Easy Protein-Rich Crustless Quiche

This simple, protein-rich savoury bake is an easy way to pack several different plants into one meal. I used yellow and green courgettes, spring onion and cherry tomatoes, but the beauty of this recipe is that it's extremely flexible. Swap in spinach, peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, peas, leftover roasted vegetables or whatever is looking a bit tired in your fridge. The more variety you add, the more different plants you can count towards your 30 a week.

It's delicious warm for dinner, but it also keeps well in the fridge and can be eaten cold the next day, making it useful for an easy lunch. Get extra plant points by serving it with a big salad.

Makes 4 servings

• 400 g cottage cheese

• 6 large eggs

• 100 g grated hard cheese, such as Comté, Gruyère, Emmental or Cheddar

• 1 medium yellow courgette, thinly sliced

• 1 medium green courgette, thinly sliced

• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced

• A handful of cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder (optional)

• Black pepper, to taste

• A little salt, if needed

• 1 teaspoon olive oil, for cooking and greasing

You don't need to stick to these vegetables. This recipe is very adaptable. Use whatever you have available: spinach, peppers, broccoli, peas, sweetcorn, mushrooms, leeks, roasted aubergine or leftover cooked vegetables all work well. Combining several different vegetables is a simple way to increase the variety of plants in your diet.

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C conventional / 170°C fan.

2. Lightly grease a baking dish, approximately 20 × 25 cm.

3. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the courgettes and spring onions and cook for 5–7 minutes, until the courgettes have softened and some of their excess moisture has evaporated. Add the tomatoes for the final 1–2 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and baking powder together until well combined and slightly frothy.

5. Stir in the cottage cheese, grated cheese, garlic powder and plenty of black pepper. Add a little salt if needed.

6. Fold the cooked vegetables through the egg mixture.

7. Pour into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly.

8. Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the centre is completely set and the top is lightly golden.

9. Leave to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Serve warm with a large green salad or steamed vegetables.

It is also delicious cold from the fridge, so make the full recipe even if you're only cooking for two. The leftovers make an easy lunch the following day. Allow leftovers to cool, then cover and refrigerate. Eat within 2–3 days.

My approach to nutrition focuses on variety rather than perfection. Aim for at least 30 different plants across the week, including vegetables, fruit, wholegrains, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices.

You don't need complicated recipes to achieve this. A meal like this can contain four different vegetables before you've even added herbs or spices. Across a week, those small additions can make a surprisingly big difference to the variety of plants you're eating.

So don't worry about following this recipe exactly. Open the fridge, see what needs using and add it. Delicious, easy meals like this are the foundation of a healthy diet.