3 Budget Dinners Under $50 NZD - Spicy Prawns, Lentil Dahl and Homemade Pizza

Three COMPLETELY different dinners, lunches for the week, and it all came from one supermarket shop at New World Three Parks in Wanaka for $44.90. That is what Savvy Suppers is all about. No boring food, no food waste, and no blowing the budget.

This episode is one of my favourites because every single ingredient earns its place. The prawns appear in two completely different dinners. The flour makes both the flatbreads on Wednesday and the pizza base on Friday. The sad carrots and butternut squash lurking in the fridge go straight into the dahl. Nothing is wasted, everything is delicious, and the three dinners could not be more different from each other.

If you are new around here, Savvy Suppers is my special series where I head to the supermarket, spend under $50 NZD, and make three dinners for two to three people with leftovers for your lunch. These episodes take time to plan and film, so they do not come around every week, which means when one drops it is worth saving.

Watch the full Savvy Suppers episode on YouTube!

Monday Night: Spicy Prawn Noodles

The fastest dinner of the week and the one that will genuinely surprise you with how much flavour comes from a handful of pantry staples. A punchy chilli and sesame dressing poured over hot noodles, sweet prawns, and tender cabbage. On the table in 15 minutes.

Spicy Prawn Noodles with Cabbage - A quick weeknight noodle bowl with a hot chilli sesame dressing, ready in 15 minutes.

Wednesday Night: Lentil Dahl with Homemade Flatbreads and Fried Egg

The cosiest dinner of the week and the one that proves budget cooking can be genuinely nourishing. A spiced red lentil dahl that uses up whatever sad vegetables are in your fridge, served with fast three-ingredient flatbreads and a fried egg on top. The dahl makes plenty so you will almost certainly have some for the freezer too.

Lentil Dahl with Homemade Flatbreads and Fried Egg - Spiced lentil dahl with homemade flatbreads, rice, and a runny fried egg. Proper comfort food for under $50.

Friday Night: Spicy Prawn Pizza with Apple and Cabbage Slaw

Friday night done properly. A soft, pillowy focaccia-style pizza base made from scratch with fresh yeast, topped with a rich tomato sauce, spicy marinated prawns, and melted cheese. Served with a fresh apple and cabbage slaw that sounds like a wildcard and tastes absolutely brilliant alongside the hot, spicy pizza.

Spicy Prawn Pizza with Apple and Cabbage Slaw - Homemade focaccia-style pizza with spicy prawns and a fresh apple cabbage slaw. The Friday night budget dinner you did not know you needed.

The Shopping List

Here is everything I bought for this episode from New World, Wanaka. Total spend: $44.90.

• Fantastic Wide Instant Noodles 360g
• Pams Basmati Rice 1kg
• Pams Value Raw Prawn Meat Pieces 500g
• Green Cabbage Half
• Brown Onions 2kg
• Pams Crushed Chilli 230g
• Pams Sesame Seeds 40g
• Pams Pure Plain Flour 1.5kg
• Fresh Yeast 100g
• Pams Split Red Lentils 500g
• Pams Value Chopped Tomatoes x3
• Perfect Italiano Pizza Grated Cheese 150g
• Smitten Apples 1kg
• Pams Free Range Size 6 Eggs 6pk

From home: curry powder, vegetable oil, garlic, soy sauce, black vinegar, Chinese five spice, and any sad vegetables that needed using up.

Why I Love This Episode

The crossover moments are what make this shop so satisfying. The prawns do double duty across Monday and Friday, giving you two completely different eating experiences from the same bag. The flour is doing the same thing, making the flatbread dough on Wednesday night and the pizza base on Friday. And the dahl is almost begging for whatever is left in your vegetable drawer, which means nothing gets thrown away.

This is what Savvy Suppers is really about. Not just spending under $50, but thinking about how every ingredient connects across the week so nothing is wasted and every dinner is something worth looking forward to.

Enjoy!

Del x

Three dinners, lunches for the week, $44.90 and not a single thing wasted, this is Savvy Suppers at its best.