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Vivi makes it easy
5 quick 1 euro recipes that are delicious and really fill you up
© Brent Hofacker / Adobe Stock
High prices everywhere you look, and especially when shopping for groceries, they can really take a toll on your wallet. Food expert Vivi shows you 5 quick recipes for under 1 euro.
Delicious doesn’t have to be expensive! Even though the prices for food are currently rising, I promise you that you can conjure up delicious and fresh dishes with just one euro. How it works? With my five favorite recipes for those on a tight budget.
5 quick 1 euro recipes
Each of the recipes costs less than one euro per serving – so get on the stove and enjoy it!
1. Spaghetti aglio e olio
Ingredients for 4 servings
- 500 g spaghetti (approx. 80 cents)
- 6 cloves of garlic (about 40 cents)
- 1 bunch of parsley (approx. 1 euro)
- 2 tbsp parmesan (approx. 40 cents)
From the pantry
- some chili powder
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- Salt
Price per serving: approx. 65 cents
preparation
- Place spaghetti in boiling salted water and cook according to package instructions until al dente.
- Chop garlic finely. Rinse the parsley, shake it dry and chop it finely.
- Heat the oil in a large pan. Sauté the garlic, parsley and chili powder over medium heat until translucent. Add the dripping wet noodles, toss briefly in the garlic oil, mix everything well and serve immediately.
2. Mexican Rice Casserole
Ingredients for 4 servings
- 300 g rice (approx. 40 cents)
- 1 onion (approx. 20 cents)
- 1 clove of garlic (approx. 10 cents)
- 500 g diced tomatoes (approx. 70 cents)
- 1 vegetable stock cube (approx. 10 cents)
- 1 can of kidney beans (approx. 60 cents)
- 1 can of corn (approx. 70 cents)
- 200 ml cream (approx. 30 cents)
- 100 g grated cheese (approx. 80 cents)
From the pantry:
- Salt pepper
- some chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika powder
Price per portion: approx. 1 euro
preparation
- Cook the rice until al dente. Then finely chop the onion and garlic and fry them in a pan with a little oil for 2-3 minutes until translucent. Add the chopped tomatoes and season with vegetable stock, salt, pepper, chili and paprika powder.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees top/bottom heat. Add kidney beans, corn, rice and 200 milliliters of cream to the tomato mixture and stir everything together. Pour the rice mixture into a baking dish, sprinkle with cheese and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes.
3. Gnocchi pan with sausages
Ingredients for 4 servings
- 500 g gnocchi from the refrigerated shelf (approx. 80 cents)
- 1 l pureed tomatoes (approx. 1 euro)
- 4 Vienna sausages (approx. 1.50 euros)
- 2 eggs (approx. 60 cents)
- 2 spring onions (approx. 10 cents)
From the pantry:
- 1 tbsp oil
- Salt pepper
- ½ tsp paprika powder
Price per portion: 1 euro
preparation
- Fry the gnocchi in a little oil in a pan and deglaze with pureed tomatoes, season with salt, pepper and paprika powder and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Cut the sausages into small pieces and add them to the tomato sauce. Wash spring onions and cut into fine rings.
- Add eggs to the gnocchi pan and let them set like a fried egg.
- Serve the gnocchi pan garnished with spring onions.
4. Penne with pesto and cherry tomatoes
Ingredients for 4 servings
- 500 g penne (approx. 80 cents)
- 1 bunch of basil (approx. 1 euro)
- 2 tbsp parmesan (approx. 40 cents)
- 2 garlic cloves (approx. 10 cents)
- 125 ml olive oil (approx. 60 cents)
- 20 g walnuts (approx. 25 cents)
- 250 g cherry Roma tomatoes (approx. 80 cents)
From the pantry:
Price per portion: approx. 1 euro
preparation
- Cook penne in salted water according to package instructions. Meanwhile, wash the basil and process the leaves with the stems, the Parmesan, garlic, olive oil, walnuts and 1 teaspoon of salt and some pepper in a blender to make a creamy pesto.
- Wash and halve tomatoes. Mix penne with pesto and tomatoes and serve immediately.
5. Quick vegetable soup
ingredients for 4 persons
- 1 onion (approx. 20 cents)
- 300 g soup noodles (approx. 30 cents)
- 2 vegetable stock cubes (approx. 20 cents)
- 1 bunch of soup greens (approx. 80 cents)
- 1 bunch of parsley (approx. 1 euro)
From the pantry:
Price per serving: approx. 60 cents
preparation
- Chop the onion and greens (washed) into small pieces and sauté them in a little oil in a pot. Deglaze with 1 liter of water, add vegetable stock cubes and stir thoroughly.
- Add soup noodles and season with salt and pepper. Let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes. Wash and chop the parsley. Add parsley to the soup and season with salt and pepper. Serve vegetable soup with some fresh parsley.
Vivi’s top tip
In order to be able to save a few euros in the kitchen, it is particularly worth buying regionally and seasonally. Produce grown in your area can often be offered at lower prices because transportation costs are lower. The classics like keeping a shopping list, not going shopping hungry and not wasting food are also important saving tips.
Little insider tip: In order to really get the most out of your vegetables and not waste money, it is worth saving leftover vegetables such as peels and the like and making a stock. That’s how you can Make your own vegetable broth and use it as a seasoning for delicious dishes. You can find out how cooking with leftovers works here.