Looking for a quick but tasty meal to whip up after work? You’ve come to the right place. These family-friendly weeknight dinner recipes range from pastas, soups, risottos and stir-fries to lighter salads and one-pot bakes. Whether your family is craving chicken, steak, pork, salmon, zucchini, eggs, vegetables, tofu or noodles, we’ve got all the bases covered. Plus, dessert ideas for those who love the sweet stuff.
A traditional Hainanese chicken involves poaching a whole chicken, but this can seem daunting or time-consuming. Or perhaps you simply have a family where all members prefer white chicken meat! We’ve got you covered with this cheat’s version. We’ve kept all the flavour, used cheeky duck fat for a rich aromatic rice cooked in the stock and, as a bonus, you’ll have plenty of chicken leftover for salads and sandwiches.
"This is how you feed a crowd. It’s also the dish I turn to most when I just need to get dinner done. When people are hungry, and ‘being fed’ is the order of the day, you’ll have this on the table in the time it takes to cook the pasta." – Katrina Meynink
Healthy and delicious, this speedy vegetarian salad is perfect for a quick lunch, bring-a-plate event or barbecue side dish. The leftovers also taste amazing the next day… if there are any.
“This is a family recipe, which celebrates the cooking techniques that Chinese migrants brought to Thailand. Chinese and Thai people celebrate Lunar New Year together, and we developed this recipe for our Chinese friends. A top tip is to stir-fry the garlic chives at a very high heat for a short period, to let the chives stay crunchy.” – Narin Kulasai
A beautiful orange dressing makes this simple barbecued salad shine by taking it to another level. You can make the dressing ahead for a quick summer dinner.
This radicchio risotto is ridiculously good.
Take your Greek salad to the next level with the inventive addition of spiral pasta.
“This is a play on thit kho (braised pork with eggs), with ginger and anise, which are my favourite fragrances from pho. I cook it in memory of my mother. This is a ‘finger licking’ quick and easy dish, so it’s perfect for single parents and even young people to make.” Recipe by Anh from Free to Feed.
Olivia Andrews' lightning-fast salt and pepper fish stir-fry is perfect as a midweek dinner and doubles up as a tasty lunch treat the next day.
“My daughter's favourite meal. We always have mince left over from the restaurants taking primal cuts. Meatballs are one of my daughter’s favourite things.” – Matt Moran
This Thai beef salad recipe is a quick and easy dinner idea. It's packed with crunchy vegetables and sits atop a bed of vermicelli noodles, plus any leftovers will make a great work or school lunchtime treat.
This is Khanh Ong's ode to the classic Korean side. Kimchi is the magic ingredient in your fridge. Use it to make cheesy bakes like this beauty, perfect for feeding hungry hordes, add it to salads or soups, or pop it on a toastie for something super-special and delicious.
"A catchy name with many explanations, but at the end of the day, it’s just a delicious (and simple) sauce drizzled over a beautiful piece of chargrilled beef with some sticky rice to mop up the juices. Just a heads up: it’s mighty hot." – Lucy Nunes.
On the table in 30 minutes, this dish will soon be on repeat at your house. It’s easy, super tasty, filling and fresh… and makes the most of summer’s bountiful zucchini crop.
This beautiful salad screams spring and all things green. Ready in just 30 minutes with little hands-on cooking involved, it's topped with crispy pancetta and creamy stracciatella for a touch of decadence. Serve it on weeknights when you can't be bothered to cook or when you're asked to bring a plate.
