TAKE 5 ingredients

Whip up a tasty supper that's doesn't use many main ingredients but is still big on flavour

- JESS MEYER AND JESSICA RANSOM

Sausage and courgette orecchiette

Sausage meat is a flavourful shortcut in this quick ragu that's also light on calories. Swap in any veggies lingering in the veg drawer in place of the courgette.

Serves 2 • Ready in 20 mins

2 good-quality pork sausages, skin removed and discarded

150g orecchiette pasta (or other pasta shape)

1 courgette, thinly sliced

100g frozen soffritto mix (an aromatic mix of onion, carrot and celery), blitzed in a food processor to little pieces 20g Parmesan cheese, grated, plus extra to serve

To serve:

Fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil (optional)

1 Heat a large frying pan over high heat, add the sausage meat, then reduce the heat to medium and fry, stirring to break up the sausage, for 3 mins until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.

2 Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta, according to the pack instructions, adding the courgette for the final 2 mins of the cooking time. Drain and reserve about 100ml of the cooking water.

3 Return the frying pan to the heat, add the soffritto, and cook for 5 mins until thawed and softened.

4 Stir in the sausage meat, drained pasta, courgette, and grated Parmesan, plus enough of the reserved pasta water to make a saucy consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5 Serve in bowls, with an extra grind of black pepper, with extra Parmesan, fresh basil and a slick of olive oil, if you like.

Per serving: 500 cals, 17 fat, 7g sat fat, 62g carbs