I spent less than £27 on dinner at Sainsbury's for a family of 7 — it was £3.75 per head
Feeding a large family is expensive, especially as supermarket prices remain high. But I found you can still serve a hearty meal without breaking the bank.
Keeping the cost of mealtimes down is a challenge for any household, but it can feel almost impossible when you're feeding a large family. Due to uncontrollable circumstances, I live in a cosy home with nine people. Minus two picky eaters; we all tend to eat the same thing, but those meals are always either expensive or unhealthy.
When doing our monthly shop, we usually opt for Asda, Iceland or Lidl, but I find we tend to shop at Sainsbury's the most for dinner when nothing is in the fridge (as it's the closest store to our home). Sainsbury's is not known as a budget supermarket, but with the right eye for deals and the right recipe, it is surprisingly easy to cut costs.
How I cut costs
Simply finding a meal that's delicious, fulfilling, and nutritious was the first step. During this challenge, I didn't want to stick to something basic and boring, such as a spag bol or bangers and mash, so I went for something a little more complex yet easy to make and share: lasagne.
Lasagne is a popular Italian baked pasta dish made by layering flat pasta sheets with meat sauce, creamy white sauce, and cheese - and it's cheaper to make than you think. The most expensive thing you need to buy for this recipe is the minced meat.
I went to a local store, not a larger supermarket, so the selection was limited. I bought three packets of Sainsbury's 5% Fat Beef Mince 500g for £5.19 (£15.57 in total).
Normally, I would grab two 750g packs for £7.15 each (£14.30 in total), but they weren't available in the store. For the remaining ingredients, I picked the cheapest options or suitable alternatives to keep costs down.
Rather than using a ready-made pasta sauce, I bought two tins of plum tomatoes for 47p each to make the meat sauce from scratch. I prefer to make my own sauce to make the lasagna tastier and healthier; however, a jar of tomato and herb sauce, 500g at Sainsbury's costs 69p each.
One pre-made item I stuck to was a jar of cheese/white sauce. This ingredient can be on the pricer side, but I found a jar of mac and cheese sauce for 69p.
I then picked up one box of dried lasagna sheets for 75p and the cheapest packet of grated cheese for £2.80. Overall, the basic ingredients for the lasagna totalled £20.75.
To make the dish tastier, I also picked up a pack of four garlic bulbs (87p), fresh basil (90p), a pack of three large brown onions (95p), and dried Italian and herb seasoning (£1.25).
Last, to add some extra greens for a side dish, I purchased two bags of sweet leaf salad for 78p each. If you want an extra piece of food on your plate, I recommend Sainsbury's frozen garlic bread, where you can get two baguettes for 85p - voila, the perfect dinner time meal.
Minus the 40p for a plastic bag, the total came to £26.28, that's £3.75 per head for a family of seven.
How to make lasagna
What you'll need:
(This serving size is for a family of seven, but can be tweaked for a smaller group)
- Three packets of 500g of beef mince (or two packets of 750g)
- One packet of lasagna sheets
- One jar of white sauce
- Two tins of plum tomatoes (chopped is better, but you can use both)
- Cheese (of your choice)
- Chopped fresh basil (to taste)
- Dried mixed Italian herb seasoning (to taste)
- Chopped fresh garlic (to taste)
- Chopped and diced brown onions (to taste)
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- Oil (for cooking)
- Paprika (optional and to taste)
- All-purpose seasoning (optional and to taste)
To serve:
- Sweet leaf salad
- Garlic bread (optional)
Method
To begin, heat oil in a pan and fry your chopped onions. Once browned, add your mince and season with salt, pepper, and garlic. In my cupboard, I already had paprika and all-purpose seasoning, which I mix in for extra flavour, but this is optional.
Once cooked, add in your tinned tomatoes. When using plum, make sure it is chopped and reduced to a sauce-like consistency, without being chunky. Then add in your fresh basil, Italian herb seasoning, and a little more salt and pepper to taste.
Let this simmer on a low to medium heat for a few minutes whilst all the flavours combine, then remove from the fire. Next, grab a deep baking tray and add your first layer of mince.
On top, add lasagna sheets. Then add the mince, white sauce, and lasagna sheets, and repeat until you run out of ingredients. A layer of mince and white sauce should be the last before topping it off with cheese.
Bake this for around 25 to 30 minutes at 180°C. Once done, the top should be golden brown and crispy. Serve with fresh salad and garlic bread.
