Easy cheap dinner recipes: spicy lamb

This wonderful cheap dinner recipe requires very little preparation – just a little frying over before it goes in the oven. There will be enough leftover spicy lamb to make another meal - serve it with basmati rice and wilted spinach on the side.

Serves 4

• Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan oven/gas mark 5. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and sauté 1 chopped onion for 5 minutes. Add 500g lamb mince and brown well, breaking up the mince with a wooden spoon. Stir in a pinch of chilli flakes, 1 tsp freshly ground coriander and ½ teaspoon freshly ground cumin and season well. Add 150g red lentils and 400g chopped tomatoes or passata. Pour over 1 litre weak hot chicken or vegetable stock and stir everything together. Put a lid on the pan and bring to the boil.
• Wash and cut a cross in the top of four medium-large sweet potatoes. Put on a baking sheet. Transfer the sweet potatoes and lamb mince to the oven and cook for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the sweet potatoes are tender. Transfer half the spicy lamb to a sealable container and set aside to cool and save for your next budget supper! Put each sweet potato onto a plate and squeeze each to ease open the middle. Put a spoonful of spicy lamb in the middle and put a spoonful of Greek yogurt on top. Garnish with a pinch of ground cumin and a few fresh coriander leaves.

Vary the recipe

Omit the lentils and spices. Cook the mince, then stir in a 400g can haricot beans, drained, and 1 tsp freshly chopped rosemary for the last 10 minutes. Reserve half again and freeze for another time, then serve inside a baked potato, and sprinkle with grated Cheddar.

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