A budget family dinner for four using the exact quantities in the MynRecipes dinner plans.
Makes: 4 portions · Estimated time: 40–45 minutes · Equipment: Hob. Adjust for household appetites.
Cooking times are estimates; check doneness and follow packet instructions.
Ingredients for four
Rice, pasta and lentils are weighed dry. Canned beans, chickpeas and tuna use drained weights. Fresh vegetables use prepared weights.
- 300 g Dry easy-cook rice
- 200 g Dry red split lentils
- 150 g Onions, peeled
- 400 g Frozen mixed vegetables
- 400 g Tinned chopped tomatoes with juice
- 15 ml Sunflower oil
- 8 g Mild curry powder
- 1 cube Vegetable stock cubes
- 250 ml water for sauce, plus packet-directed water for lentils and rice
How to make it
- Cook lentils and rice separately according to their packets; drain lentils.
- Chop onion and soften in oil for 8–10 minutes. Stir in curry powder briefly.
- Add tomatoes, stock cube and 250 ml water. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add mixed vegetables and cook for their packet time.
- Stir in cooked lentils and heat through. Divide the sauce and rice into four.
Shopping and the dinner plan
These quantities match our budget-plan shopping lists. Whole-pack prices, sources, date and the fresh-vegetable yield allowance are shown in the linked plans. Optional extras, substitutions and serving changes need a new cost calculation.
- £40 Weekly Meal Plan UK: 7 Dinners & Shopping List
- £50 Family Meal Plan UK: 7 Dinners & Shopping List
Allergens and storage
Check every product label, including stock and spice mixes. Depending on the recipe and products, allergens can include wheat/gluten, milk, celery, fish or eggs. This recipe has not been screened for allergies.
Follow the Food Standards Agency guidance: cool ordinary cooked leftovers and refrigerate within two hours; eat within 48 hours or freeze. Cool cooked rice quickly, ideally within one hour, refrigerate for no more than 24 hours before reheating, and reheat once until steaming hot.