Midweek Meals: Five healthy summer dinners ready in thirty minutes or less
Quick and easy recipes you can try this week.
Pasta Piselli
An easy peasy Italian pasta recipe that makes use of what you already have in your cupboard and freezer
Servings
2Preparation Time
5 minsCooking Time
13 minsTotal Time
18 minsCourse
MainCuisine
ItalianIngredients
3 tbsp olive oil
½ onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
800ml stock, chicken or vegetable stock
150g frozen peas
200g pasta, whatever you have handy
50g Parmesan, grated
Salt and pepper, to taste
Lemon, squeeze of lemon
Mint leaves to serve, optional
Method
Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat, add the onion and leave to saute for 2-3 minutes until the onion becomes translucent. If the pan begins to dry add a splash of the stock.
Add the garlic and the pasta and stir for a minute or so. Add the stock, parmesan, a squeeze of lemon and begin to simmer.
Leave for between 7-10 minutes, be careful not to let the ingredients stick to the pan so do stir as you go. Add the peas for the last 3-4 minutes.
Serve with fresh mint and a little grated parmesan. Enjoy.
Moroccan chickpea bake
The perfect solution to repurpose stale bread, this comforting chickpea bake is bursting with Feta cheese balanced againsy spicy and garlicky flavour
Servings
4Preparation Time
5 minsCooking Time
25 minsTotal Time
30 minsCourse
MainCuisine
MoroccanIngredients
2 tbsp olive oil
2 red onions, peeled and diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tins of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
handful of fresh parsley, chopped
salt
pepper
100g Feta
stale bread, chopped
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Heat the olive oil in a pot. Add the onions and garlic and cook on a low heat until the onions are soft.
Add the chickpeas, cumin and coriander to the pot and stir until the chickpeas are coated in the spices. If the bottom of the pot goes a little bit dry just add a drop of cold water. Add the freshly chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper.
Transfer the chickpea mixture into an oven-proof baking dish. Using your hands, crumble the Feta over the top of the chickpeas. Scatter the stale bread over the top and drizzle with a little olive oil.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until feta and bread begin to brown.
Remove from the oven, divide into portions and transfer to warmed serving plates.
Turkey stir fry
A super quick, easy and healthy midweek dinner option
Servings
4Preparation Time
10 minsCooking Time
15 minsTotal Time
25 minsCourse
MainCuisine
ThaiIngredients
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 onion, finely sliced
1 chilli, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
a thumb-sized length of ginger, grated
a handful of broccoli, broken into small florets
1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 pepper, finely sliced
400g turkey mince
3 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
125g brown rice
a handful of basil leaves
Method
Heat the coconut oil in a large pan over a medium-high heat.
Add the onion, chilli, garlic and ginger and stir-fry for about 3 minutes.
Add the broccoli, carrot and pepper and stir-fry for another 3 minutes.
Add the turkey mince, soy sauce and fish sauce and stir-fry for 8 minutes or until the turkey is cooked through.
Meanwhile, cook the rice according to the instructions on the package.
Spoon the cooked rice into warmed serving bowls, making a well in the centre. Spoon the stir-fry on top. Tear the basil leaves and scatter over the stir-fry. Serve without delay.
Prawn and chickpea curry
Super quick, easy and healthy - the perfect midweek meal.
Servings
4Preparation Time
5 minsCooking Time
10 minsTotal Time
15 minsCourse
MainIngredients
1 large diced onion
3 cloves of garlic (grated)
½ tsp salt flakes
½ thumb fresh ginger (grated)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
2 tbsp mild curry powder (1 tbsp if you don’t like it spicy)
1x 400g can crushed tomatoes
1x 400g can drained chickpeas
1x 400g can coconut milk
Juice of half lime
1 kg raw tiger prawns (peeled and deveined)
Method
Add olive oil to a pan and bring to heat, add your onion, garlic and ginger and sauté for a minute until golden.
Add your dry spices, turmeric, cumin and curry powder and stir to blend, cook gently so all the spices have time to cook through.
Next, add your chopped tomatoes and stir, followed by your coconut milk and finally your drained chickpeas.
Squeeze the juice of half a lime and stir.
Tip in your uncooked prawns and cook for a further 3-4minutes on medium heat until the prawns have slightly curled into a soft 'C' and turned pink in colour.
Turn off the heat and let rest for a minute or two
Serve with rice, cauliflower rice, couscous or stir through pasta and your choice of steamed vegetables.
Burrito in a bowl
Filled with refreshing lime flavour and Greek yoghurt for a creamy kick, this wholemeal burrito dish is a great midweek choice
Servings
4Cooking Time
30 minsTotal Time
30 minsCourse
MainCuisine
MexicanIngredients
3 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
500g lean minced beef
3 tbsp Greek or natural yoghurt
3 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp tomato purée
60ml water
1 tin of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
125g brown rice
½ iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
100g Cheddar, grated
wholemeal wraps, to serve
Method
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the red onion and cook for about 10 minutes, until softened. Add the cayenne pepper and paprika and cook for one minute. Stir in the mince and cook for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the rice according to the instructions on the package. Mix the Greek yoghurt and lime juice in a small bowl and set aside.
When the mince is cooked, stir in the tomato purée, water, and kidney beans and heat through.
Warm the wraps according to the instructions on the package. Divide the cooked rice between the wraps. Add a layer of iceberg lettuce to each one, followed by a layer of avocado slices and a layer of spicy mince. Sprinkle the Cheddar on top and finish with a dollop of the Greek yoghurt.
