1. Chili Non Carne
This is certainly my favourite meal to make! All you need is a jar of chili sauce from your local supermarket (I use Asda's own Hot Chili Cooking Sauce for 69p), and a packet of meat free mince. I tend to use Quorn mince that you can buy at almost any supermarket, (the cheapest I've found is £1.49 at Aldi) but you can use any mince that you like or even a bean mix if you prefer. My favourite way to serve my chili is on top of cheesy nachos with guacamole, sour cream and salsa, which is super cheap to do as packets of plain tortillas are around 40/50p at my local shops, but it also tastes great just with rice. When I cook this meal for myself, I like to add some chili flakes to make it extra spicy and I usually cook the entire packet of mince with the whole jar of sauce so I can freeze one portion of it for a later date.
This is certainly my favourite meal to make! All you need is a jar of chili sauce from your local supermarket (I use Asda's own Hot Chili Cooking Sauce for 69p), and a packet of meat free mince. I tend to use Quorn mince that you can buy at almost any supermarket, (the cheapest I've found is £1.49 at Aldi) but you can use any mince that you like or even a bean mix if you prefer. My favourite way to serve my chili is on top of cheesy nachos with guacamole, sour cream and salsa, which is super cheap to do as packets of plain tortillas are around 40/50p at my local shops, but it also tastes great just with rice. When I cook this meal for myself, I like to add some chili flakes to make it extra spicy and I usually cook the entire packet of mince with the whole jar of sauce so I can freeze one portion of it for a later date.
2. Sausage Casserole
This is another great meal to cook in bulk and freeze for later on as it is difficult (and less economical) to just cook one portion for yourself! All that is required is a packet of sausage casserole mix (I've used Colman's here, but Asda's own is just as good for 25p), vegetarian sausages (I use Linda McCartney), and lots of frozen or fresh vegetables. When making a large portion, say four servings, I tend to use two packet mixes instead of one to make it extra thick. The way I cook it is simple: I cook the sausages in the oven beforehand, chop up my potatoes, onions and any other fresh vegetables I want, put the cooked sausages and veg in the slow cooker together, pour in the casserole mixture, then put the slow cooker on low heat for about 3 to 4 hours. Of course, it is not a necessity to use a slow cooker, a regular cooking pot on the hob will do the job just as well!
This is another great meal to cook in bulk and freeze for later on as it is difficult (and less economical) to just cook one portion for yourself! All that is required is a packet of sausage casserole mix (I've used Colman's here, but Asda's own is just as good for 25p), vegetarian sausages (I use Linda McCartney), and lots of frozen or fresh vegetables. When making a large portion, say four servings, I tend to use two packet mixes instead of one to make it extra thick. The way I cook it is simple: I cook the sausages in the oven beforehand, chop up my potatoes, onions and any other fresh vegetables I want, put the cooked sausages and veg in the slow cooker together, pour in the casserole mixture, then put the slow cooker on low heat for about 3 to 4 hours. Of course, it is not a necessity to use a slow cooker, a regular cooking pot on the hob will do the job just as well!
3. Tikka Massala
For this meal, I use a jar of Tikka Massala sauce (usually about 69p at Asda), half a 300g bag of Quorn pieces, and one white onion. I cook the Quorn in the pan, throw the onions in, add the sauce and mix it all together. As I have done for the other two meals, if I want to cook a large portion and freeze it for later I usually just double the ingredients (two jars, one whole bag of Quorn, two onions) and I will have enough for four meals. Obviously, this can be done with any type of curry that you'd like and you don't need to use a meat replacement if you'd prefer to make it solely with vegetables, but if you want to recreate the taste of a Chicken Tikka Massala, then this cheap and easy method is perfect.
For this meal, I use a jar of Tikka Massala sauce (usually about 69p at Asda), half a 300g bag of Quorn pieces, and one white onion. I cook the Quorn in the pan, throw the onions in, add the sauce and mix it all together. As I have done for the other two meals, if I want to cook a large portion and freeze it for later I usually just double the ingredients (two jars, one whole bag of Quorn, two onions) and I will have enough for four meals. Obviously, this can be done with any type of curry that you'd like and you don't need to use a meat replacement if you'd prefer to make it solely with vegetables, but if you want to recreate the taste of a Chicken Tikka Massala, then this cheap and easy method is perfect.
4. Shepherd's Pie
Shepherd's Pie is a very simple and quick to make, all I use is Asda's Shepherd's Pie packet mix, Quorn mince, frozen mixed vegetables and white potatoes. The amount of each ingredients of course differs depending on how many servings you need, but usually when I make this meal I use one 300g bag of Quorn mince, one packet mix, two large potatoes, then however many vegetables I want. One 300g packet of mince usually gives me 1 individual sized pie in my ceramic dish, then two smaller pies in foil trays that I freeze for a later date. If you want your sauce extra thick, or are making a large portion, I recommend (like the casserole) to use two packets of mixture to make the pie thicker and richer in taste.
Shepherd's Pie is a very simple and quick to make, all I use is Asda's Shepherd's Pie packet mix, Quorn mince, frozen mixed vegetables and white potatoes. The amount of each ingredients of course differs depending on how many servings you need, but usually when I make this meal I use one 300g bag of Quorn mince, one packet mix, two large potatoes, then however many vegetables I want. One 300g packet of mince usually gives me 1 individual sized pie in my ceramic dish, then two smaller pies in foil trays that I freeze for a later date. If you want your sauce extra thick, or are making a large portion, I recommend (like the casserole) to use two packets of mixture to make the pie thicker and richer in taste.
5. Spaghetti Bolognese
Spaghetti Bolognese is a popular dish with everybody and it's super easy to recreate it with vegetarian ingredients. All you need is a bolognese sauce that you can buy in store or make from scratch and a packet of Quorn mince. Sometimes I find that when I cook this meal the "meat" become soft and unappetising, so I have found that although the packet suggests adding the mince to the sauce, it is best to cook the Quorn in the pan first and then add the sauce, just as you would with regular beef mince, to make it a little tougher and less soggy. Just like all the meals listed above, bolognese is cheap and simple to cook in bulk and great to freeze for later on.
Spaghetti Bolognese is a popular dish with everybody and it's super easy to recreate it with vegetarian ingredients. All you need is a bolognese sauce that you can buy in store or make from scratch and a packet of Quorn mince. Sometimes I find that when I cook this meal the "meat" become soft and unappetising, so I have found that although the packet suggests adding the mince to the sauce, it is best to cook the Quorn in the pan first and then add the sauce, just as you would with regular beef mince, to make it a little tougher and less soggy. Just like all the meals listed above, bolognese is cheap and simple to cook in bulk and great to freeze for later on.