Cheap doesn’t mean tasteless: 5 inexpensive recipes for restaurant-style dishes

Eating delicious, quick and inexpensive food is everyone’s dream, but what would it take to make such a meal? In this article, together with nutritionist Elena Doronkina, we will present five democratic dishes that do not yield to restaurant dishes in flavor.

Empty soup

This recipe does not spend a lot of money, and the ingredients will not make you run to the store, everyone has them in the house.

The dish turns out delicious, hearty, and most importantly, useful.

You will need:

• potatoes – 2 pcs;
• onion – 2 pcs;
• salt to taste;
• bay leaf – 1 pcs.;
• sour cream – 100 g.

Take a pot (volume of about 3 liters), fill it with water by three quarters. Bring the water to a boil, salt it. In the boiling water add peeled, diced potatoes. Also add a bay leaf, previously washed. When the potatoes become soft, the dish is ready. Pour the soup into plates, in each add a handful of onions. When serving, add a tablespoon of sour cream to the soup and mix well. You can decorate the dish with parsley or any other greens (optional).

Elena: This soup will be especially useful for those who watch their weight and sit on a diet. It will help the body to assimilate useful substances faster, is absolutely non-caloric and has a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract. If you have cold symptoms, it can alleviate them, and can also increase the body’s defenses. It is necessary to eat soup to maintain a healthy intestinal microflora, as the dietary fiber in it will adjust the production of gastric juice.

Classic ravioli

Delicious, quick ravioli like in a restaurant, even better. The recipe is simple and inexpensive.

You will need:

• flour – 200 g;
• egg – 2 pcs;
• olive oil – 1 tbsp;
• salt – 2 pinches;
• minced meat – 250 g;
• onion – 1 pc;
• salt, spices to taste.

Sift the flour into a deep bowl, make a depression, break the eggs there, add salt and a spoonful of oil.
Knead the dough, it should turn out smooth and elastic. Put the dough in a bag and let it rest for 30-40 minutes. Twist the meat through a meat grinder, add finely chopped onion, salt, spices, a couple of tablespoons of water, mix well.

Divide the dough into 4 equal parts, roll out one very thinly, about 1 millimeter. Use a teaspoon to spoon the mincemeat and place it in even rows on the dough. Roll out the second sheet of dough and cover the first sheet with mincemeat, using the edge of the palm of your hand to gently press the dough to create the outline of ravioli. Cut the dough into squares with a pizza cutter and press the edges of the squares with a fork to secure them. Bring the water in a saucepan to a boil, salt, throw in the ravioli and cook for 5-7 minutes. Serve ready ravioli with butter and herbs (if desired).

Elena: Delicious and easy to prepare ravioli – a dish that will leave a feeling of satiety for a long time, it is quite suitable for those who plan to make a long break in eating during the day. The key is not to go overboard and get too carried away with them due to the calorie content. If possible, add more vegetables and greens to the dish for better digestion. But those who suffer from kidney, gallbladder and pancreatic diseases, it is better not to consume it.

You will need:

• chicken – 1.5 kg;
• onions – 1 kg;
• tomatoes – 1 kg;
• garlic (to taste);
• parsley (to taste);
• cilantro (to taste);
• basil (to taste);
• salt – 2 pinches;
• pepper (to taste).

Cut chicken into pieces and fry until crispy on a dry, thick-bottomed skillet. Salt, add a little oil and onion.After 5 minutes add tomatoes, stew on low heat under a lid for half an hour.

About 5-10 minutes before cooking add garlic, herbs, spices.

Elena: Chicken in this dish is a dietary and useful dish, first of all because it contains valuable protein for the body. It is desirable to use chicken bought at the market, not store-bought. The dish is rich in vegetables, which will saturate the body with useful substances and vitamins.

Beets with cheese

A quick colorful appetizer that is served in a restaurant. The recipe is very tasty, fast and from budget ingredients.

You will need:

• beets – 1 pc;
• mixed salad leaves – 50 g;
• bryndza or hard cheese – 60 g;
• Provencal herbs – 1-2 tbsp;
• balsamic vinegar sauce – 1-2 tsp.

Wash the beets, cut off the tail, put them in a sleeve for baking and tie the ends of the sleeve. Bake in a preheated oven to 200 degrees for about 1.5 hours. Ready beets cool down, peel, cut into small plates. We lay out on a plate mix salad leaves, pour the sauce, salt. Add beets to the salad.

Cut bryndza or cheese into cubes, dip in Provencal herbs, add to the salad. You can add nuts (to taste).

Elena: This dish will be good for the circulatory system of the body, so it can be consumed often without fear of consequences. It will also benefit the gastrointestinal tract, will have a cleansing effect on the body and will be an excellent antioxidant.

You will need:

• eggs – 2 pcs;
• sugar – 200 g.;
• milk – 200 ml;
• flour – 150 g;
• vegetable oil – half a cup;
• dough leavener – 10 g;
• vanillin – 1 g.

In a deep bowl combine eggs, sugar, milk, oil, baking powder and vanillin, mix well. Gradually add flour, mix thoroughly so that there are no lumps. Grease a baking mold with butter and pour the finished dough. On top you can add a little berry jam (to taste). Bake the muffin until golden color at 180 degrees. The finished product is carefully taken out of the mold, optionally decorated with powdered sugar.

Elena: Undoubtedly, muffin is a high-calorie product, so those who are watching their figure should be careful with it. Among the useful things we can note the presence of fiber and carbohydrates in the muffin, which will support the body’s energy, and glucose in its composition will enhance brain function.