Feeding a family on a tight budget is tough right now. With food prices still high and many households feeling the pinch, working out what to cook that’s filling, nutritious, and doesn’t cost a fortune can feel impossible.

You absolutely can feed your family decent meals for under £2 per person – sometimes even under £1. I’ve pulled together 20 budget family meals that work for real families with fussy kids, busy schedules, and tight budgets.

No fancy ingredients you’ll never use again. No complicated techniques. Just simple, filling meals that won’t break the bank.

Cheapest Meals at a Glance

Under £1 per person:

• Beans on toast with egg (60p-90p)
• Vegetable soup (60p-£1)
• Pasta with tomato sauce (60p-90p)
• Chickpea curry (70p-£1)
• Lentil dahl (70p-£1)
• Egg fried rice (80p-£1.20)

£1-£1.50 per person:

• Spaghetti bolognese (£1.50-£1.80)
• Cottage pie (£1.40-£1.60)
• Macaroni cheese (£1-£1.30)
• Bean chilli (£1-£1.30)
• Tuna pasta bake (£1.20-£1.50)

Why Cook Cheap Family Meals?

Saves serious money. The average UK family spends around £90-100 per week on groceries. By planning budget meals and cooking from scratch, you can easily cut this by 30-40%. That’s potentially £1,500+ saved per year.

Still tastes good. Cheap family meals UK households have relied on for generations aren’t bland or boring. Spaghetti bolognese, cottage pie, chicken curry – these are family favourites precisely because they’re delicious, not just because they’re affordable.

It can be healthy. Budget cooking doesn’t mean living on pot noodles. By using veg, pulses, and cheaper cuts of meat, you can create nutritious meals that tick all the boxes without spending loads.

Use what you have. The cheapest meals use pantry staples and basic ingredients. Rice, pasta, tinned tomatoes, frozen veg – things most of us already have in the cupboard.

20 Extremely Cheap Meals for UK Families

1. Spaghetti Bolognese

Cost: £1.50-1.80 per person

The classic for a reason. Beef mince (or swap half for lentils to save money), tinned tomatoes, onion, garlic, and spaghetti. You can bulk it out with grated carrot, mushrooms, or celery that need using up.

Money-saving tip: Use half the mince you normally would and add a tin of lentils. You really can’t tell the difference and it’s much cheaper. Make double and freeze half for another night.

2. Cottage Pie

Cost: £1.40-1.60 per person

Beef mince cooked with onion, carrots, and gravy, topped with mashed potato and baked until golden. Comfort food that fills everyone up.

Money-saving tip: Mix your mashed potato with mashed carrot or swede – they’re cheaper per kilo than potatoes and add nutrition. Adding mushrooms makes the meat go further.

3. Jacket Potatoes with Various Fillings

Cost: 80p-£1.20 per person (depending on filling)

Bake potatoes in the oven or microwave, then top with baked beans and cheese, tuna mayo and sweetcorn, coleslaw, leftover chilli or curry, or whatever you have.

Money-saving tip: Bake all your potatoes at once, then reheat in the microwave or slice and fry them for the rest of the week. Uses less electricity than heating the oven multiple times.

4. Tuna Pasta Bake

Cost: £1.20-1.50 per person

Pasta mixed with tinned tuna, a basic white sauce (or cream of mushroom soup from Aldi), topped with cheese and baked. Kids love it, takes 30 minutes total.

Money-saving tip: Use pasta shapes rather than penne – they’re usually cheaper. Frozen sweetcorn or peas bulk it out nicely.

5. Vegetable Soup

Cost: 60p-£1 per person

Use whatever veg needs using up – carrots, potatoes, onions, celery, frozen veg. Fry an onion, add chopped veg, stock cube, and water. Simmer until soft, then blend if you like.

Money-saving tip: Make a massive batch and freeze portions. Serve with bread or toast to make it more filling. Adding lentils or pearl barley makes it heartier.

