Jamie Oliver brings a joyful, family-friendly approach to cooking, easy recipes that feed the soul and fuel the body. This collection presents five nutritious dinners — from pork meatballs in apple gravy to a smoky veggie chilli — all designed to be accessible, delicious and packed with the good stuff. Expect simple ingredients, practical tips and warm, happy flavours to brighten any weeknight.
"So an apple a day really could keep the doctor away" — a cheerful reminder to use fruit and veg to lift flavour and nutrition.
1. Pork & Apple Meatballs with Cannellini, Oats and Apple Gravy
This is a family favourite that swaps excess fat for smart substitutes: pork fillet, cannellini beans and oats give juicy texture and a nutrition boost. It clocks in at about 591 calories per serving.
Ingredients
- 450g pork fillet, cut into chunks
- 1 x 400g tin cannellini beans, drained
- 50g oats
- Half a bunch mint, chopped
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard (plus extra to finish)
- 2 red onions, 2 apples (quartered, unpeeled)
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 2 tbsp wholemeal flour, 1 litre chicken stock
- 30g cheddar for grating, seeded wholemeal buns to serve
Method
- Pulse pork, beans, oats, mint and mustard to a coarse mince — not a puree. Wet hands to form ~20 ping-pong-sized meatballs.
- Sear in olive oil, then remove four at a time to brown. In same pan add sliced red onions and quartered apples; soften.
- Stir in Worcestershire, mustard and wholemeal flour; add stock and boil to thicken.
- Return meatballs to the gravy, roast at 200°C/400°F for 20 minutes until the sauce reduces. Top with cheddar and finish in the oven on rolls; serve with rocket, watercress and mint salad.
Jamie’s tip
Using beans and oats keeps the texture light and moist — a clever way to enjoy meatballs while boosting fibre and protein.
2. Squash & Sausage Risotto with Chicory and Cottage Cheese
Creamy risotto gets a nutritious makeover: a little sausage for flavour, squash for sweetness, chicory for prebiotic goodness and cottage cheese for silky finish. A crowd-pleaser at around 600 calories per portion.
Key steps
- Fry chipolatas with fennel seeds and chilli flakes; add diced squash and onions and caramelise.
- Deglaze with Chianti (omit for kids), add 300g arborio and stir in stock ladle by ladle.
- Fold through shredded chicory and cottage cheese near the end, rest briefly before serving with parmesan and thyme.
Why this works
Combining strong flavours with high-quality, smaller amounts of meat keeps the dish both indulgent and balanced — a top example of cooking, easy recipes that families will actually eat.
3. Old-School Beef & Guinness Stew with Mustard-Barley
Hearty, comforting and smart: lean skirt steak, root veg, dried porcini and a hit of Guinness create deep flavour. Pearl barley is the star — fibre-rich and heart-friendly.
Quick overview
- Fry pickled onions and aromatics, add carrots, celery and swede, plus porcini.
- Add stock and half a bottle of Guinness, season and oven-cook the beef low and slow for ~2 hours.
- Boil pearl barley separately, drain and stir in mustard and a little grated cheese — silky, nutty and delicious alongside steamed leafy greens.
Benefit
Barley delivers beta-glucans and keeps the plate satisfying while lowering the red-meat proportion — a brilliant example of how cooking, easy recipes can be nourishing and flavour-led.
4. Seven-Veg Tomato Sauce & Squash-Ricotta Ravioli (Make and Freeze)
Batch-cook a vibrant seven-veg tomato sauce (onion, celery, carrots, courgette, peppers, leeks, butternut) then use it to smother homemade ravioli filled with roasted squash and ricotta. Each portion offers three of your five a day and freezes beautifully.
Essentials
- Slow-cook the veg base, add four tins plum tomatoes and simmer until reduced; blitz smooth and freeze in portions.
- Make pasta with 300g fine Italian flour + 3 eggs; roast squash, mash with ricotta and basil for filling.
- Seal ravioli, cook 2 minutes from fresh or frozen, and serve with the tomato sauce, rocket and parmesan.
Worth doing because
Weekend batch-cooking gives quick dinners midweek — simple, wholesome and exactly the sort of cooking, easy recipes families love.
5. Smoky Veggie Chilli with Popped Butter Beans & Cheesy Jackets
A colourful, smoky chilli packed with sweet potato, charred onions and mixed peppers, rounded with cocoa, smoked paprika and a spoonful of peanut butter. Popping butter beans on the griddle adds fantastic texture.
Serve with
- Baked jacket potatoes, grated cheddar and a dollop of natural yoghurt spiced with smoked paprika.
- This dish delivers five of your five fruit and veg a day and comes in at about 445 calories per portion.
Final thought
These recipes show how small swaps — more veg, pulses, wholegrains and clever dairy choices — turn comfort food into nutritious family meals. They’re joyful, practical and perfect for anyone wanting simple, delicious cooking, easy recipes that don’t compromise on flavour.
This article was created from the video How To Cook 5 Healthy Family Dinners with the help of AI.
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