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Broccoli and sausage tray bake.

Recipe collection

The thrifty 30: What to cook when money’s too tight to mention

We’ve crunched the numbers on dinner. These savvy, flavour-packed dishes prove you can feast well – even on a shoestring budget.

30 recipes
Sticky ginger beef bowls with smashed cucumber salad.
EASY

Sticky ginger beef bowls with smashed cucumber salad

  • 30 mins - 1 hr
  • Sarah Pound
Australian curried sausages.
EASY

Adam Liaw’s curried sausages

  • < 30 mins
  • Adam Liaw
Koshari-style rice with spice-roasted tomatoes.
EASY

Easy and under $5 a serve, this vegetarian rice dish doesn’t skimp on flavour

  • < 30 mins
  • Jessica Brook
Julia Busuttil Nishimura’s Okinawan beef taco rice recipe.
EASY

Taco rice (takoraisu)

  • < 30 mins
  • Julia Busuttil Nishimura
Broccoli and sausage tray bake.
EASY

Adam Liaw’s broccoli and sausage tray bake

  • 30 mins - 1 hr
  • Adam Liaw
Tamarind and coconut chicken with charred roti and spring onion rice.
EASY

Sticky tamarind chicken tray bake with charred roti

  • 30 mins - 1 hr
  • Jessica Brook
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asy peasy sesame noodles.
EASY

Easy-peasy sesame noodles

  • < 30 mins
  • Katrina Meynink
Adam Liaw’s mixed meatball spaghetti.
EASY

Adam Liaw’s mixed meatball spaghetti

  • 30 mins - 1 hr
  • Adam Liaw
Level up midweek dinners with this mushroom-packed version of Japan’s favourite savoury pancake.
EASY

Mushroom okonomiyaki

  • 30 mins - 1 hr
  • Jessica Brook
Braised chickpeas with chorizo and greens.
EASY

Braised chickpeas with chorizo and greens

  • < 30 mins
  • Katrina Meynink
Spaghetti with pumpkin, thyme and brown butter.
EASY

Spaghetti with pumpkin, thyme and brown butter

  • < 30 mins
  • Adam Liaw
One-pan honey soy chicken.
EASY

Adam Liaw’s one-pan honey soy chicken

  • < 30 mins
  • Adam Liaw
Mince stroganoff.
EASY

Adam Liaw’s mince stroganoff

  • 30 mins - 1 hr
  • Adam Liaw
Filled flatbreads with kale and potato masala.
EASY

Flatbreads filled with kale and potato masala

  • < 30 mins
  • Rosheen Kaul
Adam Liaw recipe: Fish cakes.
EASY

Adam Liaw’s fishcakes

  • < 30 mins
  • Adam Liaw
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Chickpea lentil curry.
EASY

RecipeTin Eats’ lentil and chickpea coconut curry

  • 30 mins - 1 hr
  • RecipeTin Eats
This perfectly warming midweek meal uses mostly pantry ingredients.
EASY

Creamy braised beans with lamb meatballs

  • 30 mins - 1 hr
  • Jessica Brook
Lamb, almond and apricot kofta.
EASY

Adam Liaw’s lamb koftas

  • 30 mins - 1 hr
  • Adam Liaw
Harissa and Persian feta chickpeas comes together quickly.
EASY

Harissa and Persian feta chickpeas

  • < 30 mins
  • Katrina Meynink
Julia Busuttil Nishimura’s stuffed flatbreads with minted yoghurt. 

Stuffed flatbreads with mint yoghurt

  • 2 hrs +
  • Julia Busuttil Nishimura
Crispy pork noodles with peanut chilli crisp dressing and crunchy cucumber.
EASY

Peanutty pork and noodle stir-fry

  • < 30 mins
  • Jessica Brook
RecipeTin Eats’ baked chicken and broccoli macaroni cheese.
EASY

RecipeTin Eats’ chicken and broccoli macaroni cheese

  • 30 mins - 1 hr
  • RecipeTin Eats
Serve these oven-baked meatballs with cheesy garlic bread.
EASY

Oven-baked meatballs in a rich tomato sauce

  • 1-2 hrs
  • Danielle Alvarez
RecipeTin Eats’ rissoles with mushroom gravy.
EASY

RecipeTin Eats’ rissoles with mushroom gravy

  • 30 mins - 1 hr
  • RecipeTin Eats
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Adam Liaw’s chicken and tomato fried rice.
EASY

Chicken and tomato fried rice

  • < 30 mins
  • Adam Liaw
Miso eggplant noodles with crunchy chilli oil.
EASY

Miso eggplant noodles

  • < 30 mins
  • Katrina Meynink
This warming vegetarian risotto is ideal for the transition to cooler weather, made with naturally sweet roasted pumpkin.
EASY

Pumpkin risotto with rosemary and goat’s cheese

  • 30 mins - 1 hr
  • Jessica Brook
Charred broccoli pesto.
EASY

Charred broccoli pesto

  • < 30 mins
  • Katrina Meynink
Cheesy nachos get a nutrition boost from a double serving of beans.
EASY

Loaded double-bean nachos with fresh pico de gallo

  • 30 mins - 1 hr
  • Sarah Pound
Vegetarian cauliflower ragu pasta.
EASY

Vegetarian cauliflower ragu pasta

  • 30 mins - 1 hr
  • Jessica Brook