Five dinners for two adults, with an estimated grocery total of $32.96 (range $25.21–$43.70), about $3.30 per serving.
Estimated grocery total
$3.30 per serving · 10 servings
Range $25.21–$43.70
$32.96
✓ 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 $24.17 of the $32.96; 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 Strapatsada (Greek Scrambled Eggs with Tomato and Feta), at about $1.94 per serving; the most expensive is Tuesday's Italian Beef Burgers with Salsa Verde and Charred Zucchini, at about $3.09. The five dinners use about $24.17 of what you buy; the rest is left in opened packs, the biggest being feta, eggs and celery. Parsley, lemon and crusty bread go into more than one dinner, along with 8 more items on the list, so you buy them once. The quickest is Tuscan Tuna and White Bean Bowls with Lemon and Parsley, ready in about 15 minutes. Fresh food you should still have at the end of the week includes about half a pack of couscous, about half a pack of noodles, 8 large eggs and 7 garlic cloves.
The recipes
Amounts are scaled for two adults.
Monday · 20 min · about $2.18 per serving in ingredients used
Lemon Chickpea Couscous Salad with Feta
Couscous with chickpeas, cucumber, tomato and feta in a lemon dressing; no oven needed.
Prep 15 min · Cook 5 min · Serves 2 · Amounts are scaled for your household.
Vegetarian
Ingredients
- ¾ cup couscous
- ½ (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ cucumber
- 1 tomato
- ¼ red onion
- 2 oz feta
- ½ lemon
- ¼ bunch parsley
- ½ vegetable bouillon cube
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Contains: wheat (gluten), milk, celery. Check the label: soy, sulfites. Always read the labels if you cook for someone with an allergy.
Method
- Put the couscous in a large bowl with the crumbled bouillon cube. Pour over ¾ cup (175 ml) of boiling water, cover and leave for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and let it cool a little.
- Dice the cucumber and tomato, finely chop the red onion and chop the parsley.
- Whisk the olive oil with the grated zest and juice of the lemon, salt and black pepper.
- Toss the couscous with the vegetables, chickpeas, parsley and dressing. Crumble the feta over the top.
Leftovers: Fridge 2 days; add the feta just before serving.
Tuesday · 29 min · about $3.09 per serving in ingredients used
Italian Beef Burgers with Salsa Verde and Charred Zucchini
Oregano and garlic beef burgers in crusty rolls with charred strips of squash and a sharp parsley salsa verde.
Prep 10 min · Cook 19 min · Serves 2 · Amounts are scaled for your household.
Dairy-free (check labels)Kid-friendly
Ingredients
- ¼ bunch parsley
- 1 garlic clove
- ¼ lemon
- 1 zucchini
- 9 oz ground beef (80/20)
- 5 oz crusty bread (French loaf or baguette), 4 crusty rolls, or a baguette cut into 4
- ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Contains: wheat (gluten), mustard, sulfites. Check the label: milk, egg, soy, sesame. Always read the labels if you cook for someone with an allergy.
Method
- Finely chop the parsley and mix it with half the garlic, grated, the juice of the lemon, the Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Slice the zucchini lengthways into thin strips.
- In a bowl, mix the ground beef with the rest of the garlic, grated, the dried oregano, salt and black pepper. Shape into 4 patties on a plate and press a shallow dimple into each, then wash your hands after handling the raw meat.
- Heat 1½ teaspoons of the oil in a large frying pan on high heat and cook the sliced strips in two batches for 3 minutes, turning once, until charred and tender. Set aside on a clean plate.
- Turn the heat down to medium-high, add the rest of the oil and, using a spatula, put the patties in the pan. Cook for 4–5 minutes on each side, until browned and cooked through with no pink inside (160°F). Using a clean spatula, lift onto a clean plate and rest for 2 minutes.
- Meanwhile, split and toast the crusty bread. Fill with the charred strips and burgers and spoon over the salsa verde.
Tip: Make the salsa verde first so the garlic and lemon have a few minutes to mellow.
Leftovers: Best eaten straight away. Cooked patties keep in the fridge for 2 days; reheat until piping hot.
Wednesday · 15 min · about $2.12 per serving in ingredients used
Tuscan Tuna and White Bean Bowls with Lemon and Parsley
Warm garlicky cannellini beans tossed with chunky tuna, crunchy celery, red onion, parsley and lemon.
Prep 10 min · Cook 5 min · Serves 2 · Amounts are scaled for your household.
