What are your home cooked everyday dinners? I need ideas.

[DreamingOfASilentNight]

In need of inspiration. Finding myself cooking the same family meals all the time.
For reference I have DH and Dd7. They eat most things ( obviously the 7 year old would choose plain pasta or pizza margarita daily out if preference!) I don't eat meat but can deal with my own requirements. I'm trying to figure out some alternative options to cook for them which can include meat.

Current regulars are:

Coq au vin,
Boef bourginon
Mushroom risotto,
Baked Ratatouille
Linguine with prawns and tomatoes with rocket
Salmon with sweet chili sauce
Noodles with stir fried vegetables and pressed ( or sometimes steak)
Rigatoni ortalano ( a tomato based sauce with onions aubergines and courgettes)
Jacket potatoes with fillings
Cod loin with baked tomatoes
Occasional macaroni it cauliflower cheese
Bolognese.
Meatball spaghetti

Although there are quite a few options they are just on constant repeat. I'm trying to come up with some other options that are largely unprocessed but additionally don't take an eternity ( it loads if pans and equipment) to cook. Throw me some ideas please.

Chilli
bolognese
carbonara
stew
home nandos
Thai green or red curry
indian style curry
ramen
paella
stroganoff
enchiladas
shakshuka type thing

Are the meals we seem to eat on repeat at the moment.

IKEA style meatballs - buy the Swedish meatballs. Fry up some onion and peppers, make a roux and add beef stock and creme fraiche. Mix together

Smoked salmon pasta - fry up some onions, add cream, lemon juice, black pepper and smoked salmon

Cassoulet - brown off cumberland sausages and pancetta, add cannellini beans and tinned tomatoes

Sausage and apple traybake.roast some proper but beets sausages in a tray with baby potatoes and chunks of apple ans onion. Mix in some whole grain mustard at the end.

Oh and roast baby tomatoes and a garlic cheese (Boursin or equivilant) in over and mix in cooked pasta

Half Roast salmon fillets and baby tomatoes in a pan - add some part boiled broccoli and some soy sauce and sesame seeds and finish roasting.

Paella , you can give and take and doesn't have to be totally authentic

Pork fillet with mushroom and mustard sauce

Hairy bikers sausage casserole, we had it tonight and it was very tasty.

I came across a great recipe with lots of variations, can't remember where from but it's some form of fried potato - normal, sweet or squash with tinned fish - salmon tuna or mackeral with toasted nuts- wjstevers in the cupboard and herbs - coriander basil or Parsley. I normally add some green veg. It's so delicious and versátile and never the same version twice. Everybody I've made it for has loved it and had seconds

Quesadillas and salsa
sausage and mash with veg
chilli
sweet potato wedges with any protein, garlic Mayo and yoghurt
Open tarts

Try The Green Roasting Tin for ideas, there are many others too but that book is all veg or vegan. She has some tart ideas in there too.

@Esmeraldaemerald can I have your Dal and rice recipe please?

Quesadillas are quick and easy, many different options for fillings.

Favas. It's a Portuguese dish with broad beans, chorizo, onion, garlic, white wine and tomato paste and passata. It's really quick and you can use frozen broad beans just as effectively.

Also an easy fish stew recipe. Saute celery, carrots and leeks and fennel seeds. Then add a tin of chopped tomatoes, some fish stock. Simmer for 15 minutes and then add whatever fish you like. I normally add some hake/cod and a packet of mixed seafood. Then coriander at the end just for some extra flavour. It's really quick and tasty.

I'm sure we all get into a rut of the same old favourites.
A few of ours
Sweet and sour chicken - onion, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, peppers and a sauce with pineapple and tomatoes.

Risotto with cheese and bacon or halloumi

Goulash - pork cubes, onion, peppers and shed loads of paprika. Cook long and slow and add cream at the end. I add chilli as well.

Our regular meals are:

• sausage, mash and veg
• mascapone chicken pasta
• creamy leek, chicken and mushroom pots
• homemade chicken burgers and wedges or sweet potatoes
• green Thai curry

Probably not very exciting but here’s what we tend to cycle through -

Various curries - chicken, paneer, prawn usually. We use these incredible spice kits lately since DH got one in his Christmas stocking - the make is Raffis. Not too spicy for DD, and has the ones in to make some nice Bombay potatoes too. Otherwise we’ve been doing yellow Thai, or a Sri Lankan one which came from a gousto box recipe. Sometimes massamam beef. DD will usually eat them all quite happily if I mix hers with a good dollop of Greek yoghurt. If I think it’s going to be particularly spicy I’ll cook her meat/ fish/ whatever separately and she still enjoys it with the rice and various sides.

Lemon prawn orzo

Roast veg and feta pasta

Lemon cod, potato and tomato tray bake

Chicken and leek potato topped pie (DD not a fan of pastry and it gives me indigestion!)

