101 Aldi Recipes That Will Give You Dinner Ideas For Tonight

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Including an Aldi budget meal planner and Aldi shopping list

If you wonder around Aldi weekly and have no idea what recipes you could be making your family then this post is for you. We have 101 Aldi recipes that will help you fill up your meal planner for a whole week and still keep to your budget.

We all get stuck in a rut when it comes to food and feeding our family. Sticking to a budget weekly food shop isn’t easy, even if you shop at a discounter.

The same rules of shopping savvy should still apply and ignoring all those “special” offer tags can be hard when you know that it’s cheap.

If you are looking for more dinner ideas then have a look at:

31 Aldi Slow Cooker Recipes For The Whole Family – These are the best slow cooker recipes that use Aldi food. You can make them in the morning and have a great meal ready for you by the time you get it.

The Ultimate £1 Per Head Budget Meal Planning List – This is our full list of £1 a head family meals. Use these to help bring your shopping bill right down.

Store Cupboard Meals: 41 Store Cupboard Recipes to Try – If you have a lot of food in your cupboards then use our meal ideas here that will help you save money and cook really yummy family meals.

Here’s our top 3 tips to staying on budget when you’re trying to do the family shop at a discounter:

1. Don’t go overboard. Stick to your shopping list and meal plan. You can use ours here by joining The Resource Vault or write a list by hand yourself. It’s easy to get distracted when everything is cheap!
2. Watch the packet sizes. Smaller sized items don’t always mean lower prices. Use your phone to do a quick search if you’re unsure. are you really getting good value for money?
3. Downshift. Start by buying the very bottom brand and work your way up. You’ll be surprised how nice the very basic item is! If you don’t like it then go up one.

Not knowing what to cook or add to your meal plan for next week can see you leaning toward a quick fix experience ready meal or even a take out.

The below 101 Aldi recipes are perfect if you’re looking for dinner ideas on a budget or just recipes to fill up your meal plan this week.

 Aldi shopping list

If you’re looking for weekly meal plans or saving money printables then come join The Resource Vault. It’s free to use and all the resources can be downloaded as many times as you need.

This also includes a range of Aldi budget meal planners and Aldi shopping lists for the whole family so you don’t even have to think about what to cook!

Come join us today by click here!

(By entering your email address you agree to be added to our mailing list. You will never be spammed. You can unsubscribe at anytime and still receive your printables.)

Aldi meal plan

Before you even step foot in a grocery store make sure you do these 6 things first. all of these will help you save your family money!

Meal Plan Sheets

Depending on how comfortable you are, either find a spare pad or print out 8-10 copies of a weekly meal plan sheet.

You’ll need enough space to write down a simple menu for each day and a shopping list as you go.

You can make your own weekly meal plan or download my meal plans and shopping lists for free from the Resource Vault. Having several copies on hand will help inspire you to get started and keep up the meal plans for several weeks.

If you’ve never meal planned before then start here by reading how it can save you hundreds of pounds! 

Save money on food

No more tins or jars, it really is just as quick to make up a pasta bake sauce or homemade soup then opening one.

Have a look at our £1 meals here that you can make from scratch:

Easy Chickpea Curry That Costs Under £1 a Head

Epic Vegan Tacos Recipe For Under £1 a Head

Easy Creamy Chicken and Pepper Pasta

Easy Chicken Fajita Recipe: A Family Meal for 94p a Person

If you are struggling to make your family healthy meals then have a look at Spicentice. They offer easy to follow meals with a shopping list, and their spices to help you make home cooked meals from scratch.

They are really great if you are short of time or unsure of how to cook your family favourites from scratch.

We tried them and made everything from homemade burgers to curries to kebabs!

Use our link here with our code LASAVE20 to get 20% off every purchase*.

Look at the below stores to see if you can save some money:

Get FREE FOOD with this app: checkoutsmart*

Muscle Food lean meat hamper – muscle food*

Get your groceries up to 70% off RRP – approved food*

Remember to come join our FREE Facebook Messenger Group for all the latest deals, freebies and quick family money saving tips!

Cashback websites

Of course there are plenty of other ways to save money, and once you start seeking them out then you will be amazed at what you find.

Every time you buy online you could be getting cashback. Have a look at:

OhMyDosh* – OhMyDosh is a great way to make extra money at home. It’s completely free to use. In this OhMyDosh review we talk you through how OhMyDosh works and how you can make money by using the website.

Unlike other cashback sites though, OhMyDosh* is completely free to use with no subscription needed for the better deals.

You can also earn extra by referring your friends and family to OhMyDosh. More on that near the bottom of the post. You receive £5 for every person you introduce to OhMyDosh* and as long as they complete the sign up you get paid and they get a £1 as a thank you for joining. 

