Recipes, priced a serve
80 family dinners, each one matched to real products at New Zealand’s major supermarkets and costed a serve. Open one to see what it costs and which shop is cheapest for the whole ingredient list.
Bacon and Mushroom Rice
Creamy stirred rice that costs about as much as a side dish.
Serves 48 ingredients40 min26g proteinKid-friendlyPorkRice
Baked Eggs in Spiced Tomato Sauce
A tin of tomatoes, eight eggs, and the pan goes straight to the table.
Serves 410 ingredients30 min19g proteinVeggieOne pan
Baked Fish with Crushed Potatoes and Peas
Light, quick, and forgiving about which white fish is cheapest.
Serves 46 ingredients35 min38g proteinFishSeafood
Baked Pork Meatballs with Couscous
Grated zucchini in the mix keeps them soft and makes the mince go further.
Serves 410 ingredients40 min39g proteinKid-friendlyPorkBake
Baked Potatoes with Chilli Beans
A meat-free dinner for the price of a bag of potatoes and two tins.
Serves 49 ingredients1 hr 15 min22g proteinVeggieLegumesBanana and Oat Muffins
Uses the bananas nobody will eat and fills a fortnight of snack breaks.
Serves 127 ingredients35 min6g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieBakeBanana Oat Cookies
Two ingredients, one bowl, and a use for the bananas nobody will eat.
Serves 123 ingredients25 min2g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieBake
Beef and Bean Chilli
Stretches half a kilo of mince across four generous serves.
Serves 410 ingredients45 min36g proteinBeefLegumes
Beef and Black Bean Rice Bowls
Everything in one pan and served in bowls, which children prefer anyway.
Serves 49 ingredients30 min35g proteinBeefRice
Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry
Sliced thinly enough, one steak feeds the whole table.
Serves 49 ingredients30 min38g proteinBeefStir fry
Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff
Steak strips and a mushroom pan sauce, on the table in half an hour.
Serves 410 ingredients35 min38g proteinBeefRice
Beef Burgers with Oven Wedges
Homemade patties cost a fraction of the frozen ones.
Serves 48 ingredients45 min42g proteinKid-friendlyBeefAmerican
Beef Cottage Pie
Mince under a mash lid, and the leftovers reheat better than the first night.
Serves 411 ingredients1 hr 20 min34g proteinKid-friendlyBeefBakeBerry and Yoghurt Cups
Built the night before, and cold by the time the bell goes.
Serves 44 ingredients10 min12g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieLunchbox
Black Bean and Cheese Quesadillas
Two tins of beans and a handful of cheese, crisped in a dry pan.
Serves 48 ingredients25 min27g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieLegumes
Broccoli, Potato and Cheese Soup
Cheap greens blended smooth, with enough cheese to win the table over.
Serves 47 ingredients35 min15g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieSoupCheese and Corn Scrolls
A two-ingredient dough that turns into the thing they ask for every week.
Serves 125 ingredients40 min9g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieBakeCheese and Cracker Snack Box
The packet snack, assembled from the fridge for a third of the price.
Serves 45 ingredients10 min14g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieLunchboxCheese and Cucumber Sandwiches
The plain one that actually comes home eaten.
Serves 44 ingredients10 min14g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieLunchboxCheese and Vegetable Pinwheels
A wrap rolled up and sliced into rounds, which somehow makes salad acceptable.
Serves 46 ingredients15 min12g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieLunchbox
Chicken and Potato Curry
Mild enough for everyone, and the potatoes make 700g of thighs feed four properly.
Serves 410 ingredients50 min40g proteinKid-friendlyChickenIndian
Chicken and Rice Salad Bowls
Cook the rice and chicken once, eat it cold for three days.
Serves 48 ingredients30 min40g proteinChickenSalad
Chicken and Vegetable Noodle Soup
Big pot, small cost, and it reheats better than it has any right to.
Serves 48 ingredients40 min32g proteinKid-friendlyChickenSoup
Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry
On the table in 25 minutes, and it takes whatever veg is cheap.
Serves 410 ingredients25 min42g proteinChickenStir fry
Chicken Cacciatore
Thighs braised down slowly with tomatoes and mushrooms until the sauce goes glossy.
Serves 410 ingredients1 hr 40 min44g proteinKid-friendlyChickenSlow cook
Chicken Fried Rice
Best made with rice cooked the day before and left in the fridge.
Serves 48 ingredients25 min32g proteinKid-friendlyChickenRice
Chicken Thigh and Root Vegetable Traybake
Everything roasts in one tray while you do something else.
