Looking for delicious food recipes to feed the whole family? We asked five of our favourite family bloggers to share their best budget friendly meals!
Whether you're looking to add more vegetables in to your meals or need some inspiration on what to do with left overs, these top family bloggers have a thrifty answer for you.
Sweet Potato Turkey Cottage Pie
Kelly from www.tobecomemum.co.uk
“For busy families, eating well isn’t always easy but with a bit of planning and smarter food swaps, it is possible to make family favourite dishes that are full of flavour and good things, without costing a fortune.”
Serves: 4-6 people
Ingredients
- 500g Turkey mince
- 1 Red pepper
- 1 Green pepper (or a courgette)
- 1 Onion
- 150g Mushrooms
- 2 Cloves of garlic
- 1 Gel vegetable stock
- 1 Chicken stock cube
- 2 Tbsp tomato puree
- 500g Passata
- 600g Ready-made sweet potato mash (or if you have the time, 3 x sweet potatoes plus a splash of milk and a knob of butter)
- Grated cheese, to top the mash (optional)
Method
- 1. Dice the onion and add to a saucepan with a dash of oil.
- 2. Deseed and dice the peppers and chop the mushrooms, then add them to the saucepan and stir.
- 3. Add the turkey mince to the saucepan, mix through and keep stirring for around 5 minutes until cooked through.
- 4. Boil the kettle and add the vegetable and chicken stock to 150ml of boiling water, pour into the saucepan and add the tomato puree and passata and mix thoroughly.
- 5. Bring the saucepan to the boil then leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and reduced down.
- 6. If making your own mash, peel and chop the sweet potatoes and add to another pan with boiling water whilst your filling is simmering away. Once soft, add the milk and butter.
- 7. Fill a casserole dish with the turkey mince mix then spoon the sweet potato mash on top.
- Top tip: use small dollops of mash then gently spread across with the back of the spoon, to create an even mash topper for your cottage pie.
- 8. Put the dish into a preheated oven, set to gas mark 6, and leave for 20 minutes. Add a sprinkle of cheese to the top and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes (if desired).
- 9. Remove the cottage pie from the oven and leave to rest for a couple of minutes before dishing up.
- 10. Serve the sweet potato turkey cottage pie with some fresh green vegetables.
Vegetable Sauce
Lisa and Neil from www.mumdadplus4.co.uk
“Do you have kids who refuse to eat their 5 a day? They hate the thought of vegetables on the plate. I have created the hidden vegetable pasta sauce, it's such a versatile sauce and can be used as a base for bolognese, lasagne, chilli or even on its own with some pasta.”
Essential Ingredients
- 2 Chopped tinned tomatoes
- 3 Large peppers
- 1 Large onion (red or white)
- 3 -5 Cloves garlic
- 2 – 3 Tbsp tomato puree
- Fresh herbs (basil and coriander)
- 7-8 Fresh plum tomatoes
Added ingredients
- 2 Medium sized courgettes
- 8-10 Mushrooms
- 2 Grated carrots
Method
- 1. Chop the peppers, onions, mushrooms, courgette into cubes/slices and grate your carrots.
- 2. Add everything to a large pan, crush the garlic, add the fresh tomatoes (you can slice in half if you want to), herbs and tinned tomatoes then season well.
- 3. Give it a good stir through then pop a lid on the pan and heat on a gentle heat until all the vegetables are nice and soft, keep stirring every few minutes.
- Tip: The lid is important as it will keep the steam in, make the vegetables go soft quicker and add a little extra moisture to sauce.
- 4. Once all the ingredients are soft, take a hand held blender and mush all the vegetables up. Now you will have a lovely thick tomato and vegetable sauce that looks like a sauce from a jar but is in fact packed with a lot more goodness.
- 5. If you’re adding meat to your sauce, add it now and simmer until the meat is cooked all the way through. If you are not adding meat to the sauce, simmer for 15 minutes.
Homemade Potato Soup
Angela from www.theinspirationedit.com
“We don’t like to waste food at our house and finding unique and interesting ways to reuse leftovers and save money for upcoming bills and expenses is important. This recipe is perfect for left over mash potatoes.”
Ingredients
- 5 Potatoes, peeled and chopped (approximately 3 1/2 cups)
- 4 Cups water or broth
- 1 Tbsp bacon grease or olive oil
- 1 Onion, chopped
- Salt and pepper for taste
- (Green onions as an optional garnish)
Method
- 1. Boil your potatoes in water until cooked well, drain out the water and leave the potatoes in the strainer as you cook the onion.
- 2. Place the bacon grease in a stockpot over medium heat and add the chopped onion. Cook until translucent, about 3 minutes and add back in the potatoes and the water or broth, cover and cook until the potatoes start to break down, about 20 minutes.
- 3. Place in a blender and blend until smooth, season with salt and pepper to taste, garnish as desired.
Avocado Eggs Benedict
Rebecca from www.aaublog.com
“I'm a big fan of eggs and avocado. So why not put the two together? Here's a delicious, quick and easy breakfast recipe that won’t break the bank.”
Serves: 2
Ingredients
- 2 Avocados, halved, pitted and peeled
- 4 Bacon slices
- 4 Eggs
- 2 English muffins split in two
Method
- 1. Mash the avocados with a fork and set to one side.
- 2. Grill or fry the bacon slices.
- 3. At the same time, gently poach the eggs in simmering water.
- 4. Toast the muffins and spread thickly with mashed avocado, place a bacon slice on each one, then top with the poached eggs, serve immediately.
Homemade Fish Goujons & Chips
Alice from www. newyoungmum.com
“This is a delicious recipe that is lovely to make from scratch! Your ingredients for this won't cost much either. I buy a box of breadcrumbs and find that they will do this meal 2/3 times, it's also great for kids to get involved with coating the fish.”
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 4x Smoked Haddock Fillets
- 50g Flour
- 2 Eggs
- 100g Breadcrumbs
- 3x Potatoes
- 3 Spoonfuls of Mayonnaise
- 1 Spoonful of Whole Grain Mustard
- Choice of Side – Peas or salad
- 1 Lemon
Method
- 1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C/Gas5/375F
- 2. Wash your potatoes and slice them into wedge shapes/chip shapes then place them on a baking tray, drizzle over some rapeseed oil and season with salt and pepper.
- 3. Cook in the oven for around 30 minutes.
- 4. Slice your fish and remove the skin, this is actually fairly easy when it’s raw and should come off being pulled/with a knife, then slice your fish into thin fingers.
- 5. Using three separate bowls, add the flour in one, whisk the eggs in the second bowl and add the breadcrumbs in the third bowl.
- 6. Taking a piece of fish, cover it in flour, eggs, breadcrumbs and repeat until all the fish goujons are coated then set these aside for a few minutes.
- 7. Simply heat up a non-stick pan with about 1 cm deep of oil and start to add in your goujons, turn them regularly and remove them onto a piece of kitchen roll to get rid of the excess oil.
- 8. Mix together your mayo and whole grain mustard and prep your salad or peas.
- 9. Serve up your crispy chips, delicious goujons and enjoy!
