5 easy family dinners for £25 grill special

Monday: Smoky courgette pasta salad

350g courgettes, trimmed and sliced lengthways into 5mm-thick strips
2 tbsp olive oil
350g penne
½ lemon, zested and juiced
250g cherry tomatoes, halved
150g low-fat natural yogurt
½ garlic clove, crushed
100g salad cheese, crumbled
¼ cucumber, coarsely grated
10g fresh parsley, finely chopped

1. If using a barbecue, preheat at least 40 mins before you want to cook. It’s ready when the large flames have died down and the coals are white and ashy. Alternatively, heat a griddle pan over a high heat.

2. Put the courgette strips in a bowl and drizzle with 1 tbsp oil; season. Toss well to coat. Griddle or barbecue the courgettes for 4-5 mins each side until picking up char lines and soft throughout, working in batches if needed. Transfer to a plate. Once cool enough to handle, cut into bitesized pieces at an angle.

3. Cook the pasta to pack instructions. Drain well and rinse with a little cold water to prevent the pieces sticking together. Tip into a bowl and drizzle with 1 tbsp oil; season. Add the lemon juice and tomatoes and toss well.

4. Mash the yogurt, garlic, lemon zest and most of the salad cheese in a bowl with a fork until combined. Stir in the grated cucumber and most of the parsley.

5. Toss the charred courgette pieces into the pasta salad. Add dollops of the cucumber yogurt and top with the remaining salad cheese and parsley and a crack of black pepper. Stir the cucumber yogurt through the pasta just before serving.

Tuesday: Crispy chicken livers with spring onion noodles

380g chicken livers
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2½ tbsp clear honey
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
25g ginger, peeled and grated
250g wholewheat noodles
100g spring onions, finely sliced
2 tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce

1. Drain and pat the chicken livers dry with kitchen paper, trim off any sinew and season with black pepper. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a nonstick frying pan over a high heat and fry the livers for 8-10 mins, turning halfway, until cooked through and crisp (be careful as they may spit as they fry). Transfer to a plate.

2. Meanwhile, mix the honey, chilli, garlic and ginger with 1 tbsp water in a small saucepan over a medium low heat. Cook for 5-6 mins until thickened and fragrant. Brush most of the glaze over the resting chicken livers.

3. Cook the noodles to pack instructions, drain well, then return to the pan with the heat off . Toss through most of the spring onion and drizzle in the soy sauce. Divide between 4 bowls. Slice the chicken livers and divide between the bowls. Drizzle over the remaining sweet chilli sauce and scatter with the remaining spring onions.

Wednesday: Pepper, houmous and turkey burgers

500g new potatoes, halved if large
500g turkey breast mince
1 egg yolk
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 lemon, zested and juiced
10g fresh parsley, finely chopped
3½ tbsp olive oil
2 peppers, halved and deseeded
100g houmous
125g baby spinach
½ medium red onion, finely sliced
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp clear honey
4 white batch rolls

1. Preheat the barbecue 40 mins before cooking. It’s ready when the flames have died down and the coals are white and ashy. Alternatively, preheat the grill to high.

2. Boil the potatoes for 20 mins in salted water until tender, then drain. Put the mince, egg yolk, garlic, lemon zest and parsley in a bowl with some seasoning. Mash with clean, slightly oiled hands to combine, then form into 4 burger patties.

3. Use 1 tbsp oil to brush the patties on both sides, and brush the pepper halves with another ½ tbsp oil; season. Cook for 6-8 mins each side until the burger are cooked through and the peppers are softened.

4. Whisk the remaining 2 tbsp oil with the mustard, honey and lemon juice in a bowl. Add 100g spinach and the potatoes; toss to coat.

5. Split the rolls and grill for 30 secs until golden. Load the bases with 1 heaped tbsp of houmous, the spinach leaves, red onion, pepper, burgers and the bun lids. Serve with the dressed spinach and potatoes.

