One of the best ways to save time, energy and money when it comes to preparing food is to stick to the principle of “cook once, eat twice”.
Some great ideas for Italian-inspired recipes that are relatively cheap to make and that freeze well are ragus such as the Filippo Berio Classic Ragu with Tagliatelle, casseroles, Tuscan Bean Stew and Chicken Cacciatore.
Tomato sauce for pasta is also a great option for batch cooking. For lunch, you could make a big frittata to use up any leftover vegetables and then put it in the fridge to enjoy the following day.
If you have any stale bread left around, whizz it up in the food processor to make breadcrumbs. Better yet, use them to make Pangrattato which translates to “grated bread”. It's often referred to as “poor man's Parmesan” but it tastes incredible. You toast the breadcrumbs in garlic and oil, then you add them to various dishes, such as pastas, to create a wonderful crunchy texture.
Another brilliant recipe for using up leftover or stale bread is the delicious Pappa Pomodoro. Served hot or cold, this is a thick Tuscan bread soup which is both filling and nourishing, also containing tomatoes, basil, garlic and chilli flakes.
Italians pride themselves on being very thrifty and like to use up leftover ingredients wherever possible. Ribollita is a famous, hearty, Tuscan bread soup and is a brilliant way to use up vegetables. The ingredients vary region to region but the ingredients mainly consist of leftover bread, beans, kale, cabbage, and inexpensive vegetables such as carrot, chard, celery, potatoes, and onion.
Soup also has the added advantage of warming you up, which is great if you're trying to avoid putting the heating on too often.
In terms of saving money on treats and snacks, stick to the “make and take” principle. You can make energy bars at home to fuel you through the day, which don't require any cooking in the oven. Filippo Berio's Superfood Energy Bars will keep you going for hours. Packed with oats, seeds and dried fruit and bound together with our Filippo Berio Mild and Light Olive Oil, these are both tasty and nutritious.
With Christmas coming up, you can save money by making delicious treats as gifts for your friends and family. Our Chocolate Bark with Pine Nuts and Pomegranate using Filippo Berio olive oil, looks just as good as it tastes. Make a big batch then break up the bark, putting the shards into little gift bags.
Prices of essential goods such as olive oil are only going to keep going up - but it has a long shelf life, so now is a good time to stock up. You can take advantage of Filippo Berio's 10% off cases of olive oil in our online shop. Or, you could invest in one of our bundles which can help save money, compared with buying the products individually.
It may be a tough few months ahead, but by planning ahead and knowing exactly what meals you're going to make week by week, you can buy less, waste less and still eat a healthy and nutritious Mediterranean diet to fuel you through the autumn and winter months.
