Family dinner time is a sacred activity. Eating together as a family over a delicious home-cooked meal is a great way to slow down and really connect with each other, especially after a hectic day at work and school.
With that said, it can be tiring to have to prep and cook a whole meal when you’re already so drained from the day. But cooking for your family doesn’t always have to be difficult or time-consuming! Check out our collection of 09 super easy and fast family dinner recipes that will give you delicious meals in 45 minutes or less.
1. Stir-Fried Honey Prawn Kway Teow
Stir-fried prawns are tossed through sweet honey and soy sauce. These delicious honey prawns are then tossed and served with thick kway teiw (rice noodles) for a filling, delicious and healthy family dinner idea.
Yield: Serves 4
Prep Time: 25 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Difficulty Level: 2/5
Ingredients
- 2 tsps vegetable oil
- 1.5 kg green prawns, peeled, deveined, tails on
- 1 bunch spring onions, trimmed, bulbs halved
- 2 clove garlic, sliced
- 3 cm ginger, chopped
- 1/2 wombok/napa cabbage, shredded
- 1 red capsicum, seeded, sliced
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tbsps reduced salt soy sauce
- 100 g kway teow
- bean sprouts, coriander leaves to serve
Steps :
01. In a wok or large frying pan, heat oil on high. Stir-fry prawns in 3 batches, for 3-4 mins each, until cooked through (colour will change). Set aside on a plate, covered to keep warm.
02. In same wok, stir-fry spring onion, garlic and ginger for 2-3 mins until onion is tender.
03. Return prawns to wok with wombok, capsicum, honey and soy. Stir-fry for 2-3 mins until hot and wombok has just wilted.
04. Toss noodles through. Serve straight away topped with beans sprouts and coriander leaves.
2. Sushi Rice Salad With Grilled Prawns And Mango
Similar to a deconstructed sushi bowl, think of this as a sushi rice salad. This delicious salad showcases all the beautiful flavours of Japanese cooking with freshly grilled prawns and mangoes.
Yield: Serves 4
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Difficulty Level: 2/5
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200 g) sushi rice
- 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, chopped finely
- 1 large red chilli, finely chopped
- 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsps lime juice
- 24 (1 kg) uncooked king prawns, peeled and de-veined
- 2 tbsps sushi vinegar
- 2 tbsps mirin
- 1 large (600 g) mango, flesh sliced
- 1 bunch coriander, sprigs removed
- 1/2 cup loosely packed mint leaves
- 1/2 cup loosely packed thai basil leaves
- 1 tbsp black sesame seeds
- 2 tbsps pickled ginger
- 1/2 sheet nori, toasted lightly over a gas flame, sliced thinly
- extra lime wedges, for garnish
Steps
01. Place the rice into a large bowl and cover with cold water. Stir vigorously, drain in a colander and rinse away the cloudy water. Repeat several times until the water is clear.
02. Combine the rice and 1 cup (250 ml) cold water into a small saucepan. Cook over a medium heat until it comes to the boil. Cover and reduce heat to low; simmer for 12 mins. Remove from heat and stand, covered for 5 mins before spreading the rice over a large tray to cool.
03. Meanwhile combine the ginger, lemongrass, chilli, oil and lime juice into a large bowl. Add the prawns and toss to coat.
In a small bowl combine the sushi vinegar and mirin.
05. Cook the prawns over on a heated oiled grill plate or barbecue for a 2 mins on each side or until just cooked through.
06. Wet hands with water and arrange the rice on a serving platter. Top with the prawns, mango and herbs. Spoon over the vinegar mixture and scatter with the sesame seeds, pickled ginger and nori. Serve with extra lime wedges.
3. Keto-Friendly Ratatouille With Eggs
It’s hard for one to resist the allure of the ratatouille, a traditional French dish comprising eggs and a handful of veggies. In this recipe, we show you how to recreate the brunch classic – all while keeping it keto- friendly.
Yield: Serves 2
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Difficulty Level: 2/5
Ingredients
- 1 red capsicum (150 g)
- ½ red onion (50 g)
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 baby eggplants (120 g)
- 1 zucchini (90 g)
- 90 g button mushrooms
- 2 tomatoes (440 g)
- 2 tsps olive oil
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp small fresh basil leaves
Steps:
Preheat grill.
