5 easy family dinners for £25 - Spiced sweet potato soup, Cheesy tuna melt wedges, Crispy gnocchi bake...

Monday: Spiced sweet potato soup

3 tbsp olive oil
1 large or 2 small red onions, chopped
1 carrot, scrubbed and chopped
15g ginger, finely grated
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2½ tsp ground cumin
500g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm pieces
1 vegetable stock pot, made up to 650ml
1 orange, juiced
400g chickpeas, drained and patted dry
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 spring onions, sliced
½ crusty cob, sliced

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large, lidded saucepan over a medium heat and fry the onions and carrot for 5 mins. Add the ginger, garlic and 2 tsp cumin; fry for another 2 mins or until softened and lightly golden. Stir in the sweet potatoes and cook for 2-3 mins until coated in the spiced oil and starting to soften.

2. Add the stock and orange juice; season to taste. Bring to the boil, then simmer, covered, for 15-20 mins until the sweet potato is very soft. Blitz with a stick blender until smooth.

3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the chickpeas, remaining cumin and the fennel seeds; stir until coated. Fry for 6-8 mins until crisp.

4. Divide the soup between warmed bowls and scatter over the crispy chickpeas along with a drizzle of the spiced oil. Scatter with the spring onions and then serve with the crusty bread.

Wednesday: Crispy gnocchi, broccoli and cheese bake

1 tbsp olive oil
500g pack gnocchi
½ head of broccoli, cut into florets
½ sweetheart cabbage, sliced
300g frozen peas
25g plain flour
400ml skimmed milk
1 lemon, zested
90g Free From green pesto
100g grated lighter Cheddar

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the gnocchi and fry for 6-8 mins, stirring regularly, until golden brown and crisp. Remove from the heat.

2. Meanwhile, cook the broccoli and cabbage for 5 mins in a pan of simmering water, then add the peas and cook for another 2 mins. Drain well.

3. Heat the grill to high. Whisk the four with a splash of the milk in a jug until smooth, add the remaining milk, then pour into a fameproof, shallow casserole dish or ovenproof, deep frying pan. Cook over a medium heat for 5-6 mins, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (it will thicken more as the cheese is added). Stir in the lemon zest, pesto and 75g cheese. Mix for 1 min to melt the cheese, then stir in the blanched veg and gnocchi to coat; season. Scatter over the remaining cheese and grill for 5 mins until golden and bubbling.

Friday: Chicken, broccoli and orange couscous

900g chicken wings
½ head of broccoli, cut into florets
1 large or 2 small red onions, cut into thin wedges
1 tbsp olive oil
2 oranges, zested and sliced
1 tbsp fennel seeds
2 tsp ground cumin
250g couscous
1 chicken stock pot, made up to 500ml
2 spring onions, finely sliced

1. Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Tip the chicken, broccoli, onions, oil, orange slices, fennel seeds and cumin into a large roasting tin; season with pepper. Toss to coat everything well in the oil and spices. Roast for 30-35 mins until the chicken is cooked through, and the onions and broccoli are tender.

2. Scatter the couscous into the tin. Stir the orange zest into the stock and pour over. Mix well so the couscous is submerged, then stir to make sure the chicken wings are on top. Bake for another 5-10 mins until the couscous is tender and the stock has been absorbed. Top with the spring onions to serve.