Sorted Food’s easy spring traybakes you’re not cooking – but should be

When it comes to mid-week cooking, there are few recipes as simple as a classic traybake. Just bung the ingredients into the oven and hey presto, you have dinner on the table with minimal fuss. The team at Sorted Food know how difficult it is to create a menu that is both easy to prepare after a long day at work, and nutritionally balanced. So, they have developed a library of recipes that will see you and your family treated to delicious healthy dishes in no time. Here are some of their favourites. Baking tray wings and corn rice 500g chicken wings 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp mild chilli powder 2 corn on the cobs 1 red onion 1 tbsp vegetable oil 250g microwave white rice 100g feta 1 lime 15g fresh coriander Preheat the oven to 210°C/410°F/gas mark 6.5. Add the chicken wings to a medium baking dish along with the smoked paprika, the chilli powder and a large pinch of salt. Give everything a good mix, ensuring the wings are well and evenly coated. Using a sharp knife, remove the kernels from two cobs of corn. Transfer them to the baking dish.Peel, halve, and dice one red onion and add to the dish. Drizzle over the vegetable oil and toss the corn and onion to combine. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until charred in places and cooked throughout. Add the pouch of rice to the baking dish and stir to mix with the roasted corn and onion. Bake in the oven for a further four to five minutes, until the rice is soft and hot throughout. Once the rice is soft and cooked through, give it a little fluff. Crumble over the feta, then squeeze the juice of half a lime all over and roughly tear the fresh coriander on top. Take the whole tray to the table and serve with extra lime wedges on the side. Tuck in. Harissa roasted halloumi and beans traybake Harissa roasted halloumi and beans traybake (Photo: Sorted Food) 1 red onion 225g halloumi 400g tinned butter beans 100g green olives 1 tbsp harissa paste 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp honey 1 lemon 1 ciabatta (250g) 15g fresh parsley Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6. Halve and peel one red onion, cut each half into four wedges. Cut the halloumi crosswise into 2cm thick slices. Chuck it all on to a medium baking tray. Drain the butter beans, then add them and the olives to the tray. In a small bowl, whisk together the harissa paste, olive oil and honey, and squeeze in the juice from one lemon then add a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour the marinade all over the halloumi, onions and beans and give it a good mix with your hands. Cut the ciabatta into bite-size chunks and chuck them onto the tray around the halloumi. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the veg has softened and the croutons are golden brown. Finely chop the parsley and use it as a garnish. Serve and enjoy. Harissa chicken and orange traybake Harissa chicken and orange traybake (Photo: Sorted Food) 2 oranges 4 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on 2 tbsp harissa paste 3 tbsp olive oil 5 spring onions 100g couscous 100g fresh spinach 50g almond flakes 75g natural yoghurt Preheat the oven to 220°C/428°F/gas mark 7 and place a small pan filled with water over a high heat – this will be for the couscous later. Cut the oranges into 1-2cm thick slices and spread them out in an even layer in a deep roasting tray. Chuck the chicken thighs into the tray and dollop on the harissa paste. Drizzle over ⅔ of the oil, season with a generous pinch of salt and rub the harissa onto the chicken thighs. Ensure the chicken thighs are evenly spread out and skin-side up. Whack the tray into the oven to roast for 20-25 minutes, until the chicken skin is charred and the meat is opaque white throughout. Thinly slice the spring onions and chuck ¾ of them into a large mixing bowl. Tip the couscous on top. Drizzle over the remaining oil. Once the water on the stove has boiled, tip enough into the bowl to just cover the grains. Give everything a quick stir, toss the spinach on top of the couscous and cover with cling film to trap in any steam. Microwave for one to two minutes. Set the bowl aside for five to seven minutes, then stir, season and divide between two serving plates. Once the chicken is ready, pile two thighs on to each plate. It’s time to make your sauce. Use a potato masher or fork to squeeze any juice from the cooked orange slices still in the tray, then chuck them away. Place the tray over a high heat and boil the remaining juices from the chicken and orange in the tray for one to two minutes, until reduced to a syrup-like consistency. Tip the sauce over the chicken and scatter with the almond flakes. Dollop on the yoghurt, scatter over the remaining spring onions and serve. Cod Provençale traybake Cod Provençale traybake (Photo: Sorted Food) 1 brown onion 250g asparagus 200g cherry tomatoes 2 tbsp