5 easy family dinners for £25 - Gochujang chicken noodle salad, BLT panzanella, spicy swede burritos...

Monday: Gochujang chicken noodle salad

45g gochujang paste
4 tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
pinch of caster sugar
900g-1.2kg pack chicken drumsticks
400g frozen sweetcorn
250g pack dried egg noodles
1 carrot, scrubbed and peeled into ribbons
1 cucumber, peeled into ribbons, seeds discarded
4 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 lime, zested and juiced

1. Preheat the oven to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C. Whisk the gochujang paste with 2 tbsp soy sauce, the oil, garlic and a pinch of sugar. Pour over the chicken in a roasting tin; turn to coat. Roast for 35-40 mins, turning halfway, until cooked through.

2. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over a high heat. Add the sweetcorn, stirring until it stops steaming. Use a spatula to press down on the corn for 30 secs. Stir and repeat for 6-7 mins until charred. Season with black pepper and set aside.

3. Cook the noodles to pack instructions, then run under cold water to cool. Add to a bowl with the carrot and cucumber, and most of the spring onions.

4. Remove the chicken from the bones and chop. Pour the tin juices into a jug, then whisk in the rest of the soy sauce, lime zest and juice. Add to a mixing bowl with the chicken and sweetcorn. Mix well and scatter with the remaining spring onions to serve.

Wednesday: BLT panzanella

1 white baton, cut into 2cm pieces
3½ tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
250g pack cherry tomatoes, halved
1 red onion, finely sliced
400g tin chickpeas, drained
2 lemons, zested and juiced
250g cooking bacon, cut into 5mm pieces
130g pack shredded iceberg lettuce
10g fresh basil, roughly chopped

1. Preheat the oven to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C. Cut the bread into rough 2cm pieces and add to a roasting tray. Whisk 1½ tbsp oil in a jug with the garlic; season with pepper then pour over the bread and mix to coat. Bake for 12-15 mins, until golden and crispy. Set aside to cool slightly.

2. Meanwhile, add the tomatoes, onion, chickpeas, lemon zest and juice and remaining 2 tbsp oil to a large mixing bowl. Season, stir then set aside.

3. Heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the bacon for 6-8 mins, until deep golden and crispy. If it starts to release moisture, increase the heat until it evaporates. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper and set aside to cool slightly.

4. Add the bread, bacon, lettuce and basil to the mixing bowl and toss everything together to serve.

Use it up: Freeze the remaining bacon and use it instead of pancetta in the base of a Bolognese or a carbonara.

Friday: Creamy lemon and prawn spaghetti

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 reduced-salt vegetable stock cube, made up to 400ml
100g soft cheese
350g spaghetti
125g baby spinach
250g pack frozen cold-water prawns, defrosted and drained
25g pecorino
10g fresh basil, roughly chopped

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat then fry the onion with a pinch of salt for 5-6 mins, until golden brown. Add the garlic and lemon zest and cook, stirring, for 2 mins, then add the stock and soft cheese. Season, bring to a simmer then bubble for 12-15 mins, until reduced.

2. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti to pack instructions. About 3 mins before it’s ready, add the spinach and defrosted prawns to the sauce; cook until the spinach has wilted and the prawns are piping hot. Stir through the pecorino.

3. Drain the pasta, reserving 100ml cooking water. Add the pasta to the sauce, tossing to coat, then stir through the lemon juice, basil and a splash of pasta water to loosen. Divide between plates and add a grinding of black pepper to serve.