Jen Hanlon shares how to make a tasty family dinner with less than $20 worth of groceries from Coles

Mum shares how she makes delicious dinners for her family with less than $20 worth of groceries – these are the recipes she swears by

A thrifty mum has shared how she made a cheesy pasta bake for less than $20
Foodie Jen Hanlon bought seven ingredients from Coles for just $17.20
She used bacon, cheese, spinach, onion, corn relish and kernels, and rigatoni
Jen made a corn relish dip pasta bake with her ingredients in a viral TikTok clip
The foodie has been going viral for sharing her budget-friendly family meals

By Louise Allingham For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 02:21 BST, 25 July 2022 | Updated: 07:45 BST, 25 July 2022

Aussie mum, Jen Hanlon, has gone viral on TIkTok for sharing how she made a delicious corn relish pasta bake with less than $20 worth of groceries

A thrifty Australian mum is wowing thousands with her delicious family meals that she makes with less than $20 worth of groceries.

Jen Hanlon has racked up a loyal following on TikTok and Instagram for her budget-friendly family meals that don’t compromise on taste.

In her most recent video she made a corn relish dip pasta bake for only $17.20 with just seven ingredients from Coles.

Jen bought a $2 bag of spinach, a brown onion, cheddar cheese, two corn relish dips, 250g of bacon, a $1 bag of rigatoni pasta and a tin of corn kernels in a video that has amassed more than 1.4million views.

In a follow-up clip, Jen shared the recipe for the corn pasta bake meal she made with her budget grocery shop.

She starts by boiling water for the pasta, cooking it al dente or one to two minutes less than the packet instructions and preheating the oven to 200C.

The money-saving mum dices the onion and bacon and cooks it in a frying pan with a splash of olive oil for two to three minutes.

Jen Hanlon made a corn relish dip pasta bake for only $17.20 with just seven ingredients from Coles

Jen bought a $2 bag of spinach, a brown onion, cheddar cheese, two corn relish dips, 250g of bacon, a $1 bag of rigatoni pasta and a tin of corn kernels

Jen adds both the corn relish dips, spinach, cooked pasta and corn kernels to the pan with three-quarters of a cup of pasta water to thin the sauce out.

She then adds the mix to a casserole dish, tops with grated cheese and bakes it in the oven for about 25 minutes.

Jen’s frugal meal impressed thousands of viewers with many sharing their own budget hacks.

In a follow-up clip, Jen shared the recipe for the corn pasta bake meal she made with her budget grocery shop

‘You can add a $2 can of tuna to make a tuna pasta bake! Just in case you need more protein,’ one mum said.

‘Lucky you didn’t need an iceberg lettuce,’ another joked.

‘Made this tonight with a couple if tweaks. Used mushrooms instead of spinach, cream cheese, corn relish from a jar, added chicken,’ a third replied.

‘You can use sour cream and corn relish to make the dip if they have none. Sooooo yum,’ suggested a fourth.

Previously Jen went viral with her pork potato pie she made for $20.39 and beef tacos for $24 and $17 slow-cooked chickpea stew.

RECIPE: Jen’s Corn Relish Dip Pasta Bake that costs under $20

Ingredients

60g bag of baby spinach – $2

Brown onion – 42cents

250g block of Coles cheddar cheese – $4.40

2 x Coles corn relish dip – $2.20 each

250g Thomson’s Deli bacon – $4

500g bag of rigatoni pasta – $1

420g tin of corn kernels – $1

= $17.22 altogether

Method

1. Boil water and cook your pasta for 1-2 minutes less than packet instructions, reserving 3/4 cup of the water before you drain.

2. Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees.

3. Dice onion and bacon.

4. Heat fry pan and add oil of choice from home (recommend extra virgin olive oil).

5. Cook onion and bacon for 2-3 mins.

6. Add both dips and mix through.

7. Add corn and baby spinach and mix.

8. Add pasta water to thin out sauce.

9. Add cooked pasta and stir to combine.

10. Prep baking dish and add pasta mix.

11. Top with cheese and cook in the oven for approximately 25 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

Source: @jennnn_aaayy/Instagram

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