olive oil 15g fresh parsley 50g dried panko breadcrumbs Half a lemon 2 cod fillets, skinless 100ml white wine 1 chicken stock cube Preheat the oven to 220°C/428°F/gas mark 7. Peel one onion, then chop it into eight wedges. Trim the last 2cm off the asparagus as they’re a bit woody – freeze and save them for your next soup or stock though. Plonk the asparagus and prepped onion onto a baking tray with the cherry tomatoes. Drizzle over half the oil and season with salt and pepper before popping them in the oven to roast for 10 minutes, until they’re beginning to soften and colour. Finely chop the parsley, then combine most of it with the breadcrumbs. Pour in the remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. Finely grate over the zest of half a lemon, then sprinkle your herby, lemony breadcrumbs over the top of the two fish fillets and press them down so they stick. Cut the zested lemon half into wedges to serve as garnish at the end. Remove the veg from the oven and turn the oven temperature down to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Splash 100ml of wine into the tray over the veg and crumble in the stock cube. Lay the prepared fish on top of the cooked veg, so that it’s not touching the wine. Pop the tray back into the oven for 10-15 minutes, until the fish flakes easily and the breadcrumbs are golden brown on top. Remember to wash your hands after handling raw fish. Now is a good time to wash up your grater, knife, chopping board, bowl and any other mess you’ve made so far. When the fish is cooked, use a spatula to lift it out of the tray and on to serving plates. Scoop your veg on to the plates and tip the juices from your roasting tray all over your veg. Garnish with a little extra parsley and the lemon wedges. Dig in! Masala hasselback potato, asparagus and lentil traybake Masala hasselback potato, asparagus and lentil traybake (Photo: Sorted Food) 350g new potatoes 3tbsp olive oil 1 red onion 250g asparagus 250g microwave Puy lentils 1 tsp garam masala 10g fresh ginger 15g fresh mint 75ml sour cream Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6. Thinly slice the new potatoes crosswise, making sure not to go all the way through. This creates the hasselback pattern. Tumble them onto a large baking tray and drizzle over the olive oil. Peel the onion and cut into eight even-sized wedges. Chuck the onion on to the tray with the potato.Season with a generous pinch of salt and toss to coat. Ensure all the potatoes are arranged cut-side up and roast in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until nearly cooked and golden in places. Grab the asparagus and bend each spear, one at a time. They should break where the woody ends stop and the tender flesh begins. We won’t need the woody bottoms for this recipe but don’t throw them away as they make great soups. Once the potatoes are ready, chuck the asparagus, lentils and the garam masala into the tray with them. Finely grate over the fresh ginger, then toss everything to coat the veg in the oil and spices. Spread everything out into an even layer and whack the tray back into the oven to roast for a further six to eight minutes, until the asparagus spears are tender. Pick the leaves from 15g of mint. Once the traybake is ready, drizzle over the sour cream and scatter over the mint leaves. Divide between two plates and enjoy. Halloumi, red pepper and quinoa traybake (Photo: Sorted Food) Halloumi, red pepper and quinoa traybake 1 red onion 4 red bell peppers 225g halloumi 1 tbsp smoked paprika 2 tbsp olive oil 10 g fresh parsley 200g quinoa 1 lemon Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 and grab a medium-sized baking dish. Halve and peel one onion, then cut each half into four wedges. Deseed and cut the peppers into bite-sized pieces and chuck everything into the tray. Cut the block of halloumi into six crossways and chuck it into the tray. Scatter over the smoked paprika. Drizzle over the oil, season with a pinch of salt and give everything a good mix in the tray. Spread everything out into one even layer to ensure an even bake. Cook everything in the oven for 10-15 minutes until golden brown in places and the veg is nearly soft throughout. Finely chop the parsley. When your traybake has five minutes to go, fill a small saucepan with 270ml of water and place it over a high heat. This will be for the quinoa. Once the traybake is ready, scatter over the quinoa. When the water on the stove has begun to boil, tip it over everything. Finely grate over the zest from one lemon and squeeze in its juice. Give everything a good mix. Whack the tray back in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed by the quinoa and the grains are soft. Add a splash more water if the quinoa gets dry before it has softened. Divide the traybake between plates and scatter over the chopped parsley from earlier. Tuck in. For more recipes visit the website, sortedfood.com, and download the Sidekick meal-planning app