02. Quarter capsicum; discard seeds and membranes. Place capsicum, skin-side up, on oven tray; grill about 10 mins or until skin blisters and blackens. Cover capsicum with plastic wrap; stand 10 mins, then peel away skin. Chop flesh coarsely.
03. Meanwhile, peel and coarsely chop onion, peel and crush garlic. Thinly slice unpeeled eggplant, zucchini and mushrooms crossways. Chop tomatoes coarsely.
04. Heat oil in medium frying pan; cook onion and garlic, stirring, about 3 mins or until onion softens. Add eggplant, zucchini, mushroom and tomato to pan; simmer, covered, about 10 mins or until vegetables are tender. Stir in capsicum and chopped basil; season to taste.
05. Make two indents in the ratatouille mixture with the back of a spoon. Carefully break eggs into indents. Cook, covered, about 2 mins or until egg whites are set.
06. Sprinkle with basil leaves.
4. Broccoli, Pea And Tuna Shells
As if soaking vegetables and pasta in mouth-watering tomato passata is not enough, these pasta shells also contain tuna, making the burst of ingredients in your mouth oh-so-gratifying.
Yield: Serves 6
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 60 mins
Difficulty Level: 1/5
Ingredients
- 350 g large pasta shells
- 700 ml tomato passata
- 500 ml vegetable stock
- 1 cup shredded pizza cheese
FILLING
- 1 large head broccoli, small florets
- 1½ cups frozen peas
- 425 g can tuna in olive oil, drained
- 250 ml tub sour cream
- ¼ cup chopped mint leaves, grated zest 1 lemon
Steps
01. Preheat oven to hot, 200 C.
02. In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, parboil pasta 4 to 5 mins until just starting to soften on edges. Drain, retain water.
03. FILLING In pasta water, blanch broccoli and peas 30 secs until bright green. Drain well and transfer to a large bowel. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well. Season.
04. Pour combined passata and stock into a 25 x 35 cm (3 litre) baking dish. Fill pasta shells with tuna mixture. Arrange in dish, open-side up. Cover with foil and bake 40 mins until almost all sauce has been absorbed.
05. Sprinkle cheese over. Bake, uncovered, 10 to 15 mins until cheese is slightly melted and light golden.
5. Green Chicken Curry
Yield: 4 Servings
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Difficulty Level: 1/5
Ingredients
- 2 tbsps peanut oil
- 750 g chicken thigh fillets, trim fat, cut into cubes
- ¼ cup green curry paste
- 400 ml pack coconut cream
- 2 kaffir lime leaves, slice finely
- 150 g green beans, trim, halve
- 1 zucchini, halve lengthways, slice
- ¼ cup coriander leaves
- 2 tbsps lime juice
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp grated palm sugar (or use brown sugar)
- ¼ cup Thai basil leaves, plus extra to serve
- Hot cooked rice, to serve
Steps :
01. Heat oil in a large wok or frying pan over high fire. When hot, stir-fry chicken in two batches for 3 to 4 mins on each side until well-browned. Remove and set aside.
02. Using the same wok, stir-fry curry paste for 1 min. Add coconut milk and lime leaves. Lower to a gentle fire and cook for 5 mins.
03. Return chicken to wok with vegetables and coriander. Cook gently for 5 mins until vegetables are tender.
04. Season with juice, fish sauce and sugar. Stir basil through and serve with rice and extra basil.
6. Stir-fried Hokkien Noodles
In Chinese culture, long noodles (uncut) symbolise long life. This is simple yet ideal dish to include in your next Chinese New Year feast, or for a birthday meal.
Yield: 4 Servings (as a main), 6 Servings (as part of a banquet)
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Difficulty Level: 1/5
Ingredients
- 400 g chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2-cm slices
- ¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 bunch kai lan (Chinese broccoli), trimmed, stems and leaves separated
- 1 small white onion, cut in half, then into thick wedges
- 12 slices fresh ginger
- 450 g packet fresh Hokkien noodles
- 2 tbsps shao hsing wine or dry sherry
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp malt vinegar
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
- ½ cup julienned green onion (green shallot)
- 2 large fresh red chillies, sliced finely on the diagonal
Marinade
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp shao hsing wine or dry sherry
- ½ tsp sesame oil
Steps
01. Combine chicken and Marinade ingredients in a bowl; cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 30 mins.
02. Heat 2 tbsps of the oil in a hot wok until surface seems to shimmer. Remove chicken from Marinade; reserve Marinade. Add chicken in two batches and stir-fry for 1 min or until browned. Remove from wok and set aside. Add kai lan stems and stir-fry for 1 min or until softened slightly. Add to chicken.
