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5 easy family dinners for £25 – Green biryani, tagine traybake, coconut-crusted fish...

From a coconut-crusted fish to a quick veggie spaghetti, enjoy five delicious midweek meals, all for less than £25*. We've done the hard work for you and prepared a shopping list, shown at the bottom of the page – you can either shop online, choose Click+Collect or screenshot the list before you head in-store.

  1. Monday: Coconut-crusted fish with saag aloo

    Monday: Coconut-crusted fish with saag aloo

    1kg potatoes, peeled and cut into 3cm chunks
    70g wholewheat couscous
    2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing
    2 tbsp medium curry powder, plus 1 tsp
    20g desiccated coconut
    520g pack frozen white fish fillets
    15g fresh coriander, chopped
    3 garlic cloves, crushed
    750g frozen spinach
    1 reduced-salt vegetable stock cube, made up to 250ml

    1 lemon, juiced

    1. Boil the potatoes for 10 mins until tender. Drain and set aside to steam-dry in a colander. Preheat the oven to gas 5, 190°C, fan 170°C.

    2. Meanwhile, mix the couscous in a heatproof bowl with ½ tbsp oil, 1 tsp curry powder and the desiccated coconut. Pour over 100ml boiling water, cover and set aside for 5 mins.

    3. Put the fish fillets on a lightly greased nonstick baking sheet. Fluff up the couscous with a fork, stir in half the coriander, then spread the mix on the fish. Bake for 20 mins until the fish is cooked through, then heat the grill to high. Grill for 3-4 mins until the couscous is crisp.

    4. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large, lidded, nonstick pan over a medium heat. Fry the garlic and remaining curry powder for 1 min. Add the potatoes and fry for 2-3 mins until well coated; add the spinach and stock. Cover; steam for 5-10 mins until the spinach is defrosted. Remove the lid, stir well and cook for another 2-3 mins to thicken the sauce. Stir in the lemon juice. Serve alongside the coconut- crusted fish, scattered with the remaining coriander.

  2. Tuesday: Lemony pea spaghetti

    Tuesday: Lemony pea spaghetti

    350g spaghetti
    450g frozen peas
    1 ciabatta roll
    2 tbsp olive oil
    2 garlic cloves, crushed
    1 lemon, zested and juiced
    15g fresh parsley, finely chopped

    50g spring onions, sliced
    120g Creamfields soft cheese

    1. Cook the spaghetti to pack instructions, adding the peas for the last 3 mins. Drain well, reserving 150ml of the cooking water.

    2. Meanwhile, blitz the roll in a food processor to make breadcrumbs. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the garlic for 1 min, then add the breadcrumbs. Toast for 3-4 mins, stirring frequently, until crunchy. Stir in the lemon zest and half the parsley; season, then transfer to a bowl and leave to cool.

    3. Heat the remaining oil in the frying pan over a medium heat and fry the spring onions for 2-3 mins until soft. Add the soft cheese and 100ml of the reserved pasta water and stir well. Leave to bubble for 2 mins.

    4. Toss the pasta and peas into the creamy sauce, then stir in the lemon juice and remaining parsley. Add a splash more of the reserved pasta water if you prefer a thinner sauce. Season, then serve with the lemony crumbs scattered over the top.

  3. Wednesday: Chicken tagine traybake

    Wednesday: Chicken tagine traybake

    2 tbsp olive oil
    2 tbsp ras el hanout
    2 lemons, zested and juiced
    900g pack chicken drumsticks
    2 carrots, peeled and cut into small chunks
    1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
    200g wholewheat couscous
    15g fresh parsley, leaves and stalks separated and finely chopped
    1 reduced-salt vegetable or chicken stock cube, made up to 450ml
    70g pouch pitted green olives with basil & garlic

    1. Preheat the oven to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C. Whisk the olive oil, ras el hanout, lemon zest and juice in a large bowl; season. Reserve the lemon halves. Toss the chicken to coat in the mix, then transfer to a large roasting tin with any leftover marinade. Add the carrots, onion and juiced lemon halves and mix well. Roast for 25 mins.

    2. Pour 150ml water into the tin (to stop the marinade burning) and roast for another 10 mins or until the chicken is cooked through and the veg is tender. Meanwhile, mix the couscous with the chopped parsley stalks and pour over the stock. Cover and set aside for 10 mins.