6. Sausage Casserole

Cost: £1.30-1.60 per person

Sausages (frozen ones are cheaper), tinned tomatoes, onion, carrots, and whatever veg you have. Stick it all in the slow cooker or oven and forget about it.

Money-saving tip: Use cheaper sausages and eke them out with beans or lentils. Serve with mash, rice, or crusty bread.

7. Macaroni Cheese

Cost: £1-1.30 per person

Macaroni pasta in a cheese sauce, topped with more cheese and grilled until bubbling. Add frozen peas or broccoli to make it slightly more virtuous.

Money-saving tip: Use strong cheddar – you’ll use less and still get loads of flavour. Add breadcrumbs on top to make the cheese go further.

8. Chickpea Curry

Cost: 70p-£1 per person

Tinned chickpeas, tinned tomatoes, curry powder or paste, onion, and garlic. Serve with rice. Filling, tasty, and dirt cheap.

Money-saving tip: Bulk out with potato chunks or cauliflower. Make your own curry powder with cumin, coriander, turmeric, and chilli – much cheaper than buying jars.

9. Egg Fried Rice

Cost: 80p-£1.20 per person

Use leftover rice (or cook rice and let it cool), fry with eggs, frozen veg, and soy sauce. Add any leftover meat if you have it.

Money-saving tip: This is brilliant for using up odds and ends. Frozen peas, sweetcorn, whatever veg is in the fridge. Add a couple of eggs per person and you’ve got a filling meal.

10. Bean Chilli

Cost: £1-1.30 per person

Mixed tinned beans, tinned tomatoes, onion, garlic, and chilli powder. Serve with rice, jacket potato, or tortilla wraps.

Money-saving tip: Buy supermarket own-brand tinned beans and tomatoes. They’re literally half the price of branded and taste exactly the same. Add a tin of lentils to make it go further.

11. Spanish Omelette

Cost: £1.10-1.40 per person

Eggs, potatoes, onions, and whatever veg you fancy. Slice potatoes thinly, fry with onions until soft, pour over beaten eggs, and cook until set. Serve with salad.

Money-saving tip: Use whatever needs using up – peppers, mushrooms, courgettes. Serve with bread to make it more filling.

12. Pasta with Tomato Sauce

Cost: 60p-90p per person

Sounds basic, but done right, it’s lovely. Fry onion and garlic, add tinned tomatoes and dried herbs, simmer, and toss with pasta. Top with any cheese you have.

Money-saving tip: Add a pinch of sugar to cut the acidity. Blitz it if you have fussy kids who pick out onion bits. Freeze in portions.

13. Fish Fingers, Chips, and Beans

Cost: £1.20-1.50 per person

A kids’ tea classic that’s cheap, quick, and everyone eats it. Oven chips, frozen fish fingers, and tinned beans.

Money-saving tip: Buy frozen chips and fish fingers from Aldi or Lidl – they’re loads cheaper. Add frozen peas to make it slightly more balanced.

14. Lentil Dahl

Cost: 70p-£1 per person

Red lentils cooked with tinned tomatoes, onion, garlic, ginger, and curry spices. Serve with rice or naan bread. Filling, nutritious, and very cheap.

Money-saving tip: Make naan bread from scratch – it’s just flour, yoghurt, and water. Red lentils are one of the cheapest proteins going.

15. Toad in the Hole

Cost: £1.20-1.50 per person

Sausages baked in Yorkshire pudding batter. Serve with veg and gravy. British comfort food at its most filling.

Money-saving tip: Yorkshire pudding batter is just flour, eggs, and milk. Use cheaper sausages or even veggie sausages to save money.

16. Bacon and Pea Risotto

Cost: £1.30-1.60 per person

Risotto rice cooked with stock, bacon, frozen peas, and topped with parmesan. Sounds fancy, but it’s dead easy and cheap.

