Cheap Easy Healthy Meals On A Budget UK

Last Updated on 3rd December 2022

This post about cheap easy healthy meals may contain affiliate links.

I’ve been wanting to write this post for a long time now but I wanted to ensure that I had a good bank of easy, cheap and healthy meals before I shared it with you guys.

After the phenomenal response to my ‘How I spend less than £13 on my weekly food shop’ post, I knew that there would be more demand for my most affordable recipes after the amazing comments I received from people.

In my attempt to show you guys how you can eat well, while still sticking to a relatively tight budget, I wanted to share my top tips and recipes on how to eat healthily and save money.

Today’s post is all about my favourite easy, cheap and healthy meals that I make on an almost weekly basis, and how they’ve helped me to save money for travelling.

I also just want to point out (like I did with my previous food post) that the majority of our food is purchased from Aldi or Sainsbury’s, but this post is in no way affiliated with them!). It also contains plenty of Quorn-related recipes and dishes too – again, this post is not affiliated with Quorn (unfortunately!).

If you’re in need of some inspiration for the best cheap easy healthy meals to make on a budget, I’ve got you covered in my guide below!

Cheap easy healthy meals – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

For an avid foodie like myself, it’s hard to determine which meal is my favourite. Some days it’s dinner, some days it’s breakfast, and some days it’s brunch (though it’s very rarely just lunch…) but as I’m currently writing this post, I’d have to say it’s breakfast.

Easy and cheap breakfast

I know breakfast is always cited as the most important meal of the day and regardless of how cliche that is, I truly believe that it’s true. I almost never go without breakfast and if I ever do, you can usually find me sulking somewhere because I’m so hangry.

The breakfast food that Matt and I eat on a daily basis is incredibly cheap and while they’re probably not the healthiest options in the world, they’re still pretty good for you.

1. Fresh fruit salad

Though it’s a rare occurrence, one of the breakfast meals that I thoroughly enjoy is fresh fruit and fresh orange juice.

While I have to be in the mood to just eat fruit for my breakfast, it really does feel so rewarding whenever I do it because I just know I’m starting my day right (and it also means I don’t have to worry whether or not I get my 5 a day for the rest of the day as well).

• 6 pack of apples: £2.89
• Bananas (pack of 5): 88p
• Grapes: £1.69
• Strawberries: £2
• Satsumas: 89p

2. Eggs

Whether they’re scrambled, poached, fried or boiled, Matt and I have a particular penchant for eggs. We eat eggs pretty much every single day, usually for breakfast but oftentimes for lunch instead (or as well as for breakfast!).

It might not be as healthy as eating a plate of fruit, but it does provide you with excellent nutrients and it’s also remarkably filling. Two slices of toast (preferably brown bread) and two eggs only come in at approximately 336 calories; which means you’re filling yourself up to start the day, but you’re not overindulging.

• Wholemeal loaf of bread: 50p
• Carton of 15 eggs – £1.18

Lunch – cheap easy healthy meals

As I previously mentioned, lunch is probably my least favourite meal of the day as it’s too early to have a substantial meal but too late to have the usual breakfast dishes.

However, since Matt and I have started eating healthier and living more frugally as we save for travelling, we’ve adopted an intermittent vegetarian lifestyle. While we don’t follow a strict veggie routine all the time, where possible, we do try and purchase meat-free products.

Our favourite brand at the moment is Quorn, which offers such a vast range of delicious alternatives – WAY more than I ever realised.

3. Fishless finger wraps

A recent addition to our lunchtime ‘menu’ is the Quorn fishless fingers that we either eat on their own or in a wholemeal wrap.

It might not the most exotic lunch dish but it’s so quick and easy to make and the fishless fingers are honestly SO good. If you’ve ever eaten an actual fish finger, then these taste exactly like real fish fingers, only they’re much better for you and the environment!

• Quorn fishless fingers: £2.50
• Tortilla wraps (pack of 8): 79p

4. Quorn Southern Fried Chicken salad wraps

I actually started making these when I was still in full-time employment last year as they were one of my favourite easy cheap healthy meals to make and they were great for boxing up so that I could take them to work.

Over the Christmas period, I ~naturally~ dwindled for a while and stopped eating healthy but when January rolled around, I started making these bad boys again and my bank account and my body were more than grateful.

This is honestly one of the easiest lunches to make and if you like meal prepping, then this is a good option to add to your lunch roster.

For this lunch option, we use the Quorn Southern Fried Chicken strips and a bag of mixed salad leaves. Once the chicken is cooked, we chop it into little pieces, throw it in a bowl with the salad leaves, add some salt and pepper and mix it together.

You could make this fresh on a daily basis as the chicken pieces only take around 20 minutes in the oven. However, if you’re pressed for time and don’t mind meal prepping, then you can make this at the start of the week. It should last you until the end of the working week, providing that you cover it properly so it doesn’t go off.

These chicken wraps are so tasty, healthy and surprisingly filling!

• Quorn southern fried chicken pieces: £1.59
• Tortilla wraps (pack of 8): 79p
• Mixed salad leaves: 60p

5. Vegetarian bacon and egg sandwich

A newer addition to our cheap and healthy lunch lineup is a vegetarian bacon sandwich, complete with a poached egg.

While I don’t think I’d ever be able to fully give up bacon, these strips do make somewhat of a decent alternative. They’re certainly not as good as the real thing but if you’re looking for a healthier alternative, both for yourself and the environment, then these are a winner.

