A budget family dinner for four using the exact quantities in the MynRecipes dinner plans.
Makes: 4 portions · Estimated time: 35–40 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
- 480 g Tinned kidney beans, drained
- 150 g Onions, peeled
- 150 g Carrots, trimmed
- 400 g Tinned chopped tomatoes with juice
- 200 g Frozen mixed vegetables
- 15 ml Sunflower oil
- 4 g Mild curry powder
- 150 ml water for sauce, plus water for rice
How to make it
- Cook rice in a separate pan following its packet.
- Dice onion and carrot and soften in oil for 8–10 minutes. Stir in curry powder briefly.
- Add tomatoes, drained canned beans and 150 ml water; simmer until the carrot is tender. Add frozen vegetables and cook for their packet cooking time.
- Heat the sauce through and divide with the rice into four. Use ready-cooked tinned kidney beans; this method is not for dried kidney beans.
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.
- £30 Family Dinner Plan UK: 5 Dinners & Shopping List
- £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.