Top 10 budget back to school dinner ideas

A new school year means a welcome return to routine, and it's a great excuse to switch up your midweek meals. We're all looking for ways to save on the weekly shop, and these wallet-friendly recipes, made with our M&S-quality, Remarksable Value ingredients, will help you do just that – without compromising on deliciousness. Think oozy chilli con carne macaroni, loaded tuna melt potato wedges and more to help you ease into September and beyond.

Transform great-value staples, from tinned tuna to beef mince, into a host of delicious dinners with our weeknight-friendly back-to-school recipes.

September can be a busy time, with new schedules, uniforms and settling into the new school year taking up precious mental bandwidth. Dinner shouldn't be an added stress, so make it easy and affordable with these top tips.

• Cook once, eat twice: Embrace 'nextovers' – investment recipes that can be transformed into something totally different the next day. Read our cook once, eat twice guide for inspiration.

• Write a shopping list: Plan your meals for the week and choose ingredients that can be used across lots of different dishes. Try our 5 meals for £30 meal plan for some recipe ideas and a shopping list to get you started.

• Box it up: Save time on lunchbox prep by choosing dinners that can double up as lunchboxes the next day. A tray of roasted veggies could become a delicious sandwich filling, while pasta could be packed up for a salad.

• Transform bigger cuts: Try using a whole chicken in different ways, or cook a big batch of bolognese, then use to fill burritos or tacos.

Those hectic school nights can be made a little easier with some clever, wallet-friendly ideas.

• Meal prep: Plan out your meals for the week and batch cook to save time and money.

• Fill your freezer: Double up your recipe and store leftovers in the freezer to defrost on the busiest nights. Soups, sauces, chilli and bolognese all freeze really well – add to zip-lock sandwich bags to maximise space.

• Break out the slow cooker: Celebrate cheaper cuts of meat by cooking them low and slow. Using a slow cooker gives them time to break down and release delicious juices, and you can let the slow cooker do the work with minimal prep.