The Summer Recipe Edit: Fresh, Filling & Batch-Cooking Friendly | AD

*This post features an advertorial from Waitrose & Partners 

My favourite scrolling habit right now? Trawling for online recipes. I LOVE IT. I’m in the mood for vegetable-heavy, fresh dishes with crunchy, crispy textures that are nourishing and filling, preferably with the ability to batch cook, or meal prep if possible. Well thankfully Waitrose & Partners have our backs, so today I’m sharing with you my favourite recipes from them for the summer that fill *all* the above criteria. Their recipe hub is bursting at the seams with recipes that are chocca with store-cupboard essentials and ripe for substitutions, no matter what you have on hand. I mean just look at this Tomato Salad with Summer Herb Labneh & Dukkah – that has just eight ingredients and this Mexican Griddled Avocado Salad – which is delicious for lunch or as a side salad for dinner. So here are some quick breakfasts, speedy lunches that will answer the ‘What should I be making for lunch?‘ conundrum (two of them take like 10 minutes, it’s BRILLIANT), and fresh and filling dinners that can be meal prepped in advance…

QUICK BREAKFASTS

Mixed Berry Breakfast Smoothie. I am all about the breakfast smoothies at the moment. They are best fresh, so aren’t one to prep in advance, but you can whip up something super tasty in five minutes – they take no time at all. I do a riff off of this one for my ‘Daily Smoo‘ – blending strawberries and blueberries (you could always use frozen ones), with oat milk, oats and vanilla protein powder. Oats make a great substitute for bananas if you’re not the biggest banana fan and want to add thickness.

Mashed Peas on Toast. I just ADORE peas on toast. I know it sounds like a bit of a strange one, but don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. We always have frozen peas in the freezer and tend to have parmesan or some kind of hard cheese on hand so 9 times of out 10 I have everything I need. A bit like avocado on toast but without the stress of hoping that your avocado is ripe enough! I sometimes whip up a batch and leave it in an airtight container in the fridge so we can just spread it straight onto toast when we want it.

Sweet Potato, Broccoli & Feta Frittata. I always forget about frittatas, but they are such a good thing to have in the fridge; whether it’s for breakfast, lunch or just to slice off some for a snack. I like a sweet potato and feta based one for breakfast – it’s just such a tasty combo and you can either eat it hot or cold depending on what you fancy. Make one at the beginning of the week and keep it in the fridge; plus feel free to add whatever vegetables are on the turn.

SUPPER SPEEDY LUNCHES

Roasted Tomato, Aubergine & Chickpea Salad. With just a handful of fresh ingredients you can raid your store cupboard to find everything else you need for this refreshing summer salad. Make fresh one day and then save your leftovers for the next by storing the bulk of the salad and the dressing separately and then combining them when you’re ready to eat.

Tuscan Bean Salad. I love a beany/grainy salad bowl because they store so well in the fridge for leftovers – no need to worry about any wilting greens. Plus points for the fact that there is no cooking here and you could easily assemble this in 10 minutes. Either have for lunch, or as a side dish with your dinner to beef it out.

White Bean, Tuna & Mixed Tomato Salad. Whereas I’d say that the other salads here can be made in advance, due to the tuna content of this one I’d say it’s best made fresh on the day; but don’t fret as all you have to do is mix all your ingredients together. SO SIMPLE. If you’re cooking for 2 it’s a great recipe as it uses up a whole tin of tuna every time.

FRESH & FILLING DINNERS

Rocket Pesto with Peas & Tomatoes. A green-themed pasta dish is a summer favourite for me, and this one requires just an handful of fresh ingredients that you probably already have. If you don’t have rocket then feel free to sub it for any light textured leafy green and you can make the pesto in advance and store it in the fridge in an airtight container for a few days, so you just have to cook your spaghetti fresh each time.

Spiced Squash Burritos with Herby Coconut Yoghurt. I love roasted squash as a veggie-alternative when it comes to burritos and this one sounds delicious. Feel free to add any other veggies in with the squash that need using up and all the individual elements can be made ahead of time and stored in your fridge until you’re ready to chow down.

Spicy Carrot Fritters with Tzatziki. A fritter is such a good thing to batch cook. I often make them in advance and pop them uncooked in the freezer, so I can take them out to defrost individually and cook them up as needed. By prepping them in advance you’d only need about 15 minutes here to get the rest of the meal together. So fast, so tasty.

Tuna Fagioli. Waitrose & Partners are just nailing the ‘get everything out and then just mix it all together‘ recipes and this is exactly that. Once again there’s no cooking, just three things to chop and some thyme leaves to pick. It might be best to make fresh on the day – this isn’t really a batch-cooking fave – but seeing as it only takes a few minutes to cobble together I had to add it to the list.

Photos by Mark Newton