Five dinners for two adults and two kids, with an estimated shop of £20.74 (range £15.87–£27.42), about £1.04 per serving.
Estimated shop
£1.04 per serving · 20 servings
Range £15.87–£27.42
£20.74
✓ Likely under the £25 budget
Likely under means our estimate gives this week at least an 80% chance of staying under £25. The top of the range covers 9 weeks out of 10, so it can sit above £25. The dinners use about £15.53 of the £20.74; 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 Tuesday's Cabbage and Red Lentil Poriyal-Style Stir-Fry with Peas, at about £0.49 per serving; the most expensive is Wednesday's Air Fryer Provençal Turkey Patties with Warm Dijon Potato Salad, at about £0.99. The five dinners use about £15.53 of what you buy; the rest is left in opened packs, the biggest being mint, baby new potatoes and white cabbage. Eggs, peas and lemon go into more than one dinner, along with 7 more items on the list, so you buy them once. The quickest are White Bean Cakes with Minty Crushed Peas and Lemon, Cabbage and Red Lentil Poriyal-Style Stir-Fry with Peas and Air Fryer Provençal Turkey Patties with Warm Dijon Potato Salad, ready in about 20 minutes. Fresh food you should still have at the end of the week includes about half a bag of baby new potatoes, about half a head of white cabbage, about ¾ of a bag of carrots and 3 garlic cloves.
The recipes
Amounts are scaled for two adults and two kids.
Monday · 20 min · about £0.96 per serving in ingredients used
White Bean Cakes with Minty Crushed Peas and Lemon
Crisp-edged cannellini bean cakes with lemon and herbs, served with roughly crushed minty peas.
Prep 10 min · Cook 10 min · Serves 4 · Amounts are scaled for your household.
VegetarianDairy-free (check labels)Kid-friendly
Ingredients
- 2 × 400 g tins cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 lemon
- 70 g panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ bunch spring onions, finely sliced
- ¼ bunch parsley, finely chopped
- 350 g frozen peas
- ¼ mint (pack), leaves chopped
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp garlic granules
- 2½ tbsp vegetable oil
- 2½ tsp olive oil
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Contains: gluten, egg, mustard, sulphites. Check the label: milk. Always read the labels if you cook for someone with an allergy.
Method
- Put the kettle on. Tip the beans into a large bowl, pat them dry with absorbent paper and mash with a fork or potato masher until mostly smooth, with a few chunky pieces left.
- Finely grate in the zest of the lemon (keep the lemon). Add the panko, eggs, spring onions, parsley, Dijon mustard, garlic granules, ½ teaspoon of salt and plenty of black pepper. Mix well, then shape into 8 small flat cakes.
- Heat the vegetable oil in your largest non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Fry the cakes for 3–4 minutes per side, turning carefully with a spatula, until deep golden, crisp and cooked through.
- Meanwhile, put the peas in a saucepan, cover with just-boiled water from the kettle and simmer for 3 minutes until steaming hot. Drain, return to the pan and roughly crush with the olive oil, the mint, the juice of half the lemon and a pinch of salt.
- Serve the bean cakes with the minty peas and the rest of the lemon cut into wedges.
Tip: Pat the beans properly dry before mashing; wet beans make soft cakes that are hard to turn.
Leftovers: The cakes keep in the fridge for 2 days; reheat in a frying pan or hot oven until piping hot.
Tuesday · 20 min · about £0.49 per serving in ingredients used
Cabbage and Red Lentil Poriyal-Style Stir-Fry with Peas
A South Indian-style dry stir-fry of cabbage, carrot and peas with turmeric, ginger and tender red lentils.
Prep 10 min · Cook 10 min · Serves 4 · Amounts are scaled for your household.
VegetarianGluten-free (check labels)Dairy-freeKid-friendly
Ingredients
- 225 g red split lentils
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 15 g fresh ginger, finely grated
- 350 g white cabbage, finely shredded
- 125 g carrots, coarsely grated
- 125 g frozen peas
- 1 lime
- ¼ bunch coriander, chopped
- 2½ tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp mild curry powder
- salt, to taste
Check the label: gluten, mustard. Always read the labels if you cook for someone with an allergy.
Method
- Put the kettle on. Rinse the lentils, tip into a saucepan, cover with plenty of just-boiled water and simmer for 7–8 minutes until just tender but still holding their shape. Drain well.
- Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large frying pan on medium heat and cook the onion for 4 minutes until softening. Add the fresh ginger, ground cumin, turmeric and mild curry powder and stir for 30 seconds.
- Turn the heat up, add the white cabbage and carrots with a good pinch of salt and stir-fry for 5 minutes until the cabbage is tender with a little bite, adding the peas for the last 2 minutes and cooking until steaming hot.
- Gently fold in the lentils and cook for 1–2 minutes until hot. Squeeze over the juice of half the lime, scatter with the coriander and serve with the rest of the lime in wedges.
Tip: Drain the lentils as soon as they are tender; a minute too long and they turn to mush instead of staying as soft grains.
Leftovers: Fridge for 3 days; reheat in a pan with a splash of water until piping hot.
Wednesday · 20 min · about £0.99 per serving in ingredients used
Air Fryer Provençal Turkey Patties with Warm Dijon Potato Salad
Thyme and mustard turkey patties from the air fryer, with warm baby potatoes and peas in a Dijon dressing.
