Healthy eating doesn't need to cost you a fortune. There are plenty of cheap meals you can eat that are also good for you. We've costed some of our favourite healthy recipes so you can see just how cheap they are.
Eating healthy meals is important but it can be hard to do it without spending lots of money. We’re here to help.
Healthy eating doesn’t need to cost you a fortune. There are plenty of cheap meals you can eat that are also good for you.
We’ve costed some of our favourite healthy recipes so you can see just how cheap they are. The recipes are usually for 4 but if you are eating separate meals from your family, you can divide the ingredients down to however many servings you want – or make extra and save for another time.
We also think it’s very important to be healthy but not hungry. Our healthy meals may be good for you but they won’t leave you wanting more.
Click through our gallery to see how you can make healthy meals for just £1 a head…
All costs were true at time of writing (May 2013). We assume you have these basic ingredients in your cupboards already:
- Oil
- Onions
- Garlic
- Dried herbs and spices
- Salt and pepper
- Flour
- Butter
- Mayonnaise
- Stock
- Milk
- Tomato purée
- Mustard
- Tomato ketchup
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Sweet potato and chickpea balti
Curries aren’t necessarily off the menu if you’re trying to be healthy. If you make your own sauce and replace the meat with healthy ingredients, you can turn it into a low-calorie meal.
Get the recipe: Sweet potato and chickpea balti
Serves: 4
Ingredients: (Asda)
- Balti curry paste: 90p
- Sweet potatoes: 90p
- Chickpeas: 38p
- Chopped tomatoes: 31p
- Spinach: £1
- Rice (optional): 40p
Total: £3.89
Cost cutting tip: Filling ingredients like chickpeas mean you don’t often need rice or bread as a side, which not only cuts the costs but makes it healthier too.
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Tuna fish cakes
Fish cakes are such an easy, healthy recipe to feed the whole family. Tuna is full of protein and you can add more vegetables to the mix too. You could also replace the potatoes with sweet potatoes to reduce the fat content.
Get the recipe: Tuna fish cakes
Makes: 4
Ingredients: (Tesco)
- Large tin of tuna: £2
- Readymade mash: £1
- Spring onions: 40p
- Egg: 10p
- Breadcrumbs: 25p
Total: £3.75
Cost cutting tip: Rather than buying breadcrumbs, simply blend down a couple of slices of bread. You can do this when your bread is getting stale and freeze them to make dishes like this one.
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Spanish-style tortilla
Who needs to be in Spain? This sunny dish will bring plenty of sunshine to the table – and as it’s from our friends at Slimming World, it’s healthy too! The tortilla is made with potatoes so it’s nice and filling – and you can add extra veg to the mix.
Get the recipe: Spanish-style tortilla
Serves: 4
Ingredients: (Tesco)
- Potatoes: 69p
- Green pepper: 80p
- Red pepper: 80p
- 6 large eggs: £1.68
Total: £3.97
Cost cutting tip: Replace the red peppers with carrots and courgettes for a cheaper veg option.
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Sweet potato pasta
You may not have thought of adding sweet potato to pasta but it’s a filling and healthy ingredient to try. With 2 servings of your 5-a-day, this simple pasta dish will feed the family, without breaking the budget.
Get the recipe: Sweet potato pasta
Serves: 4
Ingredients: (Asda)
- Sweet potato: 38p
- Pasta: 30p
- Low-fat natural yogurt: 45p
- Frozen peas: 98p
- Grated cheese: 90p
Total: £3.01
Cost cutting tip: Buy pasta in bulk rather than in small packages if you know your family use a lot of it.
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Roasted vegetable couscous
Couscous is so cheap and easy to make – and it’s much healthier than a serving of rice or pasta. Topped with chunky vegetables, it makes a delicious meal for the family – and the leftovers can be used for lunch the next day.
Get the recipe: Roasted vegetable couscous
Serves: 4
Ingredients: (Asda)
- Cherry tomatoes: 82p
- Courgettes: 16p
- Red pepper: 80p
- Yellow pepper: 80p
- Couscous: 68p
Total: £3.75
Cost cutting tip: Save any leftover vegetables from your roast dinner to make cheap meals like this through the week.
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Courgette lasagne
Removing the meat from a lasagne is an easy way to make a healthy meal. This simple recipe uses courgettes with a passata-based sauce for a veggie treat the whole family will enjoy.
Get the recipe: Courgette lasagne
Serves: 4
Ingredients: (Asda)
- Fresh lasagne sheets: 80p
- Courgettes: 97p
- Ricotta: £1
- 50g cheddar: 30p (from a larger block)
- Passata: 44p
Total: £3.56
Cost cutting tips: Dried lasagne sheets cost less than fresh if you want to make this meal even cheaper.
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Tuna and noodle salad
Stir-fries are a quick and easy way to feed the family healthy food. This simple salad has 2 servings of fruit and veg (counting tomatoes as a fruit!) and protein thanks to the tuna – healthy and filling!
Get the recipe: Tuna and noodle salad
Serves: 4
Ingredients: (Asda)
- Egg noodles: £1.28
- Tuna: 49p
- 100g cherry tomatoes: 50p (from larger batch)
- Teriyaki sauce: 65p
- Lime: 27p
- Leek: 14p
Total: £3.92
Cost cutting tip: You can buy a mixed bag of stir-fry veg to add more vegetables to this dish on the cheap.
