5 easy family dinners for £25 - June week 1

Monday: Baked ratatouille with butterbean mash

2 courgettes, sliced into 1cm rounds
3 peppers, deseeded and cut into bite-sized chunks
3 red onions, thickly sliced
250g salad tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp herbes de Provence
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 x 400g tins butter beans, drained and rinsed
10g fresh basil

1. Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Toss the courgettes, peppers, onions and vine tomatoes with 1 tbsp oil, the herbs and garlic in a large roasting dish; season. Bake for 15 mins, then stir in the tinned tomatoes.

2. Bake for 20-25 mins until the veg is tender and jam-like. Scoop out the garlic and squeeze into a saucepan, discarding the papery skins. Add 50ml water, 1 tbsp oil and the beans; heat through over a low heat for 5 mins. Mash or blitz in a food processor until thick and creamy, adding a little more water if needed.

3. Divide the mash between 4 plates and spoon over the ratatouille. Tear over the basil leaves to serve.

Wednesday: Courgette and fish pilaf

3 tbsp olive oil
3 red onions, thinly sliced
2 courgettes
4 frozen white fish fillets
300g long-grain rice, rinsed and drained well
1 reduced-salt vegetable (or fish) stock cube, made up to 600ml
50g reduced-salt pitted green olives, finely chopped
15g fresh parsley, finely chopped
20g fresh basil, finely chopped
½ lemon, zested and juiced
1 tsp Dijon mustard

1. Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large, lidded saucepan over a medium heat and cook the onions, stirring, for 15-20 mins until really soft.

2. Meanwhile, peel about 24 long ribbons of courgette with a veg peeler, reserving the trimmings. Season the fish and wrap with the courgette ribbons, overlapping slightly to cover the whole fillet. Place on a lined baking tray, brush with ½ tbsp oil and set aside.

3. Roughly chop the courgette trimmings, then add to the onions with the rice and stir well. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for 10 mins. Remove from the heat and leave to steam for 10 mins without removing the lid.

4. Meanwhile, once the rice is simmering, bake the fish for 20 mins or until cooked through.

5. Mix the olives with the herbs, lemon zest and a squeeze of juice (to taste), the mustard, 1½ tbsp oil and 1-2 tbsp water to loosen to a thick sauce. Season with pepper, then fork half the mixture through the steamed rice. Divide between 4 plates, then top with the fish and the remaining sauce.

Friday: Roasted cauliflower tagine

1 cauliflower, trimmed and broken into florets
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp ras el hanout (or harissa seasoning)
1 carrot, sliced on the diagonal
2 red onions, thickly sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
400g tin chopped tomatoes
400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
80g reduced-salt pitted green olives, halved
200g wholewheat couscous
½ reduced-salt vegetable stock cube, made up to 250ml
120ml fat-free yogurt
15g fresh parsley, roughly chopped

1. Preheat the oven to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C. Toss the cauliflower with ½ tbsp oil and ½ tbsp ras el hanout in a baking dish, then roast for 20-25 mins until tender and golden.

2. Meanwhile, heat ½ tbsp oil in a large, lidded saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onions, carrot and garlic and cook for 5 mins, then stir in ½ tbsp ras el hanout and cook for 1 min. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, olives and 200ml boiling water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15-20 mins until the veg is cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the cauliflower.

3. Put the couscous in a heatproof bowl, pour over the stock, cover and set aside for 5 mins, then fluff up with a fork. Divide between 4 plates and top with the tagine, yogurt and parsley to serve.