25+ cheap dinner ideas South Africa in 2024: Budget-friendly meals

• With the rising cost of living, it is sometimes difficult to afford a decent meal.
• However, with the right decisions when it comes to spending, one can find a way to manoeuvre and survive without emptying their pockets.
• Finding cheap dinner ideas in South Africa is a great start to saving.
• Masego Mbonyana, Chef and Food stylist, recommended creative ways to incorporate budget-friendly proteins into meals for optimal nutrition and taste.

This article highlights several meals one can have or prepare on a budget. They include simple ideas for dinners that will leave your taste buds full of flavour without spending a lot of money.

25 dinner ideas in South Africa

What do you eat for dinner in South Africa? Here are some of the healthy dinner ideas in South Africa.

Tips from Chef

Masego Mbonyana, Chef and Food stylist, shares with Briefly.co.za the creative ways to incorporate budget-friendly proteins into meals for optimal nutrition and taste:

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Incorporating budget-friendly proteins into meals while still ensuring optimal nutrition and taste requires a bit of creativity.

Beans and legumes

Beans and legumes are excellent sources of protein and fiber, and they're incredibly budget-friendly. You can incorporate them into meals in various ways:

1. Make bean-based soups, stews, or chili.
2. Use mashed beans as a base for veggie burgers or meatballs.
3. Add cooked beans to salads, wraps, or burrito bowls.
4. Make bean dips like hummus or black bean dip for snacking or spreading on sandwiches.

Eggs

Masego Mbonyana suggests eggs as are one of the most affordable sources of high-quality protein. Get creative with eggs by:

1. Making omelets, frittatas, or quiches with leftover vegetables and cheese.
2. Boiling eggs and using them as a topping for salads or sandwiches.
3. Making egg-based dishes like egg fried rice or egg sandwiches.
4. Baking eggs in tomato sauce for a simple and satisfying meal.

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Canned fish

Canned fish like pilchards, tuna and sardines are not only budget-friendly but also packed with protein and omega-3 fatty acids.

1. Use canned fish to make tuna salad, sandwiches or wraps.
2. Mix canned fish with cooked pasta, vegetables, and a creamy sauce for a quick pasta dish.
3. Add canned fish to salads or grain bowls for added protein.
4. Make fish cakes or patties using canned fish, breadcrumbs, and seasonings.

By incorporating these budget-friendly protein sources into your meals creatively, you can enjoy delicious, nutritious, and satisfying dishes without breaking the bank.

Lamb stew and steamed bread

This is a simple meal idea that is simple to prepare and cheap. First, buy the lamb chops depending on the number of servings, and make a simple stew with preferred seasoning. Then, steam the bread, and the meal is done.

Chicken giblets stew

It is a simple idea that comes in handy on a budget. The chicken giblets are wet fried with preferred ingredients and seasoning to make a simple stew. It can be served with rice or bread when ready.

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Fried chicken feet

Chicken feet are one of the byproducts of chicken meat but can be turned into a tasty delicacy. Whether wet or deep fried, it is one of the easiest ideas for supper in South Africa.

Umngqusho

This meal juggles cheaply available ingredients, including peas, beans, onions, butter and sugar as the core foundation. With good kitchen artistry, it is easier to make a meal from these without sweating or digging into your pockets.

Mealie bread

What is the cheapest thing to make for dinner? Mealie bread can be one of them. Corn is the main ingredient in making this savoury bread. It is a simple baked delicacy that is made from creamed corn kernels. It can be served with a drink of choice.

Skilpadjies

It is a meal with a traditional touch and can be one of the supper ideas in South Africa. The main ingredient is liver wrapped in its fatty coating. Pan fry the liver until it’s well cooked and tender with the seasoning of choice and serve with vegetables or any accompaniment.

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Fish and potato chips

One can never go wrong with this choice. It is a simple meal that cannot take much time. The potatoes and fish pieces are deep fried with salt as the common seasoning according to taste.

