A collection of quick, hearty meals with fewer ingredients, which you can make without having to do a big shop
Creamy squash linguine
The oven will take most of the strain for this easy vegan pasta dish, and the silky squash makes it feel luxurious and comforting.
■ Serves 4 ■ Prep 5 mins
■ Cook 1 hr
350g chopped butternut squash 3 garlic cloves, peeled 350g linguine small handful of sage
1 Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the squash and garlic on a baking tray and drizzle with 3 tbsp olive oil. Roast for 35-40 mins until soft. Season to taste.
2 Cook the pasta following pack instructions. Drain, reserving the water. Use a stick blender to whizz the squash with 400ml cooking water. Heat a little more oil in a frying pan, fry the sage until crisp, then drain on kitchen paper.
3 Tip the pasta and sauce into the pan and warm through. Scatter with the crisp sage leaves and crack over some black pepper, if you like.
PER SERVING 441 kcals, fat 11g, saturates 2g, carbs 71g, sugars 5g, fibre 6g, protein 12g, salt none
Roast chicken traybake
■ Serves 4-6 ■ Prep 10 mins plus resting
■ Cook 1 hr 20 mins
1.5kg whole chicken 600g frozen mixed roasted veg 2 x 400g cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 145g fresh pesto 400g cherry tomatoes on the vine
1 Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Rub the chicken with a little oil, then generously season the skin and inside the cavity with salt and black pepper. Arrange the veg in a large roasting tin and toss with 3 tbsp olive oil and sit the chicken on top. Roast for 1 hr, uncovered.
2 Tip the beans and pesto into the tin and stir through the veg. Add 150ml water and top with the tomatoes. Return the tin to the oven and cook for a further 20 mins, or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear.
3 Remove from the oven, cover loosely with foil and rest for 20 mins before carving and serving.
PER SERVING (6) 550 kcals, fat 33g, saturates 8g, carbs 22g, sugars 7g, fibre 6g, protein 37g, salt 0.9g
Prawn curry in a hurry
You could also make this with smaller, sweeter North Atlantic prawns.
■ Serves 2 (easily halved or doubled)
■ Prep 5 mins plus resting ■ Cook 10 mins (if using raw prawns)
2 tbsp balti curry paste 1 onion, finely sliced 200g large raw or cooked prawns, defrosted if frozen 400g can chopped tomatoes with garlic large bunch of coriander, leaves and stalks chopped
1 Drizzle some oil from the curry paste jar into a wok or
