Budget Bites: Three light recipes that sing of summer

Enjoying the bounty of summer doesn’t mean breaking the bank, says Hannah Twiggs. This month’s wallet-friendly recipe column is packed with zingy, fresh flavours

Red pepper soup with basil salsa; summer stew with dukkah croutons; and chilli roast cauliflower with ‘holy trinity’ lentils (Sorted)

Make the most of all the season has to offer by chowing down on bell peppers, courgettes, cauliflower and asparagus across three wonderfully, light dishes that sing summer.

As part of our Budget Bites column – where we’ve teamed up with Sorted Food to bring you easy, affordable, quick and (most importantly) tasty recipes once a month – we’ve brought you three seasonal dishes that make the most of your staple ingredients while keeping your fresh shopping list minimal.

We’ve also provided a handy shopping list for the ingredients (though hopefully most of it will be knocking about already), which are used across all recipes to ensure minimal food waste. You just need to decide where to shop, whether it’s locally or online.

Shopping list

• 9 cloves garlic
• 20g fresh ginger
• 30g fresh basil
• 4 red bell pepper
• 2 courgette
• 5 spring onions
• 200g asparagus
• 1 lemon
• 1 cauliflower
• 1 red chilli
• 5 spring onion
• 40g unsalted butter
• 150g mozzarella ball
• 300g crème fraîche
• 1 x 250g ciabatta
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 2 tbsp miso paste
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander seed
• 1 tbsp mild chilli powder
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 10g pine nuts
• 400g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 400g tinned butter beans
• 250g microwave Puy lentils
• Olive oil
• Vegetable oil
• Sesame oil

Red pepper soup with basil salsa

Soup can be summery too (Sorted)

If you can get your hands on Romano red peppers, give them a go – they will provide a little more sweetness.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

4 red bell pepper

4 cloves garlic

6 tbsp olive oil

½ ciabatta (1x 250g)

20g fresh basil

10g pine nuts

400g tinned chopped tomatoes

150g mozzarella ball

Method:

1. Preheat: Preheat the oven to 180C.

2. Prep the peppers: Deseed and thinly slice 4 bell peppers, then peel and thinly slice 3 cloves of the garlic – we will use the other clove of garlic later.

3. Preheat the pan: Add 2 tbsp of the oil to a large saucepan and place it over a medium heat.

4. Fry the peppers and garlic: Once the oil begins to shimmer and loosen, tip in the peppers, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Fry for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until soft and jammy. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait.

5. Prep the bread: Cut 1 ciabatta in half and wrap half in clingfilm – we will use this for another recipe in the pack if you haven’t used it already. Cut some of what remains into small 0.5cm cubes and rip the rest into bite-sized chunks.

6. Get ready to bake: Toss the small cubes with 1 tbsp of oil and a generous pinch of salt on a small baking tray. Spread everything out into an even layer on the tray.

7. Bake: Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until deep golden brown and crisp. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait.

8. Assemble the salsa: Add the leaves from 20g of basil to a measuring jug, along with 10g of pine nuts, 3 tbsp of oil, and a generous pinch of salt.

9. Blend the salsa: Blend until smooth and pesto-like, then give the hand blender a rinse – we will need it later.

10. Add the tomatoes: Once the peppers are ready, add 1 x 400g tin of tomatoes and a generous pinch of salt.

11. Add the bread and simmer: Add the ripped up chunks of bread from earlier (not the small cubes), and 150ml of water. Simmer for a further 5-7 minutes, until the bread starts to break up – this will thicken the soup.

12. Wash up: While you wait for the bread to break down, crack on with a bit of washing up.

13. Blend: Once the bread has broken down a bit, take the pan off the heat and blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

14. Serve: Divide 1 x 150g ball of mozzarella between 2 serving bowls, then ladle over the soup. Spoon over the basil salsa, scatter over the crispy ciabatta, and dive in!

Summer stew with dukkah croutons

Make winter’s favourite comfort food fresh and light with these flavours (Sorted)

We use ground spices but if time is on your side, try toasting whole spices and then blending them to amp up the flavours!

