cheap family recipes
feed a family of 4 for less than £200 a month
Pasta Funghi
You can either make this and bake it in the oven for a pasta bake, which means that you can make it in advance. Or you can make and eat straight away, skipping the oven bake part


Ingredients
- 400 g mushrooms smartprice, sliced thinly
- 1 jar juice from garlic stuffed olives plus enough water to make 300ml stock the olives themselves are used elsewhere in the meal plan
- 2 onions (approx 110g) chopped
- 2 tsps garlic powder
- 450 g pasta
- 25 g flour
- salt and pepper
- pinch chilli
- 10 ml oil to fry the mushrooms
- 50 ml oil to make a roux
Serve With
- 320 g peas
Instructions
- Put pasta on to cook, as per packet instructions.
- Make a roux (a paste, warmed in a saucepan) with the oil and flour. Add 300ml stock in about 4 goes.
- Between each addition of stock stir the mixture until all the liquid incorporates into the flour and oil.
- (If you lift the pan off the heat and beat hard with a wooden spoon after the liquid is incorporated your sauce will be beautifully glossy).
- By the time all the liquid is added you should have a sauce which will coat the back of a spoon. If not add more water or stock.
- Stir in the seasonings.
- Fry finely sliced mushrooms and onion. Add to the sauce and season sauce with pepper and salt.
- Stir sauce into cooked pasta.
- Put saucy pasta in baking dish. Cook in the oven at 180 until there are nice brown crunchy bits on the top.
- Serve with the peas
Method 2- For days when you need a quick supper and less washing up
- Cook pasta as above, and fry the onion and mushrooms. Mix the flour, oil, chilli salt and pepper and garlic, whisking with a fork to remove any lumps.
- Add to the onions and mushrooms, then stir the stock in in 4 goes, stirring quickly to avoid lumps.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain it and stir the sauce through the pasta until fully coated in the garlicky mushroom sauce.
- Eat straight away.
Equipment Needed
Notes
Nutrition
Why Not Try....?
Bread and Ginger Loaf
cheap family recipes feed a family of 4 for (just over) £100 a month Bread and Ginger LoafThe ginger syrup loaf is SO good! The instant oat cereal is there for those following the monthly plan fully. The cereal has added calcium which is needed if this plan is all...
Bread and Carrot Loaf (and Calzone)
cheap family recipes feed a family of 4 for (just over) £100 a monthBread and Carrot Loaf (and calzone)This recipe makes 3 normal loaves, a spiced carrot and raisin loaf and 4 calzone If you don't want the carrot loaf, use the recipe for 4 loaves If you just want to...
Brazil Nut Butter, with Pumpkin Seeds
cheap family recipes feed a family of 4 for less than £200 a monthBrazil Nut and Pumpkin Seed SpreadI love a nut butter, and this Brazil nut and pumpkin seed butter is absolutely delicious. It can be used in all the different ways that the more common peanut butter...
Take care of your family and your budget
Before putting together our meal planners we surveyed over 600 people to ask when faced with a tighter budget, which things they would struggle to give up.
Delicious! The only thing I added was a sprinkle of bread crumbs before baking.