Thursday: Charred greens and tuna niçoise

500g new potatoes
4 eggs
220g green beans
2½ tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
5g fresh oregano, leaves picked and finely chopped
1 red onion, finely sliced
1 pepper, deseeded and sliced
½ cucumber, finely sliced into halfmoons
100g baby spinach
2 x 145g tins tuna in brine, drained

1. If using the barbecue, preheat at least 40 mins before cooking. It’s ready when the large flames have died down and the coals are white and ashy. Alternatively, heat a griddle pan over a high heat.

2. Boil the potatoes for 20-25 mins until tender, adding the eggs for the last 6 mins of cooking. Rinse the eggs under cold water, then peel. Drain the potatoes and cut into quarters.

3. Put the green beans in a bowl with ½ tbsp oil; season and toss to coat. Transfer to the hot barbecue or griddle pan in a single layer and cook for 5-6 mins, turning every few mins, until lightly charred and tender. Tip into a bowl and leave to cool.

4. Whisk 2 tbsp olive oil, the lemon juice, mustard and oregano in a large bowl. Add the potatoes, onion, pepper, cucumber, spinach and green beans. Toss until everything is well coated in the dressing. Add the tuna and toss again, then transfer to a serving dish. Halve the eggs and add to the salad; drizzle any dressing left in the bowl over the top.

Friday: Greek-style crispy aubergine subs

2 white batch rolls, torn into pieces
10g fresh oregano, leaves chopped
1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp cold water
50g plain flour
1 aubergine, cut into 1cm-thick rounds
2 tbsp olive oil, plus 2 tsp
¼ cucumber, coarsely grated
100g low-fat natural yogurt
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 sub rolls
100g houmous
25g baby spinach leaves
1 red onion, finely sliced
100g salad cheese, crumbled or sliced into thin shards
250g cherry tomatoes, sliced

1. Preheat the oven to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C. Pulse the torn bread in a food processor to fine breadcrumbs, tip onto a plate and stir in most of the oregano. Put the egg and fl our in separate bowls; season the flour.

2. Working in batches, dust the aubergine rounds in the fl our on both sides, then brush with egg until completely coated. Dip into the breadcrumbs, pressing them into the aubergine to stick. Transfer to a lined baking sheet. Once all the aubergine rounds are breadcrumbed, drizzle over 2 tbsp oil, then bake for 20-25 mins, turning halfway, until golden and crisp.

3. Meanwhile, mix the cucumber, yogurt and garlic with some black pepper. Split the sub rolls in half, keeping one side attached. Spread 1 heaped tbsp of houmous on each base and top with the spinach. Stuff the crispy aubergine slices into the rolls and top with the red onion, a dollop of the tzatziki and a crumbling of cheese. Toss the sliced tomatoes with the remaining oregano, any tomato juices from the chopping board and 2 tsp olive oil. Serve alongside the sub rolls.

Shopping list

4-pack Tesco lemons
25g piece fresh ginger
30g pack fresh parsley
20g pack fresh oregano
1 aubergine
1 garlic bulb
1 cucumber
3 loose red onions
100g bunch spring onions
2 x 250g packs Nightingale Farms cherry tomatoes
60g pack red chillies
250g pack baby spinach
375g pack Nightingale Farms peppers
350g pack Tesco courgettes
220g pack Redmere Farms green beans
1kg Tesco baby potatoes
200g pack Creamfields Greekstyle salad cheese
500g Creamfields low-fat natural yogurt
200g tub houmous
6-pack medium free-range eggs
380g pack chicken livers
500g pack turkey breast mince
6-pack white batch rolls
4-pack white sub rolls
500g pack Hearty Food Co. penne
250g wholewheat noodles
150ml bottle reduced-salt soy sauce
185g jar Dijon mustard
340g jar Stockwell & Co. honey
145g tin Stockwell & Co. tuna in brine

+From your storecupboard:

olive oil, vegetable oil, stock cubes, plain flour, white sugar

*Based on a family of four. Total cost is based on online prices at the time of publishing and is subject to change. Dependent on product availability, total basket price online may change due to substitutions.