Prep 9 min · Cook 11 min · Serves 4 · Amounts are scaled for your household.
Gluten-freeDairy-freeKid-friendly
Ingredients
- 450 g baby new potatoes, small ones
- 450 g turkey mince
- 1 egg
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated
- 175 g frozen peas
- ¼ bunch parsley, chopped
- 1½ tbsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 2½ tbsp olive oil
- 2½ tsp cider or white wine vinegar
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Contains: egg, mustard, sulphites. Always read the labels if you cook for someone with an allergy.
Method
- Prick the baby new potatoes, put them in a microwave-safe bowl with 2 tablespoons of water, cover and microwave on high for 10 minutes, until a knife slides in easily. Heat the air fryer to 200°C and put the kettle on.
- Mix the turkey mince with the eggs, the garlic, 1½ teaspoons of the Dijon mustard, the dried thyme, dried oregano, ½ teaspoon of salt and plenty of black pepper. Shape into 8 small patties and lay them in the basket in a single layer (a standard family-size basket holds them in one layer; if yours is smaller, use the oven method below), then wash your hands in hot, soapy water.
- Brush the patties with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and air-fry for 10–12 minutes, turning halfway with a spatula, until golden and cooked through with no pink inside (74°C).
- Meanwhile, cook the peas in a saucepan of just-boiled water for 3 minutes until steaming hot, then drain. Whisk the rest of the oil and mustard with the cider or white wine vinegar and a pinch of salt.
- Halve the potatoes and toss them warm with the peas, the dressing and the parsley. Wash the spatula before using it to serve. Serve with the patties.
No air fryer? Bake on a lined baking tray at 200°C (180°C fan) for 15–18 minutes.
Tip: Halving the potatoes while they are hot lets the mustard dressing soak right in.
Leftovers: The patties keep in the fridge for 2 days; reheat until piping hot. The potato salad keeps 2 days and is good cold.
Thursday · 25 min · about £0.74 per serving in ingredients used
Spaghetti with Fried Eggs, Garlic and Toasted Breadcrumbs
A Neapolitan store-cupboard classic: garlic and olive oil spaghetti with crisp crumbs and a fried egg.
Prep 5 min · Cook 20 min · Serves 4 · Amounts are scaled for your household.
VegetarianDairy-free (check labels)Kid-friendly
Ingredients
- 350 g dried pasta (penne, fusilli or spaghetti), spaghetti
- 55 g panko breadcrumbs
- ½ lemon
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- ½ bunch parsley, chopped
- 4 eggs
- salt, to taste
- 80 ml olive oil
- black pepper, to taste
Contains: gluten, egg. Check the label: milk. Always read the labels if you cook for someone with an allergy.
Method
- Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil (start with water from the kettle) and cook the pasta for 10–12 minutes, or as the packet says, until just tender.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large frying pan on medium heat and toast the panko for 3–4 minutes, stirring, until golden and crisp. Tip into a bowl and mix with the zest of the lemon and a pinch of salt.
- Wipe out the pan, add 3½ tablespoons of the oil and the garlic and cook gently for 2 minutes until pale golden. Take off the heat.
- Drain the pasta, saving a mugful of the cooking water. Toss the pasta into the garlic oil with a splash of the water and the parsley, season with black pepper and divide between plates.
- Heat the rest of the oil in a second frying pan on medium heat and fry the eggs for 3–4 minutes until the whites are completely set and crisp at the edges; cook the yolks until firm for pregnant women, young children and older people. Put an egg on each plate and scatter over the crumbs.
Tip: Fry the eggs while the pasta drains so everything lands on the plate hot.
Leftovers: Best eaten straight away.
Friday · 30 min · about £0.71 per serving in ingredients used
Mulligatawny-Style Lentil and Apple Soup
A gently spiced Anglo-Indian red lentil soup with grated apple, tomato and a swirl of coconut milk.
Prep 9 min · Cook 21 min · Serves 4 · Amounts are scaled for your household.
VegetarianGluten-free (check labels)Dairy-free (check labels)Kid-friendly
Ingredients
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 15 g fresh ginger, finely grated
- 175 g red split lentils, rinsed
- 1 apple, peeled and coarsely grated
- 1 × 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 × 400 ml tin coconut milk
- ½ lemon
- ¼ bunch coriander, chopped, to serve (optional)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2½ tsp mild curry powder
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, 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
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan on medium-high heat and cook the onion for 4 minutes, stirring, until softening. Add the garlic, fresh ginger and mild curry powder and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the lentils, the apple, the tomatoes, the stock cube crumbled in and 625 ml of just-boiled water. Simmer, partly covered, for 10–12 minutes, stirring now and then so nothing catches, until the lentils are completely soft.
- Take the pan off the heat and blend about half the soup with a stick blender, leaving some texture. Stir in the coconut milk and warm through for 1 minute without boiling.
- Season with salt, black pepper and the juice of the lemon, adding a splash of hot water if it is thicker than you like. Serve scattered with coriander, if using.
Tip: The apple gives the soup its gentle sweetness; taste before adding all the lemon, as apples vary.
Leftovers: Keeps in the fridge for 3 days or the freezer for 3 months; it thickens as it stands, so loosen with water and reheat until piping hot.
