5 FOR UNDER £30 | WEEK 4 | ALDI
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 4, the items collected for these five recipes are from Aldi.
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.
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 | April 2024
The five meals in the plan are:
Creamy Pollo Picante Pasta
Cheesy Beef Mexican Rice
Cumberland Sausage Pie
Salt & Pepper Chicken & Chips
Cheeseburger Burritos
You can screenshot or download the shopping list, it includes the item weight, item price and meal allocation.
If you prefer the PDF shopping list click here.
You can also download this shopping list blank click here.
Store cupboard ingredients:
Creamy Pollo Picante Pasta - Harissa paste, paprika, salt, pepper.
Cheesy Beef Mexican Rice - Basmati Rice 250g, paprika, cumin, coriander, oregano, onion granules, garlic granules, pepper, olive oil, chicken/veg stock.
Cumberland Sausage Pie - Gravy granules, plain flour, Dijon mustard, salt, butter.
Salt & Pepper Chicken & Chips - Garlic granules, Chinese 5-spice, sugar, Szechuan pepper (optional), cornflour, olive oil, salt, pepper.
Cheeseburger Burritos - Onion powder/granules, garlic powder/granules, salt, pepper, mayonnaise, ketchup, Dijon mustard, sugar, 2 pickles, 1 white onion, paprika, onion powder, olive oil.
The cold store items of the shop are:
Chicken Thigh Fillets
10% Beef Mince
Cumberland Sausages
Medium Cheddar
Double Cream
Baby Leaf Spinach
Peppers
Lettuce
Baby Plum Tomatoes
Green Beans
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 swapped with a cheaper or more expensive alternative:
Basmati Rice You will need 250g, as this is classed as a store cupboard ingredient I didn’t include it in the main shop.
Chicken Thighs, Jade’s Note- For larger appetites, consider buying two pack of the chicken thighs and using one for the pasta and one for the S&P Chicken.
The total price for the shop is £23.47
The total usage price is £22.27
Due to their excessive quantity or weight, it’s not always possible to use up all of the ingredients, there will be some recipes which will leave you with unused produce.
There is a list of your leftover ingredients at the bottom of this post with suggested recipes you can use to make the most out of your items.
5 meals for under £30
Week 4 - ALDI
APRIL 2024
Pollo Picante Pasta, Serves 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Total Cost: £4.99
Ingredients:
300g chicken thighs (1/2 Pack)
1 red onion, finely diced
300ml double cream
150g cherry tomatoes (1/2 pack)
120g spinach (1/2 bag)
500g fusilli pasta (1/2 bag)
Optional - parmesan
Store Cupboard:
1 tbsp harissa paste
2 tbsp paprika
1 tsp salt & 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions:
Add the pasta to a large pan with salted water to boil.
Add finely diced onion to a frying pan to soften, dice the chicken and halve the tomatoes.
Once the onions start to soften, add the chicken to the pan to brown.
Add the harissa paste and paprika to the browned chicken and sauté for a couple of minutes.
Once the aroma of the spices fills the air, add the cherry tomatoes, double cream, salt and pepper and leave to gently simmer.
Add the spinach to the pasta to wilt then drain the spinach and pasta.
Add the creamy chicken and sauce to the pasta and spinach and mix well, serve.
Optional- finish with grated parmesan.
Cheesy Beef Mexican Rice, Serves 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Total Cost: £3.10
Ingredients:
250g mince beef
3 peppers, diced
250g basmati rice
100g cheddar cheese
Store Cupboard-
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander
2 tsp oregano
1/2 tbsp onion granules
1/2 tbsp garlic granules
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
600ml chicken/veg stock
Instructions:
Dice the peppers into small pieces around 1-2cm chunks.
Add the peppers to a large pan with a splash of oil (ensure this has a lid) along with the mince beef and spices.
Break up the beef and fry for 5-10 minutes, then add the rice.
Next add the stock and mix well, add the tight fitting lid and simmer on medium heat for exactly 10 minutes.
