5 easy family dinners for £25 – Smoked basa, pepper pilaf, mini meatloaves...

Monday: Mini meatloaves with BBQ beans

1 tsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tbsp tomato purée
100g sliced wholemeal bread, blitzed into breadcrumbs
500g pack Meat & Veg mince
2 tsp herbs de Provence
1kg potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
50ml 50% less fat crème fraîche
15g fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 x 395g tins taco mixed beans
4 tbsp BBQ sauce

1. Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a low-medium heat and fry the onion for 5 mins to soften. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 min, then tip into a large mixing bowl to cool for 10 mins.

2. Add the tomato purée, 75g breadcrumbs, the mince and dried herbs; mix well. Grease a 12-hole muffi n tin with a little oil. Divide the mince mixture between them, rounding the tops, then sprinkle over the remaining breadcrumbs. Bake for 25-30 mins until cooked through.

3. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes for 12-15 mins until tender. Drain well, then return to the pan. Add the crème fraîche and parsley, then mash until smooth.

4. Heat the beans with the BBQ sauce in a small pan until piping hot. Serve the mini meatloaves with the parsley mash and BBQ beans.

Tuesday: Speedy smoked basa and corn chowder

2 tsp vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
75g cooking bacon, rind removed, diced
450g potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
½ vegetable or chicken stock pot, made up to 800ml
240g pack smoked basa fillets
325g tin sweetcorn, drained
100g Savoy cabbage, thick core
discarded, leaves shredded
150ml reduced-fat crème fraîche
15g fresh parsley, leaves finely chopped
sliced wholemeal bread, to serve (optional)

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Fry the onion and bacon for 6-8 mins until the onion is softened and the bacon is cooked through.

2. Stir in the potatoes, then add the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 mins. Add the basa fillets, reduce the heat to low and cook gently for 5 mins. Add the sweetcorn and cabbage and cook for 2-3 mins until the cabbage has just wilted and the fi sh is cooked through.

3. Remove from the heat, flake the fi sh into chunks, then stir through the crème fraîche and most of the parsley. Scatter with the remaining parsley; serve with bread, if you like.

Wednesday: Bacon, potato and onion bake

1 tbsp olive oil
250g cooking bacon, rind removed, roughly diced
½ vegetable or chicken stock pot, made up to 1ltr
850g potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
2 onions, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tsp herbs de Provence
50g sliced wholemeal bread, blitzed into crumbs
400g Savoy cabbage, shredded

1. Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Heat 2 tsp oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry the bacon for 5 mins until starting to crisp.

2. Meanwhile, bring the stock to the boil in a large saucepan. Add the potatoes, onions and garlic, pushing them down to submerge. Return to the boil, then simmer for 5 mins. Drain the vegetables, reserving the stock.

3. Layer the potatoes and onions in a large shallow baking dish (about 2.5ltr), scattering over the bacon, 1 tsp herbs and a little black pepper as you go. Pour over 300ml of the reserved stock.

4. Mix the breadcrumbs with the remaining herbs and oil and scatter over the top. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 40 mins, removing the foil halfway.

5. Just before the potato bake is ready, steam or boil the cabbage for 3-5 mins until tender; serve alongside.

Thursday: Creamy pepper pilaf

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 peppers, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
350g long-grain rice
220g pack green beans, trimmed and halved
1 vegetable stock pot, made up to 1.2ltr
50g grated pecorino
100ml reduced-fat crème fraîche
15g fresh basil, leaves picked, half finely shredded

1. Heat the oil in a large, lidded frying pan over a low-medium heat. Fry the onion and peppers for 5 mins until softened. Add the garlic and rice; fry, stirring, for 1 min.

2. Stir in the beans and 950ml stock. Bring to the boil, cover, reduce the heat to low and bubble gently for 10 mins until the rice is just tender. Remove from the heat and leave to stand for 10 mins, still covered.

3. Stir in the pecorino, crème fraîche and enough of the remaining stock to get a risotto-like consistency. Stir in the shredded basil and season. Spoon into bowls and scatter with the whole basil leaves to serve.

Friday: Ratatouille tart

375g pack ready-rolled lighter puff pastry
350g courgettes
1 pepper, cut into chunks
1 onion, cut into chunks
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 tsp herbes de Provence
3 tsp olive oil
75g tomato purée
250g cherry tomatoes, larger ones halved
10g fresh basil

1. Preheat the oven to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C. Unroll the pastry onto a baking sheet, still on its paper, and score a 2cm border around the edges. Use a fork to poke holes all over the pastry inside the border, then transfer to the fridge.

2. Thickly slice half the courgettes. Put in a bowl with the pepper, onion, garlic, herbs de Provence and 2 tsp oil; season and mix well. Tip onto a lined baking tray. Roast alongside the pastry for 15 mins.

3. Use a spatula to push down the centre of the pastry sheet. Squeeze the garlic cloves from their skins and mash with the tomato purée and 1 tbsp water, then spread inside the pastry border. Scatter over the roasted vegetables and dot the tomatoes among them. Reduce the heat to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C and bake for 20 mins more until the tomatoes are soft.

4. Meanwhile, peel the remaining courgette into ribbons; season and toss with 1 tsp oil. When the tart is ready, scatter with torn basil leaves and serve in wedges with the courgette ribbon salad.