How far does $50 go at Aldi?

How far does $50 go at your chosen supermarket? Not very far we bet. So how can you make your weekly food budget go further? Why not try changing supermarket?

Debbie set herself the challenge of shopping for five weekday meals at budget grocer Aldi – spending no more than $50 in total. Not only did she bring her shopping in on budget, she even managed a Friday night treat of an award-winning glass of Shiraz.

Want to know how she did it and what she cooked? Here are her suggested recipes and shopping list.

Monday – Sausage Casserole

Ingredients

• 4 beef sausages

• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced

• 1 onion, peeled and cut into 8 segments

• 1 tablespoon plain flour

• 500ml beef stock

• 250g chat potatoes, par boiled with skins on

• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius

2. In a medium-hot frying pan, brown sausages then put to one side.

3. In same frying pan, soften onion and carrot, then coat in flour.

4. Add beef stock to frying pan and bring to the boil.

5. Place stock mixture, sausages and potatoes in casserole dish and season to taste. If you have some Worcestershire sauce in the pantry, add a dash.

6. Cover and cook in the oven for about 1 hour.

Tuesday – Spaghetti Bolognaise

Ingredients

• 500g mince beef

• 1 tin tomatoes

• 1 tablespoon dried garlic

• 1 tablespoon dried oregano

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1 onion, sliced

• 1 carrot, diced

• 250g pasta, cooked as packet method

• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. In a hot frying pan, brown mince and then remove from pan.

2. Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil.

3. In same frying pan, soften onion and carrot and return mince to it.
4. Stir in tomato paste and tinned tomatoes, then add garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste.

5. While sauce is simmering, cook pasta.

6. Once pasta is cooked, drain and serve immediately with sauce, and sprinkle with Parmesan if you choose.

Wednesday – Chicken Curry

Ingredients

• 500g chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

• 100g chat potatoes, cooked until almost soft

• 1 onion, quartered

• 1 jar curry sauce of your choice

• Microwave rice to serve

Method

1. In a hot, oiled pan, brown chicken thighs, then add onion, frying until soft.

2. Next, halve potatoes and add to pan.

3. Add the jar of curry sauce and simmer as instructed on the jar.

4. Heat rice in microwave and serve immediately.

Thursday – Sausage Frittata

Ingredients

• 3 beef sausages, cut into bite-sized pieces

• 150g chat potatoes, boiled and halved

• 1 carrot, peeled and diced

• 1 onion, sliced

• 4 eggs

• ¼ cup milk

• salt and pepper to taste

You can add 150g grated cheese if you have some in your fridge.

Method

1. Preheat over to 180 degrees Celsius.

2. In a medium-hot, oven-safe frying pan, brown sausages, remove and put to one side.

3. In same pan, soften onion and carrot then return sausages to pan and add potatoes.

4. Whisk eggs, add milk and season with salt and pepper.

5. If using, add cheese to egg mix before adding to pan

6. Bake in oven for about 30 minutes, until egg is just firm to the touch.

7. Serve immediately. Any leftovers can be chilled and kept for two days.

Friday – Steak and chips – and a nice glass of award-winning red wine

Ingredients

• 2 rump steaks

• 200g beer-battered frozen chips

• 1 onion, sliced

Method

Preheat oven and cook frozen chips as directed on packet

Heat a griddle pan.

Rub olive oil on both sides of the steak, adding salt and pepper to the side you will cook first.

Place the rump steaks in the centre of the griddle pan.

Fry for about 2-3 minutes each side, seasoning the remaining side just before turning – this will be medium rare.

Remove steaks from pan, cover and rest.

Add a little more olive oil to the pan and toss in the sliced onion and fry until brown.

Serve steak topped with onions and a generous handful of beer-battered chips.

And as it’s Friday, treat yourself to a glass of award-winning One Road Shiraz.

Shopping list

Shopping list total = $49.52

The above list assumes you have milk, garlic, oregano, oil, salt and pepper in your fridge and pantry.

Debbie shopped at Aldi, Moorabbin Airport, Victoria. For more recipes, visit Aldi.com.au

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