101 easy recipes to cook for dinner tonight

The answer to 'what should I cook for dinner tonight?' is 'many, many fabulous things.'

Oven-baked chicken thighs with olive, tomato and lemon Source: Adam Liaw

--- Need more dinner inspiration? Binge all episodes of The Cook Up with Adam Liaw free and any time on SBS On Demand. Tune in live, weeknights at 7pm on SBS Food. ---

 

What a rush The Cook Up with Adam Liaw has been. Almost as big a rush as a family trying to put dinner on the table every night.

Thanks to Adam and his entertaining guests, things are now much calmer in kitchens across Australia. What's for dinner tonight? A quick skim through The Cook Up recipes and that question is finally solved. Not just what to serve for the main meal, but how to win favours by dishing up dessert, too.

Here are 101 meals that are sure to please your gang. Night after night after night.

Nail the main

1. Umami bolognese

Stop it: it's vegan. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

This is fusion-cooking done so right it's practically nuclear. Its Japanese and Italian flavours are given a Vegemite bomb to make your family's new favourite dinner.

2. Oven-baked chicken thighs

A simple, tasty dish of chicken with olives, cherry tomatoes and lemon. Source: Adam Liaw

Every home cook needs a decent one-pan, oven-baked dish they can pull together fast and then just whack into the oven while life goes on. This is that magical dish.

3. Beef and snow peas

There's something about snow peas that are irresistible. Kids who run a mile from any other vegetable will happily dive into a bowlful of this beef and snow pea stir-fry.

4. Schnitzel with kale slaw and oven chips

Adding kale makes it a health food, right? Source: Adam Liaw

Go the schnitty!

7. Udon with miso and Asian vegetables

The day feels much better just looking at this dish. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

Nourishing, nutritious, full of goodness. An udon bowl is exactly what you need at the end of a long day.

8. Atkilt alicha

This vegan stew is delicately spiced with everything nice. Source: Adam Liaw

For a fresh take on an age-old family dinner, give this super-tasty Ethiopian vego stew a whirl one night.

9. Whole-spiced roasted pumpkin

Do pumpkin differently with a roasted version dressed with spices and served with a homemade buttermilk curd. Source: Adam Liaw

Slow-roasted pumpkin makes such a delightful dinner. Colin Fassnidge packs in the spices and tops the whole thing off with a tangy buttermilk curd.

12. Pan-seared white fish with sautéed kale

'Fish and green veg are a bit of a staple in my house,' says Hayden Quinn. Source: Adam Liaw

'Fish and vege' make the ideal weeknight dinner. Fast to make and fresh to eat.

13. Corn pakoras with chaat masala

Basically an extra-super-fancy corn fritter. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

Chaat is India’s favourite genre of snacking street food for a reason. This version has a long ingredients list, but is as quick to make as you'd expect from a street favourite.

14. Jacket potato party

Keep your potato size generous and your topping selections even bigger. Source: Adam Liaw

Put the fun back into dinner.

15. Mee goreng with spicy eggs

Source: Danielle Abou Karam

For maximum enjoyment, dinner should be a 'street food favourite'. They're the kind of dishes that are so tasty they make every meal an exclamation.

18. Quinoa poke bowl

Particularly welcome if you have kids obsessed with sushi. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

Bowl food is basically our favourite way to eat. Even when it's this healthy.

19. All-veg tomato sauce pasta

More is more when it comes to veggies. Source: Adam Liaw

This tomato sauce that contains onion, carrots, capsicum, celery, zucchinis, garlic, basil and, of course, tomatoes. Colin Fassnidge has kids. He gets it.

22. Sausage and brown rice minestrone

Everything that's good is in this bowl. Source: Adam Liaw

Adam turns the already comforting minestrone into something yet more hearty with minced Italian sausage and rice.

23. KL hokkein mee

The answer to 'should we have noodles for dinner?' is always, 'yes please!'.

26. Chicken pot pie

There's little more comforting, or satisfying, than sinking into a fresh, hot chicken pie. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

The other correct answer to 'what should we have for dinner?' is 'pie'.