Gatsby

It does not fall far from a sandwich idea. It is an on-the-go dish that can be ordered and served to up to four people on a budget. It is a simple dinner idea that goes well with any beverage of choice.

Boerewors

These fall into the sausage family. The meat can vary from beef, pork or mutton. Spicing and seasoning can be done according to preference, and the meal is done. It is both easy on the tummy and the pocket.

Biltong

The meal is basically air-dried curried meat marinated in vinegar and spices. The dryness is the uniqueness of the simple preparation. It can be served with vegetable salad, and the meat is chosen according to choice.

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Bunny chow

It is a quick-fix meal; meat, chickpeas and potatoes wrapped inside a hollow bread. The meal is a perfect fast food idea that is easy and less costly, whether ordered or prepared at home.

Potjiekos

The meal features meat and vegetables. First, the meat is fried with preferred ingredients, and the vegetables are added. After that, it is brought to a boil in a pot on an open fire and served hot.

Chakalaka

It is one of the simple vegetable dishes one can easily prepare in less than an hour. It includes baked beans cooked and seasoned with ingredients of choice. It can be served with bread and rice, to call it dinner.

Pumpkin soup

Easy as it sounds, it is rich in flavour and nutrients. It is a simple meal made from pumpkin, and bananas can be added by choice. It involves cooking the pumpkins until soft and making a stew with easily available ingredients.

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Lamb sosaties

The delicacy is made of skewered lamb meat. It is a less demanding meal which can be made in the comfort of your home, and it is also rich in taste and pocket friendly.

Curry beef soup

A simple dish can be homemade in a couple of hours, depending on the level of creativity. It involves making curry beef stew and can be served with rice, bread or any preferred accompaniment.

Dumplings served with stew

Dumplings are not choosy and go well with any stew of choice. The main bit is preparing the stew, which can vary from chicken, beef, mutton or game meat. The stew is then served with dumplings.

Pasta and meatballs

It is less demanding, depending on how creative one is ready to be. However, pasta is less demanding in preparation, and the meatballs can be ordered or made at home cheaply.

Chicken wings and chips

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As much as it is a meal of English descent, it is a go-to idea which can save money. It is simple to prepare and can be done in the comfort of one’s home.

Tomato bredie

This is a meal that saves time and money when prepared at home. It is simply tomato stew with preferred seasonings. It can be prepared with pork or chicken and served with a drink of choice.

Yellow rice

What is the most frugal food? Yellow rice answers this question. It is the real definition of saving time and money. It requires fewer ingredients like butter and raisins. Yellow rice is prepared within half an hour and served with any stew or meat of choice.

Fried rice

As the name suggests, it involves simply frying ingredients of choice, adding rice and bringing the mixture to a boil. This simple homemade meal is time-saving, less costly, and rich in flavor.

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South African meatloaf

It is commonly known as bobotie among the locals. It is a sweet curry loaf enhanced with raisins and almonds that takes less time and is easy to prepare. Besides, it saves money as it can serve several people and still have some to spare.

Cape Malay curry

It is a meal that can be homemade in less than two hours. It involves spicing up chicken thighs in curry. Ingredients and seasoning vary with creativity and can be served with rice for dinner.

Grilled meat and vegetable salad

For people who like barbecues, this is a go-to option. It is less demanding and can be done in the comfort of one’s home without sweating. It is simply grilling beef or preferred meat and tossing the vegetables, and it’s a wrap.

Having a decent meal rich in taste and flavour does not have to be costly. How do you cook on a low budget? It involves creativity in using readily available ingredients to make a budget-friendly meals.

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READ ALSO: 10 best traditional Ndebele food and recipes you ought to know (with pictures)

Briefly.co.za highlighted the best of Ndebele’s tasty recipes you can try to serve the needs of your taste buds. The Ndebele people are one of Africa’s distinct communities with cultures that stand out.

This article looks at Ndebele foods, which are also a part of their cultural heritage and traditions. What do they eat?

Source: Briefly News