03. Add remaining oil to hot wok with onion and ginger, and stir-fry for 1 min. Toss in noodles, reserved chicken and kai lan stems, wine or sherry, sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and reserved Marinade, and stir-fry for 1 min. Add kai lan leaves, bean sprouts, most of the green onion and half the chilli, and stir-fry for 30 secs or until chicken is just cooked through and noodles are hot.
04. Arrange noodles in bowls, top with remaining chilli and green onion, and serve immediately.
7. Creamy Spinach Ravioli with Almonds
Elevate humble store bought ravioli with this simple recipe for awesome ravioli with creamy spinach and almonds.
Yield: 4 Servings
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Difficulty Level: 1/5
Ingredients
- 500 g ricotta and parmesan ravioli (buy ready made from supermarkets or delis)
- 20 g butter
- ¼ cup silvered almonds (35 g)
- 400 ml cream
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese (80 g), finely grated
- Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
- 125 g baby spinach
Steps
01. Cook the ravioli in a large pan of well-salted boiling water until al dente; drain.
02. Melt the butter in a large frying pan; add the silvered almonds. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until the almonds are browned lightly. Transfer to a plate.
03. Add the cream and garlic to the same large fry pan. Simmer until cream mixture is reduced by half, taking care it does not bubble over the top of pan.
04. Add half the Parmesan, nutmeg and spinach to the cream sauce. Simmer, tossing the spinach until just wilted. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
05. Add drained ravioli to pan and stir gently to coat the ravioli in the sauce.
06. Serve in warmed pasta bowls, sprinkled with almonds and remaining Parmesan.
8. Easy Couscous Salad
This gorgeous looking jeweled couscous salad is super healthy and very easy to make! Eat it as a starter or on its own for fewer calories!
Yield: 4 Servings
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Difficulty Level: 1/5
Ingredients
- 200 g couscous
- 300 ml chicken or vegetable stock, bring to boil
- 2 heaped tbsps pine nuts
- 1 tbsp sunflower or pumpkin seeds
- 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ½ large cucumber, dice
- 1 carrot, grate
- Seeds of 1 pomegranate
- Handful of mint leaves
- Handful of flat-leaf parsley
- 200 g feta, crumble (optional)
Steps
01. Put couscous in a bowl, then pour over hot boiling stock. Cover with cling film and leave to fluff up for 5 mins.
02. Meanwhile, toast pine nuts and sunflower or pumpkin seeds in a dry pan. Leave to cool for 10 mins.
03. When it’s ready, add oil and lemon juice to the couscous. Season with salt. Use a fork to stir and separate.
04. When cool, add all the remaining ingredients. Stir together and serve. Crumble over feta, if you like.
9. Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Slaw
Bursting with healthy vegetables, chicken breast and noodles, this delicious Vietnamese chicken noodle slaw is really easy to make!
Yield: 4 Servings
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Difficulty Level: 1/5
Ingredients
- 250 g skinless chicken breast
- 100 g rice vermicelli noodles, soaked, drained
- 3 cups Chinese cabbage, shredded
- 2 cups snow-pea sprouts, trimmed
- 2 carrots, peeled, julienned (cut into fine strips)
- 1 red capsicum, seeded, thinly sliced
- 4 green onions, finely sliced
- ½ cup mint leaves
DRESSING
- ½ cup fish sauce
- ²/³ cup lime juice
- ¼ cup rice-wine vinegar
- 2 tbsps caster sugar
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 long red chilli, finely chopped (optional)
Steps
01. Place chicken in a saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a gentle simmer, 10 to 12 mins. Remove from pan. When cool, thinly slice or shred.
02. To prepare dressing, combine and whisk all ingredients together until sugar dissolves.
03. In a bowl, combine noodles, vegetables and mint with half dressing. Toss well to combine.
04. Top with chicken and serve drizzled with remaining dressing.
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