If there’s one question that comes up again and again when you’re feeding a family, it’s:
What are we having for dinner?
Even when you enjoy cooking, coming up with different family meal ideas every single day can become tiring.
As a mum of seven, I’ve cooked a lot of family dinners over the years! I tend to come back to meals that are relatively simple, filling and easy to adapt depending on what we have in the fridge or cupboards.
So I’ve put together nine easy family meal ideas that we’ve been enjoying recently.
There’s a bit of everything here – chicken flatbreads, homemade doner and chips, battered fish, pilau, pasta and several easy curries.
Hopefully you’ll find a few ideas to add to your own family meal rotation. ❤️
1. Easy Chicken Thigh Flatbreads
This is such a simple dinner and one that doesn’t require hours in the kitchen.
The chicken thighs are coated in a yoghurt and spice marinade before being cooked until tender and saucy. I served ours in warm flatbreads with salad and coleslaw.
Ingredients
- 1kg chicken thigh pieces
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic granules
- 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
- 1 teaspoon mixed herbs
- 1 teaspoon onion granules
- ½ cup low-fat Greek yoghurt
Method
Add the yoghurt, sunflower oil, lemon juice and seasonings to a large mixing bowl and mix together.
Add the chicken thigh pieces and coat thoroughly in the marinade.
If you have time, leave the chicken to marinate for around 30 minutes.
Transfer everything to a pan over a medium-high heat and cook until the chicken is completely cooked through and the liquid released by the chicken has reduced into a lovely thick sauce.
Warm your flatbreads for a few minutes and fill with the chicken.
We served ours with salad and coleslaw.
2. Homemade Doner & Chips
This is always a hit with the kids and is surprisingly straightforward to make.
I normally serve homemade doner with pitta bread, but this time we turned it into doner and chips, topped with salad and a simple yoghurt and mint sauce.
Ingredients
- 1kg lamb mince
- 1 red onion
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic & ginger paste
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon mixed herbs
- ½ cup plain flour
Method
Add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.
Transfer the mixture to a food processor and process until everything is finely combined.
Lay a large sheet of baking paper onto your worktop and place some of the mince mixture on top.
Cover with another similarly sized sheet of baking paper and roll the meat into a thin, even layer.
Transfer to an oven rack and carefully peel away the top sheet of baking paper.
Bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked.
Slice the cooked doner into strips. A pizza cutter works really well for this!
Serve over chips with plenty of salad.
Easy Yoghurt & Mint Sauce
Simply combine:
- Low-fat Greek yoghurt
- Mint sauce
Drizzle over your doner and chips. I also added some ketchup, although chilli sauce would be delicious if you like a little heat.
3. Homemade Battered Fish
You can’t go too far wrong with good old fish and chips!
For this version I made a simple seasoned batter for white fish fillets and deep-fried them until golden. We enjoyed ours with chips, peas and some mashed potato topped with grated cheese.
Ingredients
- 10 white fish fillets
- 1 cup self-raising flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic granules
- 1 egg
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Method
Add the flour, seasonings, egg, milk and lemon juice to a large mixing bowl.
Mix until you have a batter.
Add the fish fillets and coat them completely in the batter.
Carefully deep-fry the fish until golden and completely cooked through.
Serve immediately with your favourite sides.
4. Chicken Niblet Pilau
Pilau is one of those meals I make regularly because it’s filling, comforting and perfect for feeding a family.
For this version I used chicken niblets and basmati rice. The chicken cooks in the seasoned base before the soaked rice is added towards the end.
Ingredients
- 1kg chicken niblets
- ¼ cup sunflower oil
- 2 onions, diced
- 3 tomatoes, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic & ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- 750g basmati rice, soaked for at least 30 minutes, washed and drained
- Whole spices
- Water, as required
Method
Heat the sunflower oil in a large pan.
Add the onions and cook until nicely browned.
Add the tomatoes and continue cooking until soft.
Stir in the garlic & ginger paste, salt and spices, followed by your whole spices.
Add the chicken niblets and cook until the chicken changes from pink to white.
Add water, bring everything to the boil and cover.
Reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 30 minutes.
Add the soaked and drained basmati rice.
Bring back to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 10 minutes, or until the rice is cooked.
5. Mixed Bean & Potato Curry
This was a really simple little side curry that I made alongside the chicken pilau.
It’s also a useful meat-free meal in its own right, particularly when you need something inexpensive made from basic cupboard ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic & ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 400g taco mixed beans
- 400g potatoes, quartered
- Water, as required
Method
Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion.
Cook until softened before adding the garlic & ginger paste, salt, cayenne pepper and turmeric.
