5 cheap and easy recipes to get you through the week

Estimated reading time
 15 min

In this article

• Spicy Tuna Bowl
• Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings
• Bruschetta
• Soy Garlic Noodles
• Shakshuka

Stuck on what’s for dinner tonight? We know the feeling.

So, we’ve asked ANZ’s cooking extraordinaire and Tik Tok rising star Poss Pantry to help us out with some cheap and delicious dinner ideas. Yep, you heard us right. Good for you and good for your budget too. Boom!

From soy garlic noodles to buffalo wings… we’ve got you covered. These recipes are so darn tasty and will cost you less than 8 bucks a serve. Cook like a master chef and save like a Financial Wellbeing. Now that’s got a nice ring to it, hey?

Spicy Tuna Bowl

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked rice
• 2 cans tuna of choice
• 1 lebanese cucumber
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• ¼ cup sriracha
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 1 avocado
• Red chilli

Totals approx. $8 per serving (makes 2 serves).

Steps:

1. Slice cucumber, avocado and red chilli and set aside.
2. In a bowl combine soy sauce, sriracha and mayonnaise and mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, remove your tuna from the can and place in the bowl. Add in 2 tbsp of the sauce mixture and stir well.
4. Add rice to the bowl and season with soy sauce and black pepper to taste. On top of the rice add the spicy tuna, cucumbers, avocado and red chilli. Drizzle some of the remaining sauce over the top.
5. OPTIONAL: Top with fresh coriander leaves, sesame seeds and pickled onions.

Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

• 1.1 kg chicken wings
• 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tbsp oregano
• 1/2 tbsp chilli powder
• 1/2 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 cup hot sauce of choice
• Kitchen staples: Salt, pepper, butter/margarine and oil spray.

Totals approx. $5.15 per serving (makes 4 serves).

Steps:

1. In a bowl, add chicken wings, 1/2 tbsp each of garlic powder, oregano, chilli powder, baking powder and smoked paprika and mix well. Season with a generous amount of salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Let the wings sit and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Place the wings in an air fryer and spray lightly with oil. Cook for 20 minutes at 120 degrees Celsius, flipping halfway. Once 20 minutes is up, let them sit for 10 minutes. Then increase the heat to 200 degrees Celsius and cook for another 12 minutes, flipping halfway again. (If you don’t have an air fryer, simply pop them in the oven for 40 minutes, flipping halfway at 200 degrees).
3. While wings are cooking, add a bottle of your favourite hot sauce to a saucepan with 1 tbsp of butter and 1/2 tbsp of all the seasonings that were put on the wings. Bring up to temperature until sauce mixture is hot.
4. Remove wings and mix well with sauce in a bowl, serve while they are hot.

Bruschetta

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf sourdough
• 1 red onion
• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 roma tomatoes
• basil to taste
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• Pantry staples: Olive oil, salt and pepper.

Totals approx. $5.15 per serving (makes 4 serves).

Steps:

1. Dice one red onion and set aside in a bowl of water for at least 10 minutes, this will remove the strong onion flavour and make it much more pleasant.
2. Dice tomatoes and set aside, season generously with salt, this will draw out the moisture and make the tomatoes sweeter.
3. Toast some sourdough bread until it has a nice char, smash one garlic clove and rub over the bread to give it a pleasant aroma.
4. Drain liquid from both the bowls containing the onion and tomato and combine in one bowl, mix well and season with cracked black pepper and extra salt to taste if needed.
5. Add 1 cup of balsamic vinegar to a pan on medium heat and add in 1 tbsp brown sugar. Sauté until the balsamic vinegar has reduced and it is glossy and sticks to the back of the spoon.
6. Lightly butter the sourdough and top with tomato and onion. Dress with a drizzle of the balsamic reduction and garnish with fresh basil leaves and drizzle with olive oil.

Soy Garlic Noodles

Ingredients:

• ½ cup soy sauce
• ½ cup fish sauce 
• 500g egg noodles 
• 5 cloves of garlic 
• ½ tbsp sesame oil 
• Spring onion to taste 
• 1/3 cup brown sugar 
• 1 tbsp cornflour 
• 2 tbsp water 
• sesame seeds 
• coriander to taste 

Totals approx. $6 per serving (makes 4 serves).

Steps:

1. To make the sauce, to a saucepan add ½ cup soy and fish sauce (you can do 1 cup of soy sauce if you don’t like fish sauce), ½ tbsp sesame oil, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 5 chopped garlic cloves and cornflour slurry (1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp water). Let this simmer for 5 mins or until thick and glossy.
2. In the meantime, boil your egg noodles in salted boiling water per packet instructions. Drain one minute before cooked and add to the sauce and mix well, cook for another 2 minutes.
3. Top with sliced spring onion, coriander, and sesame seeds.

Shakshuka

Ingredients:

• 800g crushed tomatoes
• 6 eggs
• 1 brown onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 green capsicum
• 1 raw jalapeno
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 loaf of sourdough
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• Fresh coriander to taste
• Kitchen Staples: Salt, pepper, olive oil.

Totals approx. $6.80 per serving (makes 3 serves).

Steps:

1. Finely dice 1 brown onion, 1 green capsicum and mince 2 cloves of garlic.
2. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a pan and sauté onion on a medium-low heat until translucent. Once onions are translucent and soft, add in capsicum and garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.
3. Next add cumin and smoked paprika and cook for 1 minute. Then add in 2 tbsp tomato paste and cook for another minute.
4. Add in crushed tomatoes and mix well, ensuring the tomato paste is well incorporated into the tomatoes. Simmer for 15 minutes on medium heat, adding water if needed.
5. Make some little holes in the tomato mixture and crack your eggs directly in the holes. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until the white has set and yolk is still runny (or hard if that is your preference).
6. Serve with toasted sourdough and fresh coriander, you can eat it straight out of the pan if you want!

Convenient, cheap and easy to cook – we’ve got you covered. If you want to see more delicious dinner ideas, follow ANZ Employee Poss Pantry on Instagram or Tik Tok.