cheap family recipes
feed a family of 4 for less than £200 a month
Red Lentil Pate
Delicious and versatile - add a handful of any cooked or raw and grated firm veg and whizz them in to ring the changes. So leftover garlicky roasted veg grated raw carrot or swede, fennel or cauliflower, or even finely shredded cabbage
red lentil pate
- 160 g (dry weight) red lentils
- 160 g onion (finely chopped)
- tspn garlic
- 2 tsps marmite/yeast extract
- 500 ml boiling water
- 120 ml veg oil
- dessertspoon balsamic vinegar
Rinse lentils under the cold tap until the water runs clear (swoosh them around in the pan in cold water a couple of times, changing the water each time). Drain and place in a medium saucepan with the onion and garlic.
Add 2 tsp marmite to 500ml boiling water and stir to dissolve.
Pour over the lentils, cover and simmer until the water has been absorbed and the lentils have softened (the mixture will look quite dry at this point) Remove lid and leave to cool.
Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon whilst slowly pouring the vinegar and then the oil into the mixture. Allow to cool, and serve with bread as a lunchtime meal with 2-4 slices of homemade bread, depending on your appetite. This makes enough for 5 lunches, make it once in the month if following our planner.
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.
Simple and tasty
Glad you liked it, lots of variations too!
Ingenious! Utterly delicious, cheap and quick to make although the finished product looks as though it may have taken some effort!
Thank you. I like this, reminiscent of hummus. Lots of variations coming to mind. Super for breakfast on toast as you suggested, so filling. I’m going to try sauteed mushrooms next.
Liz, mushroom sounds good! Let us know how it turns out