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10 lighter meal makeovers

Give your family favourites a fresh spin with these recipes that make the most of lean ingredients and extra veg to make them lower in calories, fat, and saturates than you might think. A great meal choice at any time, they are still packed with flavour and sure to be a new favourite in no time.

Lighter toad-in-the-hole
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Lighter toad-in-the-hole

This toad-in-the-hole recipe adds earthy sage and plenty of veg to the batter – red onions, yellow pepper, peas and tomatoes – for a lighter and more colourful dish that the whole family will love.

  1. Preheat the oven to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C. Put the flour in a bowl, season, and gradually whisk in the eggs and milk to make a smooth batter. Stir in the sage and set aside.
  2. Put the onions and pepper in a 22 x 28cm ovenproof baking dish and drizzle over the oil. Roast for 10 mins, then add the sausages, tomatoes and peas and roast for a further 10 mins. Remove from the oven, pour over the batter and cook for a further 30-35 mins until puffed and golden.
  3. Meanwhile, steam the broccoli for 5-6 mins until tender. In a small pan, mix the gravy pot with 220ml cold water and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Simmer for 1 min. Serve the toad-in-the-hole with the broccoli and gravy.

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View full recipe details
  • Ingredients
  • 100g plain flour
  • 2 free-range eggs, beaten
  • 150ml skimmed milk
  • 1 tbsp chopped sage leaves
  • 2 red onions, cut into 8 wedges each
  • 1 large yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into 8 slices
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 8 Healthy Living Cumberland sausages
  • 8 cherry tomatoes
  • 75g fresh or frozen peas, defrosted
  • 220g pack Tenderstem broccoli
  • 1 chicken gravy pot (from a 112g pack)