With food and energy prices constantly rising, finding ways to keep your weekly food bill down and still eat well can be a real struggle, so I’ve put together 10 low-cost meals for one plus some really useful tips when cooking for one.
Now, I’m not the world’s best cook by any stretch of the imagination. So don’t go expecting gourmet meals on a budget.
Please note that most of these meals contain meat and they are meant for a low budget, not a complete bare minimum budget so you may be able to find cheaper meal options.
Keep your meals simple
I like a good recipe book but in general, these meals are expensive, especially when you require ingredients that you don’t normally have to hand. Most meals don’t need to be fancy, restaurant-quality meals, instead, go for the foods you really like and keep things simple.
Cook once and eat several times
Many meals lend themselves to this rule of cooking once and eating several times. Eat one portion on the day that you cook and put several individual portions in the freezer. Here’s a really useful HOW TO FREEZE FOOD GUIDE
Not only will you always have a good amount of meals available, but you’ll also save a lot of energy. You only need to reheat the meal rather than cook everything from scratch.
TIP: Make sure that you clearly label what the individual portions are before they go into the freezer.
Use Your Oven Wisely
If you’re putting your oven on, try to cook several things at the same time. Cook 2 different dishes such as lasagne and cottage pie, roast some potatoes and vegetables…
Think about your portion size
Portion sizes have massively increased over the years and most of the time we pile way too much on our plate. I encourage you to really think about how much is enough. I’m not saying to go hungry at all but aim for enough rather than eating past the point of having eaten enough.
Check out this blog post I wrote about portion size and weight loss. It’s surprising how much weight you can drop and how much money you can save by just paying more attention to how much you put on your plate.
I recently froze something in a bigger portion. I’d expected to eat it when my son and his girlfriend were staying with me. I took it out of the freezer and decided it would last for 2 nights. I scooped out half the dish to heat up and it was way too much.
Had I properly thought this through it would have been portioned out in 4 individual portions before going into the freezer. Well, I never said I’d got this completely sorted.
Bulk Cook Your Baked Potatoes
Baked potatoes are a really filling meal and you can add loads of different toppings but they take a long time to cook in the oven and that costs money. So, I recommend bulk-cooking your baked potatoes.
Here’s a great little guide for HOW TO FREEZE BAKED POTATOES – I usually cook about 10 at a time when I’ve already got the oven on for a main meal such as lasagne.
Stick to meals you know you like
When you’re on a low budget this is not the time for trying too many new meal ideas. Instead, stick with meals you know and like.
Also, don’t cut out your favourite meals. Instead, look for ways to make those meals cheaper, for example, buy bulking out using lentils or vegetables.
Keep a close check on what’s in your fridge
Really pay attention to what’s in your fridge. What fruit and veg needs to be used up? Have you got some cheese that’s getting past its best? Do you have some leftover tortilla wraps to use up?
Whilst I’m a big fan of meal planning I do feel flexibility is key. If you have something to use up, create a meal around that food.
Go for supermarket own brands
I know this is one that gets said a lot but for most things, I find it really doesn’t lower the quality of the meal or the taste.
10 Low-Cost Meals For One
Please note that I’m no fancy chef and this is not a food blog so you won’t find any fancy Instagram-worthy photos of perfectly presented meals. Instead, I intend to give you very simple meal ideas to keep your food bill low.
1. Cheese omelette and salad
Eggs are a cheap option and they’re very filling. Spray a pan with a little oil, Whisk a couple of eggs, I like a little ground pepper and add a small sprinkle of grated cheese to taste, Pour into a medium-hot frying pan (or omelette pan if you have one).
Gently draw the mixture away from the sides into the middle of the pan. As the mixture sets, turn over to cook the other side.
Add some extras. If you have a little extra to spend you can add ham to the egg mixture and add different salad items such as peppers to your salad.
2. Lasagne
You can go for the classic mince lasagne, a vegetable lasagne or a mix of mince and lentils. There are some really good varieties available.
I use jars of lasagne sauce and white sauce. I buy supermarket own brand. If you’re a good cook, go ahead and make these from scratch.
This is a perfect dish to cook and freeze in individual portions. So whilst initially it may not be the very cheapest meal, because you can cook once and get several potions you’ll save a good amount of energy.
Serve with some salad and you can even use one of your ready-cooked baked potatoes to make a more substantial meal.