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Slimming World’s bacon and tomato risotto
Slimming World’s healthy risotto has two servings of vegetables and is guaranteed to keep everyone full all evening. You just need to add stock to some rice to make this simple meal.
Get the recipe: Slimming World’s bacon and tomato risotto
Serves: 4
Ingredients: (Asda)
- Risotto rice: 98p
- Cherry tomatoes: 82p
- Courgettes: £1
- Bacon: £1
Total: £3.80
Cost cutting tip: You can use long grain or Basmati rice to make risotto so you don’t need to splash out on special rice to make this dish.
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Vegetable crunch
This vegetable crunch is a quick and delicious way to use up lots of vegetables. You simply combine them with a chopped-tomato sauce and scatter over a crunchy oat topping and bake.
Get the recipe: Vegetable crunch
Serves: 4
Ingredients: (Asda)
- Broccoli: 40p
- Carrots: 16p
- Mushrooms: 53p
- Chopped tomatoes: 31p
- Oats: 75p
- Almonds: 65p
- 75g cheddar cheese: 75p (from larger batch)
Total: £3.55
Cost cutting tip: Save any scraps of vegetables or leftovers throughout the week to make the base for this meal.
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Warm mushroom and poached egg salad
Salad for dinner? Really? This hearty recipe comes with poached egg so it will keep you full. You can even add chicken to it to make it into a more substantial meal.
Get the recipe: Warm mushroom and poached egg salad
Serves: 2
Ingredients: (Tesco)
- Chestnut mushrooms: 70p
- Eggs: 40p
- Bag of mixed salad leaves: 90p
Total: £2
Cost cutting tip: We cut the pine nuts from the recipe as they are quite an expensive purchase. If you think you will use them for more meals, buy a bag. If not, it’s not worth it just for this meal. You can replace with almonds or walnuts to get the same nutty finish.
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Slimming World’s spicy rice stuffed vegetables
These stuffed peppers and tomatoes are from the Slimming World diet but you don’t need to be following it to enjoy them as a healthy meal. Not only are they healthy – they’re also filling too. They’re just £1 per serving if you choose to serve either peppers or tomatoes – either is more than enough as a main meal.
Get the recipe: Slimming World’s spicy rice stuffed vegetables
Serves: 4
Ingredients (Asda)
- Long grain rice: 40p
- Pack of peppers: £1.65/ pack of large tomatoes £1.50
- Bag fresh watercress: 31
Total: £3.05
Cost cutting tip: Save leftover rice in the fridge or freezer so you can fill your stuffed peppers.
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Falafel pittas
These falafel pittas are surprisingly cheap to make at home. You only really need a couple of tins of chickpeas, and some herbs and spices, to make falafels – and this recipe comes with a low-cal homemade coleslaw too.
Get the recipe: Falafel pittas
Serves: 4
Ingredients: (Asda)
- Chickpeas: 76p
- Wholemeal pitta: 60p
- Red pepper: 80p
- White cabbage quarter: 16p
- 2 carrots: 16p
- Natural yogurt: 45p
- Cider vinegar: 84p
Total: £3.77
Cost cutting tip: You can use tahini (sesame paste) in your falafel for a smoother texture but we left it out as it’s not essential and it adds to the cost.
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Mediterranean aubergines
The meaty texture of aubergines makes it a great replacement for meat in your meals. The vegetable is full of flavour and can be filled with a classic tomato sauce to make this tasty meal. Chopped olives scattered throughout give it a lovely Mediterranean twist.
Get the recipe: Mediterranean aubergines
Serves: 4
Ingredients: (Tesco)
- Aubergines: £1
- Mozzarella: £1
- Jar of olives: £1
- Chopped tomatoes: 31p
Total: £3.31
Cost cutting tip: Buy a jar of olives rather than fresh ones as they last much longer. It’s a handy ingredient to have in the cupboards to add flavour to your meals.
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Mushroom and spinach stroganoff
Stroganoff is an easy sauce to make for your vegetables. This recipe combines single cream with brandy to make the rich sauce but if you want a healthier – and alcohol-free version – combine half-fat crème fraîche with mustard.
Get the recipe: Mushroom and spinach stroganoff
Serves: 4
Ingredients: (Asda)
- Mushrooms: £1.49
- Spinach: £1
- Single cream: 55p
- Potatoes: 69p
Total: £3.73
Cost cutting tip: This recipe suggests buying ready made potato rosti but it’s cheaper – and healthier – to make your own. Use our potato rosti recipe
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Chickpea and courgette eggah
This Arabic-style omelette shows how eggs are a magic ingredient in making healthy meals on the cheap. Eggs are rich in protein, so while they may not have a low fat content, they will help you feel less hungry after you’ve eaten. You can add more veg to the mix too – so you can make it even more healthy!
Get the recipe: Chickpea and courgette eggah
Serves: 4
Ingredients: (Asda)
- Courgette: 16p
- Tin of chickpeas: 38p
- 6 large eggs: £1.68
Total: £2.22
Cost cutting tip: Almost any ingredients can be made into a omelette, frittata or eggah. Crack an egg over any vegetables you have in to turn them into a healthy meal.
Where to next?
More healthy recipes
Foods that are making you hungry
Never be hungry again: 30 ways to stay fuller for longer