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7 quick wins for midweek meals

Grab your shopping list. Here's a host of family friendly dinners to get you through the week
Cath Muscat

Planning a whole week of meals is sometimes more difficult than the actual cooking! We’ve got you covered with a line up of family friendly fair for seven days running.

1. Lamb ragu with pappardelle

If you slow cook this lamb ragu on a Sunday, the leftover meat will make an incredible sauce served over silky strips of pappardelle pasta come Monday. This recipe makes plenty of sauce, so it’s a good thing it also happens to freeze well. 

Midweek meals | Home Beautiful Magazine Australia

2. Garlic prawn spaghettini

This speedy garlic prawn spaghettini requires absolutely no chopping whatsoever. While the pasta boils to al dente, whip out a frying pan and create the simple sauce, which will fill your kitchen with the aroma of summer.

Garlic prawn spaghettini with saffron and thyme butter
(Credit: Cath Muscat)

3. Tumeric, potato and chickpea curry

Queen of spice Christine Mansfield’s curry will become a fast-favourite weeknight meal. It’s full of flavour and packed with hearty vegetables that you can switch up according to the season. 

(Photographer: Cath Muscat | Styling: Kerrie Worner)

4. Curtis Stone’s epic Aussie burger

Burgers – the kind of meal you can divvy up and delegate to the kids (with supervision, of course). One can watch the barbecue, another can cut up the salad vegetables and another can butter the buns – all while you supervise from the sofa. Then, once everything’s ready, assemble your own gourmet creations right at the dinner table. Want to mix up your burger game? Curtis Stone’s epic Aussie burger recipe is a great place to start.

5. Chicken soba noodle salad with sesame peanut dressing

This light and surprisingly filling chicken soba noodle salad deserves a spot on your weeknight dinner rotation. As chicken pan fries, prepare the noodles, cut up the fresh veg and blitz up the dressing before combining to enjoy a flavour explosion with each bite. 

Chicken soba noodle salad
(Credit: Cath Muscat)

6. Honey soy marinated whole baked salmon

On hectic weeknights, any meal you can place in the oven with minimal fuss is a winner. This marinated fish recipe is tasty, super simple and the side (pea and snow pea salad) requires minimal cooking. Just add steamed rice. 

Honey soy marinated whole baked salmon
(Credit: Photography: Martina Gemmola / Food prep & food styling: Meryl Batlle))

7. Chicken, leek and quinoa soup

This heart-warming chicken and leek soup can be prepared and on the table in 45 minutes. To save time, cut up the vegetables the night before so they’re ready to go as soon as you get home from work. Serve with crusty bread and a gently poached egg.

Chicken, leek and quinoa soup
Chicken, leek and quinoa soup (Credit: Cath Muscat)

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