3. Cottage pie
Go for a traditional cottage pie or add some lentils, chickpeas, diced carrots (cut really small), peas…
This is such a hearty meal that really fills you up and is another dish that is perfect for cooking and freezing individual portions.
Eat it as it is or serve it with extra vegetables. It’s ideal with roast veggies that you cooked at the same time to fill the oven up.
4. Individual Greek yoghurt pizza
I discovered this super simple pizza base recipe a few years ago and love it. It’s so easy and especially good if you have some Greek yoghurt that needs to be used up.
Simply tip an individual pot of Greek yoghurt into a bowl, then fill the same pot with self-raising flour (fill once and then add half a pot), mix it together and there’s your pizza base.
Top with whatever you want. I add a squirt of ketchup or pizza sauce if I have it, a little ham and a sprinkle of cheese.
Alternative – If you have tortilla wraps, flatbread or even crumpets left over, you can use these as a pizza base too.
5. Buddha Bowl (my version)
You can get loads of ideas for Buddha bowls online but really they’re a collection of foods in a bowl. They are typically vegetarian or vegan but I do tend to add some chicken or tuna. Each food item goes into a separate section of the bowl.
My own favourite is small chunks of cucumber, couscous or brown rice, chunks of seasoned chicken or tuna or falafels, sweetcorn, lettuce and a dollop of cottage cheese or hummus.
I find these really good for using up things I have in the fridge. Other things I might add are… Grated or cubed cheese, pickles, cold meats, peppers and other salad, kidney beans or chickpeas. Just add whatever you like.
6. Casserole & Chunky Soup
Casseroles are great to cook in your slow cooker (crockpot). Because you’re cooking longer and slower, you can use cheaper cuts of meats such as stewing beef and chicken thighs. Add plenty of vegetables that are lower cost such as potatoes, carrots, onion… Check what’s in season or on offer.
Make a big quality, separate into individual portions and freeze.
7. Curry
Make up a large pan of curry. I do normally add some chicken but I also add vegetables and fruit that need using up as well as chickpeas. You can also cook your curry using the slow cooker (crockpot).
I’m going to admit that I buy jars of curry sauce. I personally find it too expensive to buy all the different ingredients to create my own and I always end up throwing a load of ingredients out as they’ve sat at the back of the cupboard and gone out of date.
Serve with rice – And, Yes, you can freeze rice. I cook a big pan in one go and freeze in individual portions.
8. Load Em Up Toasties
Toasties are a quick and easy meal and they can totally be the main meal. Check out these amazing TOASTED SANDWICH FILLING IDEAS
I love basic cheese and ham toasties and I love a loaded chicken, cheese, red pepper and pineapple toastie. Serve with a nice big salad.
NOTE: I buy frozen pineapple. Now, it’s not the cheapest buy but I find that I only need a small amount to really improve the taste of a pizza, a toastie or a rice dish.
And for a sweet treat, I love chopped or mashed banana and Nutella, yum. It’s delicious.
9. Liver and wedges
Liver is incredibly cheap. I like to add a little olive oil to a pan with some crushed garlic and simply fry it for a minute and flip it over until cooked through. Serve with wedges and salad.
TIP: Instead of making wedges from scratch, you can use one of your pre-cooked baked potatoes. before it’s fully defrosted, cut it into wedges and pop in the oven for a much shorter time.
Liver also works really well in a casserole. Add some bacon cut into small slices to give extra taste and serve with mashed potatoes and vegetables.
10. Sausage and mash
Another favourite comfort food for me. I cook around 10 sausages in one go, let them cool, then pop them in the fridge to cool thoroughly and then freeze in 2’s for a later date.
I like to serve with mashed potatoes, vegetables and onion gravy.
Low-cost cooking for one tips recap
- Bulk cook and freeze in individual portions
- Use your oven wisely, cook several things at the same time
- Keep meals simple and stick to what you know and like
- Watch your portion size
- Try more supermarket own brands where possible
- Keep an eye on foods that need using up
I hope you’ve found these tips and meal ideas helpful. Other posts you might find helpful are…
- Intuitive eating on a budget
- Tips to spend less on food
- 25 ways to save money
- 4 essential bank accounts when you’re on a tight budget
Please go ahead and let us know in the comments below what your top tips are for cooking for one, especially when you’re on a low budget.
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