Cheap, comforting winter dinners: Budget recipes that feel indulgent

There are days in winter when dinner needs to be less about hitting macros and more about giving yourself a hug from the inside. When the heating is doing its best but you still haven’t quite thawed out, and the choice between going out or staying in isn’t really a choice at all.

These are the evenings for recipes that are rich, warming and unashamedly comforting – the sort of food that fills the house with the smell of butter and herbs, and makes you wonder why you ever flirted with cold salads in January.

This month’s Budget Bites is about those slower days and the dishes that suit them: creamy soups crowned with fried apples, nut roasts that don’t require Meat-Free Monday to justify, and pasta that leans on onions, sage and roasted squash to do the heavy lifting. Everything here is designed to hit that magical point where affordable overlaps with deeply satisfying, proving you don’t need fancy ingredients or a long shopping list to make something that feels indulgent.

As ever, the brief is simple: cheaper than a takeaway, doable on a weeknight, and good enough to make you want seconds. In collaboration with the clever people at Sorted Food, we’re keeping cost of living in mind without compromising on flavour or joy. Because winter is long, money is tight, and sometimes the most useful thing you can put on the table is a bowl of something that makes you glad to be home.

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Ingredients:

1 brown onion

4 cloves garlic

1 butternut squash

4 tbsp olive oil

30g blanched hazelnuts

10g fresh sage

1 lemon

200g dried pasta short

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Peel and cut 1 onion into 6 wedges. Peel 4 cloves of garlic. Trim and cut 1 butternut squash into 2cm cubes.

2. Tip the onion, garlic and squash onto the lined tray. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes, until the squash is soft and golden at the edges and the garlic is tender.

3. Heat 3 tbsp of olive oil in a medium frying pan over a medium heat. Add 30g of hazelnuts and 5g of sage leaves. Fry for 2-3 minutes, until the nuts are golden and the sage is crisp.

4. Finely zest 1 lemon over the crispy sage and nuts and set aside for later.

5. Meanwhile, fill the kettle with water and put it on to boil. Place 200g of dried pasta into a large saucepan and cover with boiling water from the kettle. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until soft but with a slight bite - al dente. Drain, but reserve the pasta water.

6. Once the veg is roasted, transfer 0.5 of the squash and onion to a large jug, reserving the rest for later. Add all of the roasted garlic and the remaining sage leaves. Pour in a splash of pasta water and squeeze in a little lemon juice to taste and blend until smooth, adding more pasta water to get a loose, silky sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

7. Return the pasta to the pan and stir through the butternut sauce and the remaining roasted veg.

8. Divide the pasta between bowls and top with the crispy hazelnut and sage mix. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and drizzle over any remaining oil from the crispy sage. Tuck in!

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Ingredients:

1 brown onion

2 cloves garlic

1 medium carrot

1 swede

10g fresh rosemary

90g unsalted butter

1 red apple

1 vegetable stock cube

125g goat's cheese

150ml sour cream

Method:

1. Peel and finely dice 1 brown onion. Peel and finely grate 2 cloves of garlic. Peel 1 swede and 1 carrot and cut into 2cm cubes. Finely chop 10g of fresh rosemary leaves.

2. Melt 80g of butter in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, swede and rosemary with a generous pinch of salt. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and everything is beginning to turn golden.

3. Peel and core 1 red apple, then cut into 1cm cubes. Melt 10g of butter in a medium frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the apple with a small pinch of salt and cook for 4-5 minutes, until lightly golden and softened. Fill a kettle with water and put it on to boil.

4. Crumble 1 vegetable stock cube into the veg pan and pour in 500ml of boiling water from the kettle. Stir to combine, then bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the swede is completely soft.

5. Add 75g of goat's cheese and stir in 100ml of sour cream. Using a hand blender, blend until smooth and silky, adding a splash of water if needed to adjust the consistency. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

6. Ladle the soup into bowls, then scatter over the remaining 50g of goat's cheese and the fried apple. Drizzle with the remaining 50g of sour cream and dig in.

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Ingredients:

2 brown onions

1 large carrot

3 cloves garlic

250g chestnut mushrooms

60g unsalted butter

250g microwave Puy lentils

50g walnut halves

50g almond flakes

50g blanched hazelnuts

40g dried cranberries

10g fresh rosemary

10g fresh sage

2 large eggs

30g dried panko breadcrumbs

1 tbsp plain flour

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

½ vegetable stock cube

200g Tenderstem broccoli

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C.

2. Peel and finely dice 1 brown onion. Peel and finely grate 1 large carrot. Peel and finely grate 3 cloves of garlic. Finely chop 250g of chestnut mushrooms.

3. Heat 45g of butter in a large, ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, mushrooms, garlic and 250g of microwave Puy lentils, season with salt and pepper and fry for 6-8 minutes, until soft and golden.

4. Meanwhile, roughly chop 50g of walnut halves, 50g of almond flakes, 50g of blanched hazelnuts and 40g of dried cranberries. Finely chop 10g of rosemary and 10g of sage. Add the nuts, cranberries and 0.75 of the chopped herbs to the pan, reserving the rest for later. Fry for another 2 minutes.

5. Remove the pan from the heat and cool for a few minutes. Use a masher to lightly mash the mixture until well combined. Crack in 2 large eggs and stir well to bring the mix together.

6. Press the mixture down evenly in the frying pan. Scatter over 30g of dried panko breadcrumbs and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until golden and set.

7. While the nut roast bakes, peel and dice the remaining 1 brown onion. Heat 15g of butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion along with the remaining herbs and cook for 6-8 minutes, until soft and golden.

8. While the gravy cooks, trim 200g of tenderstem broccoli and place on a small baking tray. Drizzle with oil, season, and roast in the oven for the final 10-12 minutes of cooking time, until softened.

9. Scatter in 1 tbsp of plain flour and stir for 1 minute. Stir in 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard and crumble in ½ vegetable stock cube. Pour in 300ml of boiling water, bring to a simmer and cook for 6-8 minutes, until thickened. Season to taste.

10. Cut the nut roast into wedges and serve with the onion gravy and roasted broccoli on the side. Tuck in!

In response to the rising cost of living, we have teamed up with Sorted Food to bring you easy, affordable, quick and (most importantly) tasty recipes once a month. Find out more about Sorted and their nifty meal-planning app Sidekick at sortedfood.com/sidekick.