5 easy family dinners for £25 - Spinach korma, chilli con carne, arrabbiata...

Monday: Arrabbiata pasta

2 tbsp olive oil
1 Redmere Farms brown onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ green chilli, deseeded and chopped
1 tsp sugar
50ml white wine vinegar
1 tbsp tomato purée
250g Nightingale Farms baby plum tomatoes, cut into quarters
300g Hearty Food Co. penne pasta
200g black pitted olives, halved
a few basil leaves, to serve
20g Tesco grated pecorino cheese, to serve

1. Put the oil, onion, garlic and chilli in a pan and fry gently over a medium heat until soft. Add the sugar and vinegar and cook until the liquid has evaporated.

2. Stir in the tomato purée and the plum tomatoes. Put a lid on the pan and simmer for 10 mins until the tomatoes start to break up.

3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta to pack instructions.

4. Mix the olives into the tomato sauce and season to taste. Drain the cooked pasta and mix through the sauce. Garnish with a few basil leaves and sprinkle over the cheese to serve.

Wednesday: Red lentil and spinach korma

2½ tbsp vegetable oil
4 small Redmere Farms red onions, 2 roughly chopped, 2 finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
250g red split lentils, rinsed
360g jar korma 2-step kit
240g Grower's Harvest long-grain rice, rinsed
125g Redmere Farms spinach
15g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
1 lemon, cut into wedges
100g low-fat natural yogurt (optional)

1. Heat ½ tbsp oil in a large, lidded saucepan over a medium heat. Fry the chopped onions for 5-7 mins until starting to soften. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 mins. Add the lentils and the spices from the korma kit and cook for 2 mins, stirring well. Add 325ml water, bring to the boil, then cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 10 mins. Add the korma sauce, cover and simmer gently for 15 mins.

2. Meanwhile, cook the rice to pack instructions; drain and set aside. Heat the remaining oil in a small frying pan over a high heat. Add the sliced onions and cook for 12-15 mins, stirring regularly, until golden and crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper; sprinkle with a little salt and set aside.

3. Once the lentils are cooked, stir through the spinach and most of the coriander. Serve with the rice, crispy onions, remaining coriander, lemon wedges and yogurt, if you like.

Friday: Easy chilli con carne

1 tbsp vegetable oil
500g pack Boswell Farms beef mince
1 onion, finely chopped
1½ Nightingale Farms peppers, deseeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
400g tin Grower’s Harvest chopped tomatoes
400g tin Grower’s Harvest red kidney beans in water
300g Grower’s Harvest long-grain rice
170g pack Hearty Food Co. garlic baguette

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based pan set over high heat. Add the mince and cook for 3-5 mins, breaking up with a spoon, until lightly browned. Season to taste.

2. Add the onion and cook for 3 mins, then stir in the peppers. Cook for 5 mins or until the vegetables are soft, then mix in the garlic.

3. Pour over the tomatoes. Cook, stirring often, until the liquid has evaporated. Then add the beans and liquid from the tin, along with 300ml water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 45 mins, topping up with water if needed.

4. Meanwhile, cook the rice and garlic baguette to pack instructions. Serve with the chilli con carne.