Money-saving tip: Use bacon offcuts rather than rashers – they’re much cheaper. Use a strong cheese so you don’t need much. Cook in a slow cooker to save electricity.

17. Pasta Salad

Cost: 90p-£1.20 per person

Cold pasta mixed with whatever veg you have, tinned tuna or chopped ham, and mayo or salad dressing. Great for warm days or packed lunches.

Money-saving tip: Use salad that’s about to turn. Once it’s mixed in with mayo and pasta, wilted lettuce is fine. Add tinned sweetcorn or kidney beans to bulk it out.

18. Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry

Cost: £1.40-1.80 per person

Chicken thighs (cheaper than breasts), frozen stir-fry veg, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Serve with rice or noodles.

Money-saving tip: Chicken thighs are half the price of breasts and more flavourful. Buy frozen stir-fry veg rather than fresh – same quality, much cheaper.

19. Sausage and Mash

Cost: £1.20-1.50 per person

Sausages, mashed potatoes, frozen veg, and gravy. Doesn’t get simpler than this classic.

Money-saving tip: Make gravy from granules rather than buying ready-made. Add onion gravy mix for extra flavour. Frozen sausages are loads cheaper than fresh and taste just as good.

20. Beans on Toast with Egg

Cost: 60p-90p per person

Not just for breakfast. Tinned beans on toast with a fried or poached egg on top. Add cheese if you’re feeling fancy. Filling, nutritious, and takes 5 minutes.

Money-saving tip: Make eggy bread instead of plain toast – dip bread in beaten egg before frying. More filling and uses up eggs that are about to expire.

How to Make These Meals Even Cheaper

Shop at budget supermarkets. Aldi and Lidl are 30-40% cheaper than the big four for basics. Their own-brand pasta, rice, tinned goods, and frozen veg are excellent quality.

Buy own-brand everything. There’s usually no difference between Tesco Everyday Value tinned tomatoes and the branded ones. Same for pasta, rice, flour, and most basics.

Use your freezer properly. Batch cook when you have time and freeze portions. Cook double of everything and freeze half. Buy meat when it’s reduced and freeze it immediately. Freezer staples worth always having: frozen mince, frozen sausages, frozen chicken thighs, frozen mixed veg, frozen peas, sliced bread (toasts from frozen), grated cheese.

Plan your meals. Spend 10 minutes on Sunday planning the week’s meals. Check what you have, plan around it, and make a tight shopping list. You’ll waste less and spend less.

Reduce meat. Meat is expensive. You don’t need it every night. Try meatless Monday (and maybe Thursday too), half-meat half-lentils in dishes like bolognese or chilli, eggs as your protein, or tinned fish instead of fresh.

Make use of leftovers. Sunday roast chicken becomes Monday chicken curry, Tuesday chicken soup from the carcass, Wednesday chicken fried rice. Leftover mash becomes fish cakes, potato cakes, or a cottage pie topping. Leftover bolognese becomes jacket potato filling, lasagne, or chilli with kidney beans added.

Shop yellow stickers. End-of-day reductions can save you 50-75%. Buy and freeze immediately if you can’t use it that day.

Budget Shopping List Essentials

Cupboard: pasta, rice, tinned tomatoes, tinned beans (kidney, chickpeas, mixed), tinned tuna, flour, stock cubes, cooking oil, dried herbs and spices.

Fridge/Freezer: frozen mince, frozen sausages, frozen chicken thighs, frozen mixed veg, frozen peas, eggs, milk, butter, strong cheddar.

Fresh (buy as needed): onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots, bread.

With these basics, you can make dozens of different meals.

Real Talk About Budget Cooking

Look, I’m not going to pretend cooking on a tight budget is always fun. Sometimes you want a takeaway. Sometimes you’re knackered, and the thought of cooking anything feels impossible. Sometimes you just want something that isn’t pasta or potatoes.

That’s all completely normal.

But having a repertoire of budget family meals means you’ve got options. On the nights you’re skint or just can’t be bothered, you can knock up something filling and decent without ordering a £40 Deliveroo.

