Easy budget-friendly recipes from RACV Club chefs

Best budget-friendly lunch and dinner recipes

Vegetable Thai green curry recipe

Vegetarian dishes can be a thrifty way to create a satisfying meal. This Vegetable Thai green curry recipe is easy to make and contains your daily serve of vegetables.

Using a green curry paste from the supermarket will save you time and avoid the cost of buying all the individual ingredients. If any of the vegetables in this recipe are out of season, which can increase the cost, consider using potatoes, sweet potatoes, or frozen vegetables instead.

You can add some diced chicken before the vegetables, if you want to boost your protein intake. Either way, vegetarian or not, you’ll have a delicious family meal in no time at all.

Spaghetti with roasted Mediterranean vegetables recipe

Here’s an easy mid-week recipe, using one of the most popular forms of pasta. Tinned tomatoes are a great pantry staple and form the base of this Spaghetti with roasted Mediterranean vegetables recipe. If you want to cut costs, leave out the chargrilled artichokes, but make sure you add the parsley because it gives the recipe a lift.

Roasting is a simple cooking technique, and in less than an hour, you can serve your family or friends a nutritious pasta dish that’s bursting with colour and flavour.

Sausage rolls recipe

This easy, budget-friendly sausage rolls recipe hails from Le Petit Gateau's Executive Pastry Chef, Amit Sinha.

Sausage mince is a great cheap buy, as are supermarket-brand puff pastry sheets. If you're catering for vegetarians, you can substitute the mince for pumpkin or sweet potato.

Sausage rolls are always a favourite, whether it's as an after-school snack, a party appetizer or a bracing treat while watching the footy. Treat yourself to this tasty recipe for truly juicy, flaky sausage rolls.

Sweet potato and red kidney bean hot pot recipe

This sweet potato and red kidney bean hot pot will satisfy the biggest appetites. Serve this dish with brown rice, polenta, or mashed potato, and you have a wholesome and hearty meal that will taste just as good the next day.

Kidney beans are high in fibre and a great source of plant-based protein. According to Nutrition Australia, when you combine beans or lentils with grains such as rice or quinoa, you get a complete complement of protein, which makes this recipe great for vegans.

If you have a large family or want leftovers for lunch the next day, double the recipe measurements. It’s so tasty, you’re going to want more.

More: The best winter warmer recipes to get you through the cold weather

Moroccan vegetable tagine recipe

Easy and cost effective, this recipe for Moroccan vegetable tagine or stew infuses a few humble ingredients - potato, sweet potato, and carrot - with mouth-watering flavours.

You end up with a fabulous, hearty family meal and any leftovers keep well in the fridge for a day or two. This dish is also suitable for freezing.

A balance of sweet and savoury, the key ingredient is harissa, which is widely available at supermarkets, Middle Eastern grocers, and Melbourne markets.

Gourmet burger recipe

Who doesn't love a burger? This one is sure to satisfy hungry families, with plenty of flavour.

Don't be scared off by the name: this gourmet burger recipe can be made on the cheap with a few simple substitutions.

Swap the wagyu for standard beef mince, or you can even pick up wagyu beef burger patties from Woolworths on special: they have onion, garlic, salt and pepper in them just like the recipe. Making your own will ensure a healthier, more flavour-packed result, however.

You can also buy ready-made pickles to save some dollars on making your own pickled cucumbers, though it's both fun and rewarding to try your hand at it.

Slow-cooked beef ragu with gnocchi recipe

Because of the slow-cooking, you’ll need a few hours to prepare this beef ragu with gnocchi recipe, but you’ll be rewarded with a delicious pasta dish.

Chuck steak is a cost-saving choice for casseroles, curries, and stews. But like other budget-friendly cuts of meat, you need to cook it low and slow, and with plenty of liquid. If you want to cut costs further, leave out the wine in this recipe and use a stock cube instead to boost the flavour.

Once the meat is tender and falls apart easily with a fork, it’s ready to serve with your homemade gnocchi. It’s perfect for a weekend meal.

Authentic Italian family minestrone recipe

This traditional minestrone recipe with a modern twist is straight from the recipe books of RACV Goldfields Resort Manager Jason Camillo, who was inspired by the flavours and smells of his Nonna's kitchen.

The pork hock, which is used to naturally thicken the dish's broth with the gelatine in the bones, is a relatively inexpensive item to pick up at the grocery store. So are the beans and vegetable ingredients. If you can't find aged cacciatore sausage at a decent price, swap it out for your salami of choice and add in your favourite spices to mimic the flavour.

Crispy homemade chips recipe

Hot, crispy chips are the perfect accompaniment to a burger, fish or chicken dish. Made in bulk, they can be more cost effective (and healthier and tastier) than buying packs of frozen chips.

To make them crunchy outside and fluffy inside, use an air fryer.

More: The best recipes to try in an air fryer

Best budget-friendly dessert and sweet recipes

Easy banana bread recipe

Banana bread is a clear winner when it comes to avoiding food waste and creating a fast and tasty treat for afternoon tea. 

The riper the bananas the better, as this adds moisture to the mixture, and the bananas are easier to mash for this best-ever banana bread recipe. It is also versatile. You can add walnuts or chocolate chips to the recipe and, once it’s cooked, serve it with cream or ice cream.

It’s yummy the next day too. Warm a slice in the microwave, smear it with butter and enjoy it with your favourite hot drink.

Anzac biscuits recipe

The Anzac biscuit dates back to World War I, when they were made to help raise money for the war effort.

Anzac biscuits are tasty and more nutritious than most cookies, but best of all, they are fairly inexpensive to make. Plus, their use of golden syrup rather than eggs as a binding agent means that they can be kept fresher for longer.

One-bowl sponge cake recipe

This easy sponge cake recipe is a lifesaver for novice bakers wanting to whip up an impressive cake for their guests.

With only six ingredients, all basic baking ingredients that are probably already in your pantry and fridge, it's a wonderfully cost-effective cake to make.

Simple bread and butter pudding recipe

This old-fashioned dessert has stood the test of time and for some households it's on repeat during the cooler months. Combining eggs, sugar, and cream to create the custard, along with fruit jam and cinnamon for a traditional taste, this simple bread and butter pudding is the ultimate comfort food.

The use of stale bread – which gives the pudding a nicer, less mushy texture – might also help you minimise the amount of food that gets thrown away at home. Add sultanas for variation and serve it with cream or custard.

Delicious oat-free apple crumble recipe

Is there anything better than a bowl of warm caramelised apple crumble?

This delicious oat-free apple crumble recipe is suitable for gluten-free guests and destined for second helpings.

The beauty of apple crumble is that your apples don’t need to be top grade. Granny smith is the apple of choice, and it’s usually cheaper to buy them in a prepacked bag. If your apples have been sitting in the fruit bowl for a while, buy a couple of fresh ones to give your filling a nice texture, otherwise it will be too mushy.

The aroma of apple and cinnamon will fill the kitchen as the pudding bakes, and all you need is some cream or ice cream to turn it into a classic dessert.