Serves 47 ingredients55 min42g proteinKid-friendlyChickenOne panChicken, Carrot and Cheese Sandwiches
Grated carrot is the vegetable that disappears into a sandwich unnoticed.
Serves 46 ingredients15 min28g proteinKid-friendlyChickenLunchbox
Chickpea and Couscous Salad
No cooking beyond a kettle, and it travels well.
Serves 48 ingredients20 min18g proteinVeggieVegan
Chickpea and Spinach Curry
Two tins, a bag of spinach, and dinner in half an hour.
Serves 410 ingredients30 min20g proteinVeggieVeganChocolate Popcorn Seed Bars
No oven — melt, press into a tray and let the fridge do the work.
Serves 125 ingredients15 min4g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieBudgetChocolate Raspberry Baked Donuts
Oats, zucchini and apple carry the sweetness so the sugar does not have to.
Serves 1211 ingredients40 min5g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieBake
Cold Sesame Noodle Salad
Make it the night before and carry the dressing in a jar.
Serves 49 ingredients25 min12g proteinVeggieDairy freeCorn and Cheese Pasta Salad
Cook the pasta on Sunday and three lunchboxes fill themselves.
Serves 47 ingredients25 min15g proteinKid-friendlyVeggiePasta
Creamy Fish and Potato Chowder
A milky, chunky soup that turns half a kilo of fish into dinner for four.
Serves 49 ingredients40 min32g proteinKid-friendlyFishSeafood
Creamy Garlic Mushroom Spaghetti
Mushrooms, cream and more garlic than seems reasonable, done in the time the pasta takes.
Serves 48 ingredients25 min21g proteinKid-friendlyVeggiePasta
Creamy Tomato Chicken Pasta
A tin of tomatoes and a splash of cream doing a lot of work.
Serves 49 ingredients30 min38g proteinKid-friendlyChickenPastaCrunchy Roasted Chickpeas
A tin of chickpeas that comes out of the oven tasting like a snack packet.
Serves 63 ingredients40 min8g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieVegan
Curried Chicken Salad Rolls
Poach a couple of breasts on Sunday and lunch is sorted till Wednesday.
Serves 48 ingredients35 min36g proteinChickenSalad
Egg and Salad Wraps
Boiled eggs and salad, rolled up and ready for a lunchbox.
Serves 46 ingredients20 min22g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieBudgetFruit and Vegetable Crunch Box
The morning fruit-and-veg break, cut up once for the whole week.
Serves 46 ingredients10 minKid-friendlyVeggieVeganHam and Cheese Yoghurt Rolls
Two-ingredient dough, so there is nothing to prove and nothing to wait for.
Serves 86 ingredients40 min16g proteinKid-friendlyPorkBake
Ham, Cheese and Tomato Toasties
Fifteen minutes, five ingredients, no complaints.
Serves 45 ingredients15 min26g proteinKid-friendlyPorkBudgetHeart Pizza Scrolls
One pastry sheet, four ingredients, and they come out heart-shaped.
Serves 84 ingredients30 min9g proteinKid-friendlyPorkBake
Honey Soy Chicken Drumsticks with Rice
Drumsticks are the cheapest chicken going and this is the easiest thing to do with them.
Serves 47 ingredients55 min46g proteinKid-friendlyChickenBake
Lamb and Chickpea Stew
A cheaper cut of lamb, slowly braised, stretched with chickpeas.
Serves 49 ingredients2 hr 15 min45g proteinLambLegumes
Lamb Koftas with Flatbreads and Yoghurt
Spiced lamb off the grill, rolled up with salad and a spoon of yoghurt.
Serves 411 ingredients35 min36g proteinKid-friendlyLambBbq
Macaroni Cheese with Bacon
A white sauce, a block of cheese, and no jar required.
Serves 47 ingredients45 min36g proteinKid-friendlyPorkPastaMalted Chocolate Bliss Balls
Blitz, roll, chill — the no-bake one the kids can make themselves.
Serves 166 ingredients40 min3g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieBudgetMelon and Grape Fruit Skewers
The same fruit they leave in the box, eaten because it is on a stick.
Serves 64 ingredients15 minKid-friendlyVeggieVeganMini Corn and Cheese Muffins
Savoury, bite-sized and gone by recess — a tray makes two dozen.
Serves 246 ingredients25 min3g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieBakeMini Egg and Vegetable Frittatas
A muffin tin of eggs on Sunday covers the whole week of lunchboxes.
Serves 66 ingredients30 min16g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieGluten freeOat and Sultana Slice
One tray, twelve pieces, and no wrappers to throw away.
