Curry paste, taco spice and instant noodles: Easy, cheap meal ideas for beginners

After a long day, it's tempting to reach for a frozen meal or order delivery.

But Accredited Practising Dietitian Hannah McCormick says these options can be expensive, and aren't the best for us in the long run.

"They're great for the occasional convenience; we all need something that's going to give us a helping hand," she says.

"But [frozen meals are] often low in vegetables and lean protein, and higher in sodium and saturated fat, which we want to be eating less of.

I've only been living out of home for a few years, and over time have learnt how to cook super simple, cheap staple meals for myself.

I chatted with Ms McCormick – who's part of the team behind healthy eating website No Money No Time – about some of my favourite dinners, and to get her tips for keeping things budget and health friendly.

Jump to: Green curry, tacos, instant noodles.

How to keep meals healthy, cheap and easy

• Start with a base of fruits or vegetables. Meat products are normally more expensive and, nutritionally, we need to be focusing on including more vegetables and fruit in our diet.
• Choose fruit and vegetables that are in season (which is often what's on special and abundant at the shops), or look for frozen and canned options.
• Aim for a variety of fruit and veg: "The more colours in the rainbow, the better."
• Follow the balanced plate model. This recommends filling half your plate with vegetables, a quarter with protein and a quarter with carbs.
• Consider making meals in bulk, and freezing them in small portions for easy grabbing later.
• Add flavour to your meals with spices, dried herbs and jars of garlic and ginger for convenience at a low price point.

Green curry

If you're keen to make Thai red or green curry quickly at home, you've got two main options.

You can buy a pre-made curry sauce, or you can use a curry paste as a base.

Using a paste is usually cheaper than sauce (sometimes half the price!), and the only extra step is to add coconut milk/cream — which is just opening a can. Plus, you can get multiple meals out of one jar.

Ms McCormick says curry sauces are often packed with sugar and sodium. She adds that it's a good idea to check the ingredients on pastes too; look for an option with the lowest sugar and sodium per 100g for the healthiest choice.

I usually just follow the recipe on the back of the paste's bottle, using whatever veg I have on hand.

Ms McCormick says meat tends to be the most expensive ingredient of a green curry, and most dishes.

If you're still keen to cook with meat, she says you could buy in bulk and freeze your leftovers, or consider going for something like half chicken/half tofu.

If you're keen to try tofu, Ms McCormick suggests squeezing the water out before slicing it and adding it to your pot, where it should soak up all of the delicious curry flavours.

She adds that rice is going to be one of your cheapest ingredients, though recommends being mindful of your portion sizes. Choosing a whole grain variety will give you added fibre, keeping you full for longer.

Mc McCormick says any kind of curry is a great chance to bulk up the veg, and frozen veggies can be a convenient option that work well in curries.

"Contrary to popular suggestions, frozen veg isn't deprived of nutrients. 

"Often they're picked and snapped frozen, so they may retain some vitamins that might otherwise be lost during transport and storage."

Tacos

Making a taco mix with some kind of legumes (usually black or kidney beans) and a can of tomatoes is one of my favourite easy meals.

I either create my own spice mix from online recipes (which Ms McCormick suggests making in a big jar, so you have more for next time), or just buy some pre-mixed taco spice.

If you go for pre-mixed taco spice, Ms McCormick suggests checking the nutrition information panel, and opting for one with no added sugar or salt.

She says loading your shells up with veg is a great way to get variety into your diet.

Lettuce or spinach leaves, grated carrot, tomato, capsicum, a can of corn kernels and a bit of grated cheese all taste great in a taco, as does roasting or grilling vegetables like zucchini.

Taco mix makes for tasty nachos the next day, and Ms McCormick recommends boxing up your leftover toppings, too.

"Making a big base of these ingredients [is great], because you could put them in a taco, but in two days you could wrap them up in a burrito, or you could make a bit of rice and have them as a burrito bowl."

If you prefer to cook with mincemeat, Ms McCormick says to go for the leanest meat you can afford. She says using canned beans as some or all of your dish's protein is a "convenient, super cheap option", but recommends choosing a reduced salt variety.

Instant noodles

Two-minute noodles are often seen as the ultimate easy and cheap dinner.

But Ms McCormick says eating them every day isn't going to be great for your health.

"The flavour sachet is often high in sodium and saturated fat, and they're a predominantly carbohydrate-based food."

But this doesn't mean you need to chuck out your ramen collection.

"We can always look at the foods we enjoy eating and think about how we add nutrients to those foods to keep us full for longer, and give us the energy we need."

Ms McCormick suggests adding some frozen veg to your next bowl, and some lean protein; that might be a can of tuna, some grilled chicken, or an egg.

"A pack of five, two-minute noodles is about $5, so $1 per person. [There's] multiple recipes [out there] that sit between $1 to $2 a serve.

"Convenience often adds cost. But by putting in a little effort, you can make a meal that stretches across a few days, and that supports your health and wellbeing."

No Money No Time has a resource for first-time home leavers, which includes tips for setting up your kitchen, and cooking healthy meals on a budget.