8 midweek recipes under £1.50 per serving that everyone will love
We've rounded up our favourite budget-friendly recipes for you - and there's not a tin of baked beans in sight!
Let's face it – food prices are on the up and the cost of your weekly shop is increasing each time you pop into the supermarket. It can be tempting to stick to the basics as a way of keeping costs down – but no-one wants pesto pasta or baked potatoes 3 times a week do they? There are so many ways to make even the most basic of ingredients feel more exciting and here in the GH Kitchen we’ve got plenty of hacks to help you make tasty, delicious food that doesn’t have to break the bank. So, put down the pesto, open up the store cupboard and get friendly with your freezer – here are 8 of our favourite recipes that come in at just £1.50 per serving – you won’t believe what we’ve come up with!
These recipes were costed in April 2026 using supermarket prices, based on the portion of ingredients used.
Traybake tuna melt nachos
Tinned tuna doesn't have to be mixed with mayo and shoved in a soggy sandwich - try our spicy, tomatoey, cheesy nacho's for a speedy midweek meal.
Recipe: Tuna nachos
Cost per serve; £1.33
Roasted butternut and sage pasta
This protein-packed pasta has a secret ingredient - cottage cheese!
Recipe; Butternut pasta
Cost per serve; £1.27
Speedy chicken and peanut noodles
On the table in just 15min, these nutty noodles are packed with flavour.
Recipe; Chicken & peanut noodles
Cost per serve; £1.13
Cauliflower cheese frittata
You can prep this cheesy treat ahead of time - we like to make extra so we can have leftovers for lunch!
Recipe; Cauliflower cheese frittata
Cost per serve; £1.36
Thai green fish curry
You can use any white fish in this recipe but basa fillets are great value for money.
Recipe; Thai green fish curry
Cost per serve; £1.24
Chorizo and kale risotto
Chorizo is jam-packed with flavour so a little goes a long way in this creamy risotto recipe.
Recipe; Chorizo and kale risotto
Cost per serve; £1.34
Tuscan ribollita soup
This classic Italian dish makes the most of stale bread as well as store cupboard friendly canned beans.
Recipe; Tuscan ribollita
Cost per serve; 98p
Gnocchi cacio e pepe
not only is this cheesy delight friendly on your wallet, but takes just 4 ingredients and is on the table in 15min!
Recipe; Gnocchi cacio e pepe
Cost per serve; £1.29
Linzi joins the Good Housekeeping team as Kitchen Manager, looking after the brand-new, state-of-the art test and demo kitchens based in the heart of Leicester Square. With over a decade of experience producing food content for leading brands, she’s won awards for her recipes, battled Christmas dinners in July, and spent a lot of time pondering the next big food trend (no more pistachio, please!) Originally from the North East of Scotland, she lives in West London with her Italian husband and twin daughters, feeding them a variety of haggis and ragu - depending on the mood!
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