Healthy budget-friendly recipes are the ultimate in clever cooking; saving you money but still making sure you eat well. We’ve put together some seriously good dishes for you to try that tick those boxes, and are delicious to boot!
From hearty soups and stews to crunchy, bright salads and quick traybakes, you’re sure to find something exciting (and helpful) that you’ll come back to again and again. You can also swap in your favourite meat, fish, veg or pulses if that’s what you have; these are great principle recipes that are here to help.
For more inspiration, visit my Budget-friendly recipe hub
Delicious winter salad
Using up leftover veg is a great way to make this salad even more budget-friendly – and it’s already less than 50p per portion! It’s got a punchy anchovy and milk dressing and is packed full of the good stuff (seeds, mint, carrots, mixed-colour cabbages). Definitely try this one.
Buddy's super veggie burgers
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly burger, give Buddy’s version a go. Frozen veg and store-cupboard staples make this helpful for those busier days, and keep costs low. And you can mix and match any crunchy veg you have in the fridge for the slaw.
A super simple salad that is great served warm on its own, or as a side. It’s just a matter of prepping and roasting the squash, rehydrating the couscous and toasting some pumpkin seeds. (And any seeds that you’ve saved from the squash – see how to toast these here.) All for under £1 per portion!
Mega meatloaf
A wonderfully warming budget-friendly recipe that’s both healthy and packed full of flavour. Perfect for those colder evenings, you can pair it with mashed potato, spaghetti, or some quick air-fryer potato wedges.
Versatile veggie chilli
Hero veg and reduce your meat intake with this fragrant take on a chilli con carne. Swap in your favourite spices, beans and veg to really make it your own.
Rainbow salad wrap
Whatever veg you choose to stuff into this wrap, make sure it’s a beautiful mix of colours to get that gorgeous rainbow effect! We’ve also used a pear here which, alongside the veg, beautiful herbs and tangy dressing, adds a lovely fruity freshness. This one also comes in at under £1 per portion.
Tangy, sweet and lemony; this dish is bold! Capers pack a real flavour punch, which means you can put them centre stage and keep your ingredient list down. This is clever cooking that’s less than £1 per portion.
Chicken thighs are more economical than chicken breasts, making this an excellent choice if you’re after a budget-friendly dish. This traybake also makes the most of some great store-cupboard ingredients (jalfrezi curry paste and onion marmalade) for a brilliant flavour boost.
A fresh 5-ingredient noodle dish that is on the table in 20 minutes. Sugar snap peas, chilli jam and Worcestershire sauce bring the sweet and sour, and crispy chicken skin brings the fun!
Giant veg rösti
At just over £1 per portion, this rösti is cheerful on both flavour and cost! It’s a great go-to if you’ve got some carrots and potatoes hanging around, as well as any halloumi, eggs, crunchy chopped salad or smoky beans for the top!
Speedy mackerel spaghetti
Tinned mackerel is a great budget-friendly fish, which is not only a fantastic source of protein but also omega-3 fatty acids, which we need for brain function. Paired with crunchy breadcrumbs, broccoli and a hint of chilli; this is big, bold flavour.
Minestrone soup
You can’t beat a hearty, naturally budget-friendly minestrone that fills you up on a variety of veggies, beans and pasta. And eating lots of different-coloured vegetables is a surefire way to get a variety of nutrients in your diet.
Spelt spaghetti
Marinated and baked ricotta and cherry tomatoes become the base of this so-simple dish. Swapping in spelt spaghetti for regular wheat pasta brings nuttiness and extra wheat-bran fibre, which helps to keep our cholesterol levels in check.
Roasted carrot salad
This salad pairs sweet carrots with mellow cottage cheese; a great source of protein, phosphorous and calcium; which happens to be lower in saturated fat than hard cheeses. Jamie loves cottage cheese – so definitely give this one a go. The smoked almonds help to take this dish up a notch, too.
We’ve put all our best money-saving recipes in the Budget-friendly recipe hub, which includes breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas, batch-cook recipes, microwave recipe ideas and more!
