Low cost winter recipes

Looking for ways to warm you from the inside out? Here are our top three cost effective winter recipes. These winter meals are sure to warm your hearts without freezing your accounts. We’ve got Shepherd's pie, quick fried rice and beef stew; the perfect winter meals to keep you and your pockets full.

1. Shepherd's pie

Ingredients:

• 500g beef mince
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 brown onion, halved and chopped
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 2 chopped celery sticks
• 500ml beef stock
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 4 potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 40g butter
• 125ml (1/2 cup) milk
• Melted butter, to brush
• Optional: Chicken salt or paprika

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in large saucepan. Add in mince, brown over high heat (approx. 5 minutes). Pour off excess fat
2. Add onion, carrot and celery. Cook until onion is transparent
3. Add beef stock, tomato paste, Worcestershire, salt and pepper and flour. Mix over high heat until it thickens. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat
4. Topping – boil potatoes until you can put a fork in them. Drain, then add butter, milk and mash together.  Preheat oven to 200°C 
5. Place the mince mixture in a baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes (a spatula is often best). Score potatoes with a fork to make them extra crispy. Lightly brush with melted butter. Optional: sprinkle with chicken salt or paprika for colour
6. Place in oven for around 20 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown. Serve and enjoy!

Makes 6-8 servings | Easy to store as leftovers | Cooking time: 20 minutes | Prep time: 20 minutes | Approximate cost: $15

2. Quick chicken fried rice

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Jasmine rice
• 600g chicken breast de-boned, skin off and thinly sliced 
• 1 brown onion, chopped
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/4 cup fried shallots

Preparation:

1. Cook rice as directed, then place to the side
2. Mix soy sauce, sweet chili sauce and oyster sauce in small bowl
3. Combine eggs in small bowl and whisk together. Heat small saucepan over medium heat with peanut oil or olive oil. Add eggs. Cook them like an omelette, remove from heat. Cut in thin strips
4. Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Add 2 tsps peanut oil (can use other oil if needed). Add half the chicken and stir fry for about 2 minutes. Once brown, remove chicken from wok and place on side. Add 2 more tsps oil to wok, cook remaining chicken then remove. (Cooking the chicken in two batches ensures that it is all cooked evenly)
5. Add 2 more tsps oil to wok and add onion. Stir fry 2-3 more minutes until transparent then add garlic. Stir-fry another minute
6. Add cooked rice, chicken and egg. Top with soy sauce mixture. Cook 1-2 minutes until warm
7. Remove from heat. Place in bowl. Top with fried shallots and serve

Makes 4 servings | Cooking time: 15 minutes | Prep time: 10 minutes (excluding time to cook rice) | Approximate cost: $20

3. Budget beef stew

Ingredients:

• 500g boneless beef stew meat
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Medium brown onion
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 85 grams tomato paste
• 3 cups beef stock
• 3 carrots (peeled and cut into chunks)
• 500 grams potatoes, washed and cubed
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp mixed dried spices
• Parsley to garnish (optional)

Preparation:

1. Slice beef into bite sized cubes. Place in a bowl and add the flour. Toss until beef is coated
2. Heat oil in large saucepan on medium. After about 2 minutes add half the chunks of beef to the oil. Once browned, remove from heat and place on plate to the side. Add 2^nd half of the beef and repeat. Note: do not cook the beef through, simply brown it
3. Add chopped onion and crushed garlic to empty pot and cook 2-3 minutes until onion is transparent
4. Add beef broth, tomato paste, dried spices and the cooked beef
5. Simmer on low heat with the lid on for 30 minutes. Keep it simmering (low bubbling) the whole time. Adjust heat if required
6. Add carrots, potatoes and peas. Simmer for another 15-20 minutes until you can put a fork in the vegetables. You want to remove from the heat before the vegetables are too soft
7. Add the Worcestershire and salt and pepper to taste
8. Serve by itself or with rice. Add parsley to garnish if desired

Serves 6 | Cooking time: 1 hour | Prep time: 15 minutes | Approximate cost: $20

Although eating out is nice from time to time, home cooked meals can save you a good chunk of money. Knowing what to make and following low cost recipes can help with those savings even more. If you find you are in a financial bind and cooking low cost meals isn't going to cut it, consider our quick and easy personal loan.