If you’re stuck wondering what to cook for dinner, here are five delicious family meal ideas that are filling, relatively simple to prepare and perfect for feeding a hungry household.

As a mum of seven, I’m always looking for meals that everyone can enjoy without spending hours making something overly complicated. These are the kinds of dinners we regularly eat at home: homemade burgers, fajitas, curries and a lovely creamy chicken tikka masala.

There is a nice variety too, so hopefully you’ll find something here to add to your own family meal plan.

1. Homemade Lamb Burgers

These homemade lamb burgers are a great alternative to shop-bought burgers. The patties are seasoned with spices, chilli, garlic and ginger, with a little pomegranate seed and lemon juice for extra flavour.

Serve them in burger buns with cheese, salad and your favourite sauces, with some chips on the side.

Ingredients

• 1kg lamb mince
• 1 onion
• 1 tomato
• 1 green chilli
• 1 tablespoon garlic & ginger paste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon pomegranate seeds
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ cup plain flour
• 1 egg

Method

1. Finely chop the onion, tomato and green chilli.
2. Place the lamb mince in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add the onion, tomato, chilli, garlic & ginger paste, salt, chilli flakes, garam masala, pomegranate seeds, lemon juice, flour and egg.
4. Mix everything together thoroughly. I find using my hands works particularly well.
5. Take portions of the mixture and shape them into burger patties.
6. Shallow fry, deep fry or bake the patties until browned and completely cooked through.
7. Serve inside burger buns with cheese, salad and sauces.

We served ours with chips for a really simple family dinner.

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2. Mutton, Spinach & Mixed Bean Curry

This is the sort of hearty curry I love making for the family. You’ve got tender pieces of mutton cooked with tomatoes and traditional spices, plus spinach and mixed beans.

Don’t be alarmed by the amount of spinach when you first add it to the pan – it soon cooks down!

Ingredients

• 1kg mutton
• 2 onions, sliced
• 3 tomatoes, sliced
• 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 4 cloves
• 1 tablespoon garlic & ginger paste
• ½ tablespoon salt
• ½ tablespoon garam masala
• ½ tablespoon ground cumin
• ½ tablespoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
• 240g baby spinach
• 1 x 395g tin taco mixed beans in tomato sauce
• 500ml water

Method

1. Heat the sunflower oil in a large pan.
2. Add the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and cloves and allow the whole spices to roast briefly.
3. Add the sliced onions and cook until nicely browned.
4. Add the tomatoes and continue cooking until they’re very soft and you can see the oil beginning to separate from the mixture.
5. Stir in the garlic & ginger paste, salt and powdered spices.
6. Add the mutton and cook over a medium-high heat for approximately 5 minutes.
7. Add the baby spinach and allow it to wilt down.
8. Stir in the mixed beans.
9. Pour in approximately 500ml water and bring everything to the boil.
10. Cover and simmer for around 45 minutes, or until the mutton is tender and completely cooked.

I served this with simple boiled white rice.

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3. Easy Keema Fajitas

This is a fun way of turning a simple pack of lamb mince into something a little different.

The keema is cooked with peppers, red onion and spices before being spooned into tortilla wraps and topped with cheese. It’s also a good meal for everyone to assemble themselves at the table.

Ingredients

• 1kg lamb mince
• ½ red bell pepper
• ½ green bell pepper
• ½ yellow bell pepper
• 1 red onion
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon mixed herbs
• 1 tablespoon garlic & ginger paste
• 1 x 400g tin peeled plum tomatoes
• Tortilla wraps
• Lemon juice
• Grated cheese, to serve

Method

1. Slice the peppers and red onion and set aside.
2. Add the lamb mince to a large pan and cook until browned.
3. Add the plum tomatoes, garlic & ginger paste, salt, paprika, cayenne pepper and mixed herbs.
4. Mix everything together well.
5. Add the sliced peppers and onion.
6. Continue cooking briefly until the vegetables have softened slightly. I like to leave a little bite in the vegetables rather than cooking them until completely soft.
7. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice.
8. Warm your tortilla wraps and spoon the keema mixture into the centre.
9. Sprinkle over some grated cheese and fold.

You could also put salad, sauces and extra toppings on the table and let everyone build their own.

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4. Grilled Tandoori Chicken with Aloo, Spinach & Bean Curry

For this meal, I used ready-marinated tandoori chicken portions, which makes this an especially easy dinner.

While the chicken cooks in the oven, you can prepare the potato, spinach and mixed bean curry to go alongside it.

Ingredients for the Curry

• 1kg potatoes
• 240g baby spinach
• 1 x 395g tin taco mixed beans
• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic granules
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 bay leaf
• 200ml water

Method

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks.
2. Heat the sunflower oil in a large pan.
3. Add the cumin seeds and bay leaf, followed by the sliced onions.
4. Cook until the onions have softened and browned.
5. Add the salt, garam masala, ground cumin, turmeric, chilli powder and garlic granules.
6. Add the potatoes and coat them well in the spiced onion mixture.
7. Add the baby spinach and allow it to wilt.
8. Stir in the mixed beans.
9. Pour in approximately 200ml water.
10. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for around 20 minutes or until the potatoes are completely cooked.

Serve the curry with your cooked tandoori chicken portions and rice.

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5. Easy Creamy Chicken Tikka Masala

Finally, we have one of those dishes that always feels like a treat – chicken tikka masala.

Boneless chicken thighs work particularly well because they stay lovely and tender. You could use chicken breast instead if that’s what you have.

The chicken is marinated in yoghurt and spices before being cooked with onions, passata and double cream to make a wonderfully creamy sauce.

Chicken Marinade Ingredients

• 1kg boneless chicken thigh pieces
• ½ cup low-fat Greek yoghurt
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons tandoori masala
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 tablespoon garlic & ginger paste
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons sunflower oil

Sauce Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 200g passata
• 150ml double cream
• Fresh coriander, optional

Method

1. Add the Greek yoghurt, salt, tandoori masala, paprika, turmeric, garam masala, garlic & ginger paste, chilli powder, lemon juice and sunflower oil to a large mixing bowl.
2. Mix everything together.
3. Add the chicken pieces and coat thoroughly in the marinade.
4. Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
5. Heat 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil in a large pan and add the sliced onion.
6. Cook until the onion begins to soften.
7. Add the marinated chicken and cook for around 10 minutes, stirring regularly.
8. Pour in the passata and double cream.
9. Mix everything together and bring to the boil.
10. Continue cooking until the chicken is completely cooked through and the sauce has reached the consistency you like.
11. Garnish with fresh coriander if desired.

Serve with boiled or pilau rice, naan or chapatti.

Five Family Dinners to Add to Your Meal Plan

I hope these recipes have given you a few new ideas for those days when you find yourself asking that never-ending question: what are we having for dinner?

What I particularly like about this selection is the variety. You’ve got a burger night, fajitas, two very different curry meals and a creamy chicken tikka masala. They’re all proper, filling family dinners without needing lots of complicated ingredients or techniques.

You can also do some of the preparation ahead of time. The burger patties can be prepared earlier, the vegetables can be chopped in advance and the chicken tikka masala benefits from having time to marinate.

Most importantly, these are the sorts of meals that actually work for our family of nine – and I hope your family enjoys them too.

Which one would you try first? ❤️