As the cost of living crisis continues, Dublin families are looking to make meals that won't break the bank. One mum has created some clever recipes that can feed a family of four - and one of her recipes only costs €3.72.
With grocery bills seeing a significant increase, Grace Mortimer's recipes have grabbed people's attention. The British mum-of-one is the author of My First Meals and she regularly shares her recipes on Instagram @_MyFirstMeals to help other families.
Her popular meals this week include chicken and stuffing soup, lentil and bacon pie, golden vegetable rice with crispy chickpeas, and chicken pie. One popular recipe she shared this week is smoky bacon spaghetti - and it costs less than €4 to make.
Read more: Vegan restaurant The Saucy Cow announces exit from Eatyard after three years in business
Grace bought all her ingredients in Aldi. While she has listed the UK prices, we checked out the Irish Aldi website to find out how much it would cost in Ireland. The simple meal with just 4 ingredients would cost just €3.72 if you shop in Aldi.
Here is how to make Smoky Bacon Spaghetti
Ingredients
5 rashers - €1.49
1 savoy cabbage 99c
500g spaghetti - 89c
Tinned tomatoes - 35c
.
Method:
.Dice the bacon and fry it in a large lidded saucepan with a little oil until crispy on a medium heat.
- Slice the cabbage and add it to the bacon, fry for a few minutes, then add a little water and pop the lid on for a further few minutes to soften the cabbage.
- Finally, add the chopped tomatoes and turn the heat down to low.
- Boil the spaghetti according to packet instructions (saving a little pasta water).
- Once the spaghetti is cooked, add it to the sauce along with a little pasta water and mix thoroughly.
Another meal that caught our eye on Grace's list is the chicken pie. This classic winter dish costs about €4.23 if buying all the ingredients from Aldi.
Ingredients:
2 chicken legs - €2.65
1 tin of chicken soup - 49c
4 baking potatoes - about 30c
500g frozen veg - 79c
Method:
- Turn the oven to 200.
- Place the chicken legs on a tray lined with greaseproof (season if you wish) - once up to temperature, pop them in the oven for 40 minutes.
- During this time, peel and dice the potatoes, boil them until soft then drain and mash.
- Once the chicken legs are done, strip the meat off the bone and add it to a large ovenproof dish.
- Sprinkle the veg over the chicken and then pour over the soup.
- Top with the mashed potato and bake for a further 20 minutes.
- Ready to serve
These dishes will definitely give you bang for your buck, but would you actually eat them? The chicken pie looks decent but we're not convinced spaghetti and cabbage is a good combination? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
