The best family dishes

Need fresh ideas for family dinners? Our Food Editor shares 10 top-rated classic recipes customers come back to again and again – think comforting cottage pie, fuss-free creamy chicken and crowd-pleasing pasta bakes.

Food Editor

Olivia Ferguson

What are the most popular family recipes?

From comforting classics to easy pasta dishes, these are the family meals our customers love most. Simple, satisfying and ideal for busy evenings, they’re firm favourites for a reason.

Lasagne: A much-loved oven-baked go-to, layered with rich sauce and a creamy topping, and just as good reheated the next day or made with lentils for a meat-free option.
Cottage pie: A hearty family staple with a savoury base and mash topping that can be prepped ahead or adapted with sweet potato and extra vegetables.
Sausage and mash: A classic British dinner, made for cosy nights and served best with plenty of gravy.
Macaroni cheese: Creamy, cheesy and comforting, whether served as a main or as a side with a burger.
Pasta bake: Your busy weeknight saviour that can be prepped ahead and popped in the oven.
Beef chilli: A great all-in-one dish served with rice, wraps or jacket potatoes and lots of toppings like guacamole, salsa and sour cream.
Spaghetti bolognese: A family favourite that’s rich and saucy, easy to bulk out with beans, and can be reinvented the next day.
Fish pie: You can't beat a creamy fish filling and fluffy mash topping, perfect for making ahead and reheating when needed.

Looking for more ideas? Discover our most popular family recipes below.

Family friendly recipes

1. Tuna pasta bake

A true midweek hero, tuna pasta bake is a family classic that’s easy to cook and just as delicious the next day. This version is lifted with our White Wine, Garlic and Herb Flavour Pots, plus a gentle hint of mustard, while a scattering of fresh parsley cuts through the richness of the cheesy sauce. As one customer puts it, this top-rated recipe is “so easy to follow and yummy”.

Tuna pasta bake recipe

2. Cajun chicken and rice traybake

Bring a little heat to weeknight dinners with this popular Cajun chicken traybake. Juicy Oakham Gold Chicken Legs are roasted until golden, then cooked alongside spiced rice with sweet peppers and red onion for a colourful, flavour-packed dish. Finished with garden peas, cooling yoghurt and a scattering of pink pickled onions, it balances warmth with freshness. Let the oven do the hard work – it’s all cooked in one pan for less washing up and ready in an hour. Customers say it “tasted great” and was a “delicious recipe”.

Cajun chicken traybake recipe

3. Hidden vegetable spaghetti bolognese recipe

A clever take on a family favourite, this hidden veg spaghetti bolognese is packed with finely diced vegetables that blend seamlessly into a rich, tomatoey sauce. It's made with lean beef mince and our Everything Tomato Paste, then finished with fresh basil and grated mature cheddar. Perfect for packing in extra veg and ideal for fussy eaters, it’s an easy way to boost everyday dinners without compromising on flavour. Rated 5 stars, this dish is proof that a wholesome twist can still be seriously satisfying.

Hidden veg spag bol recipe

4. Beef and bean chilli cheese-loaded fries

The ultimate crowd-pleaser, this beef and bean chilli-loaded fries recipe transforms everyday staples into a hearty, indulgent sharing dish. It's made with our Remarksable Value beef mince, baked beans and crisp French fries, then topped with melty cheddar and a fresh tomato and corn salsa for bold flavour and contrasting textures. Ready in just 30 minutes, it’s perfect for a Friday night treat and a great way to use up leftover chilli.

Make the fries

5. Creamy one-pot chicken

A rich, comforting dinner the whole family will love, this creamy one-pot chicken is made with tender British chicken thighs in a velvety sauce. Using a tin of soup helps bulk out the dish, making it great value without compromising on flavour. It's ready in just 35 minutes and all cooked in one pot for minimal washing up – just the thing on busy evenings. Customers say “the entire family enjoyed this one” and that “the kids have already asked if we can have it again”, with 65 ratings backing it up as a firm favourite.

One-pot chicken recipe

6. Quick and easy beef nasi goreng

Bring a fakeaway feel to your weeknight dinners with this quick, flavour-packed beef nasi goreng. Made with our wallet-friendly Remarksable Value 5% fat British beef mince, it’s stir-fried with fragrant Nasi Goreng Paste and topped with a golden fried egg. Ready in no time – or even faster with microwave rice pouches – it’s an easy way to recreate a takeaway favourite at home. Customers call it “nice and easy” and “quick enough to cook and put together”, adding that they “really enjoyed it”.

Beef nasi goreng recipe

7. Healthy cottage pie

A lighter take on a classic, this healthy cottage pie is packed with extra veg, thanks to grated courgette and cauliflower folded into the topping. Carrying our Eat Well health seal of approval, it’s high in protein, low in saturated fat and a source of fibre, without losing the hearty appeal that makes it a family favourite. One customer called this twist on a classic “a cottage pie with a twist – very tasty”.

See the recipe

8. Creamy mushroom and caramelised onion pasta bake

Creamy and full of flavour, this mushroom and caramelised onion pasta bake is a brilliant value crowd-pleaser. Fusilli is coated in a rich mushroom sauce, layered with sweet, slow-cooked onions and topped with golden cheddar before baking until bubbling. Since it's made with our Remarksable Value ingredients, it’s as easy on the budget as it is delicious. As one customer says, it’s “delicious, very easy to make” and “very good value” – the kind of dish you'll make week in week out.

Mushroom pasta bake recipe

9. Healthy lasagne

This healthier take on lasagne proves comfort food can still feel generous. Packed with hidden vegetables and carrying our Eat Well seal of approval, it’s designed to feed the whole family while keeping things balanced. As one customer puts it, it’s “a wonderful beef recipe – extremely tasty” – a reminder that lighter swaps don’t mean less flavour.

Healthy lasagne recipe

10. Tuna pea pesto pasta

Do your family love pesto pasta? Switch it up with this fresh twist that gives a weeknight favourite a new lease of life. Frozen peas are blitzed into a vibrant, green ‘pea‑sto’, adding colour and flavour alongside tuna and juicy cherry tomatoes for a dinner that feels light yet filling. It’s quick, unfussy and easy to slot into your midweek rotation, with one customer describing it as “lovely and fresh tasting”.

Pesto pasta recipe

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Published 11/06/2026