Serves 126 ingredients40 min5g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieBake
One-Pan Paprika Chicken and Rice
The rice cooks underneath the chicken and takes on everything that comes off it.
Serves 49 ingredients45 min40g proteinKid-friendlyChickenRice
One-Pot Smoky Bean and Rice
Two tins of beans, a bag of rice, and only one pan to wash.
Serves 49 ingredients40 min16g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieVeganPikelets
One bowl, one pan, and a fortnight of snack breaks in the freezer.
Serves 65 ingredients25 min6g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieLunchbox
Pork and Cabbage Noodle Stir-Fry
Cabbage is the cheapest vegetable in the shop and this is where it shines.
Serves 49 ingredients25 min34g proteinPorkStir fry
Potato, Bacon and Egg Salad
Better on day two, which is rather the point of a lunch.
Serves 47 ingredients40 min26g proteinKid-friendlyPorkSalad
Pumpkin and Red Lentil Soup
Cheap, filling, and it freezes flat in bags.
Serves 48 ingredients40 min15g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieVegan
Red Lentil and Vegetable Curry
Pantry legumes, mild spice, and one of the cheapest dinners here.
Serves 410 ingredients35 min21g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieVeganRice Cake Snack Stacks
Five minutes, and the crunchy part stays crunchy until it is eaten.
Serves 44 ingredients10 min7g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieLunchbox
Roast Chicken with Vegetables
A whole bird is usually the cheapest chicken per kilo in the shop.
Serves 47 ingredients1 hr 35 min52g proteinKid-friendlyChickenBake
Roast Pumpkin and Chickpea Bowls
One hot tray, a bowl of couscous, and a spoonful of yoghurt over the top.
Serves 49 ingredients45 min22g proteinVeggieLegumes
Salmon and Potato Fishcakes
Two tins of salmon and a pot of mash, crisped up in a frying pan.
Serves 410 ingredients40 min26g proteinKid-friendlyFishSeafood
Sausage and Lentil One-Pot
A packet of sausages and a bag of lentils, and nobody leaves the table hungry.
Serves 49 ingredients1 hr38g proteinKid-friendlyPorkLegumes
Sausage, Potato and Onion Bake
Sausages on special turn into a whole dinner with one tray.
Serves 46 ingredients1 hr30g proteinKid-friendlyPorkBake
Slow-Cooked Beef and Root Vegetable Stew
Cheap braising beef, three hours of oven time, no attention needed.
Serves 49 ingredients3 hr46g proteinBeefSlow cook
Spaghetti Bolognese
The weeknight standard, and it freezes in portions.
Serves 410 ingredients45 min34g proteinKid-friendlyBeefPasta
Spiced Beef Mince and Pea Curry
Mince cooks in a quarter of the time a curry usually wants.
Serves 410 ingredients35 min34g proteinBeefIndian
Split Pea and Ham Soup
A bag of dried peas does all the work; the ham is just there to season it.
Serves 48 ingredients1 hr 20 min30g proteinKid-friendlyPorkSoupStovetop Popcorn
Cheaper by the kilo than any packet, and it takes four minutes.
Serves 62 ingredients10 min3g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieVeganStrawberry Flower Pancakes
A strawberry slice for the middle, blobs of batter for the petals.
Serves 126 ingredients25 min4g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieFreezer friendlyTuna and Corn Sandwiches
Two tins and five minutes, and it holds together until lunch.
Serves 46 ingredients15 min24g proteinKid-friendlyFishLunchbox
Tuna and Sweetcorn Jacket Potatoes
Bake the potatoes while you do something else; the filling takes five minutes.
Serves 46 ingredients1 hr 10 min30g proteinFishBake
Tuna and Sweetcorn Pasta Bake
Built entirely from long-life pantry stock plus milk and cheese.
Serves 48 ingredients45 min38g proteinKid-friendlyFishPasta
Vegetable and Bean Minestrone
A pot of soup that clears the crisper and the pantry at once.
Serves 410 ingredients45 min17g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieVegan
Vegetable and Cheese Frittata
A dozen eggs and whatever vegetables need using up.
Serves 48 ingredients35 min27g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieGluten free
Vegetable Flatbread Pizzas
Cheaper than delivery and on the table before it would have arrived.
Serves 48 ingredients25 min26g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieBakeVegetable Sticks with Yoghurt Dip
Cut the sticks once, and the crunchy break is done for three days.
Serves 47 ingredients15 min6g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieGluten free
Zucchini and Corn Fritters
Good hot from the pan and just as good cold in a lunchbox.
Serves 47 ingredients30 min16g proteinKid-friendlyVeggieBudget