5 easy family dinners for £25 - February week 3

Monday: Rosemary chicken with mash

1.25kg floury potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
2 tbsp olive oil
650g chicken breast fillets, halved lengthways into thin escalopes
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, 1 crushed, 1 sliced
4 rosemary sprigs, needles picked and finely chopped
200ml 50% less fat crème fraîche
1 vegetable stock pot, made up to 200ml
220g green beans, trimmed
150g Brussels sprouts, halved
1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
30g buttery spread
100ml milk

1. Cook the potatoes in a large pan of boiling water for 20 mins until very tender. Drain and leave in the colander to steam-dry for 5 mins.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Season the chicken and fry for 3-4 mins each side until golden brown (no need to be cooked through at this stage).Transfer to a plate.

3. Fry the onion in the pan for 6-8 mins until soft. Add the crushed garlic and rosemary, fry for 1 min, then stir in the crème fraîche and stock. Bring to a simmer, then nestle the chicken into the sauce with any juices from the plate; season. Simmer over a medium heat for 10 mins until the chicken is fully cooked and the sauce has thickened a little.

4. Meanwhile, blanch the beans and sprouts for 5-6 mins until tender. Drain and set aside. Return the pan to the heat and fry the sliced garlic in 1 tbsp oil for 30 secs until fragrant. Add the veg and toss. Stir in the lemon zest and juice, then take off the heat and keep warm.

5. Tip the potatoes back into their pan and mash with the spread and milk until smooth. Divide between 4 plates, spoon over the chicken and sauce, and serve with the veg.

Tuesday: Squash, sausage and sage pasta bake

8 sausages
1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into 2cm chunks
10 sage leaves, 3 whole, 7 chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
45g buttery spread
3 tbsp plain flour
500ml milk
125g mature Cheddar, grated
400g penne
2 slices wholemeal bread, torn
250g cherry tomatoes, halved

1. Preheat the oven to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C. Toss the sausages, squash and half the chopped sage in the oil on a large baking tray. Season and roast for 20-25 mins until the sausages are cooked through and the squash is tender.

2. Meanwhile, melt the spread in a large pan over a medium heat. Stir in the four to make a thick paste and cook for 1 min. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly to a smooth sauce. Simmer for 4-5 mins until thickened. Stir in 100g cheese and cook for 1 min until melted. Remove from the heat, cover and set aside.

3. Cook the pasta to 2 mins less than pack instructions. Drain.

4. Pulse the bread to crumbs in a food processor. Tip into a bowl; stir in the remaining chopped sage and cheese.

5. Slice the sausages into 1cm-thick rounds. Tip into the sauce with the squash, pasta and tomatoes. Mix well; pour into a baking dish about 30 x 20cm. Scatter the breadcrumb mix over; nestle in the sage leaves. Bake for 10-15 mins until the cheese has melted and the topping is crisp.

Wednesday: Charred cauliflower and corn chowder

500g frozen cauliflower florets, defrosted
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp plain flour
250 floury potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 thyme sprigs
1 vegetable stock pot, made up to 400ml
400ml milk
320g frozen sweetcorn
4 spring onions, trimmed and cut into 1cm pieces
2 slices wholemeal bread
50g mature Cheddar, grated

1. Preheat the grill to high. Pat the cauliflower dry with kitchen paper and put on a baking tray. Drizzle with 1 tbsp oil, season, toss to coat, then arrange in a single layer. Grill for 10-15 mins, turning halfway, until golden brown and lightly charred at the edges. Transfer to a plate.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Fry the onion for 6-8 mins until tender, then stir in the flour, potatoes, garlic and thyme. Fry for 2 mins

3. Add the stock, milk and half the sweetcorn to the pan. Simmer over a medium heat for 15-20 mins until the potatoes are tender; season well. Discard the thyme sprigs.

4. Add the remaining sweetcorn and the spring onions to the baking tray and grill for 6-8 mins until the sweetcorn is lightly charred. Grill the bread for 1 min each side. Sprinkle over the cheese and grill for 2 mins until bubbling. Cut into croutons.

5. Stir the grilled cauliflower into the chowder and season to taste. Divide between 4 bowls, then scatter with the charred corn, spring onions and croutons.

