With costs spiralling, a great way to save money is to try a meat free meal, and what better time than during National Vegetarian Week. Meat free meals are less expensive, packed with veggies and protein and will wow your taste buds without denting your wallet.
If you are trying a veggie meal for the first time why not start with something simple like a meat free spaghetti bolognaise or chilli con carne? Simply swap out the minced beef. You could replace it with a soya meat alternative or even replace it will a vegetable like sweet potato. The beans, usually kidney beans, but could also be swapped if you wanted a change, try using chickpea, pinto or cannellini, all offer a reliable source of protein. There are health benefits to, swapping the mince for a vegetarian alternative lowers the saturated fat with the additional veggie’s providing extra fibre and the beans are a good source of iron.
Price wise, 1kg of minced beef currently costs approximately £6 whereas 1kg of sweet potatoes currently costs around £1.20. You also only need 500g of potatoes to replace the 1kg of meat so not only is it £4.80 cheaper you will have enough sweet potatoes left to make another meal!
So, if you have been putting off trying a meat free meal, do it during National Vegetarian Week and not think about what you are cutting out, think about what you are gaining…