Cookery: 30-minute meals

These quick-to-cook dishes are perfect when you fancy something filling, fast…

Smoky sausage and bean stew Serves 4 Cook time: 30 mins

Low-calorie cooking spray 1 onion, chopped 3 red romano/ramiro peppers (the long, pointy ones), deseeded and cut across into 1cm strips 1 garlic clove, crushed 12 Slimming World Syn-free Pork Sausages (available from Iceland stores), thawed 1tsp chilli powder 2tsp smoked paprika 1½tsp mustard powder 1tbsp Worcestershire sauce 600g passata 200ml boiling chicken stock 400g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 400g red kidney beans, drained and rinsed 8 spring onions, sliced 2tbsp fresh parsley, roughly chopped, plus sprigs to garnish Vegetables, to serve

1 Spray a large, deep non-stick saucepan or casserole pan with low-calorie cooking spray and place on a high heat. Add onion, peppers, garlic and 3tbsp water and cover. Reduce heat to low and cook for 10 mins or until soft.

2 Meanwhile, spray a large nonstick frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat. When hot, add the sausages and fry for 5 mins or until browned all over, turning frequently. Lift on to a plate and set aside. Now it’s time to add some fire to your stew – stir the chilli powder, paprika and mustard powder into the veg, along with the Worcestershire sauce, passata, stock and beans. Season to taste and bring to the boil over a high heat.

3 Cut each sausage into three, slightly on the diagonal. Stir the sausages and half the spring onions into the stew, reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 10 mins. Scatter over the parsley and remaining spring onions, garnish with parsley sprigs and serve hot with your favourite vegetables.