storecupboard

Blend your storecupboard pulses with cumin, turmeric and garlic to create this robust soup with crispy pancetta topping

Lentil & Bacon Soup

olive oil

onion,diced

pancetta cubes

carrot(about 120 grams), finely diced

tsp cumin

turmeric

garlic cloves,finely chopped

chilli,sliced

stock cubes

red lentils,rinsed

Lentil & bacon soup

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, 1 pack of pancetta and the carrot. Cook on a low to medium heat for 10 minutes until the onions are soft.

Add the cumin, turmeric, garlic and chilli and cook for a further 1 – 2 minutes until the aromas are released.

Pour in 1.25 litres of boiling water, crumble in the stock cubes and add the lentils. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 mins, stirring occasionally to ensure the lentils aren’t sticking.

Meanwhile, fry the remaining lardons in a small frying pan for about 10 minutes until crispy. You don’t need to add any oil as plenty will run from the pancetta.

Serve the soup with a sprinkle of crispy lardons on top.

Enjoy the taste of the Med with this fresh, wholesome supper using an oily fish that's packed with omega-3 and a good, cheap storecupboard staple

Spanish sardines on toast

garlic

red chilli

lemon

brown bread

parsley

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, then sizzle the garlic clove and red chilli. Add the lemon zest.

Add the sardines and heat through for a few mins until warm.

Toast the brown bread. Stir the parsley into the sardines, add a squeeze of lemon juice, then divide between the toast and serve.

A sweet 'n' smoky chilli non carne recipe (see what we did there?) with vegan mince, two types of bean and plenty of spices for added kick

Vegan chilli

onions, chopped

garlic,

red chilli, finely chopped

red pepper, diced

green pepper, diced

tbsp chipotle paste

tsp coriander

cinnamon

tsp sweet smoked paprika

oregano

tomato purée

x 400 grams tins chopped tomatoes

vegetable stock

tbsp balsamic vinegar

vegan mince

tin kidney beans

tin black beans

rice

avocado, diced, to serve

coriander, leaves

Fry the onions, garlic and chilli in the olive oil in a casserole or heavy lidded pan for 10 minutes until softened, then add the peppers and cook for another 5 minutes.

Stir in the chipotle paste, spices, oregano, tomato purée, chopped tomatoes, balsamic and stock, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes then add the vegan mince and beans, and simmer for another 15 minutes, adding a splash of water if it gets a little thick. Season and serve with rice and a topping of diced avocado and chopped coriander, if you like.

This vegetarian meal in a bowl shows how something delicious can be made from mostly storecupboard ingredients

Simple coconut & bean soup

sunflower oil

onions

red pepper

Scotch bonnet chilli

thyme

tsp medium curry powder

allspice

plum tomatoes

vegetable stock cube

kidney bean

can pinto bean

black-eyed bean

coconut milk

limes

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Sizzle the spring onion whites, pepper, chilli paste and garlic for 5-8 mins until soft and fragrant. Add the thyme, curry powder and spices, then cook for 1 min more, Stir in the tomatoes, then cook for 2 mins to soften slightly.

Crumble in the stock cube, then tip in all the beans and the coconut milk. Simmer for 10 mins. Turn off the heat and stir in most of the spring onion greens, the lime juice and some seasoning. Ladle into bowls and scatter with remaining spring onions just before serving.

This one pot stew uses up all your roast dinner leftovers in one go and has a great honey mustard tang

Leftover turkey casserole

onions, finely chopped

apple,

tsp dried sage, or 5 sage leaves, chopped

tbsp plain flour

stock

tbsp wholegrain mustard

tbsp runny honey

leftover turkey, shredded

leftover roasted vegetables

Fry the onion and apple in the oil until softened in a casserole or deep pan. Stir in the sage for 1 min, then stir in the flour. Gradually stir in the stock followed by the mustard and honey.

Bring up to a simmer and stir in the turkey and roast veg. Cover and gently simmer for 15 mins until turkey is piping hot. Season and eat with mash or jacket potatoes.

This reassuringly simple dish is packed full of wholesome, smoky flavours

Smoky butter beans & greens

brown rice

tbsp extra virgin rapeseed or olive oil

spring greens

can butter beans

cumin seed

tsp smoked paprika

yogurt (optional)

Rinse the rice in cold running water until it runs clear. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, cook the rice for 20-25 mins, then drain.

Place a wide, lidded pan over a medium heat with 2 tbsp oil. Add the greens, salt and pepper and cook, with the lid on, stirring frequently, until the greens are lightly steamed and wilted, about 4-5 mins. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, then add the butter beans and cook, stirring, until heated through. Add the remaining oil, then the cumin seeds and smoked paprika. Stir until evenly combined and serve over the cooked rice with a dollop of yogurt, if you like.

