Samuel says: “Tinned tomatoes are great for making a rich sauce, whether as the main attraction or a support act for other headline ingredients; here they’re the perfect base for loading with veg and spicing up with harissa. I often make a spin on this dish, including whatever veg I’ve got lying around and swapping new potatoes for sweet potatoes, cavolo nero for spinach or cabbage and courgette (zucchini) for a red (bell) pepper.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped
• 1 courgette (zucchini), chopped
• 350g (12½oz) baby potatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1–2 tablespoons rose harissa paste
• 1 × 400g (14-oz) tin chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
• 1 × 400g (14-oz) tin chopped tomatoes, plum tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
• 500ml (17fl oz) vegetable stock
• 150g (5½oz) cavolo nero, tough stalks removed and leaves chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

• Parmesan cheese or vegetarian or vegan Italian hard cheese, grated (shredded)
• Plain couscous or thick slices of crusty bread (optional)

Method

Heat the oil in a large saucepan with a lid over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 8–10 minutes or until beginning to brown.

Tip in the garlic and cook for 1 minute before stirring in the courgette and cooking for around 5 minutes or until starting to soften.

Tumble in the potatoes, stir through the harissa and cook for 5–8 minutes or until the potatoes are beginning to colour.

Scatter in the chickpeas and pour in the tinned tomatoes and stock. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir everything together, pop on the lid and simmer for 15–20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Check the liquid levels: the sauce should have thickened a little, but you still want plenty of juices. So, if it’s getting slightly dry, pour in a splash of hot water.

Once the potatoes are tender, stir in the cavolo nero and simmer for 3 minutes.

Serve with a scattering of parmesan. This dish goes well with some couscous or slices of crusty bread, if you prefer.

Samuel says: “This stew is a household favourite. It’s hearty and comforting, but with flavours that feel super fresh. It’s also surprisingly quick to make. The peanuts, coriander (cilantro) and lime to serve are important, so I strongly recommend not leaving them out. The crunch of the peanut and the zing of the lime really bring the dish to life.”

Serves 4–6

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon sunflower or vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 red (bell) pepper, chopped
• Thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger, finely grated (shredded)
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped or crushed
• 1–2 teaspoons chilli powder (depending on how hot you like it)
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 × 400g (14-oz) tin chopped tomatoes or plum tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste (concentrated purée)
• 75g (2½oz) crunchy peanut butter
• 1 × 400g (14-oz) tin coconut milk
• 250ml (9fl oz) vegetable stock
• 1 × 400g (14-oz) tin butter beans (lima beans), drained and rinsed

To serve:

• Handful of torn coriander (cilantro) leaves
• Handful of roughly chopped unsalted peanuts
• 1–2 limes, cut into wedges

Method

Heat the oil in a large saucepan with a lid over a medium-low heat. Add the onion and red pepper and fry for 8–10 minutes or until softened and beginning to brown. Stir in the ginger and garlic and cook for a further 1 minute.

Stir in the chilli powder, then tip in the sweet potatoes and mix everything together. Cook for a few minutes to soften the potatoes then tip in the tinned tomatoes, tomato paste and peanut butter and stir well.

Pour in the coconut milk and stock. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes before tipping in the butter beans and cooking with the lid off for 20–25 minutes or until the potatoes and beans are tender and the sauce has thickened slightly.

Serve with a scattering of chopped coriander, peanuts and lime.

Samuel says: “One-pot, one-tin and traybake recipes have taken the cookery world by storm. It’s no surprise because they’re easy to throw together and generate less washing up. The perfect one-pot requires no side dishes but includes every element of a main meal. This is why tinned tomatoes are an ideal traybake ingredient; with a quick pour and stir, there’s no need for an additional sauce. This traybake includes potatoes, so your carbohydrate quota is sorted and is great on its own, but I like to serve it with couscous or crusty bread as well.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 350g (12½oz) baby potatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 courgettes (zucchini), chopped
• 2 red onions, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
• 1 red (bell) pepper, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• A few thyme sprigs
• 1 × 400g (14-oz) tin chopped tomatoes
• Handful of torn basil leaves
• 250g (9oz) halloumi, cut into 8 slices
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/390°F/gas 6.

Tip the potato chunks into a large roasting tin (sheet pan) and drizzle over 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and toss to coat the potatoes. Roast in the hot oven for 10 minutes or until beginning to soften.

Remove the tin from the oven. Tip in the courgette, red onion, red pepper and thyme, then drizzle in 1½ tablespoons oil and toss everything together. Return the tin to the oven and roast for a further 20–25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and all the veg is a little charred.

Pour over the tinned tomatoes and mix everything together. Lay the halloumi slices over the top of the veg, brush each slice with a little oil and season them well. Cook for around 15 minutes or until golden.

Scatter over the torn basil leaves just before serving.

Make it meaty:
Put six sausages into the roasting tin (sheet pan) at the same time as the potatoes and continue to cook the dish as instructed above.