Cheap meal prep ideas

For more budget recipes, see our comprehensive budget recipe collection. Or visit our main budget hub for all your cost-cutting needs, where we guide you through the likes of budget desserts, budget comfort food and meals you can make with canned veg.

Cheap breakfast prep ideas

Blueberry baked oats

Oats are an everyday budget winner, and you can still customise your morning porridge with little cost involved. This healthy baked version, packed with oats, juicy blueberries and crunchy almonds, serves six and works well as a breakfast to reheat. It keeps in the fridge for three to four days and can also be frozen in portions, ready to take out the evening before you want to eat it and defrosted overnight in the fridge.

Try more healthy baked oat recipes.

Peanut butter & date oat pots

Try these make-ahead overnight oats for a cheap and cheerful start to your day. You need just a handful of ingredients, it makes six portions, and it keeps in the fridge for up to five days – meaning you can make five days' worth of breakfasts in one go.

See more budget breakfast ideas.

Cheap lunch prep ideas

Vegetarian: spiced lentil & butternut squash soup

Cook a big batch of this filling spiced lentil and squash soup, which serves up to six people, then freeze the leftovers for a speedy lunch another day. It's healthy, low in fat and makes brilliant use of cooking basics including onions, garlic, lentils and stock. To freeze, leave to cool completely, then transfer to large freezerproof bags.

Find more freezable soup recipes.

Creamy pesto & kale pasta

Enjoy a bowl of creamy pesto and kale pasta for a cheap, tasty and nutritious lunch. Make it with just a handful of ingredients and storecupboard staples. Serving up to four, it can be kept covered in the fridge for one to two days, and is perfectly safe to freeze too, although the soft cheese may split on defrosting.

Check out more budget vegetarian recipes.

Vegan: tomato, pepper & bean one-pot

Cook up a batch of vegan stew at the weekend, then chill or freeze it in six portions for fuss-free midweek lunches. This is a storecupboard winner, using cannellini, pinto and borlotti beans, plus canned chopped tomatoes. It's good for you too, being low-calorie, low-salt and high in protein, thanks to the beans. It'll keep in the fridge for three to four days, or can be frozen, then defrosted in the fridge overnight.

Discover more plant-based meals on a budget with our budget vegan meal plan.

Fish: storecupboard tuna bean salad

Rustle up to four portions of this filling salad, made using storecupboard staples like canned tuna, salad potatoes and cannellini beans. It's a simple and delicious way to dress up a tin of tuna, plus it's low in salt.

Try more storecupboard salad recipes.

Tuna & caper orzo with parsley

Throw together this tuna pasta dish with capers, chilli and cherry tomatoes for a quick, easy and low-cal lunch. It's fresh and zingy, and can be split into four portions for lunchboxes – you may already have tuna and capers in the storecupboard.

Check out more of our orzo recipes.

Cheap dinner prep ideas

Vegetarian: vegetarian bolognese

Make the most of a pack of vegetarian mince in this easy meat-free bolognese, showcasing storecupboard heroes such as passata and spaghetti. To make your meals go further, cook a large batch and freeze into portions for easy family dinners.

See more vegetarian pasta recipes.

Vegan: five-bean chilli

Vegan cooking can be a great way to keep food bills down, and this five-bean chilli is as nutritious as it is filling. It's a savvy way to use up everyday spices and canned beans too – you can batch-cook, then freeze in portions for weeknights when you're pushed for time.

Take a browse through more vegan chilli recipes.

Slow-cooker ratatouille

Serving up to six, this vegan ratatouille is perfect for freezing ahead for a nutritious midweek meal. Slow cookers are a fantastic low-cost cooking method, but if you don't own one you can always try this traditional ratatouille recipe instead.

Alternatively, take your pick from our collection of ratatouille recipes.

Sweet potato & peanut curry

Try your hand at this budget-friendly vegan curry for an easy family dinner. It will keep in the fridge for about three days, but if serving with rice, the rice can only be kept in the fridge for 24 hours. With spinach and sweet potato, it boasts two of your five-a-day, and it’s under 400 calories too.

If you're a peanut butter fan, take a look at these peanut butter recipes.

Meat: Pulled chicken & black bean chilli

Make a large batch of this Mexican-inspired chicken and black bean chilli, featuring chicken thighs, which are one of the cheapest cuts of meat. This recipe serves four, but can easily be doubled to make your meals go even further. It can be kept chilled for three days, or kept in the freezer for up to two months.

Try out more family-friendly batch-cooking recipes.

Big-batch bolognese

When it comes to meal prep, this huge batch of bolognese – serving up to 12 – is hard to beat. It makes a satisfying high-protein dinner, and can be frozen for a speedy midweek meal.

Find more ways to enjoy bolognese with our bolognese recipes.

Peanut butter chicken

On a budget, but looking for big flavours? Look no further than this peanut butter chicken. It keeps costs low by using chicken thighs, plus any leftovers freeze well and would make a handy lunch.

See more chicken thigh recipes.

Cheap snack prep ideas

Energy balls with dates

If you're looking for a sweet treat to keep you going during the week, give these energy balls a go. Simply whizz dried apricots, dates and cherries in a food processor, then shape into walnut-sized balls. This recipe makes six, and they can be stored in an airtight container until you need a quick energy fix.

Take a look at more healthy snack recipes.

Spicy chickpeas

These keep for up to a week in an airtight container, so they're a great snack to batch-cook. You only need a can of chickpeas, a teaspoon of oil and a tablespoon of chilli powder, so they're really thrifty too. They also make a great low-fat alternative to peanuts.

Find more inspiration with our snack recipes.

Instant frozen berry yogurt

Three ingredients and a few minutes is all you need to whizz up this high-protein frozen yogurt, perfect as a post-exercise treat or speedy pudding. Serving up to four, it's a great dessert to have on standby and makes brilliant use of frozen berries.

Check out the best high-protein snacks.