I’m a food editor – five easy UPF-free midweek meals I swear by

As new research links ultra-processed food (UPF) with dementia, the leading cause of death in the UK, it’s as good a time as any to cook from scratch more often. If you want to make changes to the way you eat and cook and discover new recipes, dinner is a great place to start compared with rushed breakfasts or lunches al desko. And they don’t have to be time-consuming. Ultra-processed food (UPF) such as ready-meals, packaged foods, supermarket bread, processed meats, cereals and cakes makes up 53 per cent of the average adult diet in the UK, according to a 2025 study. While it’s still unclear whether it is the ultra-processed nature of these foods, or the fact they are often high in fat, salt and sugar, that leads to poor health, the British Medical Journal (BMJ) has linked over-consumption of UPF to a wide range of illnesses including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Shorts The new study linking dementia with a diet high in UPF, published in the American Journal of Public Health, investigated the diets of 5,400 Americans over 50 and found that those who ate the most UPF were 50 per cent more likely to develop dementia than those who ate the least UPF, over a period of nine years. If you’re worried about the volume of ultra-processed food in your diet, try these five fuss-free, quick dinners in your home kitchen. Sweet potato bean feast Sweet potatoes are one of my all-time favourite easy dinners. I like to bake them by slicing in half lengthways and sitting them cut side down in some olive oil in an oven-proof dish. This way, the delicious orange flesh caramelises and tastes even sweeter than usual. I prick the skin and season with salt, then bake at 180C fan for 30-40 minutes. Mix together equal quantities of cooked chickpeas, black beans and sweetcorn, add a handful of chopped fresh coriander and dress this with salt, oil and vinegar. When your potatoes are ready, load each up with a huge dollop of cream cheese or sour cream and the beans and chickpeas. Finish with a generous drizzle of oil and a sprinkle of ground cumin or paprika. Prawn Saganaki The dish requires no previous cooking experience (Photo: Gala Didebashvili/Getty Images) Greek cuisine is sizzling this year and if you’ve watched The Odyssey or Two Weeks in August, it’s time to bring its flavours into your home cooking, too. Prawn Saganaki, named after the shallow two-handled pan it is traditionally served in, a sagani, is a super-speedy dinner that requires no previous cooking experience and is one of few dishes that proves seafood can go with cheese. The key ingredients are juicy prawns, tangy feta and sweet tomatoes. Per person, use 100-150g of prawns, a quarter of a block of feta and half a tin of tomatoes. Choose any size of prawns you like, but the giant ones look and taste great and I prefer shelled as they’re easier to serve and eat. Buy a bag to keep in the freezer for quick meals like this. Fry a diced onion in 2tbsp olive oil until soft, add one or two cloves of sliced garlic and a small glass of white wine, though ouzo is traditional so use this if you have it. Simmer for a minute, then add the prawns and fry for another minute or two to sear them in the delicious flavoured oil. Pour in the tinned tomatoes and add a few sprigs of oregano, or a teaspoon of dried herbs. Cook for three or four more minutes, stirring the sauce, then crumble the feta over the top and bake at 180C fan for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is browned. If your pan isn’t oven proof, transfer the prawns and tomatoes to an oven–safe dish first. Lamb and cumin meatballs and homemade flatbreads I’m a big fan of meatballs as they can be bulked out to reduce cost or use up leftovers. Lamb and cumin is one of my favourite flavour combinations. Although these are handmade, they can be ready in half an hour or prepared ahead, while making your own flatbreads is also relatively speedy. If you have extra, freeze in small batches for next time. I mix 500g minced lamb with two large cloves of minced garlic, one or two teaspoons of cumin (depending on how much you like it; I love it), and season well. If I have them available, I might also add chopped mint and coriander and a diced preserved lemon. I roll the mix into golf ball-sized meatballs, which is also a good job for children, and fry in olive oil – cover your pan in a generous layer – for about eight minutes, turning frequently. Turn the heat down if the oil spits too much. As they are small the meatballs cook fairly quickly. Cut one in half to check they are brown all the way through if you’re not sure. Make quick yoghurt flatbreads by mixing equal quantities of self-raising flour and yoghurt (a cup will make 6-8 medium flatbreads) with a pinch of salt and 1tbsp olive oil in a bowl. Knead for a few minutes then let the dough rest in a bowl and under a tea towel for 15-20 minutes. Cut into pieces, roll each one out into a rough circle. Cook in a hot, dry pan for a few minutes on each side. Serve with sliced red onion and more fresh herbs. Sardines on toast For a simple, high-quality protein meal sardines are a great option (Photo: Carlo A/Getty Images) Sardines have been big news this year, with outlandish claims made for a sardine-only diet. Nonetheless, these crunchy little fish are a cheap source of high-quality protein and omega-3s, among other nutrients. It’s recommended that all adults eat at least one portion (140g cooked) of oily fish such as sardines, salmon, trout, mackerel and herring each week. If you have splashed out on a nice loaf of sourdough or any other UPF-free loaf, cut the biggest slice you can and toast it. To add some veg to this super speedy dinner without bothering to even make a salad, I might use a tin of sardines in tomato sauce, add sliced tomato to the toast under the sardines, or I might make a pea or bean puree by smushing cooked peas or white beans with yoghurt or creme fraiche and seasoning with lemon, salt and black pepper. Ratatouille-inspired chicken traybake I can’t let you get away without a chicken traybake! Chicken thighs are an affordable staple and you can match them with almost any seasonal veg to create a family-friendly meal with a few minutes of prep and 40 minutes in the oven. I love making ratatouille when it’s hot, so for this one I’m pairing chicken with aubergine, courgette, pepper and tomatoes, but this kind of dish is open to interpretation. For four people, chop two aubergines length-wise then into chunky crescents. Peel and quarter two red onions, keeping the root end intact to hold them together. Put the onion into a bowl with the aubergine and add four fat cloves of garlic, skin on. Toss with 2-3tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper, and 1tbsp mixed herbes de Provence or thyme. Arrange in one layer in a large roasting tin. Sit 4-8 seasoned chicken thighs, depending on appetite, among the veg, with a little oil rubbed into the skin. Put in a pre-heated oven at 200C fan for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, slice two or three red peppers and three courgettes into chunks and quarter two or three medium-sized tomatoes. Mix with olive oil and seasoning in a bowl, as with the other veg. Add to the tray, turn the oven down to 180C and cook for another 20 minutes. Once it’s out of the oven, remove the chicken thighs to plates and stir the rest together with 1-2 tbsp red wine or balsamic vinegar, a handful of fresh basil leaves and a good crack of pepper. Leave it for a few minutes to allow the flavours to mix, then plate alongside the chicken. I like to serve this with bulgur wheat. If you want a genuinely one-pan dish that includes some starchy carbs, add in small potatoes at the beginning.