Drain the mixed beans if required and add them to the pan with the potatoes.
Add enough water to allow the potatoes to cook.
Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for around 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
6. Saucy Chicken Pasta
Pasta is always useful when you need a straightforward family dinner.
This version has tender chicken thighs in a tomatoey sauce, with herbs, paprika and lemon juice for a little extra flavour.
Ingredients
- 1kg chicken thigh pieces
- 500g passata
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 3 tomatoes, sliced
- 1 tablespoon garlic & ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon mixed herbs
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 500g pasta
Method
Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions and set aside.
Heat the sunflower oil in a large pan and cook the onions until soft.
Add the tomatoes and garlic & ginger paste.
Stir in the salt, mixed herbs, paprika and black pepper.
Add the chicken and cook thoroughly.
Pour in the passata and add the lemon juice.
Once everything is beautifully saucy, add the cooked pasta and mix until completely coated.
Simple and delicious!
7. Easy Fish Finger Curry
Yes, fish finger curry!
This started as one of those “What can I make with what I’ve got?” meals and actually turned out really tasty.
The fish fingers are cooked separately before being added to a quick onion and tomato sauce. We enjoyed ours with toast for an easy lunch.
Ingredients
- 15 fish fingers
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 1 small red onion, sliced
- 2 tomatoes, sliced
- 1 teaspoon garlic & ginger paste
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 finger chilli, sliced – optional
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- A little water
Method
Cook the fish fingers according to the packet instructions and cut them into large chunks.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan.
Add the onion and tomatoes and cook until softened.
Add the garlic & ginger paste, salt, paprika and oregano.
Pour in a little water to create a light sauce.
Once the sauce is ready, gently stir in the fish finger pieces.
Add the sliced finger chilli if you’re using it and finish with lemon juice.
Serve with toast for a quick lunch or light dinner.
8. Keema & Potato Curry
Keema and potato curry is a real family favourite and something I’ve made many times over the years.
It’s filling, relatively inexpensive and lovely served with plain boiled rice.
Ingredients
- 1kg lamb mince
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 2 onions, sliced
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon garlic & ginger paste
- ½ tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- Potatoes
- Water, as required
Method
Add the lamb mince to a large pan and cook until browned and most of the liquid it releases has evaporated.
Add the oil and onions and continue cooking.
Stir in the cumin seeds, garlic & ginger paste, salt and spices.
Add the chopped tomatoes and potatoes.
Pour in enough water for the potatoes to cook.
Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for around 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and everything is thoroughly cooked.
Serve with boiled basmati rice.
9. Quick Beef & Potato Curry
The final meal is probably one of the easiest.
I already had some homemade curry base (tharka) prepared, which meant most of the work had already been done.
Having curry base prepared in advance is really useful when you want homemade food without spending ages preparing it.
Ingredients
- Pre-made curry base/tharka
- 700g beef chunks
- 500g potatoes, quartered
- 500ml water
Method
Add your prepared curry base to a large pan.
Add the beef chunks and potatoes.
Pour in the water and bring everything to the boil.
Reduce the heat and cook for approximately 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the beef is beautifully tender and the potatoes are cooked.
Serve with rice and garnish as desired.
Easy Family Dinners Don’t Have to Be Complicated
Looking back at these nine meals, one thing they have in common is that none of them needs to be particularly complicated.
Some nights we might have a homemade pilau or curry. Another night it might be chicken stuffed into shop-bought flatbreads. And sometimes a packet of fish fingers gets turned into a quick curry!
I’m a big believer in using shortcuts where they make sense.
Frozen onions, a batch of homemade curry base, ready-made flatbreads or something already sitting in the freezer can be the difference between getting a homemade dinner on the table and feeling completely overwhelmed by the thought of cooking.
My 9 Family Meal Ideas at a Glance
If you’re planning your meals for the coming week, here are all nine again:
- Chicken thigh flatbreads – great for a quick weeknight dinner.
- Homemade doner & chips – a family-friendly fakeaway.
- Homemade battered fish – serve with your favourite chip-shop sides.
- Chicken niblet pilau – a filling one-pot family meal.
- Mixed bean & potato curry – simple, inexpensive and meat-free.
- Saucy chicken pasta – an easy crowd-pleaser.
- Fish finger curry – ideal for a quick lunch or casual dinner.
- Keema & potato curry – a comforting family favourite.
- Beef & potato curry – particularly easy when you have curry base prepared.
You don’t need an elaborate meal every evening. Having a collection of simple family dinners you know everyone will eat makes planning the week so much easier.
I hope these recipes give you a few ideas the next time you’re staring into the fridge wondering what on earth to make for dinner! ❤️
