Eat in for under R160: Best grocery specials at South Africa’s supermarkets

Voter registration weekend is behind us, but don’t let the excitement of the upcoming elections stand in the way of good food this year.

We’ve rounded up all the best dinner ideas from Checkers, Spar, Pick ‘n Pay and Woolworths, guaranteed to make meal preparation a breeze.

Checkers

Meal of the week: Harissa Chickpea and Butternut Curry – R139.99 

Checkers has five mouth-watering meal kits this week, and the one that caught our eye was the Harissa Chickpea and Butternut Curry. The box comes with a recipe card, alternatively, either scan the QR code on the box, or watch the instructional video.

If curry is not what you had in mind this week, consider trying their Lamb Koftas with sweet potato mash and stir-fried greens, or the Rustic Vegetable and Beef Bolognese Pappardelle. Both are a bit pricier but look oh so delicious.

Also read: The ten best breakfast places in Johannesburg

Woolworths

Sticky BBQ Chicken & Bacon Pasta – R 116.99 for 1 kilogram.

Woolies’ Sticky BBQ Chicken and Bacon pasta is on special this week. One kilogram sells for R116.99. That’s a R20 saving. The dish is made with shredded chicken baked in a sweet BBQ and cheese sauce. It’s topped with bacon too.

Serve with a crisp green salad or warm bread of your choosing. Alternatively, add two servings of butternut, spinach and red onion bake for R54.99, or their creamed spinach and cinnamon butternut for only R42.99. It’s ready to eat in under 2 minutes.

Also read: The six best lunch places in Johannesburg

Pick ‘n Pay

Chicken and grapes with red wine for under R160.

With Pick ‘n Pay’s chicken thighs and drumsticks selling for R35 for eight pieces, there’s no reason not to treat the family with a divine chicken and wine dish this week.

Remember to grab a punnet of seedless grapes – R35 each but you’ll save R10 if you buy 2 – as well as a bottle of your favourite red wine. Blacksberg Dry Red sells for R65, while a bottle of Robertson is under R40.

Simply preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius, place quartered red onions, crushed garlic and rosemary springs in an ovenproof dish. Tuck the chicken pieces in between with the skin side up. Pour in a cup of red wine and roast for 30 minutes, then add the grapes and bake for another 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

Read also: De-stress your next dinner party with these helpful hints

Spar

Moussaka for under R120.00

With Spar’s lean beef minced meat selling for only R69.99 per kilo this week, there’s no reason why you cannot treat the crew. Try something different with Spar’s Moussaka recipe.

It’s a traditional Greek dish, baked with brinjal, tomatoes, minced meat and béchamel sauce. It only takes 25 minutes to prep and serves 4 to 6. Prepare it and pop it in the oven for 45 minutes.

Moussaka

Ingredients

• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 500g lean beef mince
• 30ml butter or margarine
• 1 x pasta sauce tomato and olive
• 3 large Freshline brinjal, sliced
• Sunflower oil for frying

WHITE SAUCE:

• 30 g butter
• 60 ml cake wheat flour
• 400 ml milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• 250ml grated cheddar cheese
• 1 egg

Method

• Preheat oven to 180 
• Fry the finely chopped onion in margarine until transparent and then add the mince and brown.
• Stir in the SPAR pasta sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Slice the brinjal and fry in hot oil until browned. Arrange the fried brinjal and mince in alternating layers in a greased casserole dish.
• Make a white sauce by melting the butter.  Stir in the flour and cook for a minute.  Remove from the heat and stir in the milk using a balloon whisk to prevent lumps.  Return to the heat and stir until sauce thickens.
• Season with salt and pepper and stir in half the cheese and the beaten egg.
• Pour over the mince and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden. your oven to 180C.