Make an easy autumn traybake for less

At this time of year, we’re all starting to think about warm, filling, hearty meals. And what can be better than a traybake?

As well as being really tasty, it’s cheap, easy to make and a great way to make your shopping go further.

What you'll need

• four chicken thighs
• 500g of potatoes
• 500g of frozen mixed vegetables
• one onion
• two or three tablespoons of cooking oil
• a teaspoon of dried mixed herbs

Optional seasoning

• salt and pepper
• paprika
• chilli flakes

How to make it

1.  Heat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan).
2.  Cut the potatoes into small chunks.
3.  Cut the onion into wedges.
4.  Put the potatoes and onion into a large roasting tray.
5.  Add the oil, herbs and any extra seasoning you're using and mix it all together
6.  Add the chicken thighs to the tray and season them.
7.  Roast for around 25 minutes.
8.  Add the frozen vegetables to the tray, spreading everything out as much as possible.
9.  Return to the oven for another 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through, the potatoes are golden and the vegetables are piping hot.
10.  Make sure chicken is cooked all the way through, with no pink meat and juices running clear.

How a traybake saves you money

A traybake is a great budget dinner because you don't need lots of separate ingredients or different pans.

Chicken thighs are a relatively cheap meat, potatoes can bulk out the meal and keep it filling, and frozen veg can be stored for much longer, so you can just use what you need without wasting the rest.

On top of that, you make it by simply bunging everything together in one tray, so you don’t even have lots of washing up to do afterwards.

So even if you’re not very confident in the kitchen, there’s no way you can get this wrong.

A flexible option

Another perk of a traybake is that you can tweak it depending on what you fancy or what you have in.

For instance, if you want a bit of spice, add some paprika or chilli flakes to the tray.

If you’ve got some veg that’s about to go bad and you don’t know what to do with it, you can chuck it in.

If you don’t fancy chicken tights, swap them out for sausages.

Or you can leave out the meat completely and make a veggie traybake.

The options are endless.