Budget winter recipes
Budget meals don’t have to lack flavour; here are hearty winter recipes that will fill you up without making a big dent in your wallet.
Find our collection of budget pasta recipes all in one place here.
Showing 1-16 of 113 recipes
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Chicken pies
Fisherman’s chicken pie
Inspired by a classic fish pie (with a cheddar mash topping, dill and lemon), this pie swaps the fish for chicken. Ultra cosy and comforting.
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Slow cook
Slow cooker Italian lentils with sausages and chilli
This hearty Italian sausage and lentil stew recipe from Charlotte Pike only needs a little prep, before you let your slow cooker do the work.
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Easy
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Camembert
Baked camembert with harissa honey
Oozy, gooey cheese drizzled with a fiery, sweet topping; this easy baked camembert with honey recipe is perfect for entertaining.
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Chicken soups
Cock-a-leekie soup
This soul-warming Scottish soup includes chicken, leeks, prunes for burst of rich fruitiness and rice (or barley, if you prefer).
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Easy
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Stews, casseroles, pot-roasts and slow-roasts
Smoked sausage, mushroom and bean stew
Smoked sausage and earthy mushrooms give a depth of flavour that makes this stew taste like it’s been cooked for hours instead of minutes.
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Tomato pastas
Pasta pomodoro
Pasta pomodoro is the original – and best – tomato pasta. This recipe is quick and easy but uses a few tricks to really amp up the flavour.
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Easy
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Italian pastas
Classic pasta puttanesca
One of the most famous classic pasta dishes of all time, pasta puttanesca includes anchovies, garlic, capers, olives and tomatoes.
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Easy
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Rice
Panissa (Piedmontese rice and beans)
Panissa is a robust rice, salami and bean dish from Italy's Piedmont region. It's cooked like a risotto but with a firmer, thicker texture.
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Easy
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Potatoes
Frico (Alpine cheese and potato cake)
Frico is a delicious cheese and potato cake from the Italian Alps. The soft, indulgently savoury cake is ike a very, very cheesy hash brown.
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Beef stews
Coda alla vaccinara (Roman braised oxtail)
Coda alla vaccinara is an iconic Roman dish made with oxtail. The meat is slow-cooked with celery, while cocoa gives the stew earthy depth.
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Budget pasta
Bigoli in salsa (caramelised onion and anchovy pasta)
Bigoli in salsa is a classic Venetian dish: thick pasta strands with a rich sauce of caramelised onions and anchovies. Simple yet luxurious.
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Rice
Egg zosui (Japanese rice porridge)
Use up leftover rice in this traditional egg zosui recipe. The Japanese rice porridge makes a thrifty, nourishing supper for cold nights.
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Lentils
Dal dhokli
Dal dhokli is a traditional Gujarati dish of dal with dumplings. Nisha Parmar shares her thrifty recipe, which makes smart use leftover dal.
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Easy
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Classic soups
Ribollita
Ribollita is a hearty Tuscan bean soup thickened with stale bread. Chef Dara Klein shares her family recipe for this thrifty comfort food.
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Toad in the hole
Chipolata toad in the hole with creamed butternut squash
There are few things more comforting than a toad in the hole for dinner. This chipolata version means a higher sausage-to-batter ratio
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20-minute dinners
Spiced kipper fried rice
Fragrant turmeric, smoky tinned kippers and a lick of chilli take fried rice to a new level in this simple, speedy dish for busy nights.
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Easy
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