Quidco* – Quidco* is a great way to save money. We’ve saved over £200 in the last few months and their site is really easy to use.

It’s free to join Quidco* and they have access to over 4,000 retailers, and a lot of these are big household names.

Swagbucks* – Swagbucks* is free to join and like Quidco you can save money while shopping online. The good thing about Swagbucks is that you can also earn money by watching videos, playing games and taking part in surveys.

There’s an option to download their SwagButton* for free which pops-up and reminds you about the cashback you could earn.

Go to these sites first before you buy anything online and see if you can get money back. Anything goes from hotel stays to toys and train tickets.

Budget your money

Use an app like Plum* to keep track of your spending and to help you save.

Using Plum* can help you build up your savings, pay off dent quicker and invest to make your money work harder. It’s free to join!

Join our 6-week FREE money saving course that walks you through how you can save your family money. No filler. Just real tips and advice from us on how we save money daily.

Use your slow cooker

Having a slow cooker to hand means that you can cook loads of meals while you are out. You can also make bulk out slow cooker meals easily with cans of kidney beans or baked beans.

If you don’t own a slow cooker then we use this one, which is a Morphy Richards Slow Cooker Sear and Stew 460012 3.5L Black Slowcooker*. 

For slow cooker meals, have a look at:

31 Aldi Slow Cooker Recipes For The Whole Family
31 Easy Family Slow Cooker Recipes
7 Gammon Slow Cooker Recipes That Are Budget Friendly
9 Slow Cooker Chicken Curry Recipes That Are Budget Friendly

Aldi Recipes

So here are our 101 Aldi recipes that will give you dinner ideas for tonight plus help you stick to your weekly food budget.

(We are assuming you have some of our budget cupboard staples already brought. If not, please see our full list of Staple Food Store Cupboard Essentials here.)

For more dinner party ideas have a look at The Diary of a Jewellery Lover’s post here.

A lot of these are also perfect for leftovers. So if you make to much, freeze and use again at the end of the week or take for lunch!

We have loads of £1 a head meal ideas here:

The Best Cheap Recipes For Families
The Best Fakeaway Recipes For Under £1 a Head
Cheap Chicken Recipes That Are Under £1 a Head
11 Cheap Pasta Recipes That Are Under £1 a Head
13 Leftover Chicken Recipes That Are Under £1 a Head
7 Simple Minced Beef Recipes

Easy Aldi Recipes

These are Aldi recipes that we use ourselves to save money. Bu using our recipes you could save yourself hundreds of pounds.

Remember that the freezer is always your friend! Bu frozen vegetables and frozen fruit if you can and frozen meat can be defrosted as and when you need it.

We have divided the below recipes for you depended on what meal you are looking for.

Breakfast

Vegan:

Harvest Morn Wheaties

Porridge with fruit

Overnight oats

Toast with banana

Fruit smoothies

Vegan pancakes

With meat or dairy:

Scrambled eggs

Boiled eggs & soldiers

Fried Egg & tomato

Sliced pear, honeydew melon, strawberries and fat free Greek style yogurt

2 frozen hash browns, baked beans and scrambled eggs

Sliced banana topped with yogurt

Fried breakfast: 6 eggs, 6 sausages, 6 bacon medallions, 8 cherry tomatoes, 6 mushrooms and 2 tins of baked beans

Breakfast muffins

Poached eggs and bacon with a syn free Hash Brown

Sweet baked potato, sliced ham, beetroot and a salad

Eggy bread

Fruity french toast

Breakfast oat bars

Breakfast fruit split

Cheesy flapjack

Harvest Morn bran flakes with Brooklea Fat Free Greek Style Lemon Yogurt

Benefit lighter granola with strawberries

Harvest Morn light benefit bars

Bruscetta toast

Lunch

Vegan:

Butternut penne

Choice of sandwich filling

Spaghetti with dried herb to taste (we use chilli flakes and oregano)

Scotch pancakes

Homemade sweet potato & carrot soup

Bean and broccoli pasta salad

Winter vegetable soup (chuck whatever you have leftover or vegetables from the freezer)

Jacket potato and beans

Homemade scones

With meat/dairy:

Pizza toast

Boiled egg & toast

Crackers ploughman

Grilled cheese sandwiches

3 egg omelette with your choice of filling (Bacon, Ham, Spinach, Tomatoes, Mushroom, Onion)

Salad wrap with your choice or cheese or ham

Homemade sausage and bean soup

Leek and egg salad

Mexican rice (mix frozen veg and some chilli spice for some taste.)

