5 FOR UNDER £30 | WEEK 1 | TESCO
Welcome to “5 for under £30,” a series of recipes to shop & cook 5 meals, each serving 4 people for under £30. The ingredients collected each week will be supplied from a different shop. This is Week 1, the items collected for these five recipes are from Tesco.
The items for all five recipes were bought at the same time so the prices I post are accurate as of the date of purchase, please note that these items may fluctuate on price depending on the date you have purchased your ingredients.
NB - These recipes also require the use of some store cupboard standard ingredients which do not appear on the shopping list, for example: Sauces, herbs, stock cubes, salt etc.
| SAVE MONEY | STRESS LESS | EAT HOMEMADE | SAVE TIME | REDUCE FOOD WASTE | FEBRUARY 2024
The five meals you will be shopping for are:
One Pan Lasagne w/ Garlic Bread
Bangers & Mash w/ Worcestershire Onions
Chicken & Vegetable Curry w/ Toasted Rice
Pulled Cajun Chicken Tacos
Honey Soy Salmon w/ Garlic Spring Onion Rice
This picture provides the full shopping list, you can screenshot or download and print. The shopping list is complete with the product description, the item price and meal allocation.
If you prefer the PDF shopping list click here
You can also download this shopping list template blank to fill in yourself under the “E-Books” section of the website or click here.
The cold store items of the shop are:
Whole Chicken
Salmon Tails
Lean Minced Beef
Cumberland Sausages
Natural Yoghurt
Cheddar Cheese
Frozen Peas
Garlic Baguette
Please note the dates on your fresh food items, ensuring they remain in date for the duration of your plan.
I have tried to find the best balance for quality and value for money, some ingredients cost a little extra to ensure the meals hit their best potential on taste. If preferred, these items can be interchanged with a cheaper alternative of your choice:
Tesco Maris Piper Potatoes 1.25kg - Cheaper potatoes can be a bit hit and miss on quality, using Maris Piper lowers the risk of having bad, unusable product which can result in food and money waste.
Tilda Basmati Rice 500g - My preferred choice in rice, I find it to be a better quality with less broken grains. In my opinion, it’s worth spending a little extra for.
Tesco 8 Plain Tortilla Wraps - I chose the regular sized tortillas for a larger taco. I saw there was a pack of mini tortillas, which you may prefer, but were priced 10p more for the pack and wouldn’t be as substantial per portion.
All ingredients were purchased along with the use of a Tesco Clubcard. Only 2 items were reduced with the use of the Clubcard:
Tesco Bunch Spring Onions 100g - £0.55 to £0.39
Tilda Basmati Rice 500g - £3.25 to £2.00
The total price for the shop is £30.86
The total usage price for the shop is £26.74 or £25.64*
*depending on if you wish to make your own homemade tortillas, which will be covered in the “Pulled Cajun Chicken Tacos” recipe.
As it’s not always possible to use up 100% of the items, there will be some recipes which will have leftover product. Items like the Self-Raising Flour, Lasagne Sheets and Frozen Peas will not all be completely used due to their excessive quantity or weight just by the nature of the item. Therefore, I worked out the price of the shop of the used product in these recipes. We’ll call it the “usage price.”
At the bottom of this blog post, below the recipes, there is a list of your leftover ingredients with suggested recipes you can use to make the most out of your leftover supplies.
5 meals for under £30
Week 1- Tesco
February 2024
One Pan Lasagne with Garlic Bread, Serves 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Total Cost: £4.98
Ingredients:
250g 5% Beef Mince - £2.10
1 Onion- 15p
2 Carrots - £0.15
1 Pepper - £0.35
2 Tins Chopped Tomatoes - £0.70
1.5 Tins Water (from chopped tomato tins)
10 Lasagne Sheets (½ Box) - £0.32
100g Cheddar Cheese - £0.75
Garlic Bread - £0.37
Store Cupboard:
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp garlic granules
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Beef stock cubes
1 tsp Salt
Instructions:
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, ensuring it is large enough to accommodate the lasagne portions.
Add diced onion, bell pepper, and carrot to the pan. Sauté for approximately 5 minutes until softened.
