5 easy family dinners for £25 - Tortelloni Greek-style salad, chicken and butter bean traybake, smoky sausage skewers

Monday: Chicken and butter bean traybake

900-1.2kg pack chicken wings
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 red onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp dried oregano
400g tin chopped tomatoes
400g tin butter beans, drained and rinsed
pinch of caster sugar (optional)
100g Greek-style salad cheese, crumbled
10g fresh basil, leaves picked and most roughly chopped
4 white pittas, toasted

1. Preheat the oven to gas 9, 240°C, fan 220°C. Put the chicken wings in a large, high-sided roasting tin with 1 tbsp oil and the paprika. Season, toss well, then spread out, skin-side up. Roast for 15-18 mins until the wings start to turn golden.

2. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat and fry the onions with a pinch of salt for 5-6 mins until softened. Add the garlic, tomato purée and oregano, and cook for 2 mins until aromatic. Add the tinned tomatoes, then half-fill the tin with water and add to the pan with the butter beans. Season and add a pinch of sugar (if using), then bring to a simmer for 5-6 mins until slightly thickened.

3. Set the wings aside; reduce the oven to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C. Tip the bean mix into the empty roasting tin, scraping up any caramelised bits from the tin. Nestle in the wings, skin-side up, then return to the oven for 20-25 mins until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is golden. Stand for a few mins, then scatter with the cheese and basil. Serve with the pittas.

Wednesday: Mackerel and courgette frittata

3 tbsp olive oil
567g tin new potatoes, drained, dried and cut into 2-3cm pieces
1 red onion, finely diced
1 courgette, quartered lengthways and finely chopped
6 eggs, beaten
10g fresh basil, roughly chopped
125g tin mackerel in rapeseed oil, drained and flaked into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp smoked paprika
130g bag shredded iceberg lettuce
½ cucumber, quartered lengthways and finely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a 23cm ovenproof, nonstick frying pan over a high heat. Fry the potatoes for 5-6 mins, turning occasionally, until golden. Season, transfer to a plate and set aside.

2. Add another 1 tbsp oil to the pan, then fry the onion and courgette with a pinch of salt for 5-6 mins until softened, reducing the heat if they start to catch.

3. Meanwhile, season the beaten eggs and stir through the basil.

4. Return the potatoes to the pan with the flaked mackerel and paprika, stir everything together, then pour over the egg mixture. Cook over a low-medium heat for 3-4 mins until fairly set on the bottom. Bake in the oven for 12-15 mins until just set. Gently loosen the edges with a spatula, then slide onto a plate.

5. Put the lettuce and cucumber in a bowl, season and drizzle over the remaining oil; toss together. Cut the frittata into wedges and serve with the salad and a good grinding of black pepper.

Friday: Cheat's courgette dhal

250g dried red lentils
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 courgettes, halved lengthways and thinly sliced
2 red onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp plain flour
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1½ tbsp tomato purée
440g jar curry sauce
1 vegetable stock pot
300g long-grain rice, rinsed well
1 lime, zested and cut into wedges
15g fresh coriander, roughly chopped

1. Put the lentils in a large bowl, cover with cold water and leave to soak until needed. While the lentils are soaking, heat 1 tbsp oil in a large, lidded saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the courgettes, half the onions and some seasoning, then fry for 8-10 mins until softened.

2. Meanwhile, toss the remaining onions in the flour. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over a mediumhigh heat and fry the onions for 10-12 mins, stirring regularly, until deep golden brown and crispy. Reduce the heat if they start to darken too quickly. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper and leave to cool; they will crisp up more once cooled.

3. While the onions cool, add the garlic and tomato purée to the courgette pan, and cook for 2 mins. Add the curry sauce, then refill the jar with water and add to the pan with the stock pot. Drain and rinse the lentils, then add to the pan. Bring to a simmer, then bubble on a low-medium heat for 25-30 mins, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are cooked. Add a splash of water if it’s too thick.

4. Meanwhile, put the rice in a large, lidded saucepan with 700ml water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 12-15 mins until the water has been absorbed. Set aside for 5-10 mins, still covered, until needed.

5. Stir the lime zest and most of the coriander into the dhal. Divide the rice between bowls and top with the dhal, crispy onions, lime wedges and remaining coriander to serve.