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5 easy family dinners for £25: Week 6

Packed with variety and coming in at less than £25*, our collection of fuss-free family dinners will definitely take the stress out of busy weeknights. The handy shopping list at the bottom of the page makes it so easy to enjoy home-cooked pastas, casseroles, pilafs and more with the whole family.

  1. Monday: Courgette, ricotta and chilli spaghetti

    Monday: Courgette, ricotta and chilli spaghetti

    400g spaghetti
    1 garlic clove, crushed
    250g pot 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: Beef keema

    Tuesday: Beef keema

    500g pack Boswell Farms beef mince 20% fat
    ½ onion, finely chopped
    3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
    3cm piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
    15g fresh coriander, leaves and stalks chopped separately
    2 tbsp medium tikka curry powder
    400g tin Grower's Harvest chopped tomatoes
    1 reduced-salt beef stock cube, made up to 200ml
    200g Grower's Harvest long-grain rice
    200g pot 0% fat natural yogurt
    200g frozen peas, blanched

    1. Heat a large nonstick frying pan over a high heat. Add half the mince and stir-fry for 3-4 mins until browned. Tip into a colander placed over a bowl to drain. Repeat with the remaining mince.

    2. Return the strained meat juices to the pan and reduce the heat to low-medium. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook for 6-8 mins until softened. Stir in the coriander stalks and tikka powder and cook for 2-3 mins, stirring, until fragrant.

    3. Return the browned mince to the pan and add the tomatoes and stock; season. Bring to the boil, then simmer, uncovered, for 20 mins, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cook the rice to pack instructions.

    4. After 20 mins, stir in 1 tbsp of yogurt, the peas and half the coriander leaves. Cook for 2 mins, then taste and season if needed. Scatter with the remaining coriander, then serve with the rice and a spoonful of yogurt.

  3. Wednesday: Courgette, pea and lemon pilaf

    Wednesday: Courgette, pea and lemon pilaf

    1 tbsp olive oil
    2 large Redmere Farms courgettes, diced
    1 large onion, finely chopped
    3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
    300g Grower's Harvest long-grain rice
    1 lemon, zested and juiced
    1 vegetable stock cube, made up to 600ml
    150g Grower's Harvest frozen garden peas
    ¼ x 190g jar spinach and ricotta pesto (or green pesto)
    10g fresh mint, leaves only, finely chopped
    100g Redmere Farms spinach

    1. Heat the oil in a large, deep, lidded frying pan over a medium heat. Add the courgette and fry for 3-4 mins until just tender and starting to brown, then transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon. Return the pan to a low heat, add the onion, cover and cook gently for 6 mins. Stir in the garlic and cook, uncovered, for 2 mins. Add the rice and lemon zest and stir to coat.

    2. Pour in the stock, stir once and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer over a low heat for 10 mins. Add the peas and reserved courgette, then cook, covered, for 5 mins more, or until the rice is completely tender and the stock has been absorbed.

    3. Use a fork to stir through the pesto, lemon juice and most of the mint; season well. Cover and set aside for 5 mins to let the rice fluff up. Stir in the spinach and scatter with the remaining mint to serve.

  4. Thursday: Sausage and cannellini bean casserole

    Thursday: 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.

  5. Friday: Loaded fish burritos

    Friday: Loaded fish burritos

    10 frozen fish fingers
    4 plain tortilla wraps
    150g Grower's Harvest long-grain rice
    1 tbsp olive oil
    1 large onion, finely sliced
    250g sweet peppers, sliced
    395g tin taco mixed beans
    ¼ tsp crushed chillies
    100g Redmere Farms spinach

    1. Cook the fish fingers to pack instructions, adding the wraps for the last 5 mins.

    2. Meanwhile, cook the rice to pack instructions; drain, cover, set aside.

    3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the onion for 10 mins until soft, then increase the heat to high, add the peppers and stir-fry for 5 mins. Stir in the beans and chillies, and cook for 2 mins to heat through. Stir in 50g spinach and let it wilt.

    4. Pile the rice into the centre of each wrap and spoon over the bean mixture. Slice the fish fingers into pieces and pile on top. Scatter over the remaining spinach, then roll up and slice in half to serve.

  6. Shopping list

    2 Tesco lemons
    30g pack fresh coriander
    30g pack Tesco fresh mint
    1 Tesco garlic bulb
    3cm piece Tesco fresh ginger
    4 Tesco brown onions
    1 Tesco carrot
    330g pack Tesco cherry tomatoes
    250g pack Redmere Farms spinach
    500g pack Redmere Farms fresh greens
    1 pack Nightingale Farms celery
    500g pack Tesco sweet peppers
    350g pack Redmere Farms courgettes
    1 Tesco courgette
    500g pack Boswell Farms 20% fat beef mince
    454g pack 8 Tesco reduced-fat pork sausages
    250g pot Tesco ricotta
    200g pot Tesco 0% fat natural yogurt
    8-pack Tesco plain tortilla wraps
    2 x 400g tins Grower's Harvest chopped tomatoes
    395g tin Tesco taco mixed beans
    400g tin Tesco cannellini beans
    190g jar Tesco spinach and ricotta pesto
    500g pack Hearty Food Co. spaghetti
    1kg pack Grower's Harvest long-grain rice
    28g pot Tesco crushed chillies
    80g pot Tesco medium tikka curry powder
    48g pot Tesco smoked paprika
    300g pack Tesco frozen omega fish fingers
    900g pack Grower's Harvest frozen garden peas

    +From your storecupboard:
    chicken stock cube, olive oil, reduced-salt beef stock cube, vegetable stock cube

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