A mum-of-two has shared how she feeds her family for just 32p per person using food from the Asda Just Essentials range.
Sandy Dixon, 41, from North Wales, says she can create a mouth-watering Italian dish that costs just £2.56 for eight portions.
Her meal can feed three hungry adults and one child, leaving an additional four portions to keep in the fridge for the following day.
As the cost of living crisis continues to bite, families across the country are on the hunt for ways to cut down on their weekly supermarket shops.
Sandy told NeedToKnow.Online : "Times are hard for everyone right now. as a family, we have had to make some serious decisions."
"The cost of food has gone up by 10.6% since January, and fresh food products now cost a record 12.1% more than last year.
"I made this delicious tomato meatball pasta bake and I used all Asda ingredients."
"Asda’s Just Essentials range is brilliant! I honestly haven’t bought a single item that isn’t as good as branded version," she added.
Sandy has shared the recipe for her affordable but tasty Italian dish, along with a cost breakdown:
Ingredients and Cost Breakdown
- 20 just essential sausages – £1.21
- Passata – 40p
- Just Essentials pasta shapes – 35p
- Portion of mature cheddar – 60p
- Seasoning and spices from cupboard – 20p
- Total cost of meal: £2.56
Explaining her recipe, the savvy mum said: "After defrosting the sausages overnight, I removed the sausage casings and used the meat to make individual meatballs.
"You get 20 sausages in a bag but I managed to make 45 bite-sized meatballs.
"I gently shallow-fried the meatballs with the garlic and herbs and added the passata to simmer for 20 minutes.
"I cooked the pasta in a separate pan and mixed in the meatball sauce and grated cheese.
"It was definitely an easy and cheap, Italian style dinner without compromising on taste."
Sandy has also offered her top food saving tips for families struggling in the midst of the cost of living crisis.
Speaking of Asda's Just Essentials range, she said: "I swear by the pork mince at £2.35 for 500g.
"I make a really cheap chilli con carne with rice or jacket potato.
"I also used the Just Essentials Chicken Thighs at £1.94 for 1.1kg to make a beautiful and healthy chicken casserole with carrots and potatoes.
"Bulk cooking is an amazing way to reduce costs."
And her saving tips are not just limited to food, as the mum-of-two has even managed to reduce her electricity bills when cooking.
The family were previously paying anywhere from £1.20-£1.80 to make dinner, so Sandy decided to invest in a camping gas hob.
She said: "I have found a slow-cooker in a charity shop and I was gifted an air-fryer when I got married.
"These appliances, alongside my new camping stove has been my favourite items this year and have saved me so much money on my bills."
"We also don’t use the hot water tank as much anymore, plan ahead for bathing days, and we also use the economy shower setting instead of the normal one.
"This saves us almost £3 a day.
"We have also had to invest in a more energy-efficient fridge and removed a fridge freezer to help lower energy costs."
The mum took to Facebook to share her recipe, which saw users rush to the comments to compliment the dish.
"Looks tasty and the price makes it taste even better," wrote one user.
"Yummy," added someone else, with a smiling emoji.
"Did u just cook the sausage in the sauce? Looks lovely will defo be trying this xx," wrote a third user.
