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5 easy family dinners for £25: Week 2

Midweek meals just got easier – we've selected 5 great dinner recipes so you can feed the whole family for less than £25*, and what's more, they're really easy to throw together on busy weeknights. There's a handy shopping list at the bottom of the page too, with all you'll need.

  1. Monday: Courgette, ricotta and chilli spaghetti

    Monday: Courgette, ricotta and chilli spaghetti

    400g spaghetti
    1 garlic clove, crushed
    250g ricotta
    1 large courgette, grated
    330g cherry tomatoes, quartered
    ½ lemon, zested
    2 tsp crushed chillies, plus extra to serve

    1. Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling water for 9 mins. Drain, reserving a few tbsp of the cooking water, and return to the pan.

    2. Meanwhile, mix together the garlic and ricotta in a small bowl with a good grinding of black pepper. Stir through the cooked spaghetti, adding a little of the reserved cooking water if needed so that the ricotta just coats the pasta.

    3. Add the courgette, tomatoes, lemon zest and crushed chillies. Mix gently to combine, then divide between serving dishes, sprinkled with extra crushed chillies, if you like.

  2. Tuesday: Lemon and garlic chicken strips with broccoli slaw

    Tuesday: Lemon and garlic chicken strips with broccoli slaw

    750g pack chicken thighs, skin and bone removed, meat sliced into 1cm strips
    1 lemon, zested and juiced
    3 garlic cloves, crushed
    1 tbsp olive oil
    2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
    For the slaw
    ½ Savoy cabbage, finely shredded
    ½ loose broccoli head, finely chopped
    2 Granny Smith apples, cored and thinly sliced
    1 red onion, finely sliced
    ½ lemon, juiced
    200g 0% fat Greek-style yogurt

    1. Put the chicken strips in a bowl with the lemon zest and juice, 2 garlic cloves, the oil and half the mustard. Leave to marinate for 20 mins.

    2. Meanwhile, make the slaw. Put the cabbage, broccoli, apples and red onion in a large bowl. In a jug, mix the remaining mustard and garlic, the lemon juice, yogurt and 100ml water; season. Pour into the bowl and toss to coat.

    3. Heat a large nonstick frying pan over a high heat. Add the chicken strips and any leftover marinade and fry for 10 mins, stirring regularly, until cooked through and golden. Serve with the slaw.

  3. Wednesday: Sausage and cannellini bean casserole

    Wednesday: Sausage and cannellini bean casserole

    1 tbsp olive oil
    8 reduced-fat pork sausages
    1 onion, finely chopped
    1 celery stick, finely chopped
    1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
    2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
    400g tin chopped tomatoes
    400ml chicken stock (made up with ½ stock cube)
    1 tsp smoked paprika
    400g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
    100g fresh greens, thinly sliced, woody stems removed

    1. Heat the oil in a large, lidded nonstick frying pan or flameproof casserole dish over a medium-high heat. Add the sausages and cook for 5 mins, turning frequently, until browned all over. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.

    2. Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic to the pan. Cook over a medium-high heat for 10 mins until softened and lightly golden. Return the sausages to the pan along with the tinned tomatoes, stock and smoked paprika. Season lightly and stir. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20 mins until the sauce has thickened slightly.

    3. Stir in the beans and greens, then cover and simmer for a further 5 mins until the greens have softened. Spoon into bowls and grind over some black pepper to serve.

  4. Thursday: Pea and mint spaghetti

    Thursday: Pea and mint spaghetti

    400g spaghetti
    400g frozen garden peas
    40g grated pecorino cheese, plus extra to serve
    2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
    2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
    ½ x 30g pack fresh mint, leaves picked

    1. Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling water for 9 mins. Drain, reserving a few tbsp of the cooking water, and return to the pan.

    2. Meanwhile, cook the peas in a small pan of boiling water for 2 mins or until tender. Drain, then set aside a quarter of the peas. Put the remaining peas in a food processor (or use a stick blender) along with the cheese, garlic, oil and most of the mint; season. Blitz together, adding a little water if needed to create a thick, sauce-like consistency.

    3. Stir the pea sauce and reserved peas through the pasta until fully coated, adding a little of the reserved pasta cooking water if needed to loosen. Divide between serving dishes and top with the reserved mint leaves and some extra cheese.

  5. Friday: Barbecued spinach and cheese flatbreads

    Friday: Barbecued spinach and cheese flatbreads

    900g frozen leaf spinach, defrosted
    2 tbsp olive oil
    1 onion, finely chopped
    2 garlic cloves, crushed
    1 lemon, ½ zested and juiced, ½ cut into wedges
    150g lighter Greek salad cheese, crumbled
    3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
    1 tbsp chopped coriander
    8 white tortilla wraps
    little gem lettuce, to serve

    1. Taking handfuls of spinach, squeeze out as much water as you can and pat dry on clean kitchen paper. Finely chop.

    2. In a frying pan set over a medium heat, add half the oil and fry the onion, garlic and lemon zest for 10 minutes, until softened and lightly golden. Stir in the spinach and cook for 2 minutes until hot, then add the cheese and remove from the heat. Mix well, season then set aside.

    3. In a bowl, combine the tomatoes and coriander and stir in 2 tsp lemon juice and the remaining oil; season to taste.

    4. Preheat the barbecue or a large griddle pan. Spread a wrap with a quarter of the spinach and cheese mix and top with a second wrap, pressing down firmly. Cook on the hot barbecue or pan for 3-4 minutes each side, until charred and heated through. Repeat until you have 4 filled wraps.

    5. Slice the wraps into wedges and serve with the salsa, lettuce and lemon.

  6. Shopping list

    1 bag Suntrail Farms lemons
    6-pack Tesco Granny Smith apples
    30g pack Tesco fresh mint
    30g pack Tesco fresh coriander
    1 Tesco garlic bulb
    2 Tesco onions
    1 Tesco red onion
    1 Tesco carrot
    1 pack Tesco Little Gem lettuces
    330g pack Tesco cherry tomatoes
    6-pack Tesco salad tomatoes
    1 large Tesco courgette
    1 pack Nightingale Farms celery
    1 Tesco Savoy cabbage
    1 Tesco loose broccoli
    500g pack Redmere Farms fresh greens
    454g pack Tesco reduced-fat pork sausages
    750g pack Willow Farms chicken thighs
    200g pot Tesco 0% fat Greek-style yogurt
    200g Tesco lighter Greek salad cheese
    250g pot Tesco ricotta
    50g pack Tesco grated pecorino cheese
    8-pack Tesco plain tortilla wraps
    400g tin Grower's Harvest chopped tomatoes
    400g tin Tesco cannellini beans
    180g jar Tesco wholegrain mustard
    250ml bottle Tesco extra-virgin olive oil
    2 x 500g packs Hearty Food Co. spaghetti
    28g pot Tesco crushed chillies
    48g pot Tesco smoked paprika
    900g Tesco frozen spinach
    900g pack Grower's Harvest garden peas

    +From your storecupboard:
    olive oil, chicken stock cube

    *Based on a family of four. Total cost based on online prices at time of publishing; subject to change