Tried and Tasted:
A week of cooking from Simply Jamie
Can Jamie’s fuss-free recipes really deliver on speed, flavour, and everyday ease? I cooked four dishes to find out.
The four recipes tested from Simply Jamie.
Cooking from a cookbook is one thing, cooking through it is another.
Each week in Tried and Tasted, I cook from a single cookbook, not just one recipe, but a handful, tested over a week in real-life conditions. No pressure, no ratings, just honest reflections on what I cooked, how it went, and whether I’d make it again.
This week, I turned to Simply Jamie by Jamie Oliver, a book that leans hard into fuss-free flavour. Think bright, vibrant traybakes, hearty pastas, and no-nonsense dinners you can pull together without a full day in the kitchen. I wanted to see if Jamie’s promise of “simple but big on taste” really held up in the everyday home kitchen, and if his shortcuts delivered results worth repeating.
Here’s what happened.
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Steak & Noodles - Simply Jamie pg. 74
Steak & Noodles
In the Kitchen
This recipe was hands down the quickest of the bunch, but it didn’t skimp on flavour.
The sauce came together in seconds - garlic, ginger, and chilli mixed with soy and a generous amount of crunchy peanut & sesame chilli oil. Fresh coriander folded through at the end gave it that bright, fragrant lift.
I couldn’t find crunchy peanut and sesame chilli oil in store, so I made my own. You can find the recipe here if you fancy giving it a go.
Then came the steak. Jamie suggests searing the fat edge first, a clever trick that I enjoy using myself. The fat renders out, leaving a golden, crispy edge and a base of rich flavour to cook the meat in. For the steak itself I followed his timings exactly, though mine landed closer to medium than the suggested medium rare. Next round, I’ll pull it off the heat a touch earlier.
As the steak rested, I dropped noodles into boiling water, adding my greens for the last couple of minutes so they cooked just enough to stay vibrant. Once drained, I tossed everything through that punchy sauce, and the base was ready.
For the finishing touch, I fried off a couple of eggs in the rendered steak fat until the edges went deliciously crisp. Then it was just a matter of layering: glossy noodles, a scatter of sesame seeds, tender steak slices, runny-yolked eggs, and a fresh hit of coriander.
The Verdict
This one really hit the mark. The flavours were bold and balanced, with just the right amount of heat. It’s the kind of dish that feels fresh and satisfying but still comes together quickly enough to slot into a busy weeknight.
Would I Make It Again?
Yes, this one’s a keeper. It’s quick, easy, and full of flavour, while also ticking the boxes for protein and plenty of veg. Exactly the kind of balanced, no-fuss recipe I love having up my sleeve for busy nights.
Worth Knowing
This is a dish best enjoyed straight away. It doesn’t hold up too well as leftovers. Luckily, it’s portioned perfectly for two and easy to scale up if needed.
The heat level lands on the spicier side. I can handle a fair amount of chilli, but this was edging toward my upper limit. If you prefer things milder, just dial back the amount of chilli oil to suit your taste.
Summery Salmon Traybake - Simply Jamie pg. 162
Summery Salmon Traybake
In the Kitchen
When I first flicked through Simply Jamie, this was the recipe that leapt off the page: vibrant colours, bold flavours, and the promise of a seriously good traybake.
The dish called for tinned baby potatoes - something I’d never used before and was honestly sceptical about. Would they really taste good? It felt like an unnecessary shortcut when preparing fresh ones would take barely any time. Still, I trusted the process, and to my surprise, they looked and tasted far better than expected.
While the potatoes fried in a roasting tray on the stovetop, I tossed the rest of the ingredients - tomatoes, capers, olives, and more - in a bowl with olive oil and lemon juice. Once coated, the salmon fillets were removed and wrapped in prosciutto, making sure they were snugly covered.
Everything went into the roasting tray with the potatoes, with the salmon fillets placed on top. I slid it under the grill, and within minutes the kitchen was filled with the most incredible aroma. Towards the end I switched from grill to fan bake, the top was getting a little too crisp, and after ten minutes total it was ready.
A spoonful of pesto on each fillet and a wedge of lemon to squeeze over each serving finished it perfectly.
The Verdict
This dish tasted great. The combination of prosciutto-wrapped salmon with tomatoes, olives, and capers reminded me of a baked white fish puttanesca I love from Matt Preston - rich, salty, and full of flavour. The potatoes tied everything together, and I found that if I hadn’t opened the tins myself, I never would have guessed they weren’t fresh.
Would I Make It Again?
Absolutely. It’s quick, easy, and looks like it takes far more effort than it actually does. The perfect balance of “weeknight simple” and “dinner party impressive.” Next time I’d swap in fresh baby potatoes, just to maximise quality, but if speed is the goal, the tinned ones are more than fine.
Worth Knowing
This recipe uses skin-on salmon. Normally, I only like salmon skin when it’s crisped up, so I was hesitant. But here, the skin just melted into the dish and wasn’t noticeable at all. If you’d rather not use it, skinless fillets would work just as well.
Cajun-Spiced Enchiladas - Simply Jamie pg. 220
Cajun-Spiced Enchiladas
In the Kitchen
I wanted to test out a hearty vegetarian dish from Simply Jamie, and these enchiladas looked like the perfect choice.