Once the 10 minutes has passed, take off the heat and leave for an additional 5 minutes whilst you grate the cheese.
Once rested for 5 minutes, remove the lid and mix well, adding half of the cheese into the rice and finish with the remaining cheese on top.
Grill until golden and bubbly and serve!
Cumberland Sausage Pie, Serves 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Total Cost: £5.01
Ingredients:
8 Cumberland sausages
1 red onion, sliced
1.5kg potatoes
220g green beans
100g cheddar cheese
Store Cupboard-
25g gravy granules
600ml hot water
25g plain flour
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
Instructions:
Peel the potatoes and add to a pan of cold and salted water, bringing to a boil
Fry the sausages in a pan until browned then take out and leave aside. In the same pan add the onion to soften.
Once the onions are soft, add the flour and fry for a couple of minutes, dice the sausages and add back to the pan with the stock and mix well.
Transfer the sausage filling to a baking dish and grate your cheese whilst the potatoes are still boiling.
Drain the cooked potatoes and mash along with the salt, butter and Dijon mustard, top the sausage filling with the mash potato. Sprinkle over the grated cheese evenly.
Bake the pie at 180°c for 20-25 minutes until bubbling and hot. Serve with the green beans & enjoy!
Salt & Pepper Chicken & Chips, Serves 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Total Cost: £4.14
Ingredients:
300g chicken thighs (1/2 Pack)
2 peppers
1 red onion, sliced
Baking potatoes plus 0.5kg from the larger bag
Store Cupboard:
1/2 tsp garlic granules
1.5 tbsp Chinese 5-spice
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp Szechuan pepper (optional)
50g cornflour
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt & pepper
Instructions:
Dice the potatoes into chunky chips and add to a bowl along with the olive oil, salt and pepper and toss well to coat.
Add the chips to the baking tray and add to the oven baking at 200°c for 30 minutes.
Whilst the potatoes are roasting add the diced chicken, diced onion and peppers to the bowl along with the Chinese 5 spice, salt, sugar and Szechuan pepper and mix well.
Finally add the cornflour to the bowl and mix well then drizzle over 2 tbsp oil and toss, top the chips with this mixture and bake for a further 15 minutes.
Check after 15 minutes, you may need to mix and bake for an additional 10 minutes this really depends on the thickness of your chips and chicken.
Serve and enjoy!
Cheeseburger Burritos, Serves 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Total Cost: £5.09
Ingredients:
250g mince beef
tortilla wraps
iceberg lettuce
150g cherry tomatoes (1/2 pack)
200g cheddar cheese
1 pepper, diced
Store Cupboard:
1 tsp onion powder/granules
1 tsp garlic powder/granules
1/2 tsp salt & pepper
100g mayo
30g ketchup
10g Dijon mustard
Pinch of white sugar
2 finely diced pickles
1 tbsp finely diced white onion
pinch of paprika
1/2 Tsp onion powder
1 tbsp oil
Instructions:
Add the oil to a large frying pan and turn to med/hot heat. Add the diced pepper and mince beef to brown.
Break up the beef into a finer consistency, once broken up add the onion granules, garlic granules, salt & pepper. Brown, fully mixing well then leave aside in a bowl.
Finely shred the lettuce, dice the tomatoes and make the burger sauce by mixing the mayonnaise, ketchup, Dijon mustard, sugar, pickles, onion, paprika, and onion powder together.
Assemble the burritos starting with the cheese, beef mix, I also crumbled in some tortilla chips for crunch so if you have some lying around that you want to get rid of, here is your opportunity. Next the burger sauce, diced tomatoes then shredded lettuce.
Roll the burrito and fold side down, sear it in a dry pan to seal it. This recipe makes enough for 8 wraps, 2 per person.
Leftover ingredients -
Below is a list of ingredients you will have spare from this shop with recipe suggestions you can use these in:
1/2 Bag Spinach 120g (50p)-
Tuscan Chicken or Cheesy Chicken & Chorizo Orzo
500g Fusilli Pasta (70p)-
