5 nights of dinner ideas for this week
Thea Everett
Weekdays don’t afford you much time to plan, put together and cook meals for you and your family. So if you want to avoid thinking about meal-planning altogether, we’ve done the hard work and picked 5 of our quick and easy weeknight recipes here for you, with ideas on how to use up the leftovers too.
We’ve got a BRIGHT and flavourful curry, a new tuna pasta that’ll become a reliable addition to your weekly rotation, and a twist on the classic jacket potato.
Monday: chickpea stew
Take a tip from us and make this gorgeous harissa spiced chickpea stew with fried halloumi to start the week.
It’s a meat-free Monday favourite – cubes of fried halloumi are exactly what we need to get the week’s cooking off with a bang.
Tuesday: tuna pasta
You’ll barely need to pop to the shops for this one, as most of these ingredients will be in your storecupboard already: it’s tuna and anchovy pasta. You can easily make it in twenty minutes too.
Since that was so easy, serve it up with our simple fennel, radicchio and orange salad, the bittersweet flavours pair perfectly with the salty pasta.
Wednesday: baked potatoes
On hump day it’s only right to treat yourself to some comfort: our loaded baked sweet potatoes are filled with beans, kimchi and cheese and garnished with spring onions for a bright, colourful alternative to your usual jacket potato.
Thursday: chorizo-stuffed chicken
When you’re looking to impress with looks and flavour, this spectacular Thursday night main of chorizo-stuffed chicken is sure to tick the boxes. It’s a step up from a traybake, but is just as simple to make. Serve with mash and greens or salad for a winner of a dinner.
Friday: veggie curry
Score points for presentation and flavour with this spectacular AND speedy Friday night green paneer curry. It balances fresh flavours with richness to really bring wow-factor. TOP TIP: Soak your paneer in salted boiling water for 30 minutes before you start the dish and it’ll be creamy and soft instead of rubbery.
Find the recipe here.
As for the leftovers…
Any of your leftover harissa spiced chickpeas can be enjoyed the next day in a work-from-home lunch of spicy baked eggs with tomatoes and chickpeas. Just reheat in a pan and continue from step 3 of this recipe.
Use up the remaining kimchi and any of Thursday’s mashed potato in our kimchi and potato pancakes for a Saturday brunch that’s a little more exciting than your usual croissant.
Make a double batch of the paneer curry on Friday so you can enjoy the leftovers on Saturday, when the flavours have had a chance to meld and it tastes even better. Add an extra element of chilli naan and you’re in for a weekend feast.
Or, go ahead and check out all our midweek meal ideas.
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