A Mughlai addition to Indian cuisine, this healthy but hearty soup is a classic in most homes and restaurants across the country.

Indian sweetcorn and spinach shorba

yellow moong dal (split yellow mung beans)

vegetable oil

green cardamon pods, bruised

asafoetida

cumin seeds

bay leaf

tinned sweetcorn, drained and blitzed with a hand blender to a rough mix

vegetable stock, hot

spinach, chopped

tsp black pepper

Put the moong dal in a pan with 500ml water and the turmeric. Bring to a simmer then cook with the lid half on for 25-30 minutes until the dal is tender. Mash with a potato masher to thicken.

In a separate, large pan, heat 3 tbsp oil over a medium heat. Add the cardamom, asafoetida, cumin seeds, bay leaf and fry for 5 seconds, then add the garlic and fry for a further 5 seconds.

Add the mashed sweetcorn, stir well and fry for a minute, then add the dal. Season, then add the hot stock or 500ml water. Bring up to a simmer then cook gently with the lid on for 5 minutes. Add the spinach and black pepper, stir well for a minute and serve hot in bowls.

Bake the perfect sourdough bread loaf at home with this step-by-step guide from olive's deputy food editor and ex-baker

Easy sourdough recipe

levain (recipe above)

water,

strong white bread flour

wholewheat spelt flour

fine sea salt

Start by putting the levain into a large mixing bowl and then pour in the warm water. Mix well with your fingers to distribute the levain, then add the flours and mix really well with your hands. You will learn most about the different stages of your bread by getting your hands on the dough. Even professional bakers who mix dough in 50kg dough mixers, reach in and touch, stretch and feel the dough. Open up your fingers and use your hands like whisks to really mix the flour, levain and water together well. Leave this to rest for between 20 minutes and 1 hour, covering the bowl with a clean tea towel. This stage is called the autolyse and comes from the Greek for ‘self-digestion’. This is why sourdough doesn’t have to be kneaded, as the gluten structure forms itself here, doing all of the hard work. If you’re particularly short on time, even a 15-minute rest will make a difference.

Tip in the salt (adding it after the autolyse ensures the dough develops better elasticity) and, with wet hands, mix the dough really well. Breaking the gluten bonds now will allow them to reform even stronger.

The next step is called the bulk fermentation. Leave the dough covered with the tea towel and, every 45 minutes, ‘stretch and fold’ the dough. Wet your hands, take one side of the dough, stretch it up (being careful not to tear the dough) and fold it over on top of itself. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat, doing this six to eight times. The dough will ‘tighten’ and become less slack. Repeat this every 45 minutes for 3-4 hours (so 4-5 times in total). Every time the dough is turned it should have more air bubbles and also, toward the end, feel noticeably lighter.

Next is the bench rest. This is when the dough can be encouraged into a regular shape, creating tension so that it has the strength to stay ‘bread shaped’ when baked, as opposed to flattening into a pancake. Flour a clean worksurface really well and tip out the dough. Using a dough scraper, fold the dough up and over on itself, similar to the stretch and fold method but just folding this time. Do this 4-6 times, and again the dough will tighten and hold its shape better. Add more flour to the worksurface if the bread is sticking. The dough should be relatively round now, so leave it to rest for 10-15 minutes – expect it to flatten a little.

Grab some Italian pesto and greens from your storecupboard and rustle up this creamy chicken and green bean pesto pasta – penne or fusilli work well

Chicken & pesto pasta

pasta shapes

green bean

chicken breasts shredded

pesto

tbsp double cream

Cook pasta following pack instructions, adding green beans for the final 6 mins of cooking time. Drain and reserve a few tbsps of the cooking water.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large frying pan. Add spring onions and cook for 1-2 mins until soft, then set aside.

Add the shredded chicken in the pan and heat through. Stir through pesto and cream. Pop pasta and beans in with the chicken mix and stir to coat, adding a little of the cooking water. Season and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Top 9 storecupboard recipes from across the web

The most viewed storecupboard recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Lentil & Bacon Soup

Spanish sardines on toast

Vegan chilli

Simple coconut & bean soup

Leftover turkey casserole

Smoky butter beans & greens

Indian sweetcorn and spinach shorba

Easy sourdough recipe

Chicken & pesto pasta

Top 9 storecupboard recipes from across the web

The most viewed storecupboard recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Lentil & Bacon Soup

Spanish sardines on toast

Vegan chilli

Simple coconut & bean soup

Leftover turkey casserole

Smoky butter beans & greens

Indian sweetcorn and spinach shorba

Easy sourdough recipe

Chicken & pesto pasta

The most viewed storecupboard recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine