Mum shares easy Aldi weekday dinners you can make for less than £1 a head

In need of some weekday dinner ideas? Lara has you covered (Picture: Lara Jarvis)

On the hunt for easy weekday meal recipes that don’t require a load of time, effort, or money?

Mum-of-two Lara Jarvis has got you covered.

The YouTuber, who previously shared how she saved £25,000 by doing a no-spend year, has put together a guide for a week’s worth of meals, all with ingredients from Aldi and costing under £1 a head.

Speaking in the video, Lara describes the dishes as ‘cosy, autumnal meals’, and we’d have to agree.

‘They’re going to be affordable, they’re going to be easy, and they’re going to be quick to do,’ says Lara.

Let’s get into how we make them then, shall we?

Cosy and warming sausage bake recipe

The perfect autumnal dish (Picture: Lara Jarvis)

Lara notes that you could also make this with chicken, rather than using sausages, and serve it with extra veggies.

Ingredients (get these from Aldi for the correct costings!):

• Six sausages
• Some small and large tomatoes, chopped
• One red pepper, sliced
• One red onion, sliced
• One tin of cannellini beans
• Four cloves of garlic, crushed or chopped
• Four potatoes, chopped into cubes
• A spoonful of pesto
• A splash of water
• A little oil

Method:

‘It’s the simplest thing,’ says Lara. ‘You literally chop everything up and chuck it into a roasting tin.

Add your pesto, a little olive oil, and a splash of water, mix together, then cook for 45 minutes at 200 degrees.

Easy fish tacos recipe

A super simple midweek dinner (Picture: Lara Jarvis)

You can swap out the pepper for any veg you prefer, and mix up the fillings however you like.

Ingredients for four servings:

• Frozen basa fillets, thawed
• One red pepper, sliced
• One red onion, sliced
• 100ml soy sauce
• Cornflour
• Lettuce, chopped
• Avocado, cubed
• Mayonnaise
• White wine vinegar
• Tortilla wraps

Method:

1. Start by roasting your vegetables in the oven for 20 minutes on 20 degrees
2. Chop your basa fillets into chunks and put in a bowl with your soy sauce. Mix to ensure they’re evenly coated.
3. Cover each basa chunk with cornflour, then fry until golden brown
4. Combine mayonnaise with white wine vinegar, and mix in your chopped lettuce
5. Warm your tortillas
6. Serve by putting the basa fillets, your lettuce mix, and avocado in tortillas and fold into a wrap

Easy veggie rice recipe

Another recipe you can easily change up with different veg (Picture: Lara Jarvis)

Have it alone or as a side – this is a great way to use up stale bread.

Ingredients for four servings:

• 350g rice
• Two sweet potatoes, cut into cubes
• One courgette, cut into cubes
• 100ml dry white wine
• 300ml chicken stock
• Two or three slices of stale bread
• Mixed herbs
• Grated cheese

Method:

1. Steam or bake your sweet potatoes. While they are cooking, fry your courgette in oil until it starts to brown
2. Blend stale bread into crumbs then season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of mixed herbs. Add olive oil, spread in pne layer on a baking sheet, and pop in the oven at 200 degrees until golden
3. Cook your rice according to the packet instructions
4. Add your cooked sweet potatoes to your courgette pan and mix, then add your cooked rice to the pan, continuing to stir as you add the white wine
5. Once the rice begins to absorb the liquid, stir in the stock
6. Leave the mixture to simmer, stirring occasionally until the stock is all absorbed
7. Add grated cheese and stir, then top with your crispy bread crumbs

Easy fish cakes recipe

Swap salmon for any type of fish you like (Picture: Lara Jarvis)

‘I just think [these] are the simplest things in the world to make,’ says Lara. ‘You can make them with any kind of fish that you like, and you can either cook the fish first then flake it, like I have, or do it raw and just cook it for a bit longer.

‘They’re so easy, so affordable, and so quick to make.’

Ingredients for four fishcakes:

• A few potatoes, chopped into small pieces
• 2 fillets of salmon – or another fish of your choosing
• One spring onion, sliced
• One carrot, grated
• A small bit of ginger, grated
• A pinch of chilli powder

Method:

• Cook your salmon according to the packet instructions, then flake them apart
• Boil your potatoes until cooked through, then mash
• Combine the fish, potatoes, carrot, spring onion, ginger, and chilli powder, mix, then use your hands to mould into patties
• Fry the cakes for a few minutes on each side

For more information on money saving tips and home life you can follow Lara on Instagram or YouTube, as well as checking out her blogs for further details at larajoannajarvis.com.

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