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Our budget-friendly meal plan includes a week's worth of dinners for one. Everything for the week costs less than £12 and is designed to be cooked exclusively in a microwave.

Microwave cooking is quick, energy efficient and perfect for single portions. But the results can sometimes be underwhelming, with a lack of texture or overcooked ingredients, for instance. That's why we asked microwave cooking expert Justine Pattison to come up with these recipes. With her help, you can avoid the pitfalls and make quick, easy and delicious dinners while saving on your energy bill.

More budget meal inspiration

• Budget family microwave meal plan
• Family £1 slow cooker meal plan
• Budget meal plan for one

How we costed our recipes

We have stuck to a strict ingredient budget for these recipes to give an average cost of just under £1.75 per portion. This is more than some of our other meal plans because cooking for one is more expensive (bigger packs are typically better value), plus microwave cooking comes with specific challenges. For example, you can't take advantage of cheaper cuts of meat which need to be cooked low and slow.

We’ve based most of our costs on the smallest available pack size, meaning even if you don’t use a whole jar or packet, the entire cost is still included in the budget.

Meanwhile, store cupboard items like oil, salt, pasta and rice are costed according to the quantity you use, as they tend to have long shelf lives or be purchased regularly as part of a standard family shop.

The recipes

Day 1: Microwave creamy chicken and mushrooms

This tender creamy chicken recipe is all cooked in the microwave for a quick and easy meal with a touch of luxury. If following this plan, you will need to buy two chicken breasts to use across three recipes – see the recipe tips for storage information.

Feel free to swap the peas for any frozen or fresh vegetables you have handy.

Day 2: Microwave creamy fresh tomato pasta

Cooking pasta in the microwave doesn’t save a lot of time, but it uses less energy and is a convenient way of making this fresh-tasting, one-pot pasta dish. If you don’t have any cherry tomatoes, larger tomatoes (roughly chopped or quartered) also work well.

Day 3: Microwave chicken savoury rice

An easy savoury rice with chicken pieces, mushrooms and peas. Perhaps try adding a pinch or two of your favourite spice mix if you have it in the cupboard – jerk seasoning works well.

Day 4: Microwave cheesy leek and potatoes

A simple, quick and satisfying gratin-style supper that’s given a touch of indulgence with the addition of a little cream. For a more traditional finish, place under a hot grill until the topping is lightly browned. Serve as it is or with some bread for mopping up all the delicious sauce.

Day 5: Microwave spicy chicken pitta

A super-fast way to cook chicken for a colourful kebab-like salad that's perfect for busy days. Serve with warm pitta bread and feel free to top with any of your favourite sauces and dressings.

Day 6: Microwave jacket potato with tuna and spicy beans

A jacket potato filled with spicy beans and tuna makes a filling meal whatever time of the day. Using beans that come in chilli sauce means you don’t need to buy a range of different spices to make this dish. It’s also delicious made without the tuna – try topping it with cheese instead.

Day 7: Microwave chilli bean stuffed pepper

Stuffed peppers are traditionally baked, but with this recipe you can have them in half the time and without having to use lots of energy to heat up the oven. If following this meal plan, you will have some lettuce and tomatoes leftover from the spicy chicken pittas that you can serve alongside the stuffed peppers.

Fruit and vegetables
□ 700g/1lb 9oz potatoes (including 1 large potato)
□ 1 onion, plus ½ small red onion
□ 3 garlic cloves
□ 200g/7oz mushrooms (any variety)
□ 250g/9oz cherry tomatoes
□ 1 medium leek, around 150g/5½oz
□ 1 large pepper, any colour
□ 1 Little Gem lettuce
□ 1 lemon
□ fresh parsley or basil leaves (optional)

Meat and fish
□ 300–450g/10½oz–1lb chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

Dairy, eggs and chilled
□ 150ml/¼ pint double cream
□ 60g/2¼oz cheddar

Tins, packets and jars
□ 100g/3½oz dried penne or other pasta shapes
□ 160g/5¾oz long-grain rice
□ 400g tin beans in chilli sauce
□ 145g tin tuna chunks

Cooking ingredients
□ 2½ tbsp vegetable oil
□ 1½–2½ tsp olive oil
□ 10g plain flour
□ 2½ chicken or vegetable stock cubes
□ 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
□ 2 tsp paprika (preferably not smoked)
□ ½ tsp ground cumin
□ salt and freshly ground black pepper

Frozen
□ 200g/7oz frozen peas
□ 50g/1¾oz frozen sweetcorn

Condiments
□ soy sauce, mayonnaise, garlic or chilli sauce, to serve (optional)

Other
□ 4–5 pitta breads, or crusty bread

Originally published May 2023