Five dinners for two adults, with an estimated shop of £18.55 (range £14.19–£24.52), about £1.86 per serving.
Estimated shop
£1.86 per serving · 10 servings
Range £14.19–£24.52
£18.55
✓ Likely under the £25 budget
Likely under means our estimate gives this week at least an 80% chance of staying under £25. The dinners use about £11.01 of the £18.55; 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 Thursday's Roasted Red Pepper, Tomato and White Bean Soup, at about £1.05 per serving; the most expensive is Friday's Smoked Sausage with Cabbage and Potatoes, at about £1.19. The five dinners use about £11.01 of what you buy; the rest is left in opened packs, the biggest being frozen spinach, quick-cook polenta and white cabbage. Garlic, eggs and beans go into more than one dinner, along with 5 more items on the list, so you buy them once. The quickest are Piyaz (Turkish White Bean Salad) with Eggs and Warm Pittas and Italian Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Spinach and Soft Polenta, ready in about 20 minutes. Fresh food you should still have at the end of the week includes about ¾ of a head of white cabbage, most of a pack of frozen spinach, 6 garlic cloves and about ¾ of a pack of pasta.
The recipes
Amounts are scaled for two adults.
Monday · 20 min · about £1.12 per serving in ingredients used
Piyaz (Turkish White Bean Salad) with Eggs and Warm Pittas
Cannellini beans with softened red onion, tomato and parsley in a lemony dressing, topped with boiled eggs.
Prep 8 min · Cook 12 min · Serves 2 · Amounts are scaled for your household.
VegetarianDairy-free (check labels)
Ingredients
- 1 × 400 g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 eggs
- ½ red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- ½ tomato, diced
- ¼ bunch parsley, chopped
- ½ lemon
- 2 pitta breads
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1½ tsp cider or white wine vinegar
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Contains: gluten, egg. Check the label: milk, soya, sesame, sulphites. Always read the labels if you cook for someone with an allergy.
Method
- Lower the eggs into a small saucepan of just-boiled water from the kettle and simmer for 9 minutes until the yolks are firm, then cool in cold water, peel and cut into quarters.
- Meanwhile, toss the red onion with a good pinch of salt and rub it with your fingers for 30 seconds. Rinse under cold water and drain well; this takes the harsh edge off the onion.
- Whisk the olive oil, cider or white wine vinegar and the juice of the lemon in a large bowl with a pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper.
- Add the beans, onion, tomato and most of the parsley and fold gently so the beans stay whole. Taste and add more salt or lemon if needed.
- Warm the pitta bread in a dry frying pan or a toaster for 1–2 minutes. Pile the salad onto plates, top with the eggs and the rest of the parsley, and serve with the warm bread.
Tip: The salad improves after an hour in the fridge as the beans soak up the dressing; add the eggs just before serving.
Leftovers: The salad keeps in the fridge for 2 days; keep the boiled eggs separately, for up to 2 days.
Tuesday · 20 min · about £1.09 per serving in ingredients used
Italian Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Spinach and Soft Polenta
Eggs gently cooked in a garlicky tomato and basil sauce with spinach, spooned over soft olive-oil polenta.
Prep 3 min · Cook 17 min · Serves 2 · Amounts are scaled for your household.
VegetarianGluten-freeDairy-freeKid-friendly
Ingredients
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 250 g passata
- 100 g quick-cook polenta
- 75 g frozen spinach
- ¼ basil (pack)
- 4 eggs
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp sugar
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Contains: egg. Always read the labels if you cook for someone with an allergy.
Method
- Put the kettle on. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan with a lid on medium heat and cook the garlic for 1 minute until pale golden. Add the passata, sugar, 1½ tablespoons of water, a pinch of salt and black pepper and simmer for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened.
- Meanwhile, pour 475 ml of just-boiled water into a saucepan, add a pinch of salt and bring back to the boil. Pour in the quick-cook polenta in a thin stream, whisking all the time, then cook on low heat for 5 minutes, stirring often, until thick and smooth. Stir in the rest of the oil, cover and keep warm.
- Stir the frozen spinach into the sauce and simmer for 2–3 minutes, until it has thawed and the sauce is steaming hot again, then stir in most of the basil leaves. Make 8 hollows with a spoon and crack the eggs into them, one in each.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 6–8 minutes, until the whites are completely set and the yolks are done the way you like them. For young children and anyone pregnant, cook until the yolks are firm.