Quesadillas - last ones were sweet potato and black bean

(Shop bought) falafel with flat breads and salad

Home made pizzas

Cajun salmon, blackened corn, roast veg and: or salad and rice

Creamy leek pasta

Love that fish stew recipe @feellikeanalien - thank you!

Anything in one pot is good - stir fries; chicken fried rice (just add the chicken later so you can have the veggie version); curries.

Use my slow cooker a lot - chilli; curry; stew; stroganoff; bolognaise

I am embracing frozen veg these days and find cooking from scratch a lot easier and quicker - stir fry veg packs; casserole veg packs; frozen onions, garlic, ginger, etc. Makes prep less of a faff.

Beef casserole and dumplings
Lentil bolognaise
Chilli
Fajitas
Lasagna
omelettes and salad
cottage/lentil pie
Chicken fried rice
home made potato wedges
home made pizzas
Prawn risotto

Realizing they won't eat "spicy" food, id sort of forgotten about that🤦‍♀️ it rules out curries ( which I really like) and weirdly things containing ginger as apparently it's considered devil food by dh. I will happily eat chunks of the stuff.
Realizing I can again resurrect boulanger sausages ( casserole thingy,)and the Mary me chicken looks like something they'd definitely like. Haven't done Normandy chicken for years either so another great call. Started a couple of baked egg based protein bakes from an Instagram guy a while ago and somehow lost the name of the poster when things went a bit wonky so talk of Fritatta had reminded me to try and hunt him down again.

This is all fab. Thanks everyone.

Crowd pleasers in My house which are reasonably mix and match to suit veggies

• gyoza (you can veg ones or meat ones) with stir fry noodles
• quiche - we like quiche Lorraine but veg version are available
• carbonara - could do a mushroom version
• toad in the hole
• thai curry - if you use plenty of coconut milk then it’s not v strong - more fresh and tasty. Can be veggie or meaty as preferred
• minstrone soup - with small pasta, beans, diced potato, I add some red lentils as my kids don’t mind them. The meat content is pretty low mostly and could be foregone if you prefer. I add cavolo Nero to the adult portions but leave out of the kids
• quesaDillas - often just cheese in my house with toppings but could do veggie or meaty chilli insode
• pitta lamb and hummus - could do some feta salad for you instead of meat but the ability to have lots of chopped up bits and bobs to stuff into the pitta makes this more interesting for adults

-

Tray bakes, because you can vary the protein section, chicken or fish or sausages, with the vegetables and then the 'flavour', so mght be greeky, indiany, Mediterraneany, thaiy, then serve it with either bread or pasta or potatoes or rice

Same concept, different each night, virtually one pan ( could cook the potatoes in with one of them)

Lurking

Baked orzo (Good Food website) - it's basically orzo in a tomato and red pepper sauce topped with mozzarella
Toad in the hole
Gyoza, noodles and green veg in broth ( I get pretty much all from Itsu)
Gnocchi
Steak and caramelized onion baguette
Quesadillas and guacamole
Tacos
Salmon poke bowl
Chilli
Omelettes
Panko covered chicken breast with katsu sauce and rice
Chicken jambalaya
Spicy tomato and prawn pasta
Halloumi with tabbouleh
Sausages on tomatoey lentils
Baked feta pasta
Loaded potato skins
Cacio e pepe pasta
Topped nachos
Baked camembert with crudites and baguette slices
Pork and carrot burgers

Baked potatoes, my favourite filling is haggis with root veg mash but there are hundreds of different fillings.

Egg fried rice, good if you have leftover roast chicken.

A jacket potato, as big as your head, roasted in the oven until the skin is crispy crunchy. The middle scooped out and mixed with so much cheese that its mainly cheese, and butter, so much butter. Then put back in the skins, then more butter and more cheese. Then a bit more cheese.

I suppose you could add a spring onion if you want a bit of colour and a nod to a vegetable.

Very dull here compared to some other posters. Usual options are
Chilli and rice
Bolognese
Stir fry
Baked potatoes
Halloumi wraps
Beef casserole
Chicken and veg tray bake
Various soups
Frittata
Dhal and flatbreads
Egg and chips
Sausage cobbler
Salads

Following for ideas

Trying to avoid the obvious:

Kedgeree
Quiche, bacon, prawn, crab, broccoli, etc, with various cheeses.
Homemade burgers with homemade buns and salad
Similar sausage rolls
hot wings
Flattened, pork, turkey, etc, fried in spiced flour, egg and breadcrumbs.
Coronation chicken, with leftovers
Mediterranean sauce, tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, white wine, herbs, etc, with lamb or chicken or prawns.

Quiche is so good. Everyone who said quiche is genius. I love quiche