Any ideas for a family of 7?

[LoisP]

Seriously running low on ideas for dinners. Feel like we're constantly eating the same stuff, because it's so hard to cook for so many of such a tight budget. The main meals we have are lasagne, roast dinner, sheppard pie and spagetti bolognese.
Any ideas of dinners that would suit a big family on a tight budget ?

 

[stuffed]

Umm, risotto, casseroles/stews (can be made with cheap cuts of meat and lots of veg).

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

pesto chicken
risotto
Home made burgers (get kids to help)

 

[midori1999]

My Mum used to make a sort of corned beef hash, although my husband calls it 'corned beef mash', which I suppose it is.

Just mash a tin or two of corned beef into hot mashed potato, add fried onions if you like, then stick in a lasagne type dish and grill until the top is browned. Serve with baked beans.

Also, what about stews? Cuts such as shin of beef or brisket are cheap and you can pad out with lots of veg and use dumplings to make it go further. Or use chicken legs to make a casserole. Or steak and kidney pudding was traditionally used to make meat go further so make an inexpensive meal. ( I LOVE steak and kidney pud too!)

You can also make a nice pasta sauce with tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, garlic onion, frozen sweetcorn and peas and sliced tinned hot dog sausages. Mix into cooked pasta when cooked. It sounds awful but is really nice and fairly healthy. You can use left over chicken instead of hot dogs too.

Or home made curries? Really easy to do, just some meat, onions, water, curry powder, tinned tomatoes and creamed coconut sachets. You can add ground almonds too and a tin of spinach to make it healthier. (it sort of hides the taste of spinach too, so good way of getting it into kids!)

 

[deafgal01]

tacos... umm, we recently made stuffed shells. baked spaghetti... pizza? We make our crust from scratch for the pizza. Let me know if you need some links to recipes and stuff.

 

[LoisP]

Thank you so much, amazing ideas!!!! Will definitely have to give them ALL a go

 

[summer rain]

I can really recommend the recipe books by mennonite central committee,

https://www.amazon.co.uk/More---Les...263X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302268305&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Extending-Table-World-Community-Cookbook/dp/083613561X/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

and

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Simply-Sea...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1302268399&sr=1-1

You can usually get them much cheaper on ebay or via the other sellers though. I'm not normally a recipe book person but these are great; and because mennonites have large families many of the recipes are designed to serve 8-10; or are easily doubled if not. They are really tasty recipes using simple and economical ingredients. Some of the recipes in the first book are a bit 70s dinner party esque but most of them are great xx

 

[LoisP]

thank you so much!!... off to ebay!! x

 

[LoraLoo]

Fritatta? I do load of eggs, smokes bacon, inion and courgette, bit of milk n stick if in a pirex dish, is lovely with chips n salad. Can eat hot or cold.

Chilli

Canelloni - I do mine similar to spag bol mix, but wrap it in tortillas, cover with chopped tomatoes n cheese on top.

Mousakka

Paella

And on a lazy day....a cheese board with a big bowl of fresh fruit My lot love it xx

 

[summer rain]

I forgot one thing, if you get the book(s) you'll need a US cup measure/measures. A US cup is 250ml of water; I found a little rounded tupperware type container I got in a big set from tesco did the job perfectly. I measure out 1/4 cups etc in there by eye and everything turns out perfect. I'm now so used to measurement in cups as it is so much easier than faffing about weighing stuff with a big family, that I can't be arsed with recipe books using weights lol.

 

[Bumpalump]

Chicken in a sauce with rice, Pasta bakes (chorizo past bake is yum!), mash topped with bacon and tomatoes with baked beans, sausage casserole, mousaka, chicken enchilladas, home made chunky wedges..

 

[Tigerlily01]

Just buy a chicken (or a turkey if you need something bigger), roast it in the oven, throw some baking potatoes in with it, and then you just need some veggies or a salad on the side. It takes a while, but you don't really have to do much.

You can make chicken stock with the carcass, and then make homemade chicken soup with whatever you want in it and any meat you have leftover...serve with cornbread or biscuits, maybe a salad...they'll love it!

 

[Mummy2Asher]

Curry, so easy to make and you can do it not spicy for the kids.
Pasta carbonara, we put more meat in ours so sausages and bacon and mushrooms.
Beef/veggie wellington or pie...I just chuck in any meat or veg and make it into a parcel or put it into a pie dish and serve it with mash.
Casseroles, my boys love casseroles with rice and dumplings which are so easy to make.

 

[mommy43]

fish pie
i buy the bags of frozen from farm foods one cod one haddock one prawns one salmon it is a bit expensive at that shop but i can get 4 lots out of it
cook the fish in milk for couple of minutes
flake up n put in a large oven prook dish
use the milk u cooked the fish n add more milk
warm it up then use white sause mix cheese sause mix & parsley sause mix add to the milk in equal amounts stir till it thickens pour over fish
top with mash
put in the oven for half hr
i serve with french stick chunks theres 8 of us n it goes a long way

if im feeling lazy i do half pies
mince or any meat u have cook in gravy in oven proof dish when its nearly one i chuck some frozen mix veg in n top with ready roll pastry
this is great for left overs too i chuck any meat & veg we have from sunday roast in n make one

it is hard trying to find something everyone will eat when there so many of u n things that will take to being cooked in huge batches lol
i brought the biggest slow cooker i could find n do stew casserole curry even spag bol in it theres enough for more than one dinner so i freeze whats left in idividual portions theres always something in the freezer n if one dosent want what im doing that day

also another favorite grilled chicken strips & cous cous salad in pita bread

 

[mommy43]

today im making this doubling the quantities of course
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound Sausages
2 ounces butter
2 onions, sliced
1/2 pound small button mushrooms
1 1/2 ounce plain flour
1/2 pint milk
1/2 pint chicken stock
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 pound puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
OR
Milk to wash top of pie

PREPARATION:
Pre-heat the oven to hot, 400 degrees F, putting in the sausages on a roasting tin to cook. Remove in about 20 minutes and leave to cool.

Soften the onions in the melted butter over a low heat. Add the mushrooms and stir for 1 or 2 minutes. Sieve the flour over the mushrooms and cook for 1 minute. Add the stock and milk gradually, stirring continuously. Bring to boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Season to taste, and leave to cool.

Roll out the pastry thinly on a floured board, and line a deep pie dish. Put the sausages into the dish, pour the sauce over them and cover with the remaining pastry. Press the edges well together.

Brush over with remaining egg or milk. Make one or two small holes in the pastry lid with a skewer. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 40 minutes, and serve hot.

 

[futuremama88]

Homemade pizzas!!! Make the dough yourself. Very cheap and filling.

Macaroni and cheese.

Beans, chickpeas, lentils. Use them to make soups and pasta sauces.