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

2 courgette

5 spring onions

200g asparagus

2 cloves garlic

400g tinned butter beans

1 vegetable stock cube

1 tbsp miso paste

40g unsalted butter

½ ciabatta (1x 250g)

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground coriander seed

2 tbsp sesame seeds

3 tbsp vegetable oil

100g crème fraîche

10g fresh basil

1 lemon

Method:

1. Preheat: Preheat the oven to 180C, this will be for the bread later.

2. Prep the veg: Cut 2 courgettes in half lengthways, then cut them crossways at 1cm intervals. Cut 5 spring onions in quarters crossways, then repeat with 200g of asparagus. Peel and finely grate 2 cloves of garlic.

3. Assemble the stew: Add the courgettes, spring onions, and garlic to a medium saucepan along with 1 undrained 400g tin of butter beans, 1 stock cube, 1 tbsp of miso, and 40g of butter.

4. Get the stew on: Add 400ml of water, then place the pan over a high heat.

5. Simmer: Once the stew comes up to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 4-5 minutes, until the courgettes soften slightly. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait.

6. Prep the bread: Cut 1 ciabatta in half and wrap half in clingfilm – we will use this for another recipe in the pack if you haven’t used it already. Rip what remains into bite-sized chunks and add them to a medium baking tray.

7. Get ready to roast: Toss the bread with ½ tsp of cumin, ½ tsp of ground coriander seed, 2 tbsp of sesame seeds, 3 tbsp of oil, and a generous pinch of salt. Spread everything out into 1 even layer.

8. Bake: Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until deep golden brown and crisp. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait.

9. Add the asparagus: Once the courgettes have softened slightly, add the asparagus and simmer for a further 4-5 minutes, until the asparagus is soft but still has a slight bite. Crack on with a bit of washing up while you wait.

10. Season: Once the stew is ready, finely grate over the zest from 1 lemon, then season to taste with its juice and salt.

11. Serve: Divide the stew between bowls and spoon over 100g of crème fraîche. Finish with the leaves from 10g of basil and tuck in!

Chilli roast cauliflower with ‘holy trinity’ lentils

Jazz up your lentils with a powerhouse of Chinese flavours (Sorted)

The “holy trinity” in this dish refers to a wonderful combination of spring onion, ginger and garlic that is often used throughout Chinese cookery.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1 cauliflower

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp mild chilli powder

200g crème fraîche

1 tbsp miso paste

5 spring onion

3 cloves garlic

20g fresh ginger

2 tbsp sesame oil

250g microwave Puy lentils

1 red chilli

Method:

1. Preheat: Preheat the oven to 180C – this will be for the cauliflower later.

2. Prep the cauliflower: Cut the green leaves from 1 cauliflower, then use a small knife to cut small florets from the woody stalk in the centre. We won’t be using the stalk or the leaves for this recipe, but they work well in soups!

3. Get ready to roast: Toss the florets with 2 tbsp of vegetable oil, 1 tbsp of mild chilli powder, and a generous pinch of salt on a large baking tray. Ensure the florets are fully coated, then spread everything out into 1 even layer.

4. Roast: Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until golden in places and soft throughout. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait.

5. Mix the creme fraiche and miso: Beat 200g of creme fraiche with 1 tbsp of miso paste in a small bowl and set aside – we will use this for garnish later.

6. Chop chop: Finely chop 5 spring onions, then peel and mince 3 cloves of garlic and 20g of ginger.

7. Preheat the pan: Add 2 tbsp of sesame oil to a large frying pan and place it over a medium-high heat.

8. Fry: Once the oil starts to shimmer and loosen, add the spring onions, garlic and ginger. Fry for 3-4 minutes, until fragrant and golden in places.

9. Add the lentils: Add 1 250g pouch of lentils to the pan and fry for a further 4-5 minutes, tossing regularly, until piping hot. Crack on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait.

10. Prep the chilli: Thinly slice 1 red chilli – we will use this for garnish later. If you are still waiting for the lentils, now would be a great time to do a bit of washing up!

11. Serve: Spoon the miso creme fraiche onto plates and spread it out into large discs. Divide the lentils between the plates and add the roast cauliflower. Scatter over the red chilli and serve!

In response to the rising cost of living, we have teamed up with Sorted Food to bring you easy, affordable, quick and (most importantly) tasty recipes once a month. Find out more about Sorted and their nifty meal-planning app Sidekick at sortedfood.com/sidekick.