ONE-PAN BUDGET MEAL PLAN
One-pan budget meal plan
By Helen Salter
Plan a week of meals without the costly bill with these simple family recipes, all achieved in one-pan, including flavourful pasta dishes, curries, stews and more
Looking for ways to reduce your oven use? Create comfort while saving energy with these low-cost family meals, made in just one pan. One-pan cooking reduces food waste, saves energy and means less washing-up, all of which equate to happy cooking.
To help you add more one-pan meals to your rotation, we've collated our favourite recipes which are easy on the wallet, so you can plan a whole week of dinners with ease. This meal plan features flavour-packed pasta, filling curries and warming stews, with any leftovers perfect for lunch the following day.
If you're looking to expand your repertoire, check out this one-pot recipe collection and these healthy one-pot meals. For seasonal recipe inspiration, we have the best spring one-pots and winter one-pots.
For more cost-effective recipes that take everyday ingredients to new heights, visit our budget hub, featuring guides such as budget salads, budget comfort food and budget 'superfood' swaps.
7-day one-pan meal plan on a budget
Monday: One-pot chicken & rice
Kickstart the week with this one-pan chicken dinner, featuring chicken thighs, an inexpensive cut of meat. It also features frozen veg to reduce costs further. It's ready in under an hour and serves four, so it's a brilliant dish for the whole family. Or, if you're serving for two or less, it makes an impressive lunch the following day.
Try more chicken thigh recipes.
Tuesday: Vegan winter one-pan
For Tuesday's dinner, serve up a bowl of this nourishing plant-based stew. It combines cheap ingredients to bulk it up, such as baby potatoes and leeks, as well as storecupboard greats, like passata. This recipe serves two, but can be easily doubled to serve a family of four. It's a healthy choice, too, being high in fibre, and low in calories.
See more vegan meal ideas in our budget vegan plan.
Wednesday: One-pan smoky beans & sausage meatballs
With just one pan you can cook up these smoky beans with sausage meatballs for the whole family. Ready on the table in under an hour, this recipe mostly uses cheap, storecupboard ingredients, such as chopped tomatoes, cannellini beans, garlic and onion, plus it's easily scaled up without increasing the cost by much.
Check out more cannellini bean recipes.
Thursday: One-pan spicy rice
Turn your hand to this simple vegetarian rice dish for Thursday night's dinner. This super-easy recipe is a useful weeknight backup – it needs practically no preparation and makes use of storecupboard staples to make a nourishing, filling meal. Plus, it's ready to serve in just 20 minutes, brilliant if you're short on time.
Choose from more speedy vegetarian meals.
Friday: One-pan pasta
Celebrate the weekend's arrival with our easy and quick one-pan spaghetti dish, dressed in a simple tomato sauce and served with shop-bought meatballs. The ingredient list for this recipe is kept super short, and you'll likely have most of them already, such as chopped tomatoes, ketchup and dried spaghetti. It's both healthy and low in calories, but it still feels like a treat – perfect for the weekend!
Discover more Friday night dinners for weekend feasting.
Saturday: One-pan coconut dhal
Rustle up this versatile coconut dhal for a comforting curry to enjoy on the weekend. If you already have the spices to hand, this dhal is a super-cheap dish to make, as well as the lentils being a fantastic source of fibre. All made in one pan, it can also be used as a base to make other curries – see our favourite dhal recipes for inspiration.
Sunday: Tomato & chorizo rice
Chorizo and sweet smoked paprika flavour this budget storecupboard supper, with pitted green olives stirred through for an extra salty hit. This is a brilliant way to take a can of tomatoes in a new direction, and it's perfect if you want a flavourful Sunday dinner without any of the effort – it's ready in just 20 minutes.
See more family rice dishes and chorizo recipes.
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