Mashing half the beans glues the filling together so nothing falls out.
Under 30 min · Vegetarian · Cheap · Family
Dinner Ideas for Family
Family dinners need to feed four or more, keep flavours familiar and survive a late arrival. Each of these serves at least four and reheats well.
31 recipes, fastest first.
Pre-crisping the tortilla stops a soggy middle.
Under 30 min · Family · Cheap
The spice mix is pantry-only, so you never need a seasoning packet.
Under 30 min · Family · Cheap
Jarred pesto plus pasta water equals a sauce in thirty seconds.
Under 30 min · Family
Taking the pot off the heat before adding cheese stops it going grainy.
Vegetarian · Family · Cheap · Under 30 min · One pot
Leftover chicken plus a bottle of sauce equals a fast dinner.
Under 30 min · Family
Cold rice fries instead of steaming, which is why leftovers make the best version.
Under 30 min · Cheap · Family · One pot
Everything can be prepped ahead and assembled in two minutes.
Healthy · Under 30 min · Family
Toasting the seam first seals the burrito shut.
Vegetarian · Cheap · Family
Pasta cooks right in the sauce, so the starch thickens it.
One pot · Family · Cheap · Under 30 min
Slicing the breasts thin halves the cooking time and keeps them juicy.
Under 30 min · Family
Thighs stay juicy even if you overshoot the time a little.
Family · Under 30 min
Par-cooking in the microwave halves the frying time.
Cheap · One pot · Family
Spread it thin or it steams instead of charring.
Sheet pan · Family · Healthy
The pan juices become the sauce.
Sheet pan · Family
Underdo the pasta slightly; it finishes in the sauce in the oven.
Cheap · Family
Covering the potatoes first steams them tender before they crisp.
One pot · Family
Simmering in sauce keeps lean turkey from drying out.
Family · Healthy
All the flavour of arancini with none of the frying.
Vegetarian · Cheap · Family
Everyday ingredients, zero special shopping.
Cheap · One pot · Family
Browning the tomato paste for a minute gives a long-simmered taste in twenty.
Family · Cheap
Potatoes go in first because they need longer than broccoli.
Sheet pan · Healthy · Family
Poaching the chicken in the broth seasons both at once.
Healthy · Family · One pot
Leaving some chunks gives body without a blender. Use veg broth and skip bacon to keep it vegetarian.
Vegetarian · Cheap · Family · One pot
One pan, no prep beyond chopping.
Sheet pan · Family · Cheap
The rice cooks in the chicken drippings, so there is only one pan to wash.
One pot · Family · Cheap
A great use for leftover roast or rotisserie chicken.
Family
Makes six portions and tastes better the next day.
One pot · Family · Cheap
Halving the peppers lengthwise cuts the bake time and makes portions easy.
Family · Healthy
Mostly hands-off: an hour in the oven while you do something else.
Cheap · Family · Vegetarian
Four hours unattended; the sauce doubles as the braising liquid.
Family · Cheap