Thursday: Red lentil and carrot dhal with spiced sprouts

3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 red onions, finely sliced
15g fresh ginger, grated
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tbsp garam masala
3 carrots, grated400g tin chopped tomatoes
250g red split lentils1 vegetable stock pot, made up to 1ltr
350g Brussels sprouts, quartered300g long-grain rice
1/2 lemon, cut into wedges

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Fry the onions for 10-15 mins until caramelised. Put half on a plate lined with kitchen paper. Fry the ginger and garlic for 1 min. Stir in 2 tbsp garam masala and the carrots; fry for 5 mins.

2. Stir in the tomatoes, lentils and stock; season. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 mins, stirring frequently, until the lentils become creamy. Add a splash of water if it starts to stick.

3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C. Toss the Brussels sprouts with the remaining oil and garam masala on a baking tray; season. Roast for 15 mins until tender.

4. Wash the rice in a sieve until the water runs clear. Tip into a medium, lidded saucepan with 600ml water. Bring to a simmer over a medium- high heat; as soon as it starts to bubble, turn the heat to very low and cover for 10-12 mins until the water has been absorbed. Divide between bowls, spoon over the dhal, then top with the sprouts and any oil. Scatter with the reserved onions and serve with lemon wedges.

Friday: Tuna and sweetcorn pot pie

1kg floury potatoes,, cut into wedges
2 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
1 rosemary sprig, needles picked and chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
50g buttery spread
50g plain flour
600ml milk, plus 1 tbsp
2 x 145g tins tuna in brine, drained
320g frozen sweetcorn, defrosted
4 spring onions, finely chopped
375g pack lighter puff pastry
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets

1. Preheat the oven to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C. Toss the potatoes, herbs and oil together on a large baking tray; season. Arrange in a single layer and roast for 30-35 mins, turning halfway, until golden.

2. Meanwhile, melt the spread in a large saucepan until foaming. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 min. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly to a smooth sauce. Cook for 2-3 mins until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.

3. Stir in the tuna, sweetcorn and spring onions. Heat for 5-6 mins until piping hot. Add a splash more milk if the sauce thickens too much. Transfer to a 20cm round pie dish about 7cm deep (or a 20 x 15cm rectangular one with a lip).

4. Unroll the pastry over the pie dish. Trim any excess over the sides and crimp the edges with a fork. Brush with 1 tbsp milk and cut a steam hole in the middle. Decorate with the offcuts, if you like, brushing with milk. Bake for 20-25 mins alongside the potatoes until the pastry is golden brown.

5. When the pie and potatoes have 10 mins remaining, cook the broccoli in a pan of boiling water for 6-8 mins until tender. Drain well and serve with the pot pie and herby wedges.

Shopping list

1 Tesco lemons
30g pack roasting herbs
15g fresh ginger
1 garlic bulb
100g bunch spring onions
1kg pack Redmere Farms red onions
2.5kg pack all rounder potatoes
3 carrots
1 butternut squash
1 head broccoli
250g Nightingale Farms cherry tomatoes
500g pack Redmere Farms sprouts unpeeled
220g pack Redmere Farms green beans
500g pack Tesco buttery spread 30% less fat
300ml pot 50% less fat crème fraîche
400g pack Creamfields lighter mature cheddar
375g pack puff pastry ready-rolled
4 pints semi-skimmed milk
640g pack frozen chicken breast fillets
8 pack Woodside Farms pork sausages
100g pack East End garam masala powder
4 pack Knorr vegetable stock pots
2 x 145g tins Stockwell & Co. tuna chunks in brine
400g tin Grower's Harvest chopped tomatoes
500g pack Tesco red split lentils
1kg pack Grower's Harvest long-grain rice
500g pack Heart Food Co. penne
800g loaf HW Nevill's wholemeal bread
900g pack frozen cauliflower florets
907g pack Grower's Harvest frozen sweetcorn

+ From the storecupboard:
Olive oil

*Based on a family of four. Total cost is based on online prices at the time of publishing and is subject to change. Dependent on product availability, total basket price online may change due to substitutions.

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