Cooking on a Shoestring
Stretching your last bit of money until payday can be a challenge. You still want to eat well, of course. With these products, you can make all kinds of dishes for just a few euros.
Canned tomatoes
A can of peeled tomatoes is so versatile that you can use it as the basis for half the world’s cuisines. How about pasta sauce and melanzane, shakshuka or curry? There you go—you can imagine yourself in Italy, Turkey and India, one after the other.
Rice
Fried rice is the answer to all your financial stress. And good for your conscience, because it’s the most sustainable dish ever. You simply add whatever is still in your fridge. Onion, garlic and all your leftovers. Vegetables, bacon bits, leftover chicken, that one egg that expires tomorrow, your last stalk of spring onion finely sliced on top, and you’re done.
Potatoes
How about mashed potato pancakes? Mashed potatoes with mushroom ragout? Potato salad? None of it costs a thing.
Chicken thighs
Only €2.78 left in your account? No stress. Chicken thigh braised in a canned-tomato sauce is incredibly cheap. This combination of ingredients makes every budget coach’s heart beat faster.
Egg
Getting through the end of the month is a piece of cake with this product. An egg is the foundation of many a dish. Think tortilla, frittata or cilbir (Turkish eggs with yogurt sauce). And rice with egg is the budget combo of your dreams. This classic is so delicious that you’ll want to make it during the first week of the month too.
Chickpeas
You can do a lot with a chickpea. You can stew it, toss it into a salad, or make veggie burgers, falafel or soup with it. Soup made from roasted chickpeas, cauliflower and garlic is a fantastic weekday meal: ready in no time, creamy and rich.
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