    3. Remove the lemon halves from the roasting tin. Add the couscous and olives to the tin and squeeze over the roasted lemon halves; discard. Mix well, scraping any sticky roasted bits from the tin into the couscous. Scatter with the parsley leaves to serve.

  4. Thursday: Tuna and butter bean pie

    Thursday: Tuna and butter bean pie

    700g potatoes, peeled and cut into 5mm slices
    500g jar creamy tomato & herb pasta bake sauce
    2 x 145g tins tuna chunks in brine, drained
    400g tin butter beans, drained and rinsed
    50g spring onions, sliced
    1 tsp olive oil
    450g frozen broccoli 

    1. Put the potato slices in a pan and cover with cold water. Simmer for 10-15 mins until just tender but still holding their shape. Drain; set aside to dry. Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C.

    2. Mix the pasta sauce, tuna, butter beans and spring onions in a bowl; season. Don’t overmix or break up the tuna too much, you just want everything to be coated in the sauce. Tip into a medium baking dish (about 15 x 25cm) with enough space to fit the potatoes on top.

    3. Layer the potatoes over the pie filling, overlapping the slices a little, until completely covered. Brush with the oil and bake for 25-30 mins until golden, crisp and the edges are bubbling. For a really crispy topping, finish under the grill for 5 mins.

    4. Meanwhile, boil the broccoli for 4-5 mins until tender. Drain well, then serve with the pie.

  5. Friday: Green biryani with crispy onions

    Friday: Green biryani with crispy onions

    300g long-grain rice, rinsed
    3 tbsp vegetable oil
    2 onions, finely sliced
    2 garlic cloves, crushed
    2 tbsp medium curry powder
    150g frozen spinach
    450g frozen peas
    450g frozen broccoli
    400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
    15g fresh coriander, roughly chopped

    1. Wash the rice really well in a sieve until the water runs clear. Leave in a bowl to soak in more cold water while you fry the onions.

    2. Heat the oil in a large, lidded saucepan over a medium-high heat. Fry the onions with a pinch of salt for 20 mins, stirring frequently, until golden and crispy, but make sure they don’t catch. Transfer to a plate, leaving the oil behind. Stir the garlic and curry powder into the oil and fry for 1 min until fragrant.

    3. Drain the rice, then tip into the pan, tossing the grains in the oil to toast. Add the spinach, peas, broccoli and chickpeas and pour over 600ml boiling water. Stir well to pick up any spices stuck to the bottom of the pan, then season. Bring to the boil (this will take about 10 mins), then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 10 mins. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for 5 mins (uncovered if there’s still some liquid in the bottom; covered if it’s dry). Fluff up the rice with a fork and stir in most of the coriander and crispy onions. To serve, scatter with the remaining onions and coriander.

  6. Shopping list

    Head to Tesco.com for a shopping list where you can buy everything you need for this week.

    Shopping list

    1 bag Suntrail Farms lemons
    30g pack Tesco fresh coriander
    30g pack Tesco fresh flat-leaf parsley
    1 Tesco garlic bulb
    2.5kg bag Redmere Farms white potatoes
    70g pouch Tesco pitted green olives with basil & garlic
    100g bunch Tesco spring onions
    2 Tesco carrots
    2 Tesco brown onions
    1 Tesco red onion
    900g pack Willow Farm chicken drumsticks
    200g pack Creamfields soft cheese
    1 Tesco ciabatta roll
    200g pack East End desiccated coconut
    500g jar Tesco creamy tomato & herb pasta bake sauce
    400g tin Tesco butter beans
    400g tin Tesco chickpeas
    2 x 145g tins Stockwell & Co. tuna chunks in brine
    500g pack Hearty Food Co. spaghetti
    1kg bag Grower’s Harvest long-grain rice
    500g pack Tesco wholewheat couscous
    80g pot Tesco medium curry powder
    50g jar Tesco ras el hanout seasoning
    900g pack Tesco frozen leaf spinach
    900g pack Tesco frozen broccoli florets
    900g pack Grower’s Harvest frozen garden peas
    520g pack Bay Fishmonger frozen white fish fillets

    + From the storecupboard:
    Olive oil, reduced salt vegetable or chicken stock cubes, vegetable 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.