Asparagus frittata and wedges
Serves 4
2½ Syns on Extra Easy
2½ Syns on Green
12 Syns on Original
freezer friendly
vegetarian
ready in 30 minutes

You’ll need:
6 large baking potatoes,
cut into thick wedges
low calorie cooking spray
400g asparagus spears
6 large eggs
50g Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tbsp chopped chives
1 tbsp chopped
oregano leaves
salt and freshly ground
black pepper
passata with onion and
garlic, to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and
add the potato wedges. Boil for 4-5 minutes. Drain in a colander, and leave
to dry for 10 minutes.

2. Return the wedges to the dry saucepan, cover with a lid and shake to
‘rough-up’ the edges – doing this will help make the wedges really crispy.
Place the wedges in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with baking
parchment. Spray with low calorie cooking spray and bake for 15-20 minutes,
or until golden.

3. Meanwhile, snap the asparagus and discard the woody ends. Lay the spears
flat in a wide pan of simmering lightly salted water, or steam over boiling water,
and remove after 4-5 minutes when tender but still bright green. Drain and
cool under running water.

4. Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl, add the asparagus, half of the grated
Parmesan, the chives and oregano. Season and stir well.

5. Spray a 25cm lidded non-stick frying pan with low calorie cooking spray. Pour
in the egg mixture and cook gently for 3 minutes, drawing back the edges with
the tip of a knife and tipping the runny egg over the edges to help it set.

6. Cover the pan and leave over a gentle heat for 5 minutes or until set on top. Slide
on to a serving plate, scatter with the remaining Parmesan, and cut into wedges.

7. Serve immediately with the wedges and a bowl of passata.

Beef & black bean chilli with rice
Ready in 2 ½ hours, plus overnight soaking
Serves 4
Free on Extra easy
5 syns on Green
21½ syns on original

You’ll need:
255g/9oz dried black turtle beans,
soaked overnight in cold water
1 medium red onion, peeled and chopped
1 red pepper, deseeded
and cut into large chunks
2 celery sticks, chopped
½ tsp chilli flakes
312g/11oz lean casserole beef,
cut into 2.5cm/1in pieces
400g can chopped tomatoes
142ml/¼pt beef stock
1 bulb garlic, cut in half horizontally
salt and freshly ground black pepper
283g/10oz dried long grain rice, to serve

1. Place the soaked black beans in a large
saucepan with 1 litre/1¾ pints fresh cold
water and bring to the boil. Cook the beans,
uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the
heat but don’t drain.

2. Preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas 3. Heat a
large flameproof casserole dish and add the
red onion. Cook for 5 minutes over a medium
heat. Add the red pepper, celery and chilli flakes
and cook gently for 5 minutes, stirring.

3. Turn the heat up slightly, stir in the beef pieces
and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Add the black beans with their
cooking liquid, the chopped tomatoes and
the beef stock.
4. Bring the beef and bean chilli to the boil. Place
a lid on and cook on the bottom shelf of the
oven for 1½ hours. After half an hour, wrap
the halved garlic bulb tightly in foil and cook
on the same shelf as the chilli for the remaining
cooking time.

5. Take the chilli out of the oven, open up the garlic
to cool a little. Gently squeeze out the roasted
garlic from the skin into a small bowl and mash
with a fork. Stir the roasted garlic into the chilli
and check the seasoning.

6. Cook the rice according to the packet instructions
and serve alongside the beef chilli.

Tip: Don’t be put off by the amount of garlic
used in this recipe. It becomes sweet when
roasted and flavours the chilli beautifully.

Fiesta pork casserole
Ready in 1¼ Hours
Serves 4
Free on Extra easy
6 syns on green
Free on original

You’ll need:
low calorie cooking spray
400g pack diced pork,
trimmed of all visible fat
1 medium red onion, peeled and diced
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
425g/15oz marrow, halved,
deseeded and cut into bite-sized chunks
255g/9oz frozen sliced mixed peppers
198g/7oz butternut squash,
peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
500g carton passata with basil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas 3.

