Thrifty Grampy came over today to watch Thrifty Baby while I worked. I made this for us for lunch, its a favourite of mine because it is easy, tastes good and, of course, is cheap to make (£1.91 for the whole thing*). Its also suitable for 11 month old Thrifty Baby so I could just make one dish for the 3 of us.
This served the 3 of us with a bit left over. The leftovers are good cold, eaten out of the dish, standing up in the kitchen if you’re anything like me.
Baby loved it, as did Grampy.
Courgette & rice gratin
1 tbsp olive oil
3 medium-sized courgettes, sliced
2 shallots or 1 small onion, finely chopped
135g basmati rice, washed in cold water
375ml hot chicken stock (you might want to use low-salt stock or water for a younger baby)
3tbps creme fraiche (optional)
110g cheddar cheese, grated
Pepper
- Preheat oven to 180
- Warm the oil in a frying pan and soften the shallots for a few minutes
- Add the courgettes and fry for about 4-5 minutes until softened
- Add the rice and stock, simmer for 5 minutes
- Remove from heat, stir in the creme fraiche and a small handful of the cheese. Season with pepper
- Pour into a large baking dish
- Level it off and try to get a layer of courgettes on the top, covering the rice
- Put the rest of the cheese on the top
- Bake in oven for about 35-40mins until the top is brown and the rice is cooked
- Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. Serve with bread and salad
*The total cost for making this was:
Courgettes – £0.59 (3-pack, Aldi)
Shallots – £0.07 (£0.69 for 20, Aldi)
Basmati rice – £0.34 (Veetee £4.98 for 2kg, Asda)
1 Knorr chicken stock cube – £0.15 (£2.99 for 20, Tesco)
Creme fraiche – £0.13 (£0.89 for 300ml, Aldi)
Cheese – £0.63 (Cathedral City £1.99 for 350g, Tesco)
= £1.91
Does not including electricity, gas, side dishes etc
