Super savers

20 low-budget meal ideas

Chicken, leek & mustard sauté

■ Serves 4 ■ Prep 10 mins

■ Cook 30 mins

1 tbsp olive oil
8 chicken thighs
2 leeks, chopped
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
60ml single cream
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
green vegetables, to serve

1 Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the chicken until browned. Add the leeks and fry until soft and the chicken is cooked through. Mix the mustard and cream and add to the pan, season and simmer until the sauce thickens.

2 Sprinkle over the lemon juice, zest and breadcrumbs. Put the pan under the grill briefly so the crumbs brown a little. Serve with green vegetables.

PER SERVING 686 kcals, fat 50g, saturates 15g, carbs 7g, fibre 2g, protein 52g, salt 0.9g

Try this twist

Chicken, spinach & nutmeg sauté

Make the dish as above but with 1 leek and 2 crushed garlic cloves. Once the chicken is cooked, at step 2, stir in a 250g bag baby spinach with a good grating of nutmeg and allow to wilt before continuing with the recipe. Serves 4.

20-minute Fiorentina pizzas

■ Serves 2 ■ Prep 10 mins ■ Cook 10 mins

250g bag spinach
2 large flatbreads
pinch of nutmeg
2 eggs
50g gruyère, grated
4 slices prosciutto, torn

1 Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the spinach in a colander and pour over boiling water to wilt. Leave to cool a little, then squeeze out any excess water as best you can.

2 Put the flatbreads on a baking sheet. Arrange the spinach over the top, leaving space in the middle, and season each with nutmeg and a little salt. Break an egg into centre of each flatbread, then scatter over the cheese and a grinding of black pepper. Bake in the oven for 10 mins, then add the torn prosciutto just before serving.

PER PIZZA 439 kcals, fat 18g, saturates 8g, carbs 41g, sugars 3g, protein 28g, fibre 6g, salt 2.9g

AVOID A SOGGY BOTTOM

If you can’t get flatbreads, use ready-made pizza bases instead – tortillas are too thin for this topping and end up soggy.

Cottage pie cakes

■ Makes 6 ■ Prep 15 mins plus chilling ■ Cook 20 mins

400g pack lean beef mince
1 beef stock cube
50g plain flour
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
140g frozen peas
450g leftover mashed potatoes
2 eggs, beaten
85g panko or dried breadcrumbs
vegetable oil, for frying
baked beans, to serve

1 Heat a large frying pan and dry-fry the mince until b