Is your dinner in the doldrums? According to Marks & Spencer, over 50 per cent of shoppers are cycling through the same 10 meals – or fewer – every single month. There aren’t 10 meals we all cook – we’re all cooking our 10 regular recipes, over and over. For me, it’s lemon risotto, butter chicken, dal with sweet potato and a classic lasagne.

Why are our dinners so repetitive? There’s plenty of comfort to be taken from the known and well-loved. But we deny ourselves pleasure when we don’t seek novelty, too. Dinner should be something exciting to look forward to, every day of the week.

Whatever meals you have on rotation, we’ve come up with an easy swap you can make at home, from fresh, spring takes on Bolognese and carbonara to putting a twist on your failsafe pies and curries.

1. Substitute a risotto with a ‘bean-otto’

“We all love a risotto, but say hello to the newest girl in town: bean-otto, a dish that is lighter, fresher and much quicker to make, and loaded with protein and fibre,” says Amelia Christie-Miller who, as the founder of Bold Bean Co, is, unsurprisingly, on a mission to make us eat more beans. “The creaminess of the white beans creates a base that’s similar to a traditional risotto,” she explains.

“Simply swap risotto rice for white beans. It all comes down to texture – before adding your beans, taste one and note how soft or hard the bean is, and adjust the cooking time accordingly. I’d also recommend something crunchy to top it with, whether that’s pine nuts, toasted seeds or bread crumbs to give it that bit of texture.”

2. Replace shortcrust with filo

If you like making pies with shortcrust pastry, swapping this for filo pastry will be no effort. The thin sheets might look tricky but they are easy to handle and layer into a pie dish or cake tin. I recently made a delicious chard and feta version from Seasoning by Angela Clutton (Murdoch Books, £30). Or look for Moroccan pastillas, which are made with a dough similar to filo – the slightly crispier warqa – filled with chicken or pigeon and flavoured with warm north African spicing.

3. Try tuna lasagne

Ask at the fish counter for offcuts of tuna belly and make your ragù just as you would with mince, then build your lasagne. This is a great straight swap if you’re trying to eat less red meat for any reason, and you can bulk it out with tins of cooked lentils or chickpeas.

4. DIY fish & chips

A cod ‘n’ chip supper is a British cliché but one that holds – a recent YouGov survey found it retains the top spot of most popular national dishes. Chef Chantelle Nicolson recommends a simple home-cooked version using a sustainable fish from a fishmonger and a dusting of flour followed by a shallow fry instead of deep fried in a thick batter.

“Buy some white fish – hake is a good one,” says Nicolson, chef-founder of seasonal restaurant Apricity. “Cut the fish into strips, then coat in a tasty seasoned flour – fry off in butter or oil and serve with some good aioli or mayo and a wedge salad.”

5. Twisted spag bol

Lentils and mushrooms are common swaps for meat sauces, but chef Mike Davies of the Camberwell Arms has a brighter spring alternative and makes his spag bol with grated courgettes, chilli, garlic and basil. “It’s a staple in my house for good reason,” he explains. “The courgettes cook down into a flavourful sauce that perfectly coats the pasta, making it a quick and easy meal that can be whipped up in the time it takes to cook the pasta itself. It’s also beautifully light which is perfect as we enter the warmer months. Plus, with courgettes being more budget-friendly than minced meat, it’s not just delicious but also a great value dish.”

6. Change up your chicken curry

There are more kinds of chicken curry than I’ve had hot dinners. Take a break from whichever you tend to reach for and try something new. I love aromatic Maldivian curries made with lots of cardamom and cloves and coconut milk.

7. Like paella? Give Greek giouvetsi a go

There’s something Greek in the air on summer menus and I’m seeing plays on the Greek baked orzo dish giouvetsi all over the place. The orzo is usually baked in a rich tomato sauce with chopped stewing or braising beef, but modern Greek restaurants Kima and OMA do fish and red prawn versions. You can easily make a budget-friendly store cupboard giouvetsi using tinned tuna or sardines.

It’s a one-pan dish so start off by dicing an onion and cooking this in a few tablespoons of good quality olive oil, followed by a few cloves of chopped garlic and a teaspoon of dried oregano. Stir in a tablespoon of tomato paste. Follow this with your tinned fish, tinned tomatoes and orzo, adding double the volume of liquid to orzo. Pop the lid on and bake in the oven at 200C until the liquid has been absorbed.

8. Swap chilli con carne for a spicy beef hariri

Chef Ben Tish travels far and wide for his upcoming book Mediterra (Bloomsbury, £26, out 4 July) and one of his discoveries is this warming stew from where the Med meets Africa. “Heart-warming, robust and tasty, hariri is usually made with lamb but my beef version is a less fatty alternative.” says Tish. “Closer to a soup than a stew, beef is a team player here with the lentils and chickpeas playing equal parts to help mollify the hot tomato sauce, aromatic spices and cooking juices.” Tish uses diced beef chuck which he fries in oil, before making his spicy tomato stew with onion, garlic, chopped tomatoes, ras el hanout, chilli, coriander and cloves. He adds lentils, chickpeas and the beef to simmer for half an hour until the soup has thickened.

9. Green your carbonara

Kitty Coles has a spinach and pea version she makes by blitzing egg and Parmesan with the green veg and some pasta water. “Fry off some good quality bacon lardons then turn the heat off once crisp and golden,” says the author of Make More With Less: Foolproof Recipes to Make Your Food Go Further (Hardie Grant, £22). “Add the pasta, a squeeze of lemon, and mix until silky.”

Filippo La Gattuta, executive chef of Big Mamma Italian restaurants, suggests swapping the meat out of a carbonara and replacing it with courgette for a lighter version, perfect for spring-time. The recipe can be found in Big Mamma’s new cookbook, Italian Recipes in 30 Minutes, Shower Time Included (£25).

“I’m aware that even calling this recipe a carbonara is a bit controversial!” admits Gattuta. “But, for a quick, easy, yet healthy, pasta dish it’s delicious. Courgettes are wonderful, simply fried with lots of salt till crispy, and make a great vegetarian replacement for guanciale.

“The most important other ingredient, apart from organic locally-grown courgettes, is a good quality pecorino,” says La Gattute. “You can balance it with 1/3 of the quantity as Parmigiano Reggiano, if you’d like. And, of course, eggs with a gorgeous golden yolk.”

10. Transform your jacket potato

Perfect for a speedy Monday-night dinner, and something to look forward to at the beginning of the week. “Everyone loves a jacket potato with baked beans,” says chef Lorcan Spiteri, chef and co-founder of Caravel, a restaurant on a canal barge. “It’s a staple in our house. But have you ever tried saving some of the trim from a good old lamb or beef roast and making a ragu? Slowly cook down the leftover meat with onions and stock, and serve over your jacket potato with grated cheese or a herby yoghurt – delicious!”