Top winter recipes: Best dishes on a budget
Everyone loves warming dishes that nourish body and soul without breaking the budget. Here are some family-friendly favourites that will hit the spot.
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Good old-school comfort food, like Nanna used to make.
You just can’t beat it — and it’s seriously in demand right now.
Data from our mates at Australia’s Best Recipes shows this week people are loving warming dishes to nourish body and soul without breaking the budget.
So to help plan your week’s catering, here are some family-friendly favourites that your wallet will love as well.
Nanna’s Golden Sausage Casserole
This beef sausage casserole has been a family hit for several generations. Cheap, easy, the kids love it, and it’s a nice way to eat sausages that can sometimes be a little boring. You may like to double this, because everyone loves it so much!
Easy 0:10 Prep 0:50 Cook 4 Servings
Ingredients
10 beef sausages
1 carrot
1 onion sliced
1 tbs brown malt vinegar
2 tbs sugar *to taste
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 tbs self-raising flour
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
Method
Use a medium-sized casserole dish. Scatter onion and carrot evenly over base then add sausages.
In a medium jug, mix sugar, malt vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and self-raising flour. Add the water and whisk until smooth.
Pour over the sausages.
Bake at 180C until sausages are browned on top and sauce has thickened, approximately for one hour.
Serve with mashed potatoes and green vegetables.
Leftover Lamb Shepherd’s Pie
We use leftover lamb roast and any vegetables we have lying around for this recipe. It’s a great way of using anything left in the fridge and can also be made with a puff pastry casing.
Easy 0:15 Prep 1:15 Cook 6 Servings
Ingredients
3 cups cooked lamb chopped
1 onion finely chopped
1 carrot diced
1 garlic clove finely chopped
4 cups mixed vegetables, whatever you have to use up
3 tbs tomato paste
1 tbs plain flour
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup chicken stock
400g canned chopped tomatoes
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 cup frozen peas
500g mashed potato
1 tsp fresh mixed herbs chopped to taste
1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
Method
Saute onion, carrot and garlic in olive oil for a few minutes.
Add vegetables, lamb, tomato paste and flour, and mix over a low heat for 3 minutes.
Add red wine, stock, Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes, salt and pepper, and bring up to the boil.
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes until liquid has reduced.
Turn off heat and stir through peas and fresh herbs.
Place in a pie or casserole dish and top with mashed potato and parmesan cheese.
Bake in a pre-heated 180C oven for 20-30 minutes.
Creamy Potato Bake
This is the best potato bake you will ever cook; our friends rave about it and ask for the recipe — so here it is.
Easy 0:15 Prep 1:00 Cook 6 Servings
Ingredients
4 potatoes large sliced
3 spring onions chopped
3 bacon rashers chopped
300 ml cream
1 cup cheddar cheese grated
1 pinch garlic powder *to taste
45 g cream of chicken instant soup
Method
Preheat oven to 180C.
Sauté chopped bacon and set aside.
Place a layer of potatoes into a casserole dish, sprinkle with garlic powder, bacon, and spring onions.
Repeat layers 2 or 3 times then sprinkle cheese over top.
Combine soup with cream and pour over potatoes.
Bake for 40-60 minutes.
Rice Pudding Crumble
A crumbly change to rice pudding.
Easy 0:15 Prep 0:50 Cook 10 Servings
Ingredients
2 cups rice cooked
1 tbs butter softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon rind
1/3 cup sultanas *optional
2 cups biscuits crumbled
Method
Heat oven to 160C and grease an ovenproof dish.
Beat sugar into butter, then slowly add salt, eggs, vanilla and milk.
Beat together well and then stir in rice.
Add lemon juice, rind and sultanas.
Sprinkle a greased baking dish with half the biscuit crumbs, Spoon rice mixture on top and cover with rest of crumbs.
Bake for 50 minutes or until firm.
Tomato Soup
A family favourite.
Easy 0:10 Prep 0:45 Cook 4 Servings
Ingredients
2 tbs olive oil
1 onion chopped
1 carrot chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped
750g tomatoes fresh ripe
400g canned tomatoes
1Lchicken stock
1 cup water
1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
Method
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan.
Saute onion, carrot and garlic for 5 minutes.
Add fresh tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, chicken stock and water.
Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Puree and season to taste.
Serve with a drizzle of olive oil plus grated cheese.
Self-Saucing Chocolate Fudge Pudding
A lovely and light chocolate pudding with a deliciously decadent chocolate sauce within.
Easy 0:15 Prep 1:00 Cook 4 Servings
Ingredients
1 cup self-raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs cocoa
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup milk
2 tbs butter melted
2 drops vanilla essence
SAUCE
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbs cocoa
1 3/4 cup boiling water
Method
Sift flour, salt and cocoa into an ovenproof dish, then add sugar.
Stir in milk together with melted butter and vanilla essence.
For the sauce, mix all ingredients in a separate bowl.
Pour the mixture gently over the main pudding mix, pouring over the back of a spoon rather than directly on.
Bake at 180C for approximately 60 minutes.
Serve with cream or ice cream.
Kangaroo Casserole
Tasty casserole cooked with beer.
Capable cooks 0:20 Prep 1:40 Cook 6 Servings
Ingredients
1 1/2 kg kangaroo fillets cubed (you can also use chuck steak)
2 onions thinly sliced
2 potatoes cubed peeled
1 tbs plain flour
1 pinch dried mixed herbs
1 beef stock cube
375 ml beer
375 ml water
1 French bread thickly sliced
1 cup cheese grated
Method
Preheat oven to 180C.
Toss meat, onions and potatoes in combined flour, herbs and crumbled stock cube.
Place in a casserole dish, add beer and water.
Cover and bake for 1½ hours.
When casserole is cooked, spread slices of bread with French mustard.
Place bread, mustard side up, on top of casserole and press lightly into gravy.
Sprinkle with cheese and return to oven to allow cheese to melt.
To serve, spoon casserole with topping onto warmed plates.
Bacon and Beef Pasta Bake
We love that we don’t have to pre-cook the pasta for this bake. We have made this a few times now and it’s the kids’ favourite.
Easy 0:20 Prep 1:15 Cook 6 Servings
Ingredients
1 tbs olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves crushed
4 bacon rashers chopped
500g beef mince
550g pasta sauce
2 cups beef stock
1 cup mixed vegetables (whatever you have in the fridge - try grating them or chopping finely)
250g spiral pasta
1 1/2 cups cheese grated
1/2 tsp salt and pepper to taste
Method
Grease a 12-cup capacity ovenproof dish with a lid.
Heat oil in large saucepan and add bacon, onion and garlic. Cook until onion is soft.
Add mince, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, or until beef changes colour.
Add pasta sauce, stock, vegetables, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Add uncooked spiral pasta. Stir to combine and pour into an oven proof dish.
Bake, covered, at 180C for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, stir, sprinkle with cheese and bake, uncovered, for a further 30 minutes.
Originally published as Top winter recipes: Best dishes on a budget