- Spoon the polenta into shallow bowls, top with the eggs and sauce and scatter with the rest of the basil.
Tip: If the polenta thickens too much while it waits, loosen it with a splash of hot water and stir well.
Leftovers: Best eaten straight away; leftover sauce without the eggs keeps in the fridge for 2 days.
Wednesday · 25 min · about £1.06 per serving in ingredients used
Tuna, Tomato and Lemon Spaghetti
A quick tomato sauce with tuna, garlic and lemon zest tossed through spaghetti.
Prep 5 min · Cook 20 min · Serves 2 · Amounts are scaled for your household.
Dairy-freeKid-friendly
Ingredients
- 175 g dried pasta (penne, fusilli or spaghetti), spaghetti
- 1 × 145 g tin tuna, drained
- ½ × 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- ½ lemon
- ¼ bunch parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- ¼ tsp chilli flakes, to serve (optional)
Contains: gluten, fish. Check the label: soya. Always read the labels if you cook for someone with an allergy.
Method
- Cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to the packet. Save a cup of the cooking water, then drain.
- Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a large pan on medium heat and cook the garlic for 1 minute without browning.
- Add the tomatoes and simmer for 8–10 minutes until thickened.
- Stir in the tuna, the grated zest of the lemon and a squeeze of its juice. Warm through for 2 minutes.
- Toss the pasta with the sauce and a splash of the cooking water. Season with salt and black pepper, and finish with parsley, plus chilli flakes if you like.
Leftovers: Fridge 2 days; reheat with a splash of water until piping hot.
Thursday · 27 min · about £1.05 per serving in ingredients used
Roasted Red Pepper, Tomato and White Bean Soup
A smooth, sweet soup of jarred roasted peppers, tomato and cannellini beans with a little smoked paprika.
Prep 7 min · Cook 20 min · Serves 2 · Amounts are scaled for your household.
VegetarianGluten-free (check labels)Dairy-free (check labels)Kid-friendly
Ingredients
- 225 g roasted red peppers (jar), drained and roughly chopped
- 250 g passata
- 1 × 400 g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- ¼ basil (pack), to serve (optional)
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ vegetable stock cube
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Contains: celery. Check the label: gluten, milk, soya, sulphites. Always read the labels if you cook for someone with an allergy.
Method
- Heat 1½ tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saucepan on medium heat and cook the onion for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and smoked paprika and stir for 30 seconds.
- Add the roasted peppers, passata, beans, the stock cube crumbled in and 250 ml of just-boiled water. Bring back to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat and blend with a stick blender until completely smooth (or blend in batches in a jug blender filled no more than halfway, lid slightly open and covered with a cloth). Season with salt and black pepper.
- Ladle into bowls, drizzle with the rest of the oil and scatter with torn basil if using.
Tip: The beans disappear into the soup once blended, giving it body without any cream.
Leftovers: Keeps in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for 3 months; reheat until piping hot.
Friday · 45 min · about £1.19 per serving in ingredients used
Smoked Sausage with Cabbage and Potatoes
Golden potatoes, smoked sausage and soft cabbage cooked in one pan with a tangy mustard finish.
Prep 15 min · Cook 30 min · Serves 2 · Amounts are scaled for your household.
Gluten-free (check labels)Dairy-free (check labels)Kid-friendly
Ingredients
- 200 g smoked pork sausage, sliced
- 350 g white potatoes, cut into small cubes
- 150 g white cabbage, shredded
- ½ onion, sliced
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1½ tsp Dijon mustard
- 1½ tsp cider or white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Contains: mustard, sulphites. Check the label: gluten, milk, egg, soya, celery. Always read the labels if you cook for someone with an allergy.
Method
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan with a lid on medium heat. Add the potatoes and a pinch of salt, cover and cook for 12–15 minutes, stirring now and then, until nearly tender.
- Uncover, add the smoked sausage and onion, and cook for 6–8 minutes until browned.
- Stir in the white cabbage, smoked paprika and 1½ tablespoons of water. Cover and cook for 6–8 minutes until the cabbage is soft and the potatoes are tender.
- Mix the Dijon mustard and cider or white wine vinegar, stir through, and season with black pepper.
Leftovers: Fridge 3 days; reheat until piping hot.
