As the days grow colder and nights draw in, there’s something especially comforting about home-cooked food filling the kitchen with rich, warming aromas. At this time of year, budgets can be tighter and inspiration harder to find, making it the perfect moment to get creative with greens like kale, cavolo nero, spinach and leeks.
Packed with flavour, nutrients and endlessly versatile, these vegetables are heroes of the kitchen. From easy traybakes and hearty soups to smoothies and stuffed jackets, Discover Great Veg shows how a handful of these greens can transform everyday ingredients into dishes that are both nourishing and delicious. They’re ideal for using up leftovers, keeping mealtimes exciting and adding a healthy boost to help you feel your best through the colder months.
Here are a few simple, flavour-packed ways to make these veg go further.
Load up your jackets
Take the humble baked potato to new heights with these cheesy cavolo nero-stuffed jackets. Melted cheese and cavolo nero come together for a rich, comforting dish that’s full of flavour and fibre. Cavolo nero contains vitamins A and C to support your immune system and is also a good source of lutein, which can help with eye health.
Cheesy cavolo nero-stuffed jackets
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 1¾ hours
Ingredients:
4 baking potatoes
150g cavolo nero, chopped
100g low-fat soft cheese
2 spring onions, finely sliced
75g cheddar cheese, grated
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C, gas mark 6.
2. Prick the potatoes with a fork and cook in the oven for 1½ hours or until tender, cool slightly then cut in half and scoop out the flesh into a bowl leaving a 1cm border around the edges. Place the shells on a baking tray.
3. Cook the cavolo nero in boiling water for 5 minutes, drain and mix into the potato flesh with the soft cheese, spring onions and seasoning. Spoon back into the potato shells and sprinkle over the cheddar. Bake for 15 minutes until golden.
Make the most of leftovers
If you’ve got a few leftover vegetables in the fridge, why not turn them into a hearty kale soup? This quick, budget-friendly recipe makes the most of what’s already on hand, with kale adding vibrant colour, fresh flavour and a natural boost of vitamin K, calcium and iron. It’s simple to make, freezes well, and is perfect for doubling up so you’ve got a nutritious meal ready for another day.
Hearty kale soup
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
75g pearl barley
1.4 litre vegetable stock
1 leek, thickly sliced
1 carrot, diced
2 sticks celery, diced
250g pack of kale
2 tbsp chopped parsley
Method:
1. Cook the barley in the stock gently for 30 minutes in a large covered saucepan or until just tender. Add the vegetables, cover and cook for a further 5-8 minutes.
2. Stir in the parsley and season to taste.
Reinvent your fish supper
Crispy, golden and packed with goodness, these smoked haddock, potato and leek fish cakes cook in just 10 minutes and are proof that simple ingredients can deliver restaurant-worthy flavour. They’re also perfect for batch cooking – just make a double batch and freeze extras for quick, protein-packed dinners whenever you need them.
Smoked haddock, potato and leek fish cakes
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
300g smoked haddock
800g King Edward potatoes, cut into chunks
1 tbsp oil
2 leeks, trimmed, washed and finely sliced
50g fresh breadcrumbs
Oil for shallow frying
Method:
1. Poach the fish in water for 6-7 minutes until just cooked through. Drain and cool and discard the bones and skin.
2. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in boiling water for 12-15 minutes until tender, drain and return to the pan. Mash well and season.
3. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the leeks for 4-5 minutes until softened, cool slightly before stirring into the mash with the fish. Divide into 8 fishcakes and chill for 10 minutes.
4. Press into the breadcrumbs to coat.
5. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry the fishcakes in 2 batches for 2 minutes each side until golden. Serve with salad.
Start your day green
Bright, fresh and zingy, this two-greens smoothie blends kale and spinach with apple and lime for a refreshing start to the day. Spinach is naturally rich in folate and a source of vitamin A, which promotes clear, healthy skin and vision, making it the perfect morning pick-me-up.
Two greens smoothie
Serves: 2
Prep time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
2 tbsp rolled oats
400ml apple juice
75g spinach
25g kale
1 tbsp agave nectar
1 ripe banana, roughly sliced
Method:
1. Place the oats in a liquidiser with the apple juice and soak for 5 minutes.
2. Add all the remaining ingredients to the liquidiser and puree until smooth.
3. Pour into 2 glasses and serve.
Go green at lunch
Fast, fresh and full of flavour, this kale omelette makes a tasty lunch or light supper that’s both quick and affordable. Using just six ingredients and ready in around 10 minutes, it’s an easy way to enjoy one of your five-a-day, with kale adding colour and freshness to this simple classic.
Kale omelette
Serves: 2
Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 18 minutes
Ingredients:
2 medium waxy potatoes, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
75g Kale, chopped
6 medium eggs, beaten
75ml milk
Method:
1. Boil the potatoes for 8-10 minutes until tender.
2. Drain. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a 24cm frying pan and fry the onion and Kale for 7-8 minutes.
3. Add the potatoes. Mix together the eggs, milk and seasoning. Pour into the frying pan and cook gently, covered for 7-8 minutes, finishing under a preheated grill for 1-2 minutes until cooked throughout.
Feed the family
This sausage, leek and potato traybake is an easy crowd-pleaser. It’s a great way to use up leftover vegetables, creating a hearty, fuss-free meal with minimal waste. With leeks adding gentle sweetness, vitamin C to support healthy bones, teeth and skin, and natural prebiotic fibre for gut health, it’s wholesome comfort food that’s as good for you as it tastes.
Sausage, leek and potato traybake
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
500g baby new potatoes, halved
2 tbsp oil
454g pack Lincolnshire sausages
500g leeks, trimmed, washed and thickly sliced
1 red pepper, thickly sliced
2 tbsp chopped sage
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp honey
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C, gas mark 6.
2. Cook the potatoes in boiling water for 7-8 minutes, drain.
3. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan and fry the sausages for 3-4 minutes to brown.
4. Place the potatoes, sausages, leeks, pepper and sage in a large roasting tray. Mix together the remaining oil with the mustard and honey and toss into the leek mixture, season.
5. Bake for 20 minutes.
Whether you’re cooking for two or feeding a family, these recipes show how quick, simple and delicious home-cooked meals can be, all while helping you waste less, spend wisely and eat better.
Recipes from www.discovergreatveg.co.uk
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