For more budget recipes, see our comprehensive budget recipe collection. Or visit our main budget hub for all your cost-cutting needs, where we guide you through the likes of money-saving tips, budget comfort food and meals you can make with canned veg.
1. Noodle stir-fry with crunchy peanuts
Looking for a speedy supper without the hassle? Try this veggie noodle stir-fry out for size, ready in just 20 minutes. It’s boosted with crunchy peanut butter for texture and depth of flavour, plus you could serve with sweet chilli sauce for an extra kick. It make a solid midweek supper that’s low in calories, too.
More like this
Discover more quick vegetarian meals.
2. Sesame pork meatballs with chilli noodle broth
Cheaper than beef mince, we think pork mince is a secret weapon when you’re cooking on a budget. This weeknight winner is a brilliant example, combining pork mince meatballs with egg noodles and broccoli. If you’re up for a bit of meal prep, you could freeze any extra meatballs, ready to be whipped out of the freezer for time-strapped weeknights.
Take a look at more of our pork mince recipes.
3. Golden syrup broccoli noodles
Golden syrup is the not-so-secret ingredient in these glossy noodles, pepped up with chilli flakes and a squeeze of lime juice. This super-easy creation has a short ingredient list, plus it can be easily doubled, giving you a delicious batch of leftovers to carry you through the week. This thrifty vegan meal is also egg-free, nut-free and low-calorie.
Discover more vegan meals on a budget.
4. Ginger chicken udon noodles
Rustle up a warming bowl of chewy udon noodles in just 30 minutes. This bowl showcases cheaper, readily accessible ingredients, such as cabbage, beansprouts and spring onions, as well as chicken thigh, which is a cheaper cut of meat. It features fiery ginger and red chilli too, making it full of flavour without the the costly food bill.
If you’re a fan of udon, try these stir-fried udon noodles next.
5. Curried satay noodles
It’s tempting to buy a packet of shop-bought stir-fry sauce when you’re shopping, but making your own is far cheaper, and healthier, too. In this quick and easy recipe, wholewheat noodles are coated in a nutty sauce that’s made by simply combining stock, peanut butter and tomato purée. It’s then mixed with frozen peas, carrot and red pepper to make a low-cost, high-fibre dinner.
Check out more high-fibre recipes.
6. Miso noodles with fried eggs
Cooking on a budget doesn’t mean forfeiting on big flavours, as this fibre-rich supper proves. This quick and healthy veggie dish has a base of wholemeal noodles, mixed with frozen peas and beansprouts, then topped with a crispy fried egg and a scattering of red chilli. It’s perfect for a quick, filling supper that’s packed with four of your five-a-day, plus vitamin C and iron too.
Find more quick and healthy recipes.
7. Noodles with crispy tofu
A flavour-packed dinner combining low-cost, fresh produce with storecupboard heroes, this is a spicy, vibrant dish to slot into your weekly meal rotation. Tofu is turned exta-crispy thanks to cornflour, so you won’t miss out on any meaty textures, either.
Turn your hand to more tofu dinner recipes.
8. Kimchi sesame udon noodles
If you have leftover kimchi to hand, use it to give a boost to these easy udon noodles, paired with cheap veg such as broccoli, onion and radish. Topped with a fried egg and amped up with chilli flakes, it looks and tastes impressive even though it’s budget-friendly. It delivers three of your five-a-day, too.
Learn about the health benefits of kimchi or see our best vegetarian student recipes.
9. Easy veggie red curry noodles
Shop-bought sauces tend to be high in sugar. Ditch the packet of sauce and try these vegetarian, low-sugar red curry noodles instead, loaded with red pepper, mangetout and baby corn for a desirable crunch. The recipe calls for easily identifiable ingredients, such as curry paste and coconut milk, making it a dish you’ll want to return to when noodle cravings hit.
Try out more lower-sugar meals.
10. Crispy chilli turkey noodles
Ground turkey is cheaper than ground beef, making it a brilliant budget swap to adopt. Try it for yourself in this highly-rated noodle recipe, where crisp-fried turkey mince is coated in a sweet, spicy sauce of chilli, soy and garlic, atop thick udon noodles. It makes for a savoury 20-minute meal that’s low in fat but big on flavour.
Check out more turkey mince meal ideas.