These meals aren’t Instagram-worthy. They’re not going to win MasterChef. But they’ll fill bellies, use up what’s in the cupboard, and leave you with enough money for the things that matter.

Common Questions About Cheap Family Meals

Can cheap family meals be healthy? Absolutely. Many of the cheapest ingredients – pulses, eggs, frozen veg, tinned tomatoes – are really nutritious. It’s the ready meals and takeaways that cost more and are often less healthy.

How much should cheap family meals cost in the UK? You can feed a family of four for under £8 total (£2 per person). Many of these recipes come in under £6 total.

What’s the cheapest protein? Eggs, tinned tuna, and dried pulses (lentils, chickpeas) are the cheapest. Chicken thighs and frozen mince are cheaper meat options than breasts or fresh mince.

Is it cheaper to cook from scratch or buy ready meals? Always cheaper to cook from scratch. A basic bolognese costs maybe £6 to make and feeds four people twice. Ready meals are £3-4 each.

How can I meal plan on a budget? Check what you already have, plan meals using those ingredients, and make a tight shopping list. Cook double portions and freeze half.

Final Thoughts

Finding cheap family meals that everyone will actually eat isn’t always easy, especially with food prices still high. But with a bit of planning and these 20 budget recipes, you can put filling food on the table without spending a fortune.

Start with one or two meals from this list that your family will eat. Get comfortable making those, then gradually add more to your rotation. Before you know it, you’ll have a month’s worth of cheap meals you can make without thinking.

For more ways to save money on food shopping, check out my guide to the best cashback apps in the UK – you can stack savings on top of these budget recipes.

Cheap Family Meals FAQs

What are the cheapest meals for a family of 4 in the UK?

Beans on toast with egg (60p-90p per person), vegetable soup (60p-£1), pasta with tomato sauce (60p-90p), and chickpea curry (70p-£1) are all under £4 total for a family of four.

What are the cheapest meals for a UK family on a tight budget?

Vegetable soup, pasta with tomato sauce, beans on toast with egg, egg fried rice (using leftover rice), and jacket potatoes with beans and cheese all come in under £1 per person using basic cupboard staples.

How can I make cheap family meals taste better?

Use strong cheddar instead of mild (you’ll use less), add stock cubes for flavour, don’t skip the seasoning, and use frozen garlic and herbs to save money without sacrificing taste. Batch cooking sauces also develops better flavour than cooking from scratch each time.

What are some quick cheap family meals I can make in under 20 minutes?

Beans on toast with egg (5 mins), egg fried rice (15 mins), pasta with tomato sauce (15 mins), fish fingers chips and beans (20 mins), and Spanish omelette (20 mins) are all quick and filling options.

Can cheap family meals still be healthy?

Absolutely. Chickpea curry, lentil dahl, vegetable soup, and bean chilli are all packed with nutrients. Add frozen veg to any meal, use wholemeal pasta when it’s on offer, and bulk out meat dishes with lentils for extra fibre and protein.

Which cheap family meals freeze well?

Spaghetti bolognese, cottage pie, sausage casserole, bean chilli, chickpea curry, lentil dahl, and vegetable soup all freeze brilliantly. Make double portions and freeze in family-sized containers for nights when you can’t be bothered cooking.

How much should I budget for cheap family meals per week?

Using these recipes, a family of four can eat for £30-£50 per week depending on whether you shop at budget supermarkets and how much meat you include. If you’re aiming for the cheapest meals possible, £30-£40 is realistic.

Where should I shop for the cheapest ingredients?

Aldi and Lidl consistently offer the cheapest prices for basics – 30-40% cheaper than the big four supermarkets. For meat, check yellow sticker sections late evening at any supermarket, or buy frozen from Iceland or Farmfoods.

Related posts:

• Cutting our food bill in half
• The Best Cashback Apps in the UK
• Asda Rewards Review