Gluten-freeDairy-freeKid-friendly
Ingredients
- 1 (5 oz) can tuna, drained
- 1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 oz celery, thinly sliced
- ¼ bunch parsley, roughly chopped
- ½ lemon
- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
- 4 oz crusty bread (French loaf or baguette), toasted, to serve (optional)
- 2½ tbsp olive oil
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Contains: fish, celery. Check the label: soy, sulfites. Optional extras contain wheat (gluten), milk, sesame. Always read the labels if you cook for someone with an allergy.
Method
- Put the red onion in a large bowl with the juice of half the lemon and a pinch of salt, toss and leave for 5 minutes to soften its bite.
- Warm 1½ tablespoons of the olive oil in a frying pan on low heat with the garlic for 2 minutes until fragrant but not browned. Add the beans and 1 tablespoon of water and warm through for 3 minutes, crushing a few beans with the back of a spoon.
- Tip the beans and garlic oil into the bowl with the onion. Add the celery, most of the parsley, the finely grated zest and remaining juice of the lemon and the rest of the oil, and season with salt and black pepper.
- Flake the tuna into large chunks over the beans and fold in gently so it stays chunky.
- Spoon into bowls, scatter over the rest of the parsley and serve warm or at room temperature, with toasted crusty bread, if using.
Tip: Soaking the sliced red onion in lemon juice for a few minutes takes away its harshness, so children are less likely to pick it out.
Leftovers: Keeps in the fridge for 2 days; eat cold or at room temperature.
Thursday · 20 min · about $1.94 per serving in ingredients used
Strapatsada (Greek Scrambled Eggs with Tomato and Feta)
Eggs softly scrambled into a thick, oregano-scented tomato sauce with salty feta, with a cucumber salad.
Prep 6 min · Cook 14 min · Serves 2 · Amounts are scaled for your household.
VegetarianGluten-freeKid-friendly
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- ½ (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
- ¼ yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 oz feta
- ½ cucumber
- ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
- 4 oz crusty bread (French loaf or baguette), to serve (optional)
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Contains: milk, egg. Check the label: sulfites. Optional extras contain wheat (gluten), soy, sesame. Always read the labels if you cook for someone with an allergy.
Method
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large frying pan on medium heat and cook the yellow onion for 3 minutes until soft.
- Add the tomatoes, half the dried oregano, the sugar and a pinch of salt and simmer for 6–7 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick and most of the liquid has cooked off.
- Meanwhile, cut the cucumber into chunks and toss with the red onion, apple cider vinegar, the rest of the oil and a pinch of salt.
- Beat the eggs with a grind of black pepper and pour into the tomato. Stir gently for 2–3 minutes until the eggs are scrambled and set in soft curds. Crumble in the feta and the rest of the oregano for the last 30 seconds.
- Serve straight from the pan with the cucumber salad, and the crusty bread if using.
Tip: Cook the tomato right down before the eggs go in, or the scramble turns watery.
Leftovers: Best eaten straight away.
Friday · 20 min · about $2.75 per serving in ingredients used
Libyan-Style Spiced Beef and Tomato Noodles with Chickpeas
Inspired by Libyan mbakbka: beef in a cinnamon-warm tomato sauce with chickpeas, tossed through egg noodles.
Prep 6 min · Cook 14 min · Serves 2 · Amounts are scaled for your household.
Dairy-freeKid-friendly
Ingredients
- ½ yellow onion, finely chopped
- 7 oz ground beef (80/20)
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1½ tbsp tomato paste
- ½ (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
- ½ (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 5 oz egg noodles
- ¼ lemon
- ¼ bunch parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Contains: wheat (gluten), egg. Check the label: sulfites. Always read the labels if you cook for someone with an allergy.
Method
- Put the kettle on. Heat the olive oil in a large deep frying pan on medium-high heat. Add the yellow onion and the ground beef, then wash your hands after handling the raw meat. Cook for 7–8 minutes, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned with no pink left.
- Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, paprika, ground cumin, turmeric and ground cinnamon for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes, the chickpeas and ¼ cup (50 ml) of water. Simmer for 5 minutes until thick and the beef is cooked through (160°F).
- Meanwhile, cook the noodles in a pan of the just-boiled water for 4 minutes, or as the packet says, until tender. Scoop out a mugful of the cooking water, then drain.
- Toss the noodles into the sauce with a splash of the cooking water until glossy and coated. Season with salt and black pepper, squeeze over the lemon and scatter with the parsley.
Tip: The pinch of ground cinnamon is what makes it taste Libyan; it warms the sauce rather than sweetening it.
Leftovers: Fridge for 3 days; reheat with a splash of water until piping hot.
