Five dinners for two adults and two kids, with an estimated shop of £32.28 (range £24.69–£42.67), about £1.61 per serving.
Estimated shop
£1.61 per serving · 20 servings
Range £24.69–£42.67
£32.28
✓ Likely under the £40 budget
Likely under means our estimate gives this week at least an 80% chance of staying under £40. The top of the range covers 9 weeks out of 10, so it can sit above £40. The dinners use about £23.65 of the £32.28; the rest is left in opened packs.
Price ranges set using Open Prices data (Open Food Facts, ODbL).
This week's dinners
Price per dinner is the ingredients it uses, per serving.
Counting only the ingredients each dinner uses, the cheapest night is Friday's Lentil, Potato and Pepper Balti with Rice, at about £0.79 per serving; the most expensive is Thursday's Sheet-Pan Mustard Chicken with Brussels Sprouts, Apples and Potatoes, at about £1.59. The five dinners use about £23.65 of what you buy; the rest is left in opened packs, the biggest being rice vinegar, rice and lentils. Onion, garlic and chicken go into more than one dinner, along with 6 more items on the list, so you buy them once. The quickest is Oyakodon-Style Chicken and Egg Rice Bowls, ready in about 30 minutes. Fresh food you should still have at the end of the week includes about ¼ of a bag of baby new potatoes, 3 garlic cloves, about half a piece of fresh ginger and about ¾ of a pack of lentils.
The recipes
Amounts are scaled for two adults and two kids.
Monday · 45 min · about £1.04 per serving in ingredients used
Air-Fryer Turkey Kefta with Moroccan Carrot Salad
Herby cumin and cinnamon turkey kefta cooked in the air fryer, with a sweet and lemony grated carrot salad.
Prep 19 min · Cook 26 min · Serves 4 · Amounts are scaled for your household.
Gluten-freeDairy-freeKid-friendly
Ingredients
- 450 g turkey mince
- ½ onion, coarsely grated
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- ½ bunch parsley, finely chopped
- ½ bunch coriander, finely chopped
- 350 g carrots, coarsely grated
- 1 lemon
- 4 pitta breads, warmed, to serve (optional)
- 2½ tsp honey
- 3½ tbsp olive oil
- 1½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Optional extras contain gluten, milk, soya, sesame, sulphites. Always read the labels if you cook for someone with an allergy.
Method
- Heat the air fryer to 200°C. Mix the turkey mince with the onion, garlic, half the parsley and coriander, ¾ teaspoon of the ground cumin, half the ground cinnamon, the ground ginger, ¾ teaspoon of salt and some black pepper. With wet hands, shape into 12 finger-shaped kefta, then wash your hands, board and knife in hot, soapy water.
- Brush the kefta with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and, using tongs, cook them in the basket in a single layer (in two batches if they don't fit with space around them) for 10–12 minutes, turning halfway, until browned and cooked through with no pink inside (74°C).
- Meanwhile, toss the carrots with the juice of half the lemon, the honey, the rest of the oil, cumin and cinnamon, a pinch of salt and the rest of the herbs.
- Wash the tongs before using them to serve. Serve the kefta on the carrot salad with the rest of the lemon in wedges, and warm pitta bread, if using.
No air fryer? Bake the kefta on a lightly oiled baking tray at 220°C (200°C fan) for 15–18 minutes, turning once.
Leftovers: The kefta keep in the fridge for 2 days; reheat until piping hot. The carrot salad keeps for 2 days and tastes better the next day.
Tuesday · 30 min · about £1.52 per serving in ingredients used
Oyakodon-Style Chicken and Egg Rice Bowls
Chicken and soft onions simmered in a sweet soy broth, set with egg and spooned over steamed rice.
Prep 5 min · Cook 25 min · Serves 4 · Amounts are scaled for your household.
Gluten-free (check labels)Dairy-free (check labels)Kid-friendly
Ingredients
- 400 g chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite-size pieces
- 5 eggs
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 275 g long-grain rice
- ¼ bunch spring onions, thinly sliced
- 3½ tbsp soy sauce
- 2½ tsp sugar
- 1 vegetable stock cube
Contains: egg, soya, celery. Check the label: gluten, milk, sulphites. Always read the labels if you cook for someone with an allergy.
Method
- Rinse the rice and put it in a saucepan with 525 ml of water. Bring to the boil, cover and cook on the lowest heat for 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the grains are tender (if not, cover and cook 2–3 minutes more). Leave covered off the heat for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, put 200 ml of hot water in a large frying pan with a lid, crumble in the stock cube and add the soy sauce and sugar. Bring to a simmer, add the onion and cook for 4 minutes until soft.
- Add the chicken in one layer and simmer for 8–10 minutes, turning once, until cooked through with no pink inside (74°C). Wash your hands, board and knife before preparing anything eaten raw.
- Lightly beat the eggs so a few streaks of white remain and pour them evenly over the chicken. Cover and cook on low heat for 3–4 minutes until the egg is just set; cook 1–2 minutes longer, until firm, for young children, older people or anyone pregnant.
- Spoon the rice into bowls, slide the chicken and egg over the top with some of the cooking liquid and scatter with the spring onions.
Tip: Beat the eggs only lightly: the streaks of white and yolk are what give oyakodon its soft, marbled look.
Leftovers: Best eaten straight away. Cool leftover rice within 1 hour, keep it in the fridge for no more than 1 day and reheat it only once, until steaming hot.
