Most meals are based on two portions. You can usually choose how many people you're feeding, and the ingredient quantities will increase or decrease accordingly. Baking and batch recipes keep the quantities stated in the recipe.
A good place to start
A simple, reliable spaghetti bolognese is always a tummy pleaser. It’s easy to substitute the mince to make it vegetarian or vegan. This one is made with beef mince, tomatoes and plenty of vegetables. It’s an especially good dish to make extra of, because the sauce can become another meal the next day.
A familiar sausage, bean and tomato casserole for two, served with mash and linked to a second dinner that can use the rest of a larger sausage pack.
Soft baked apples under crisp, syrupy breadcrumbs with dark chocolate.
Soft baked oats with apple and frozen berries, lightly sweetened for breakfast or pudding.
Soft baked apples under a classic golden crumble topping, ideal for using apples that are becoming soft.
A moist, straightforward loaf that makes useful baking out of ripe bananas.
Combine reserved bean and chickpea chilli with fresh rice, then roll it into four warm burritos for a delicious second dinner.
Six simple, moist, delicious muffins with blueberries. A classic treat.
Ordinary sliced bread baked in a simple custard, especially useful when the bread is stale but still safe to eat.
A familiar, creamy macaroni cheese made as a generous batch so 600 g can become a crisp-topped vegetable pasta bake.
Turn macaroni cheese into a colourful second dinner with mixed vegetables and a crisp bread-and-Cheddar topping.
A chicken curry with carrots, pepper and peas, cooked as a generous batch so some can become another dinner in jacket potatoes.
A fast chicken stir-fry that uses broccoli, pepper and carrot or other suitable vegetables that need using.
A straightforward chickpea and tomato curry using familiar supermarket ingredients, with a little curry reserved for another meal.
Turn the chilli deliberately reserved from Bean & Chickpea Chilli into a substantial tray of crisp loaded wedges.
Rich small-batch brownies with dark chocolate and cocoa, baked until fudgy in the middle.
A rich, airy chocolate mousse made with dark chocolate and whipped cream.
Beef and vegetables under mashed potato, with extra filling reserved for loaded potatoes.
Turn the creamy fish filling reserved from Simple Fish Pie into six crisp fishcakes, served with peas for a distinct second dinner.
A creamy white-fish and pea filling under fluffy mash, with enough cooked filling reserved for crispy fishcakes.
Six light scones with raisins and clear guidance for handling the dough gently.
Hummus toast topped with sweet roasted tomatoes and freshly fried eggs for a quick, nutritious meal for two.
Turn a portion of reserved chicken curry into another filling dinner by spooning it over crisp, fluffy jacket potatoes.
A moist, sticky lemony loaf made with plain yoghurt and a yummy lemon drizzle.
Turn the filling deliberately reserved from Vegetarian Cottage Pie into a substantial, chunky soup.
Thin pancakes made with a simple flour, egg and milk batter, ready for whatever topping you like.
A gently baked rice pudding with tender rice, a creamy texture and a crispy skin.
A proper roast chicken dinner with crispy roast potatoes, stuffing, Yorkshire puddings, vegetables and gravy. A whole chicken gives you dinner tonight plus cooked chicken for another meal or two, amazing sandwiches over the next few days, or simply chicken and chips. Once you’ve picked the chicken, the carcass can go straight into Simple Chicken Stock.
Spiced roast sweet potato and ready-cooked lentils served over hummus with a crunchy lemon-dressed salad.
Turn the roasted vegetables and lentils reserved from dinner into a textured soup with crunchy kale.
Sausages, potatoes, beans and vegetables cook together in a generous traybake with some held back for soup.
Turn four sausages from a larger pack into a quick, rich tomato pasta that feels distinct from the casserole.
Don’t throw away your roast chicken carcass. With an onion, a carrot and a little time, you can turn it into delicious homemade chicken stock for soup, gravy, risotto, casseroles and sauces. The best time to make it is straight after you’ve picked the chicken: the carcass is already there, the kitchen is already in use and getting the stock started only takes a few minutes.
Ready-cooked lentils, kale and warmly spiced roasted roots make an easy vegetarian dinner, with part reserved for soup.
A smoky sweet potato and black bean hash topped with two fried eggs per person.
A flexible dinner formula for two using five eggs, about 250 g vegetables and Cheddar cheese.
A straightforward two-bean chilli with rice, made generously so 500 g can be reserved for loaded wedges or burritos.
A rich lentil and vegetable filling under buttery mashed potato, with half the filling deliberately reserved for Lentil & Vegetable Soup.