The superstar chef shares tasty and nutritious hits from his new recipe collection, including a meatball traybake, eggplant involtini and spring soup with ricotta toasts.
Jamie Oliver
Known for his fast, tasty and accessible family-friendly recipes, Jamie Oliver’s latest collection is his first healthy-eating cookbook, which coincides with the English celebrity chef turning 50.
From sneaking some beans into a family favourite like meatballs to submerging eggplants in a “blipping sweet” tomato sauce, this trio of recipes from Eat Yourself Healthy proves that home-cooked meals can be as delicious as they are wholesome.
Meatball traybake
Using an old friend like meatballs to get some beans into your life is a tasty, nutritious win.
Serves 4
Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes (Prep: 10 minutes | Cook: 1 hour)
5 of your 7-a-day
- 1 large bulb of fennel (320g)
- 2 red onions (320g)
- 4 carrots (320g)
- olive oil
- 1 x 400g can of cannellini beans
- 400g higher-welfare beef or pork mince
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 x 400g cans of roma tomatoes
- 1 x 460g jar of roasted red peppers
- 1 lemon
- 50g feta cheese
- optional: extra virgin olive oil
- Preheat the oven to 200C fan-forced (220C conventional). Trim the fennel, reserving any leafy tops, peel the onions, then cut it all into wedges and place in a deep 30cm x 40cm roasting tray. Peel, halve and add the carrots. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, season with sea salt and black pepper, and roast for 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, drain the beans and pulse a couple of times in a food processor. Add the mince and oregano, season, and pulse until just combined. With clean wet hands, divide the mixture into 12, roll into balls, then place in a large non-stick frying pan on a medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of oil and cook until golden all over, turning regularly.
- Pour the tomatoes and peppers, juice and all, into the processor (there’s no need to clean it). Finely grate and reserve the lemon zest, then squeeze the juice into the processor, season, and blitz until smooth.
- Remove the tray from the oven, pour the sauce over the veg, then evenly sit the golden balls around the tray. Return to the oven for a final 20 minutes.
- To serve, crumble over the feta, sprinkle over the reserved lemon zest and any fennel tops, and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil, if you like. Great as it is, or with wholemeal toast, couscous, rice or spaghetti.
Vegie love: Vegie mince works very well in place of beef or pork mince.
Energy 441kcal; fat 18.1g; sat fat 5.3g; protein 33g; carbs 36.4g; sugars 19.7g; salt 1.3g; fibre 13.3g
Eggplant involtini
Filled eggplants are submerged in a blipping sweet tomato sauce for a very tasty tea.
Serves 2
Total time: 50 minutes (Prep: 20 minutes | Cook: 30 minutes)
3 of your 7-a-day
- 2 eggplants (250g each)
- 1 bunch of basil (30g)
- 1 x 400g can of borlotti beans
- 100g ricotta cheese
- 20g Parmesan cheese
- 1 lemon
- olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 heaped teaspoons baby capers in brine
- 1 pinch of ground cinnamon
- 2 x 400g cans of roma tomatoes
- Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional). Put a large non-stick ovenproof frying pan on a high heat. Slice the eggplants lengthways 1cm thick, then dry fry and soften, in batches, for 2 minutes on each side, then remove to your board.
- Meanwhile, pick a few nice basil leaves and reserve in a bowl of cold water, then put the rest, stalks and all, into a food processor. Drain and add the beans, add the ricotta, then finely grate in the Parmesan and lemon zest, squeeze in the juice and blitz to combine, then season to perfection.
- Once all the eggplants are done, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the empty pan. Peel, finely slice and add the garlic, along with the capers and cinnamon. Fry for 2 minutes, then tip and crush in the tomatoes.
- Divide and spread the ricotta mixture between the eggplant slices, then roll them up and nestle them into the sauce. Transfer to the oven to cook for 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbling, then scatter over the reserved basil leaves. Nice with crusty wholemeal bread for mopping up the sauce.
Energy 396kcal; fat 14.7g; sat fat 5.5g; protein 23.7g; carbs 46.8g; sugars 23.7g; salt 1.5g; fibre 19.2g
Spring soup and ricotta toasts
A truly spectacular, tasty soup that will get your face smiling and your taste buds singing.
Serves 4
Total time: 30 minutes
3 of your 7-a-day
- 2 leeks (320g)
- 1 x 285g jar of artichoke hearts in oil
- 320g frozen peas
- 320g frozen broad beans
- 1 big bunch of mint (60g)
- 250g ricotta cheese
- 20g Parmesan cheese
- 1 lemon
- 4 slices of wholemeal sourdough bread
- dried red chilli flakes
- Trim the leeks, then halve lengthways, wash, slice and place in a large deep non-stick pan on a medium heat. Halve and add the artichokes, along with 2 tablespoons of oil from their jar. Cook gently for 15 minutes, or until the leeks are soft and sweet, stirring occasionally. Boil the kettle.
- Add the peas, broad beans and 1 litre of boiling kettle water, then turn the heat up and bring to the boil while you pick and finely chop the mint leaves. Stir them into the pan, then blend half of the soup, either removing to a blender or in the pan with a stick blender, and stir it back through the rest for a creamier texture. Season to perfection and leave to simmer.
- In a bowl, beat the ricotta with the finely grated Parmesan and lemon zest, season to perfection and loosen with a little lemon juice, to taste. Toast the bread, then spread 1 heaped tablespoon of the ricotta mixture across each toast, stashing the rest in the fridge for another meal (it will keep for up to 3 days). Add a pinch of chilli flakes to each toast, then portion up the soup and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over, if you like.
Embellish it: If you’ve got one, adding a Parmesan rind with the peas and broad beans will give an incredible depth of flavour. Feel free to add other green veg to the mix, too, such as asparagus, broccoli, green beans or edamame beans.
Energy 396kcal; fat 20.1g; sat fat 5.3g; protein 19.9g; carbs 33.3g; sugars 6.3g; salt 0.9g; fibre 12.5g
Eat Yourself Healthy by Jamie Oliver is published by Penguin Michael Joseph © Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited (2025 Eat Yourself Healthy). Recipe photography: © David Loftus, 2025.
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