The Budget Christmas: how not to feel broke and eat well

Posted by Khanya Mzongwana on 14 December 2023

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The Budget Christmas: how not to feel broke and eat well — Planning Christmas on a budget? Khanya Mzongwana shares her favourite affordable recipes, from pocket-friendly roasts and desserts to cheap-chic salads and breads.

I know first-hand how the joy of Christmas feasting can often be overshadowed by how expensive the whole affair tends to be – but I’d like to create a scenario for you where it’s affordable and doable on a budget, without feeling like you’re sacrificing that special, celebratory Dezemba feeling. Most of my recipes fall into the affordable slot in any case, but this menu is specially developed for a cheap Christmas, with dishes that cost R50 or less per serving to put together. These recipes are all so fire, they’re guaranteed to get your guests talking with their mouths full. Hurry up and get planning already!

The budget bread course

What kind of meal would it be without delicious bread to accompany it? My bread wreath is as beautiful to look at as it is delicious to eat – it costs less than R40 per serving to make and is easy to tear and share. I have a whole bunch of bread recipes, but I’ve narrowed it down to four. Remember to make the accompanying butter recipes – but only if you’re feeling extra.

Pull-apart garlic bread

Find the recipe for pull-apart garlic bread here.

Green vegetable bread

Find the recipe for green vegetable bread here.

Cheese-and-atchar dinner rolls

Find the recipe for cheese-and-atchar dinner rolls here.

Wreath bread

Find the recipe for wreath bread here.

Affordable Christmas roast ideas

Whoever doesn’t like chicken probably doesn’t deserve an invite in the first place! Jokes aside, chicken is one of the most affordable meats, and the easiest to cook. Try my Worcestershire-brined whole bird with canned-peach hot sauce – the sauce is so good, you’ll want to make an extra batch to gift to friends and family. The preserved lemon roast is one of my favourite ways to prep chicken – and as with most things, it’s a million times better on the braai.

Roast chicken with peach hot sauce

Find the recipe for Roast chicken with peach hot sauce here.

Ginger-beer chicken tray bake

Find the recipe for ginger-beer chicken tray bake here.

Preserved lemon roast chicken

Find the recipe for preserved lemon roast chicken here.

Affordable spuds

Potatoes are one of the most vital elements of any celebratory meal. Try my mashed potato boats on creamed spinach – that’s two dishes in one! My personal favourite, which I’ve made many times, is smashed roast potatoes with devilled egg dressing – it’s very much like potato salad for people who, like me, have a devilled eggs addiction.

Baked mashed potato boats

Find the recipe for baked mashed potato boats here.

Twice-baked potatoes

Find the recipe for twice-baked potatoes here.

Roast potatoes with devilled egg dressing

Find the recipe for roast potatoes with devilled egg dressing here.

Budget butternut recipes

Butternut is in my vegetable top 5 – so much so that I’ve put together a little list of recipe options. My favourite has to be the salt-baked butternut with curry butter. It’s so simple, but there’s something so fashionable about cracking that salt exterior at the table to reveal soft, steamy butternut – and then trickling over the curry butter. I guarantee it will be one of the first things to disappear from the Christmas table!

Salt-baked butternut

Find the recipe for salt-baked butternut here.

Brûléed butternut

Find the recipe for brûléed butternut here.

Cheap-chic veggie ideas

My mom always wants us to cook something green, and I’ve had to find ways to surprise her with something she hasn’t eaten before. Here are simple green veggie recipes I know your peeps will love. The green samp, which I make often, doubles as a veg and a starchy dish. Samp is cheap as chips, but this dish is giving luxury and cheap-chic. If you’re having a braai, try the braaied green veggies with sweet, curried onions – they’re scrumptious and smoky.

Green samp

Find the recipe for green samp here.

Braaied veggies with curried onions

Find the recipe for braaied veggies with curried onions here.

Whole roast broccoli

Find the recipe for whole roast broccoli here.

Baked baby marrows

Find the recipe for baked baby marrows here.

Affordable salad recipes

I cook plant-based food so much that many people assume I’m vegan. My decades-long affair with veggies has meant that I’ve cooked them in hundreds of ways. Salads are an important part of this category – sure, we all love a potato salad, but these inventive salads will have everyone excited to tuck in. I love my all-encompassing seven-colours salad; it covers all your veggie needs and then some, plus it can be served as a complete meal, in my opinion. Here are the cheapest of my Christmas salad picks. You’re welcome! 😊

Shaved cauliflower salad

Find the recipe for shaved cauliflower salad here.

Bloody Mary salad

Find the recipe for Bloody Mary salad here.

Seven Colours salad

Find the recipe for seven Colours salad here.

Budget Christmas dessert recipes

Does it even qualify as a celebration without dessert? The short answer is, nah. I’m not huge on the sweets, but the recipes I do have are as affordable as they are easy to put together. Dessert is a duty best relegated to the youngsters in the family, or the diligent cook who doesn’t mind stopping to actually measure ingredients. This polenta orange cake is so decadent, you’d be wise to take a post-lunch snooze and come back to eat it a little later. I’d also highly recommend my no-churn granadilla ice cream, which you can customise with any flavour you like. My churro cake is another winner – it’s not cake by definition, but you can slice it up, or just tear through it like my family did!