These are easy pasta recipes
These quick pasta recipes are great for the whole family. They come in at under £1 a head for four people. We all know that pasta is a cheap ingredient and a great store cupboard staple.
You can use it with pretty much anything to make a quick and easy lunch or dinner for the whole family.
Don’t forget that you can batch book pasta and use it the next day as well.
If you are looking for more east and cheap £1 a head recipes then have a look at:
The Ultimate £1 Per Head Budget Meal Planning List – This is our full list of £1 a head meals that you can use to fill up your meal plan.
Store cupboard meals: 41 store cupboard recipes to try – If you have a lot of food in your cupboard or need to start saving money then try these meals. Using one of these meals a week can seriously help you save money.
Cheap chicken recipes that are under £1 a head – Chicken is a great cheap meat that you can use throughout the week. We buy frozen chicken and defrost as and when we need it. These recipes will help you to keep your shopping bill down.
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Cooking as a beginner
It can seem really daunting at the start to cook cheap meals if you’ve never done it before. Start small and swap your favourite meal. So for example, if it’s spaghetti bolognese then use our recipe below to cook the sauce from scratch. If it’s lasagne then that can be made without jars too. Cooking from scratch really can save you money.
You could also have a look at Spicentice. They send out packets of spices with easy to follow instructions so you can make a meal from scratch.
We tried Spicentice for a year and cooked:
Beginner Chilli Con Carne Recipe for Just 95p a Head
Vegan Shepherd’s Pie For Just 82p Per Portion
Spaghetti Meatball Recipe For 73p a Head
Easy Chicken Fajita Recipe: A Family Meal for 94p a Person
Chinese Chicken Curry For Just £1.54 For 4
Really Easy Homemade Beef Burgers For Under £1 a Head
The Best Southern Fried Chicken Recipe For Under £1 a Head
Chicken Tikka Masala Curry For Under £4 a Head
The Best Katsu Curry Recipe For Under £1 a Head
The Best Turkey Curry For Under £1 a Head
The Best Firecracker Chicken For Just 99p a Head
Budget pasta recipes
These are the best cheap pasta recipes that are great for families. You can use tin and frozen vegetables as these are pre-cut and many of these work great in the slow cooker. It does mean that you have to cook the pasta separately though.
Spaghetti Bolognese
This is the best spaghetti bolognese recipe that you will ever taste. It’s so easy to make and can be put into the slow cooker too.
Read how we make The Best Ever Slimming World Spaghetti Bolognese here.
Low-calorie cooking spray 5p
1 onion, grated 10p
2 carrots, grated 8p
1 garlic clove, grated 5p
500g 5% lean beef mince £2.59
400g can chopped tomatoes 39p
2 tsp dried oregano 2p
1 beef stock cube 5p
350g dried spaghetti 30p
Total: £3.63 (that’s 91p a head for four people)
Chicken and Pepper Pasta
This creamy pasta recipe is great for the whole family. It uses only frozen vegetables and chicken so is really cheap to make.
Read how to make our Easy Creamy Chicken and Pepper Pasta here.
100g Lightest Philadelphia 80p
125g Wholemeal pasta 14p
125g Frozen peppers 25p
125g Cherry tomatoes 25p
10g Garlic 2p
400g Frozen chicken breasts £2.54
Total: £4 that’s £1 a head.
Spaghetti Meatballs
This meatball recipe is packed full of goodness and is really easy to make. It’s cheap and can be made with any vegetables you have leftover in the fridge or freezer.
Read how we make our Spaghetti Meatball Recipe For 73p a Head here.
500g minced meat £1.99
2 onion 16p
3 glove garlic 7p
1 egg 10p
1 tsp salt 2p
2 tsp low cal spray 10p
1 tin passata 32p
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 3p
Half tablespoon sugar 5p
Half tablespoon salt 3p
210g Spaghetti 8p
Total: £2.95 = 73p a head
Tuna pasta bake
This pasta dish is easy to make and great if you need a quick and cheap meal.
500g pasta 50p
50g butter 10p
50g plain flour 5p
600ml milk 80p
250g strong cheddar £2.15
2 x 160g cans tuna steak in spring water £2.40
330g can sweetcorn 47p
Total: £6.47 that’s £1.61 a person.
Bacon and Cheese Pasta
This bacon and cheese pasta is my little one’s favourite dinner. She’d eat this every night if we let her, and I have to say, at just £3.41 for the four of us, this is a bargain!
Tin mushrooms 22p
400g Cheddar cheese £1.74
Unsmoked middle bacon £1.04
Pasta 31p
100g frozen onion 8p
Total: £3.41 that’s 84p a person.
Penne Pasta Arrabbiata
Now, this arrabbiata is my go to recipe if I fancy a bit of spice. I tame it down a bit for the kids, so might add some chilli flakes in at the end for myself and my husband. It takes 20 minutes to boil down but is so worth it.
500g Wholemeal penne 55p
100g Frozen onion 22p
60g dried chillies 55p
400g Passata 35p
Vegetable stock 5p
Total: £2.17 that’s 54p a person.
Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes
This is one of those “chuck in whatever you have” recipes. It’s mega easy and even grilling the tomatoes only takes minutes.
500g wholemeal penne 55p
250g cherry tomatoes 53p
14g Dried basil 69p
Total: £1.77 that’s 44p a person.
Spaghetti Carbonara
This carbonara goes down a treat in my house. I use cheddar instead of parmesan so it can be used throughout the week, and any streaky bacon left can be chucked in something else.
500g spaghetti 20p
Unsmoked Streaky Bacon (275g) £1.04
6 eggs 89p
Extra Mature Cheddar (250g) £1.50
Total: £2.39 that’s 59p a person.
Spicy Sausage and Cheese Bake
As long as you have butter, flour, and milk in your cupboards, then this sausage and cheese bake comes in way under budget.
500g pasta 30p
681g frozen sausages 88p
200g Mature Cheddar £1.27
125g mozzarella 44p
Total: £2.89 that’s 72p a person.
Related Posts:
- The Best Cheap Recipes For Families
- The Best Fakeaway Recipes For Under £1 a Head
- Cheap Chicken Recipes That Are Under £1 a Head
Grilled Ratatouille Linguine
This is an easy ratatouille recipe that is really quick to make. You can grill all these vegetables and mix them when ready with the vegetables.
210g linguine 10p
80g courgette, cut into chunks 40p
100g red or yellow peppers, cut into chunks 40p
100g onion 30p
Total: £1.20 that’s 30p per person.
Vegan Mushroom Bolognese
Just like a meaty bolognese, this vegan one makes the best comfort food dish for a weekend. We use mushrooms to get that amazing flavor.
1 onion chopped 22p
1 tbsp tomato puree 9p
2 tins chopped tomato 58p
1 tbsp caster sugar or to taste 4p
1 celery stick chopped 10p
1 carrot chopped 7p
2 cloves garlic chopped 4p
1 tsp oregano 2p
2 large mushrooms chopped 75p
1 vegetable stock cubes 6p
210g spaghetti 25p
Total: £1.94 that’s 48p per person.
Pesto pasta
All these vegetables can be grilled can be quickly grilled and mixed in with the green pesto and spaghetti. This makes a great and easy family dinner when you are in a rush.
210g spaghetti 25p
2 corn on the cob 95p
100g frozen squash 50p
165g tomatoes 42p
100g spring onions 37p
75g green pesto 37p
Total: £2.86 that’s 71p for 4 people.
Tuscan chicken pasta
This creamy pasta is a real hit in my house. It only takes 15 minutes to cook and is a great fast dinner if you are in a rush. Boil the water for the pasta and add a stock cube. Wait until it has desolved and add the pasta and cook.
Normally about 12-15 minutes. In a different pan, add the chicken cubes to the pan. You can use oil but I use a little water to stop it sticking.
Add the garlic and tomatoes and simmer on a low heat. Add the cream cheese and cream to the pan and simmer for about 10 minutes or until it looks more reduced.
Add the pasta to the sauce and stir.
1 chicken stock cube 5p,
200g JUST ESSENTIALS by ASDA Pasta Shapes 15p,
1 tbsp mixed herbs 5p,
2 JUST ESSENTIALS by ASDA frozen Chicken Breast Fillets £1.26,
2 garlic 10p,
175g tomatoes 25p,
100g JUST ESSENTIALS by ASDA Soft Cheese 26p,
25ml double cream 20p,
400g tin tomatoes 28p,
200g frozen carrots 22p,
100g Spinach Leaves in Water 30p,
50g Grana Padano 73p.
Total: £3.85 that’s 96p for four people.
Chipotle Pasta
This is a great vegan pasta recipe for the whole family. It makes a creamy vegan pasta sauce that has zero lumps as you blend it all together then heat it in the pan.
100g Almonds £1.40
50g Almond milk 10p
50g Chipotle pepper 30p
10g Garlic 5p
75g Water 5p
55g Tomato 25p
5g Lemon juice 2p
210g spaghetti 25p
Total: £2.42 that’s 60p for 4 people.
Vegan Lasagna
This lasagna will get the whole family asking for more. It does take a while to make the white sauce as it needs to thicken. Once both sauces are ready then layer it up with the sliced tomatoes on top. We cook it until the white sauce has set so about 20 minutes for us.
For the lasagna:
4 lasagna sheets 13p
140g firm tofu £1
5g olive oil 2p
100g frozen onion 15p
3 garlic cloves 5p
2g dried oregano 2p
100g mushrooms 25p
225g frozen spinach 37p
White sauce:
5g olive oil 2p
100g all-purpose flour 25p
50g almond milk 10p
5g. nutritional yeast 10p
5g garlic powder 5p
55g 3 tomatoes 25p
Total: £2.76 that’s 69p a person.
Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Cheesy pasta is a family favourite in my house. Try it in the slow cooker for an extra easy weeknight dinner.
200g macaroni pasta 13p
200g cheese £1
100g plain flour 10p
Stock cube 6p
25g butter 3p.
Total: £1.32 that’s 33p a person for four people.
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.
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