Add the beef mince to the pan, breaking it up with a spoon. Sprinkle in dried oregano and garlic granules. Stir in chopped tomatoes, water, Worcestershire sauce, and crumble in the beef stock cube. Mix well to combine.
Allow the mixture to simmer for about 10 minutes until the Ragu is aromatic and well-incorporated. Monitor to prevent sticking, using a potato masher if necessary to achieve a finer consistency.
Break each lasagne sheet into thirds and add them to the Ragu, keeping them separated to prevent sticking. Press the sheets down into the Ragu until fully submerged. Season with 1 tsp of salt, cover with a lid, and simmer for 30 minutes or until the pasta sheets are fully cooked.
During the last few minutes of cooking, preheat your oven and prepare garlic bread according to package instructions.
Just before serving, evenly distribute cubed cheddar cheese over the pan, allowing it to melt slightly with the residual heat.
Serve hot, accompanied by garlic bread if desired.
Enjoy your delicious homemade lasagne!
Bangers & Mash with Caramelised Worcestershire Onions, Serves 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Total Cost: £4.72
Ingredients:
8 Reduced fat Cumberland Sausages - £2.00
1 kg Maris Piper Potatoes - £1.20
100g Growers Harvest Peas - £0.10
2 Loose Onions - £0.30
150g Cheddar Cheese - £1.12
Store Cupboard:
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
Gravy Granules
1 tsp Thyme or Oregano
Salt
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
In a baking dish, arrange the sausages and quartered onions. Sprinkle dried thyme or oregano over the sausages and onions, then drizzle with Worcestershire sauce and oil. Roast for 20-25 minutes until the sausages are fully cooked, browned, and the onions are caramelized.
Meanwhile, prepare the mashed potatoes. Peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks. Boil in salted water until fork-tender. Drain the potatoes and mash them using a potato masher or a potato ricer for extra fluffy texture.
Add butter, Dijon mustard, and grated cheddar cheese to the mashed potatoes. Mix well and adjust seasoning to taste.
Prepare the gravy according to the package instructions. Add the caramelized onions to the gravy for added flavour.
Cook the frozen peas by microwaving them in a jug with water until piping hot.
To serve, place a portion of mashed potatoes on each plate. Top with sausages and caramelized onions. Serve with peas and gravy on the side.
Enjoy your comforting and hearty sausages with caramelized onions and mash!
Chicken & Vegetable Curry with Toasted Rice, Serves 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Total Cost: £5.29
Ingredients:
Chicken (Breast from whole chicken) - £2.40
4 tbsp Medium Curry Powder - £0.30
1 Loose Onion - £0.15
1 Potato
2 Carrots - £0.15
Coconut Milk - £0.79
Tin Chopped Tomatoes - £0.35
50g Peas - £0.05
250g Basmati Rice - £1.00
3 tbsp Yoghurt - £0.10
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
Remove the chicken breasts from the whole chicken and dice them into chunks. Place the diced chicken breasts in a bowl.
Roast the whole chicken without the breasts for 40 minutes at 180°C (350°F) in preparation for the Cajun Chicken Tacos. After roasting, either shred the chicken after cooling or refrigerate it to shred the next day before preparing the tacos.
In the bowl with the diced chicken breasts, add plain yogurt and 1 tbsp curry powder. Mix well to coat the chicken evenly. Set aside to marinate.
Prepare the rice. In a pan with a lid, heat a little oil over medium heat. Add the rice, salt, and toast until it starts to smell like popcorn and grains turn golden.
Reduce the heat to medium and add boiling water. Cover the pan with the lid and let it cook for exactly 10 minutes without removing the lid. Remove from heat and let it sit for an additional 5 minutes. The rice will stay hot for up to 30 minutes as long as the lid remains on. Trust the process.
For the curry, add a small amount of oil to a large frying pan. Add diced onions, cubed potatoes, and diced carrots. Sauté gently until the potatoes start to soften and the onions turn translucent.
Grill the marinated chicken on a baking tray for around 3-5 minutes until it starts to colour and develops a beautiful char-grilled flavour.
