Cooking ideas for bigger family dinners

Getting dinner on the table for the family is no mean feat. We’re all short on time, appetites can vary wildly (one hates green things, the other doesn’t like mushy things, the other has decided to go veggie) and keeping on top of the food budget can be a challenge. If you’re looking for some fresh ideas for large family dinners, we’ve got you covered. From crowd-pleasing, easy-to-deconstruct recipe ideas to tips and strategies to help save you time, money and sanity, read our ultimate guide to cooking for a large family.

1. Make a meal plan for the week

Being organised and knowing what you’re going to eat each day will help ensure you only buy what you need, and you can plan your shop. Browse recipes online and use our meal planner template to write down what you’re going to make – having a ‘menu’ stuck on the fridge means there’ll be no surprises (or arguments) come dinner time.

2. Stock up on basics

Buy things like tinned tomatoes, lentils, rice, pasta and frozen veg in bulk to cut down on the cost. Browse our Bigger Pack, Better Value range for ideas.

3. Make a shopping list

Use our shopping list feature using the digital food catalogue the M&S app to make a list of everything you’ll need in store.

4. Embrace batch cooking

Batch cook some freezer-friendly dishes for the week to help save on cost and time.

5. Bulk out your meals

Adding lentils, pulses or grated veggies to family-favourite dishes, like bolognese or chilli con carne, will stretch them further and add extra fibre.

6. Get the family involved

Browse recipes online, in cookbooks or on social media and agree on what to cook together – if everyone is invested in what you’re eating, there’s less chance of food refusal come dinner.

7. Take shortcuts

On evenings when everyone is eating at different times or fending for themselves, turn to air fryer recipes and shortcut ingredients. Cooking pastes, pre-chopped frozen soffritto and frozen baked jacket potatoes can also be life-savers when time is short. And when you really don’t want to cook, treat everyone to a Pizza Night Dine In.

8. Go veggie

Agreeing to have 1-2 plant-based meals a week will help you up your plant diversity and cut down on the cost. Try a comforting dal or veggie chilli.

Looking for some easy ways to feed a bigger family, or batch cook for the week? We’ve got you covered. Try these hearty, crowd-pleasing dinner recipe ideas to feed the hungry hoards.

Whether you're looking for shortcut ingredients, a faff-free Dine In, Remarksable Value staples for a batch-cooking marathon, or bigger packs to stock the cupboards, there are lots of ways to save on your family's food bill in store. Browse our family recipes for ideas to get dinner on the table with all of the flavour and none of the fuss.