Watercress recipes
With its peppery leaves, watercress adds a knockout punch to salads and side dishes. But it’s also fantastic cooked in a soup, whizzed into a sauce or bashed into a pesto. Here’s our ways to use watercress in your cooking.
It’s at its best in spring and autumn in the UK, although the season does run right through summer.
Showing 1-16 of 31 recipes
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Chicken thighs
Cider-braised chicken thighs with spring greens
Looking for an easy but impressive way to cook and serve chicken thighs? Try cider-braised chicken with spring greens and watercress mayo.
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Easy
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Cod
Confit cod with watercress velouté
Top chef Adam Byatt shares his culinary know-how in this impressive recipe for confit cod served with silky watercress velouté.
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Challenge
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Spinach
Greens and goat’s cheese filo crinkle pie
This easy greens pie is packed with leafy veg folded into creamy goat's cheese. Top with golden filo and seeds for extra crunch.
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Easy
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Sausage pasta
Sausage, courgette and watercress pesto pasta
Peppery summer watercress is a brilliant partner for silky courgettes in this easy sausage pasta dish with homemade, lemony pesto.
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Easy
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Watercress
Watercress soup with lardons and poached eggs
Watercress soup makes an ideal spring supper when you add crisp lardons and a poached egg. Try this simple recipe from Debora Robertson.
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Easy
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15-minute meals
Chilled herb and greens soup
Need to cool down on a hot day? Take those wilted leaves languishing in the fridge and 5 mins later – huzzah! Chilled herb and greens soup.
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Easy
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Best of British
Strawberry, clotted cream and watercress salad
Where do you stand on strawberry salad? We are all for the combination of sweet and savoury, and Claire Thompson has pulled a blinder here.
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Medium
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Risottos
Leek and watercress risotto
Leek risotto is kept fresh, light and peppery thanks to a simple watercress puree stirred through right before serving.
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Easy
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15-minute meals
Pasta with watercress and radish pesto
Use up summer veg in this quick pasta recipe with a peppery radish and watercress pesto. The thrifty recipe uses every part of the radish.
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Easy
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May seasonal
Pea and watercress vol-au-vents
Serve these moreish vol au vents with a creamy watercress and pea filling, then top with radish or smoked trout.
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Easy
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Italian pastas
Trofie pasta with watercress, courgette and almonds
Follow our image-led guide on how to make trofie pasta with watercress, courgette and almonds by Adam Banks – with tips on how to roll.
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Medium
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Pizzas
Watercress and tomato scone-based ‘pizza’
We've flavoured our pizza-with-a-scone-base, with watercress and cheddar cheese for a tasty twist and topped it with seasonal cherry tomatoes.
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Easy
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Italian starters
Pancetta, watercress and mozzarella arancini
Crispy arancini risotto balls with a soft and gooey mozzarella, pancetta and watercress centre. The perfect starter or canapé for when you're entertaining.
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Easy
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Comfort food
Stilton and watercress chicken kiev
Our recipe for golden, crispy chicken Kievs packs in the flavour by making use of stilton and watercress to make a hot, buttery filling.
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Medium
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Summer salads and sides
Sardines with watercress salad
We've used tinned sardines in this simple salad to keep the cost low, but you could easily swap them for fresh fish if you wish.
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Easy
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Homemade pesto
Watercress pesto
We've used a mixture of watercress and basil in this pesto recipe for a lighter, fresher taste. Stir through pasta or keep stored in the fridge.
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Easy
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