Add the grilled chicken to the pan of vegetables. Stir in 3 tbsp curry powder, diced tomatoes, and coconut milk. Allow the mixture to simmer for 5-10 minutes until the potatoes are soft. Then add frozen peas to heat through before serving.
Serve the curry with the fluffy toasted rice and enjoy!
Pulled Cajun Chicken Tacos, Serves 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes (cook and shredding chicken not included)
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Total Cost: £5.80 or £4.70 if making own tortillas (Ingredients included in price)
Ingredients:
Chicken (Rest of chicken) - £2.40
2 Peppers - £1.03
1 Loose Onion - £0.15
8 Tortillas - £1.10
150g Cheddar Cheese - £1.12
Store Cupboard:
1 tsp garlic granules
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp Cajun spice
1 tbsp tomato puree
Click here for HOMEMADE TORTILLA RECIPE
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F).
In a frying pan, heat a small amount of oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onions, peppers, and shredded chicken. Heat through for 3-5 minutes.
Season the chicken mixture with garlic granules, dried oregano, Cajun spices, and a pinch of salt. Mix well to combine.
Place the tortillas on a baking tray. If using large tortilla wraps, cut them in half to serve.
Divide the chicken mixture evenly among the tortillas, making enough for 2 tacos per person.
Sprinkle grated cheese over the chicken mixture on each tortilla. Fold the tortillas over to form tacos.
Brush the tops of the tacos with a little oil. Sprinkle with additional oregano and cheese if desired.
Bake the tacos in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes or until piping hot.
Serve the tacos as a main dish. Two large tortillas should be a good portion for one person, but you can also serve them with extra salad or chips on the side.
Enjoy your delicious homemade chicken tacos!
Honey & Soy Salmon with Spring Onion Garlic Rice, Serves 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Total Cost: £5.95
Ingredients:
260g Salmon Tails - £4.60
250g Tilda Basmati Rice - £1.00 (Plus 1 pint cold water)
100g Peas - £0.10
2 Carrots - £0.15
Spring Onions - £0.10
For Rice:
½ tsp salt
1 tsp garlic granules
Store Cupboard:
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp honey
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
Instructions:
In a saucepan with a lid, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add basmati rice, sliced spring onions, diced carrots, and a pinch of salt. Fry for about 5 minutes until the rice begins to toast. Add 1 teaspoon of garlic granules and continue frying for an additional 2 minutes.
Add water to the saucepan, cover with the lid, and bring to a boil. Boil for exactly 10 minutes over medium heat without removing the lid. Then, remove from heat and let it sit for an additional 5 minutes with the lid still on. The rice will stay hot for up to 30 minutes if left covered.
Place frozen peas in a jug with lukewarm water to defrost and set aside.
If desired, remove the skin from the salmon fillets. Alternatively, leave the skin on and dice the salmon into chunks.
In a dish or bowl, combine light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, honey, garlic granules, cider vinegar, and chili flakes (if using). Mix well, then add the salmon and coat it evenly with the marinade.
In a separate pan, heat a little oil over medium-high heat. Pan-fry the salmon (without the sauce) until it starts to brown. Once browned, add the sauce mixture and defrosted peas. Simmer for 1-2 minutes.
Serve the spring onion rice topped with the salmon, peas, and sauce. If desired, flake the salmon and mix it into the rice before serving.
Enjoy your flavourful salmon with garlic soy glaze and spring onion rice!
Leftover ingredients -
Below is a list of ingredients you will have spare from this shop with recipe suggestions you can use these in:
Medium Curry Powder-
You will have around ⅔ tube of this leftover, I suggest using this in my easy slow cooker SMOKEY COCONUT CHICKEN CURRY
Self Raising Flour-
With your leftover Flour, try your hand at this really easy OLD SCHOOL CAKE, the perfect family dessert.
Lasagne Sheets (½ Pack)-
Fancy something slightly different? This CAJUN CHICKEN LASAGNE is a hit with the big kids and adults
Frozen Peas-
To use up Frozen Peas, try one of my favourite budget pasta recipes, BACON AND PEA LINGUINE
Yoghurt-
There will be leftover yoghurt but I’m sure you can make use of this!
Spring Onions-
You will have extra for garnish on the curry or tacos.
