Here are four top budget healthy meal ideas to try now

As the cost of living crisis continues, many of us will be raiding cupboards and supermarket aisles in search of ingredients that will promise bang for buck, as well as consulting cookery books and websites for recipes that promise nutrition on a budget. Here are four budget and hearty family meal recipes.

SAUSAGES AND CHAMP

Surely an Ulster classic, serve with greens and lashings of gravy.

Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 3 onions, finely sliced; 4 baking potatoes, peeled and chopped; 250g fresh greens, thick stems discarded, leaves shredded; 2 tbsp plain flour; 1 vegetable stock pot, made up to 500ml; 8 pork sausages; 150g crème fraîche; 3 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped.

Method:

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onions for 15-20 mins, stirring, until golden and caramelised. Add a splash of water if the onions start to catch.

Boil the potatoes for 15-20 mins until very tender and a fork goes into them very easily. Put the greens in a metal colander over the potatoes for the last 5-6 mins to steam until tender.

Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir in until it disappears. Gradually add the stock, stirring, until combined. Bring to a simmer, then bubble gently for 10 mins until thickened. Preheat grill to high.

Grill the sausages for 8-10 mins, until golden brown. Drain potatoes and leave to steam-dry in the colander for 1 min before tipping back into the pan. Mash well, then fold in the crème fraîche and spring onions; season to taste.

Divide the champ between plates and top with the sausages and greens. Add gravy to taste.

EASY CHICKEN STEW

Stir up a nourishing chicken stew for a filling family supper. Chicken thighs are full of flavour and are lower cost compared to breasts, while chunky veg and potatoes make stew go further.

Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 bunch spring onions , sliced; 1 small swede, peeled and chopped into small pieces; 400g potatoes, peeled and chopped into small pieces; 8 skinless boneless chicken thighs; 1 tbsp Dijon mustard; 500ml chicken stock; 200g cabbage, sliced; 2 tsp cornflour (optional).

Method:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the white spring onion slices and fry for 1 min to soften. Tip in the swede and potatoes and cook for 2-3 mins more, then add the chicken, mustard and stock. Cover and cook for 35 mins, or until the vegetables are tender and the chicken cooked through.

Add the cabbage and simmer for another 5 mins. If the stew looks too thin, mix the cornflour with 1 tbsp cold water and pour a couple of teaspoonfuls into the pan; let the stew bubble and thicken, then check again. If it’s still too thin, add a little more of the cornflour mix and let the stew bubble and thicken some more.

Season to taste, then spoon the stew into bowls. Scatter over the green spring onion slices and serve.

PRAWN FRIED RICE

This speedy stir-fry is full of king prawns, egg, mangetout and peas. Cook everything in a wok over a medium heat.

Ingredients: 250g long-grain brown rice; 150g frozen peas; 100g mangetout; 1½ tbsp rapeseed oil; 1 onion, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; thumb-sized piece of ginger, finely grated; 150g raw king prawns; 3 medium eggs, beaten; 2 tsp sesame seeds; 1 tbsp low-salt soy sauce; ½ tbsp rice or white wine vinegar; 4 spring onions, sliced.

Method:

Cook the rice following pack instructions. Boil a separate pan of water and blanch the peas and mangetout for 1 min, then drain and set aside with the rice.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan or wok over a medium heat and fry the onion for 10 mins. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for a further minute. Tip in blanched vegetables and fry for 5 mins, then the prawns and fry for a further 2 mins. Stir rice into the pan then push everything to one side. Pour the beaten eggs into the empty side of the pan and stir to scramble them. Fold everything together with the sesame seeds, soy and vinegar, then finish with the spring onions scattered over.

DOUBLE BEAN AND ROASTED PEPPER CHILLI

Vegetarian chilli is a low-fat, healthy option that packs in the veggies and flavour.

Ingredients: 2 onions, chopped; 2 celery sticks, finely chopped; 2 yellow or orange peppers, finely chopped; 2 tbsp sunflower oil; 2 x 460g jars roasted red peppers; 2 tsp chipotle paste; 2 tbsp red wine vinegar; 1 tbsp cocoa powder; 1 tbsp dried oregano; 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika; 2 tbsp ground cumin; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes; 400g can refried beans; 3 x 400g cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed; 2 x 400g cans black beans, drained and rinsed.

Method:

Put the onions, celery and chopped peppers with the oil in your largest casserole dish, and fry gently over a low heat until soft but not coloured.

Drain both jars of peppers over a bowl to catch the juices. Put a quarter of the peppers into a food processor with the chipotle paste, vinegar, cocoa, dried spices and herbs. Whizz to a purée, then stir into the softened veg and cook for a few mins.

Add the tomatoes and refried beans with 1 can of water and the reserved pepper juice. Simmer for 1 hr until thickened and the tomato chunks have broken down to a smoother sauce. Add the kidney and black beans, and the remaining roasted peppers, cut into bite-sized pieces. Season to taste and serve.

For more recipe ideas try BBC Good Food, Tesco Real Food or Top 50 Budget Meals.