2. Heat a large flameproof casserole and spray
with low calorie cooking spray. Add the diced
pork and red onion and brown all over for
5 minutes. Add the smoked paprika and garlic
powder and cook for 30 seconds, stirring
constantly.

3. Stir in the marrow, the peppers and the
butternut squash and stir to coat in the spices.
Pour in the passata and 113ml/4fl oz of
boiling water and add seasoning. Bring to
the boil and cover.

4. Cook in the oven for 1 hour. Check the
seasoning and serve immediately.

Ham minestrone
Ready in 30 mins
Serves 4
Free on Extra easy

You’ll need:
2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
3 celery sticks, cut into 1cm/½in dice
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1cm/½in dice
400g can chopped tomatoes
794ml/28fl oz vegetable stock
57g/2oz dried pasta shapes
198g/7oz canned cannellini beans, drained
198g/7oz lean ham, cut into small pieces
4 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Spray a deep lidded non-stick frying pan with low calorie cooking spray
and place over a high heat.

2. Add the onion and stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes, then stir in the curry powder
and ground cinnamon and stir-fry for 1 minute.

3. Add the chicken pieces and the tomatoes, stock and spinach, cover and
cook for 15-20 minutes until cooked through. Season well and remove from
the heat.

4. Stir in the yogurt, garnish with the chopped coriander and serve with boiled
white rice.

Quick lamb & vegetable biryani
Ready in 30 minutes
Serves 4
9½ Syns on Green
11½ Syns on Original
You’ll need:
low calorie cooking spray
500g lean lamb leg steaks,
cut into bite-sized cubes
250g green beans, trimmed
and cut into 2cm pieces
1 large carrot, peeled
and cut into 2cm pieces
3 cardamom pods, crushed
2 cloves
½ tsp turmeric
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbsp mild curry powder
250g dried basmati rice
500ml lamb stock
50g baby leaf spinach,
chopped
fat free natural yogurt
sprinkled with paprika,
to serve
Spray a large non-stick frying pan with low calorie cooking spray and stir-fry
the lamb until brown on all sides.
Add the green beans, carrot, spices and curry powder and stir-fry for
2-3 minutes.
Pour in the rice and the stock, and stir well. Bring to the boil, cover tightly with
a lid, then cook for 15 minutes on a medium-low heat or until the rice is tender.
Stir through the spinach, put the lid back on the pan and leave to steam,
undisturbed, for 5 minutes before serving with a little fat free natural yogurt.

Chunky roots ratatouille with basil potato dumplings
Ready in 1 hour 10 minutes
Serves 4
8½ Syns on Original
Free on Green
Free on Extra Easy
You’ll need:
1 large red onion,
peeled and roughly chopped
283g/10oz carrots, peeled and
cut into large bite-sized pieces
283g/10oz parsnips, peeled and
cut into large bite-sized pieces
454g/1lb butternut squash, peeled
and cut into large bite-sized pieces
low calorie cooking spray
salt and freshly ground black pepper
681g/1lb 8oz potatoes,
peeled and cut into large chunks
2 tbsp chopped basil
1 medium egg, lightly beaten
400g can cherry tomatoes in juice
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
200g bag prepared kale

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas 7.

2. Place the onion, carrots, parsnips and squash
into a roasting tin. Spray the vegetables with
low calorie cooking spray and add seasoning.
Stir well and roast in the oven on the top shelf
for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in lightly salted
boiling water for 20 minutes, until tender. Drain
well in a colander and place back over the
saucepan. Leave them to dry out in their own
steam. Mash the potatoes with a ricer or masher
until smooth. Stir in the chopped basil and the
beaten egg. Mix well.

4. Remove the vegetables from the oven and
add the cherry tomatoes, the garlic and stir
in 142ml/¼ pint of boiling water.

5. With wet hands, shape the flavoured mash
into 12 dumplings and arrange on top of the
vegetables. Cook the ratatouille and dumplings
back in the oven for 30 minutes, until the
dumplings are golden.

6. Meanwhile, cook the kale in a large pan of
lightly salted boiling water for 8-10 minutes
and drain. Serve immediately.