The filling started with sweet potatoes - pricked all over with a fork (oddly satisfying, if slightly wrist-ache inducing) and microwaved whole until soft. While they cooked, I made the sauce: garlic gently fried in oil, then stirred through with tinned tomatoes and spices until rich and fragrant. Once simmered, it went straight into the oven tray, leaving the pan free for the corn.
The corn got a quick toast before I stirred through spring onion and spices. Meanwhile, the sweet potatoes were ready to slice into quarters. From there it was assembly time: each tortilla spread with mashed sweet potato, topped with the corn mixture, rolled, and nestled into the waiting sauce.
Over the top went a spiced black bean mix and generous dollops of cottage cheese. The tray baked for half an hour until hot and bubbling, with crispy edges and blistered cheese. I finished it with spring onion greens and a good squeeze of sriracha.
The Verdict
These enchiladas were even tastier than expected. The cottage cheese on top was a revelation, lighter and healthier than my usual grated cheese and sour cream, but still creamy and satisfying. Everything came together into a filling, flavour-packed vegetarian dish that felt like comfort food done right.
Would I Make It Again?
Yes, definitely. It’s easy to throw together, makes plenty, and would happily feed a group without much fuss.
Worth Knowing
I microwaved the sweet potatoes for the full 12 minutes, but some quarters were firmer and harder to mash. Thankfully, this didn’t matter at all in the finished bake - everything softened beautifully in the oven.
One small tip: the tomato sauce does splatter while simmering, so a splatter screen will save on clean-up.
Strawberry & Balsamic Tart - Simply Jamie pg. 262
Strawberry & Balsamic Tart
In the Kitchen
For such an amazing looking dessert, it took very little effort to pull together. The pastry was simple to make, with flour, sugar, and butter rubbed together until it resembled breadcrumbs before adding in beaten egg and vanilla. Jamie suggests you can use a food processor to save time, but I enjoyed working the dough by hand. It reminded me of making scones with my dad when I was a child.
Once the short pastry was ready, I combined the strawberries in a bowl with sugar, balsamic vinegar, and cornflour to create a thick syrupy mixture that coated the fruit.
The dough then needed to be rolled out into an oval. I used my rolling pin with interchangeable ends to achieve the right thickness, which made this step easy.
Freshly ground almonds were sprinkled over the base of the pastry, leaving space around the edges to fold it up later. The strawberries went on top with all their syrupy juices. Some of the liquid started to creep toward the edges, but it moved slowly enough that I was able to fold over the sides before anything escaped.
The pastry hugged the filling snugly, leaving a generous oval of strawberries exposed in the center. I carefully checked for any gaps or holes that might leak juice while baking, brushed the pastry with beaten egg, and slid it into the oven. In less than half an hour it was golden and fragrant, looking every bit as good as I had hoped.
I was slightly worried the pastry might burn given the high temperature of the oven, but it came out beautifully. It sliced cleanly, the juices were contained better than expected, and I served it with a drizzle of fresh cream.
The Verdict
This was fantastic. Strawberries are my favourite fruit, and this tart felt like the ultimate way to celebrate them. The pastry was buttery and crisp, the almonds added a subtle nutty base, and the strawberries became jammy and intense in the oven. The touch of balsamic vinegar balanced the sweetness and elevated the flavor, making it feel more refined than a standard fruit tart. It looked stunning on the table, tasted even better, and disappeared in a single evening. A total winner.
Would I Make It Again?
Absolutely. This is one of those recipes that looks like you put in hours of effort when in reality it is very straightforward. It’s so moreish, looks stunning, and is guaranteed to impress. Living in Australia also means strawberries are wonderfully affordable in summer, so the entire tart cost me only $4 in fruit, making it one of the cheapest show-stopping desserts you could put on the table.
Worth Knowing
When folding up the shortcrust pastry, bring it over the strawberries as much as possible rather than folding it onto itself. Otherwise, you end up with areas of doubled crust that can feel a bit too thick.
This tart is just as delicious cold as it is hot (I tried both, purely for research). It also makes excellent leftovers. I served mine with cream because it was on hand, but the recipe suggests ice cream or crème fraîche. Next time I’ll go for a scoop of vanilla ice cream, I have no doubt it will be fantastic.
Cooking from Simply Jamie turned out to be just as much about surprise as it was about flavour. From speedy steak noodles to an elegant salmon traybake, hearty enchiladas, and that show-stopping strawberry tart, every recipe proved accessible yet impressive in its own way. Some clever shortcuts (hello, tinned potatoes) worked far better than expected, while others I’d tweak next time, but overall each dish felt fresh, balanced, and satisfying.
What I loved most is how these recipes managed to cover so many moods: weeknight quick fixes, dinner-party centrepieces, vegetarian comfort food, and a dessert that could hold its own at any table. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to keep cooking, knowing there’s always another winner just a few pages away.
I’ll definitely be revisiting all four of these dishes, with that tart in particular already locked in as a summer favourite.
Want to Try It Yourself?
If Simply Jamie sounds like your kind of book, with fuss-free recipes that deliver big flavour, from quick noodles to impressive desserts, you can pick up a copy below
I may earn a small commission if you buy via this link, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting City Slicker.
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