Skip to content
Open menu Close menu

Feed your appetite for cooking with Penguin’s expert authors

penguin logo

A budget-friendly Valentine’s Day dinner

by Francesca Sleet

published on 10 February 2023

Celebrating Valentine’s Day often centres around a romantic meal, but not all of us have the budget for a fancy dinner out or a home-cooked spread packed with luxury ingredients. However, when it comes to food, expensive doesn’t automatically mean better and you don’t need to break the bank to serve up a romantic feast for your loved one this Valentine’s Day. Featuring a choice of two classic pasta recipes from Jamie Oliver (including a meat-free option), a fresh seasonal salad as a starter or side, and a simple but decadent dessert from Melissa Hemsley, these recipes use just a handful of basic ingredients to help keep costs to a minimum.

Fennel, Mint and Orange Salad

Fennel, Mint and Orange Salad

by Russell Norman
from Venice

With salty olives, punchy fennel, and segments of orange (seasonal blood oranges would add a pop of colour), this texture-packed salad can be served as an appetiser before the main event or as a fresh side to your creamy pasta.

Easy Sausage Carbonara

Easy Sausage Carbonara

This five-ingredient pasta is easy to make and utterly delicious. Using sausage meat makes this a little more affordable than a steak or other meat-centric dish, and a generous sprinkle of parmesan adds a rich saltiness to the silky sauce.

Jamie Oliver’s Sweet Leek Carbonara with Fresh Thyme, Garlic, Cracked Black Pepper and Parmesan

Jamie Oliver’s Sweet Leek Carbonara with Fresh Thyme, Garlic, Cracked Black Pepper and Parmesan

This simple leek carbonara is the perfect veggie alternative main course, featuring buttery soft leeks cooked until soft stirred through the classic carbonara pasta. Top with plenty of cracked black pepper and a little extra cheese if needed (look for vegetarian hard cheese to make the dish fully veggie).

Melissa Hemsley’s Three-Ingredient Chocolate Pots

These super simple three-ingredient chocolate pots can be made in advance and popped in the fridge until you are ready to serve. Rich and decadent, these are the perfect way to end a romantic meal. Melissa’s recipe serves six, so reduce the recipe and keep an eye out for small packs of dates to keep the cost down.

Share

You might also like


View all

Recipe Collections

One-pot recipes you’ll love from Mob One

Fans of Mob know that the cooking collective’s recipes are synonymous with great ingredients, ingenious kitchen hacks, and inspired flavour combinations that make cooking fun and accessible. Their latest cookbook...

Book Collections

The best soup cookbooks

Whether it’s a nutrient-packed vegetable soup paired with a chunk of crusty bread, or ramen with a deliciously savoury broth, there are few things more comforting than a hearty bowl...

Recipe Collections

The best seasonal recipes for autumn

As part of a new series on The Happy Foodie, we’re showcasing our favourite recipes to help you make the most of in-season produce. Why eat seasonally? Eating with the...

newsletter

Subscribe to The Happy Foodie email newsletter

Get our latest recipes, features, book news and ebook deals straight to your inbox every week