Feeding a crowd or wanting leftovers? Try these five affordable meals

I often have anywhere up to eight people to feed during busy weeks, which means meal prepping in our household is essential.Factor in a few fussy eaters and there needs to be careful consideration of not only what's on the menu but making sure there's enough for everyone.These five recipes are tasty, affordable and, for me, stretched far enough to feed extra mouths or to have leftovers the next day.Hearty sausage pasta bakeThis sausage pasta bake is perfect for easy dinners and freezes well. (ABC News: Lina Jebeile)This is the kind of dinner that's easy for a weeknight but also perfect for feeding family or friends.It took very little time to prep and was a real hit with my family. I chose to use regular beef sausages, instead of the Lebanese sausages. We fed eight of us with this dish and still had some left over.Lentil bologneseHetty Lui McKinnon's lentil bolognese ragu. (ABC News: Hetty Lui McKinnon)The ingredients in this hearty bolognese are pantry (and wallet) friendly, and the lentils pack protein, which make it equally satisfying.It also went down without a fuss among our kids, despite being a meat-free version of a popular family favourite. This recipe is also freezable, so you can make a huge batch to keep on hand. Elizabeth Hewson's it's-going-to-be-OK chicken stewElizabeth Hewson says this recipe delivers the comfort of an "old-fashioned" stew, fast. (Supplied: Nikki To/Murdoch Books)It was the name of this recipe that drew me to it and it didn't disappoint, eating it feels like a warm hug.The tasty chicken stew doesn't ask very much of you and that proves that cooking something delicious for the family doesn't have to be complicated.I bulked it out with a few extra potatoes and added some leftover mushrooms I had too to make it go further.Cottage pie with beef (and lentils if you choose)This recipe makes a big batch to make the most of your time. (ABC News: Tim Grey)Depending on the size of your family, this tasty cottage pie will give you a second serving to be frozen, or reheated and served for dinner the following night.The recipe is versatile for using whatever leftover vegetables you might have on hand and the lentils also help bulk it out.One-pot baked chicken and pesto gnocchiPerfect for busy weeknights, Lina's baked chicken and pesto gnocchi is packed with flavour. (ABC News: Lina Jebeile)This one-pot chicken and pesto gnocchi is by far the easiest recipe, which I made ahead using 10 minutes of my lunch break.I used almost 700 grams of chicken to flesh it out as well as slightly more cherry tomatoes from our garden.