• Quorn bacon slices: £1.75

6. Vegetable/tomato soup

While it might not look like the most appetising meal in the world, this own-brand vegetable soup from Sainsbury’s is so tasty, incredibly healthy (one of your five a day!) and remarkably cheap.

It’s also the perfect lunchtime meal for ‘lazy’ days when you really don’t want to cook anything but also don’t want to pay a fortune at Starbucks buying a sandwich, drink and snack!

If you’re looking for one of the best cheap healthy meals in the UK, you can’t go wrong with a tin of soup!

• Tin of own-brand Sainsbury’s tomato/vegetable soup: 40p(!!!)

Cheap easy healthy dinner options

Below you can find a list of my favourite easy, cheap and healthy dinner meals. While I’m obviously partial to a Domino’s pizza (as you’ll know from my Instagram Stories), I do also enjoy cooking at home a lot more now.

Not only can you make some truly delicious things with all the vast range of ingredients available today, but you can also do it on an extremely tight budget.

These meals are all ridiculously affordable, healthy(ish) and incredibly easy to make. In the last few months, I’ve found that you really don’t have to scrimp on taste, flavour or indulgence when it comes to shopping on a tight budget.

7. Philly Cheese Steak sandwich

This is without a doubt one of mine and Matt’s favourite meals to make at home. Whether we purchase actual steak or we use the Quorn vegetarian steak pieces, you can never go wrong with a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich.

It’s probably the least healthy meal on this list but it’s one that I happily make over and over again.

The vegetarian steak pieces aren’t quite as good as the real thing, but if you’re sticking to a food budget and are trying to make more conscious choices about the things you eat, then they do the job wonderfully.

When combined with cheese, onions and a deliciously warm baguette, the steak pieces taste so authentic and this is definitely one of the tastiest meals to make on a budget.

• Quorn vegetarian steak pieces: £1.75
• Baguettes (pack of 2): 90p
• 1 bag of grated cheese: £1.49
• Onions (pack of 3): 54p

8. Vegetable sausage and sweet potato curry

One of my absolute favourite cheap easy healthy meals to make is my beloved vegetarian sausage and sweet potato curry.

I wasn’t a huge fan of curry until recently but with us going travelling all around the world to many exotic places, I knew it was about time that I improved my palate.

I didn’t follow an exact recipe for this dish, but I made it up as I went along and with a few tweaks along the way, I’d like to think I’ve now perfected the ideal vegetarian curry.

Of course, it goes without saying (and this applies to all the meals mentioned in this post) that you absolutely don’t have to use vegetarian or vegan products in your meals.

Matt and I only do this as we’ve found it to be much cheaper and healthier most of the time!

I always make this curry in batches at the beginning of the week as it can be refrigerated or even frozen (I actually froze some portions while we were in Malaga so that we had fresh food when we came home!).

It takes a little longer to prepare than most other meals on this list, but if you do it all at once at the beginning of the week, then you’ll find yourself with much more spare time during the week as you can enjoy your culinary creation, without having to cook it every single day!

• Quorn sausages (1 bag of 8 sausages): £1.59
• Tikka curry sauce – 59p
• Sweet potatoes (1 bag) – 89p
• Peppers (pack of 3) – £1.25
• Onions (pack of 3) – 54p
• Wholegrain rice – 45p

9. Vegetarian spaghetti bolognese/meatballs

I’m sure you’re all probably aware by now of my total and utter adoration for Italian food. One of my favourite meals to make (and eat, regardless of where I am in the world), is spaghetti and meatballs or spaghetti bolognese.

Again, we often try and make these dishes using Quorn mince or meatballs as they’re much healthier and usually cheaper too.

While you can batch-make spaghetti and meatballs or bolognese, I usually find that it’s much tastier when it’s freshly made, but it never really takes longer than half an hour to make anyway.

• Quorn mince: £1.59
• Quorn meatballs: £1.70
• Pack of spaghetti: 50p
• 1 bag of grated cheese: £1.49
• Onions (pack of 3): 54p
• Peppers (pack of 3): £1.25

10. Stir fry – cheap easy healthy meals

I was never really that big of a fan of stir fry until I met Matt and learned that it was one of his very favourite meals to make at home.

While it’s still not my favourite meal on this list, it is still incredibly delicious, healthy and pretty easy to make.

I think when it comes to making a stir fry, you can add your own twist to it; there’s no set rule with what you have to have in it.

Whether you choose to make it yourself or buy a pre-made bag of it from the supermarket, stir fry can add plenty of nutrition to your diet, all the while being incredibly cheap to buy.

• Pre-made bag of stir fry: £1.50

Ingredients to make it yourself:

• Quorn chicken pieces: £1.75
• Onions: 54p
• Peppers: £1.25
• Egg noodles: £1

11. Veggie chilli

At the start of the week, I usually make one batch of veggie sausage and sweet potato curry and one batch of vegetarian chilli. Again, the ingredients in this don’t have to be strictly vegetarian but if you’re wanting it to be slightly more healthy and much more affordable, then Quorn mince is your new best friend!

This recipe is ridiculously easy and requires very little cooking skills. You can tailor it to fit your culinary taste and expectations; make it as hot and spicy as you like simply by adding extra spices to it!

• Quorn mince: £1.59
• Jar of chilli sauce: 59p
• Onions (pack of 3): 54p
• Peppers (pack of 3): £1.25
• Wholegrain rice (to serve): 45p

I really hope you enjoyed reading this post on my favourite cheap, easy and healthy meals and I hope you took some inspiration from them!

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What are some of your favourite cheap easy healthy meals to make on a budget? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter at @imjustagirl_16.