I’m the ultimate lazy-mum cook – 7 dinners you can make in the air fryer for under £2
AT the end of a long day at work, the last thing most of us want to do is spend a lot of time and effort cooking dinner.
Which is why it’s important to collect a catalogue of quick and easy recipes we can rely on when feeling ‘lazy’, or need a night off slogging away in the kitchen.
Here, Casey Major-Bunce, 32 from Portsmouth, shares her top five family air fryer hacks to save even the laziest-feeling mum time – and money.
Casey is a mum of four and a well-known mum influencer star after sharing tons of mum hacks via her Instagram page @Majorbuncehome.
Spaghetti and meatballs
Shopping list;
- Pack of 12 meatballs
- One onion
- Cherry tomatoes
- Tomato shop-bought sauce
- Spaghetti
Price: Approximately £1.20 per portion based on a family of four.
Pop your meatballs in your air fryer at 190 for eight minutes.
Add your chopped onion and cherry tomatoes and cook for a further seven minutes at 190c.
Now add your shop bought sauce and cook for a further seven minutes at 190c.
Add cooked pasta and you’re done. Enjoy.
Chicken fried rice
Shopping list:
- Two chicken breast
- Three microwave bags of long grain rice
- Curry powder
- Soy sauce
- Sesame seed oil
- Garlic powder
- Chinese five spice
- One grated carrot
- One small can of peas
Price: £2 per portion based on a family of four.
Cut your chicken up into small pieces and mix it with curry powder.
Add one teaspoon of sesame seed oil.
Pop it in the air fryer for eight minutes at 200 degrees.
Now add in the three bags of microwave rice, one tablespoon of garlic powder, Chinese five spice, soya sauce, and sesame seed oil.
Add one grated carrot, and one tin of drained peas.
Cook for a further six minutes at 200 degrees and then serve with some curry sauce.
Cheesy pasta bake
Shopping list;
- Dried pasta
- Shop brought cheesy pasta sauce
- Bag of grated mozzarella
Price: £1.70 per portion based on a family of four.
Add cooked pasta directly into your air fryer, and top with cheesy pasta bake sauce.
Cook at 180 degrees for seven minutes.
Top with mozzarella cheese and cook for a further three minutes at 180 degrees.
Serve with a few veggies and you’re done.
Family favourite chicken fajita rice wraps
Shopping list;
- Three chicken breasts
- Two bags of microwave rice
- One red pepper
- One orange pepper
- One onion
- One fajita mix
- Olive oil
- Pack of wraps
Price: £2.30 per serving based on a family of four.
Cut the chicken into strips, add one teaspoon of olive oil, and a fajita mix to the chicken and mix.
Add one red pepper, one orange pepper, and one onion, and mix all together.
Add everything to the air fryer and cook at 180 degrees for 12 minutes, before giving it a good shake.
Now add the microwave rice from the packet, mix altogether, and cook for a further six minutes on 180c.
Serve with wraps and salad.
Pizza naan breads with carrot chips
Shopping list:
- Mini naan bread (we have two each)
- Pizza sauce
- Garlic granules
- Grated mozzarella
- Wafer thin ham
- Bag of carrots
Price: £1.80 per portion based on a family of four.
For the carrot chips, cut both the ends of the carrots, then chop them into chip shape.
Season them with garlic powder and mix them with one tablespoon of olive oil.
Cook them in the air fryer for 13 to 16 minutes at 200c. Shake halfway through.
For the pizza naan, mix the passata with garlic granules.
Add to the naan bread.
Add your toppings like cheese and ham.
Cook at 180c for eight to 10 minutes.