5 easy family dinners for £25 - Vegan squash, vegetable soup, turkey stir-fry...

Monday: Vegan butternut squash with pesto

40g hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
60g bag wild rocket
155ml extra-virgin olive oil
½ lemon, finely zested and juiced, plus extra wedges to serve
1 large butternut squash, peeled, cut into quarters lengthways and deseeded

1. Put 25g hazelnuts, half the garlic and 50g rocket in a food processor and pulse a few times until roughly chopped. Add 125ml oil and the lemon juice, then blend again until combined but not completely smooth – you want a pesto with a little bit of texture. Season to taste and set aside.

2. Use a spiralizer to cut the squash quarters into thin ribbons (depending on the size of your spiralizer you may need to cut the squash into thinner wedges). If you don’t have a spiralizer, you can cut the squash into thin wedges, then use a vegetable peeler to peel off ribbons.

3. Heat the remaining oil in a large, wide pan, then add the squash ribbons and sauté for 2-3 mins – you may need to do this in batches. Add the remaining garlic and a splash of water to help the squash steam gently. Cook for 2 mins, trying not to stir too much as the squash may break up.

4. Stir most of the rocket pesto into the pan (reserving some to serve) so that it just coats the squash and heats through.

5. Divide the squash spaghetti between plates and top with the remaining rocket leaves, chopped hazelnuts and grated lemon zest. Drizzle over the remaining pesto and serve with a lemon wedge on the side to squeeze over.

Wednesday: Vegetable soup

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 sticks Nightingale Farms celery, diced
1 tsp dried thyme
80g pearl barley
1 vegetable stock cube, made up to 900ml
100g broccoli florets, finely sliced
1 tomato, diced
handful Redmere Farms spinach leaves, chopped
4 tbsp pesto
extra-virgin olive oil

1. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick saucepan. Add the onion and cook until softened. Next add the carrot, garlic and celery and cook for 5 minutes.

2. Add the thyme, pearl barley and vegetable stock and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the barley is tender. Add the broccoli and tomato, and cook for a further 5 minutes. Season to taste.

3. To serve, stir through the spinach. Ladle into bowls and spoon some pesto over each one. Drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil over each one and serve.

Friday: Turkey satay stir-fry with pilau rice

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 x 400g pack turkey breast strips
200g Redmere Farms green beans, trimmed and halved
1 orange pepper
1 x 120g packs satay stir-fry sauce
2 x 250g pouches pilau basmati rice

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large wok over a high heat and add the turkey breast strips. Cook for 3 mins, stirring, until lightly golden. Add the fine beans and peppers and continue to stir-fry for 5 mins, or until softened.

2. Pour in the satay sauce and 100ml water, and continue to cook for 1-2 mins, until the sauce is thick and the turkey is cooked through.

3. Heat the rice according to pack instructions. Season the turkey mixture, then serve with the rice.