Wednesday · 33 min · about £0.97 per serving in ingredients used
Chinese-Style Pork and Celery Stir-Fry with Egg Noodles
Savoury ground pork stir-fried with crisp celery, carrot, ginger and garlic, tossed with egg noodles.
Prep 13 min · Cook 20 min · Serves 4 · Amounts are scaled for your household.
Dairy-freeKid-friendly
Ingredients
- 275 g medium egg noodles
- 25 ml rice vinegar
- 400 g pork mince
- 275 g celery, thinly sliced on the diagonal
- 125 g carrots, cut into thin matchsticks
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 15 g fresh ginger, finely grated
- ½ bunch spring onions, sliced
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2½ tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp cornflour
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Contains: gluten, egg, soya, sesame, celery. Always read the labels if you cook for someone with an allergy.
Method
- Put the kettle on. Cook the noodles in a pan of just-boiled water for 4 minutes, or as the packet says, then drain and toss with the toasted sesame oil.
- Meanwhile, mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, cornflour and 3½ tablespoons of water.
- Heat the vegetable oil in your largest wok or frying pan on high heat. Stir-fry the pork mince for 5–6 minutes, breaking it up, until browned and crisp in places with no pink left. Wash your hands in hot, soapy water after handling the raw meat.
- Add the celery, carrots, garlic and fresh ginger and stir-fry for 3 minutes until the celery is bright green but still crunchy.
- Stir the sauce, pour it in and bubble for 1 minute until glossy and the pork is cooked through (71°C). Add the noodles and spring onions and toss for 1–2 minutes until everything is hot.
Tip: Let the pork sit untouched for a minute before breaking it up, so it browns and crisps rather than steams.
Leftovers: Fridge 2 days; reheat with a splash of water until piping hot.
Thursday · 36 min · about £1.59 per serving in ingredients used
Sheet-Pan Mustard Chicken with Brussels Sprouts, Apples and Potatoes
Chicken thighs roasted with a honey-mustard and thyme glaze among baby potatoes, sprouts and apple wedges.
Prep 13 min · Cook 23 min · Serves 4 · Amounts are scaled for your household.
Gluten-freeDairy-freeKid-friendly
Ingredients
- 525 g baby new potatoes, quartered
- 275 g Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 1 apple, cored and cut into wedges
- 525 g chicken thigh fillets
- 2½ tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2½ tsp honey
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp garlic granules
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Contains: mustard, sulphites. Check the label: egg. Always read the labels if you cook for someone with an allergy.
Method
- Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan). Toss the baby new potatoes, Brussels sprouts and apple on your largest baking tray with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, salt and black pepper, and spread out.
- Mix the Dijon mustard, honey, dried thyme, garlic granules and the rest of the oil, and set half aside in a cup. Spoon the other half over the chicken, rub it in and nestle the chicken among the vegetables, then wash your hands after handling the raw chicken.
- Once the oven is hot, roast for 20 minutes, brushing the reserved glaze over the chicken for the last 5, until the potatoes are golden and tender and the chicken is cooked through with no pink inside (74°C).
- Rest for 3 minutes, then serve with the pan juices spooned over.
Tip: If everything does not fit in a single layer, use two trays and swap their shelves halfway; crowded vegetables steam instead of browning.
Leftovers: Fridge for 2 days; reheat until piping hot.
Friday · 37 min · about £0.79 per serving in ingredients used
Lentil, Potato and Pepper Balti with Rice
Green lentils, potatoes and peppers in a thick tomato, ginger and garam masala sauce, with rice.
Prep 11 min · Cook 26 min · Serves 4 · Amounts are scaled for your household.
VegetarianGluten-free (check labels)Dairy-free (check labels)Kid-friendly
Ingredients
- 175 g dried green lentils, rinsed
- 275 g white potatoes, cut into small cubes
- 1 pepper (red, yellow or green), cut into chunks
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 20 g fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 × 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- ½ lemon
- 275 g long-grain rice
- ½ bunch coriander, to serve (optional)
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 2½ tsp mild curry powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- salt, to taste
Contains: celery. Check the label: gluten, milk, soya, mustard, sulphites. Always read the labels if you cook for someone with an allergy.
Method
- Rinse the rice and put it in a saucepan with 525 ml of water. Bring to the boil, cover and cook on the lowest heat for 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the grains are tender (if not, cover and cook 2–3 minutes more). Leave covered off the heat for 5 minutes.
- Put the lentils in a saucepan with 850 ml of just-boiled water, bring back to the boil and simmer for 8 minutes. Add the potatoes and simmer for 12–14 minutes more, until both are tender, then drain, keeping 100 ml of the cooking water.
- Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan on medium heat and cook the onion and peppers for 6–7 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, fresh ginger, mild curry powder, ground cumin and half the garam masala and stir for 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes and crumble in the stock cube. Simmer for 5 minutes until thick, then stir in the lentils and potatoes with enough of the cooking water to make a thick sauce and simmer for 2–3 minutes.
- Stir in the rest of the garam masala and a squeeze of the lemon, season with salt and serve with the rice and coriander if using.
Tip: Green lentils hold their shape; if yours start to split, drain them straight away and finish them in the sauce.
Leftovers: The curry keeps in the fridge for 3 days or the freezer for 3 months; reheat until piping hot. Cool leftover rice within 1 hour, keep it in the fridge for no more than 1 day and reheat it only once, until steaming hot.
