6 delicious dinner recipes
These are great for your main meal of the day, when you have a little more time to prepare, cook and eat food. If you don't want to cook vegetables, try them raw or have a salad instead but try to include a variety of different coloured vegetables across the day to get more nutrition and meet your ‘five a day’.
Meatballs in tomato sauce
This recipe makes 4 portions of about 180g.
Ingredients
300g beef mince
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large (400g) can chopped tomatoes
100ml water
Method
- Put the mince, egg and pepper into a large bowl and, using your hands, mix together thoroughly.
- Roll the mixture between your hands to make about 12 small balls.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onions and meatballs until browned.
- Add the tomatoes and water and simmer for 30 minutes.
Salmon couscous
This recipe makes 4 portions of about 225g.
Ingredients
1 large (420g) can red salmon, drained (about 350g when drained) (Buy fish from sustainable sources where possible.)
150g couscous
3 spring onions, finely sliced
300ml boiling water
1/2 lemon
1/4 medium cucumber, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh mint, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh coriander, finely chopped
Method
- Drain and flake the salmon and keep chilled until required.
- Put the couscous in a large bowl and mix in the spring onions.
- Bring the water to the boil and pour it over the couscous. Stir gently, cover, and leave for about 4 minutes and then fluff the couscous with a fork.
- Zest the lemon (that is, finely grate the outer rind), and squeeze the juice out of the lemon.
- Mix the salmon, couscous, cucumber, herbs, lemon zest and lemon juice thoroughly and chill until serving.
Tuna and tomato pasta
This recipe makes 4 portions of about 300g.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
11/2 large (400g) cans chopped tomatoes with herbs (total of 600g)
1 teaspoon sugar250g dried pasta shapes such as penne
11/2 cans (185g) tuna in spring water, drained (210g drained weight) (Buy fish from sustainable sources where possible.)
Method
- Heat the oil in a saucepan and cook the onion until softened.
- Add the chopped garlic and cook for a further minute.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and sugar and bring to the boil.
- Reduce the heat and allow to simmer without a lid for about 12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling water, following the instructions on the packet.
- Flake the drained tuna with a fork and stir into the pasta sauce to warm through.
- Drain the cooked pasta well and return it to the pot,pour the sauce over the pasta and mix gently.
Homemade salmon fish fingers
This recipe makes 4 portions of about 90g.
Ingredients
350g salmon fillet (either fresh, or frozen and thoroughly defrosted) (Buy fishfrom sustainable sources where possible.)
2 eggs
3 slices of bread, crumbed
Method
- Heat the oven to 190°C / 375°F / Gas 5.
- Cut the salmon fillet into 12 even-sized strips.
- Beat the eggs in a shallow dish to make an egg wash.
- Dip the salmon strips in the egg wash and then roll the strips in the breadcrumbs until fully coated.
- Place the coated strips on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Note: When serving fish, make sure that all bones are removed.
Fish pie
This recipe makes 4 portions of about 300g.
Ingredients
400g frozen or fresh white fish fillets – or a mixed fish pie pack (Choose fish from sustainable sources.)
600g potatoes, peeled and diced 45ml semi-skimmed milk
60g Cheddar cheese
For the sauce:
1 tablespoon vegetable fat spread
1 tablespoon plain flour350ml semi-skimmed milk
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F / Gas 6.
- Poach and flake the fish.
- Boil the potatoes and mash with the first quantity of milk.
- Melt the vegetable fat spread in a saucepan, and then mix in the flour to make a thick paste. Cook gently for 1 or 2 minutes, stirring all the time.
- Slowly add the milk to the flour mixture, stirring continuously to make a smooth sauce. Then season with the pepper.
- Add the flaked fish to the sauce.
- Place the fish mixture in a dish, cover it with the mashed potatoes and sprinkle with cheese.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are golden.
Note: When serving fish, make sure that all bones are removed.
Vegetable curry with lentil dahl and rice
This recipe makes 4 portions of about 200g.
Vegetable curry
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 clove garlic, finely chopped 150ml water
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 small head of cauliflower, florets only
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
1 small (200g) can sweetcorn (about 160g when drained)
1/2 small (150g) carton low-fat natural yoghurt
Method
- Heat the oil in a saucepan and cook the onion until softened and beginning to brown.
- Add the curry powder and garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the water.
- Add the carrots, cauliflower, potato and sweetcorn and bring to the boil.
- Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the yoghurt. Return the pan to a low heat and cook gently for 2 minutes.
Lentil dahl
This recipe makes 4 portions of about 80g.
Ingredients
150g split red lentils
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon mild chilli powder
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 small tomato, diced
150ml water
Method
- Boil the lentils in water until tender. Drain off any excess water.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan and fry the cumin seeds for about a minute, until they ‘pop’.
- Add the onion, garlic, ginger, chilli powder and turmeric and fry for several minutes until the onions soften.
- Add the cooked lentils to the pan, along with the diced tomato and the water, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes,stirring occasionally.
- Thanks to Dr Helen Crawley from the First Steps Nutrition Trust for allowing us to use recipes from her guide Eating well for a healthy pregnancy.
Review dates
Last reviewed: 27 June, 2017
Next review: 27 June, 2020
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