the oven, add a serving of passata to each ramekin and stir to combine. Top each with a layer of mozzarella and return to the oven for a further ten minutes, or until the cheese is golden and melted.

5. Top each ramekin with slices of jalapeño and a sprinkling of fresh chives to garnish.

4 min prep + 6 min cook

Note: When choosing which instant noodles to buy, purchase a packet that is intended for making a brothy noodle dish instead of one where the noodles aren’t in any liquid. I’d also opt for a spicy pack to flavour the creamy broth.

1 tbsp rapeseed oil 

200 g canned pork and ham (I use spam), sliced into thin planks 

800 ml milk 

1.2 litres water 

4 x 70 g pack instant noodles, seasoning sachets reserved  

2 heads pak choi, sliced lengthways into quarters 

4 eggs (optional) 

handful of spring onions, thinly sliced 

1 fresh lime cut into wedges to serve 

pepper to taste 

This is the quickest comfort meal you’ll ever make. For ten minutes of effort you’ll get major flavour and a dish that feels like a takeaway. This recipe is inspired by the Japanese Tonkotsu – a type of ramen served in an amazing creamy-ish broth.

It’s usually topped with pork belly which I have tried to emulate with canned pork and ham to keep it within budget. You might be sceptical about meat that’s come out of a can, but trust me on this one, it’s so flavourful and acts as the best topping.

1. Set a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add the oil. Add the meat to the pan and fry for three minutes on each side, until golden and crispy.

2. Meanwhile, set a deep pan over a medium heat, add the milk and water and bring up to a low simmer. Add the noodles, ensuring they are all submerged. Add the pak choi and cover with a lid, simmering for the cooking time given on your noodle packet.

3. Meanwhile, if using eggs, set a pan of water over a medium heat and bring to a boil. Gently lower the eggs into the water, cook for six minutes, then transfer to a bowl of cold water to stop them from cooking any further.

4. When the noodles and pak choi are ready, add any seasoning sachets to the pan and stir to combine.

5. Remove the shell from the eggs and slice each in half. Serve each portion of ramen in a deep bowl, ladling in some of the broth, a serving of noodles and pak choi, a couple of slices of pork and half a jammy egg. Sprinkle over some crunchy spring onion to garnish. Add a lime wedge and a generous grind of pepper before digging in!

5 min prep + 40 min cook

1 tbsp rapeseed oil 

5 chicken legs, (about 1.1kg)  

50 g spring onions, thinly sliced  

4 garlic cloves, crushed 

2 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated 

350 g rice, rinsed 

750 ml chicken stock 

juice of 1⁄2 lime + wedges to serve  

1 x 400 g can coconut milk 

100 g tenderstem broccoli, florets sliced and stems thinly sliced 

handful of fresh coriander, torn to serve 

salt and pepper to taste 

This is one of my favourite recipes in the book. Not only is it one-pot, but it also requires minimal prep.

I love how comforting a meal it is, yet every mouthful feels so fresh and vibrant, with the zingy ginger notes and the kick of lime, contrasting with creamy coconut rice. Oh, and if you’re looking for the gains, this recipe has 60 grams of protein in it. Woohoo!

1. Set a deep pan over a medium heat and add the rapeseed oil. Season both sides of the chicken legs with salt and pepper, then place the legs skin-side down in the pan and leave to fry for around 15 minutes.

2. Rotate and cook the chicken legs for a further 15 minutes on the other side. The skin should be crispy and golden brown and the meat almost cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.

3. Add the spring onion to the same pan (reserving some of the greener ends for garnish) and add the garlic and ginger. Fry over a medium heat for a few minutes.

4. Add the rice to the pan and stir, then pour in the stock, lime juice and coconut milk.

5. Add the chicken legs back to the pan, skin-side facing upwards. Cover and leave to cook over a medium/low heat for 18 minutes, adding the broccoli after eight minutes.

6. Garnish with the reserved green spring onion ends, lime wedges and fresh coriander and dig in!

Extracted from Beat the Budget by Mimi Harrison

(Ebury Press), Photography by Mimi Harrison

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Read more: 10 Hearty yet healthy meals

Read more: Try these 3 tips to fight household budget inflation

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