Butternut squash risotto (we use frozen butternut squash already but with frozen onions etc)

Cheese on toast

Cheesy muffins

Turkey carcass soup

Lamb kebabs in pitta

Burritos

Chicken Pesto Panini

Crushed potatoes with tuna and sweetcorn

Creamy Tomato Courgetti (We use this one to make our own.*)

Risotto with Ham & Peas

Triple decker crackers

Sweet baked potato, sliced ham, beetroot and a salad

French Onion Soup

Falafel

Dinner

Vegan:

Chilli potato cakes

Aloo Saag

Vegan Tacos

Sweet potato curry

Vegetable Fajitas

Vegetable Lasagne

Tomato and garlic pasta

Frozen butternut squash lasagna

Quorn Spaghetti Bolognese

Mushroom sauce mixed with cooked pasta

Chickpea Curry

Bean burger

Penne pasta arrabbiata

Vegan Shepherd’s Pie

Chicken:

Creamy Chicken and Pepper Pasta

Malaysian Chicken Curry

Firecracker Chicken

Homemade Four Seasons Pizza (half of cheese, quarter of chicken & tomato, quarter Pineapple & Ham)

Katsu Curry

Egg fried Stir fry with Rices

Chicken Tikka Masala

Egg noodle stir fry

Sweet & Sour Chicken with Rice

Chinese Chicken Curry

Tinned creamy tomato sauce from Iceland mixed with cooked pasta

Chicken Fajitas

Hunters chicken and homemade chips

Stir fry with brown rice

Southern Fried Chicken

One pot chicken pepper bake

Peri-peri chicken

Homemade chicken nuggets and chips

Chicken Korma

Tomato-baked chicken

Pork:

Red Cabbage, Bacon and Potato Hash

Gammon (or ham), eggs & homemade chips

Gammon roast

Cheese & ham(or any leftover meat) pasta bake

Spaghetti carbonara

Sausage hot pot

Sausage and cheese bake

Beef:

Homemade Beef Burgers

Cottage pie

Spaghetti Meatball

Casserole

Chilli Con Carne

Mince Tacos

Spaghetti Bolognese

Fish:

Fish cakes, mash & beans

Hidden vegetable Pasta and sauce (could add tuna etc)

Prawn burgers (We use frozen prawns)

Turkey:

Sweet Potato & Meat Curry

Sausage and potato casserole

Turkey egg fried rice stir fry

Carcass soup

Baked (enter meat here) pesto alfredo

Meat smothered sweet potato

Pasta Alfredo

You can download this list and a FREE meal plan by joining our Resource Vault here. 

Related Posts: 

• £1 a Head Family Meals: Recipes That Will Keep Your Food Bill in Check
• A Budget Weekly Menu: Here’s How To Feed a Family for Just £18
• One Month of Cheap Aldi Slow Cooked Dinners Plus a Free Month Meal Plan

Dinner ideas for tonight

Still lacking inspiration and unsure what to do? Then Budget My Meals is for you. We give you plan templates that take all the thinking away. We can create your budget weekly menus, shopping lists and send you the recipes every week so you don’t even have to think about it.

No coupons. No yellow stickers, just easy family-friendly recipes.

Implementing a weekly meal plan really does save you money and time. It stops you going for the takeaway menu when the family go nuclear and means you don’t have to face a cupboard full of food with no clue or inspiration on what to cook.

It also means that you are building up your recipe bank so when you no longer need us, you have all our recipes to fullback on.

Enter your email address here and we’ll update you when we are live.

If you’re struggling to meal plan and want to try by yourself then start by:

Reading our Budget Meal Planning: How to meal plan so it saves you time and money post here. This will help you to get the basics of meal planning.

Check all your cupboards. Have you got these budget pantry staples? These are going to be your cupboard essentials and will help you bring your shopping bill down.

Grab a piece of paper or use your phone and write down every time you or your family finish something from the cupboards or fridge etc. This gives you a good list to start from when you are trying to meal prep in a hurry.

Pick your meals from the below but remember to check your calendar first. There’s no point deciding to cook a full on family meal if everyone!

Have fun and be flexible! Just because you  meal plan doesn’t mean that your food is set in stone. Change it around if you want and add or take away a meal. Just remember to add it to next weeks meal plan and freeze it if needed.

If you have a few fussy eaters at home, don’t worry, you can still shop on a budget. Here’s the recipes we use when our kids don’t want to try new food. 

Laura x

If you enjoyed this post and would like some more family friendly budget recipes or meal plan ideas, then head over to the budget food section here on Savings 4 Savvy Mums where you’ll find over 30 cheap posts dedicated to helping you cook and shop wiser for less. There’s enough tips to help you save over £300 a month! You could also pop over and follow my family food Pinterest boards for lots more ideas on how to eat well and spend less; Family Meal Plans on a Budget, Budget Family Meals & Budget Slimming World Recipes for Families.

Love this post? Then why not save it to Pinterest so you can easily find it later.

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