27. TV spaghetti

Even the TV won't distract you from the gloriousness of this dish. Source: Adam Liaw

Naming this dish 'TV spaghetti' does not do it justice. It's actually a one-pot wonder that melts together anchovies, parsley and chilli to conquer the summit of your pasta mountain.

30. Ten-minute cheeseburgers

Another zippy favourite, zhushed by Adam to be more than the sum of its parts. Is it the brioche burger bun? The Japanese mayo? Or the carefully placed dill pickle? All of the above.

33. Easy butter chicken

Jessica Rowe does not muck around when it comes to easy dinners. Source: Adam Liaw

'Easy butter chicken' sounds less like a recipe title and more like a chorus of family dinner bells echoing across the suburbs.

34. 'Shepherd's pie' with sweet potato mash

Healthy food and delicious meals should be mutually exclusive things. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

When it works this well, there's nothing quite like the re-invention of an old favourite.

35. Vegetable confit risotto

With a slow-cooked vegetable confit and tender arborio rice cooked in stock and white wine, this is a deluxe vegetarian risotto. Source: Adam Liaw

Meatless Monday never looked so good.

38. Stuffed baby eggplants

Creamy baked eggplant stuffed with lamb and pine nuts, topped with herbs and served with Greek yoghurt. Source: Adam Liaw

Sheikh el mehshi brings Middle Eastern comfort food to your weeknight menu.

39. Lizzy Hoo's silken tofu dinner

How can just five ingredients taste so good? Source: Adam Liaw

This was 'the favourite' in Lizzy's share house back in the day. They'd eat it three or four times a week, but cooking it tonight for dinner would be a great start.

40. Easy parmesan chicken with herb salad

Another 'crumbed-delight', but with a cheesy twist. One for the low-carb schnitty lovers.

41. Hokkaido salmon chanchan

This is one of the easiest and fastest dinners you could imagine. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

The combination of buttery vegetables, tender salmon and savoury miso is perfect for any dinner.

44. Steak Diane

With deep, rich flavours you know and love, it's time to bring back this classic. Source: Adam Liaw

Throw it back to the sixties with this retro steak Diane dinner. Follow it up with a bomb Alaska dessert is you truly want to set the nostalgia on fire.

45. Pork belly one-tray roast

PS - this dish is worth making for the crunchy roast potatoes alone. Source: SBS

Dishwashing fact: any dish with the world 'one-tray' in it's title is instantly 50 per cent better than any other dish.

48. Chase's sukiyaki

Sukiyaki is traditionally cooked at the table, making it both meal and entertainment in one. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

Chase Kojima served up this hearty Japanese hot pot and we all dived in, mouth-first.

49. Roast tomato soup with rosemary cheesy flatbreads

And it's all cooked in the oven. Source: Adam Liaw

Homemade soup meets homemade bread. #wholesome

52. Hainanese pork chops with onion gravy

Emphatically not your run-of-the-mill pork chop dinner thanks to an 'enchanting' Chinese-inspired gravy.

53. Red wine and rosemary teriyaki roast lamb

Roast lamb travels well. Source: Adam Liaw

A simple roast lamb takes a spin through Japan, turning red wine and rosemary into a rich teriyaki glaze.

56. Kid-friendly dhal

This is a great base recipe that isn’t confronting for kids at all. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

Because feeding your kids a bowl of lentils for dinner is the pinnacle of smug parent achievement.

57. Fried tofu with spring onion

Tuck into tofu for an easy, satisfying dinner option. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

An easy one-pan (there's that magical phrase again!) vegetarian dinner that will take 15 minutes to get on the table.

58. Whole baby snapper with chorizo

Another sterling dish that politely cooks itself in the oven. Source: Adam Liaw

A massive amount of flavour from chorizo, tomato and capsicum somehow manages to balance the delicate fish, not overpower it.

61. Lemon chicken

Adam's version of the Chinese takeaway classic includes a rice wine and ginger sauce instead of the usual gluey marinade associated with the dish. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

The restaurant family favourite comes home.

62. Lamb mince ali nazik

You simply can't go wrong with one of the most popular dishes in Turkey.

63. Avocado green goddess

The green goddess dressing is a must in any fridge. Drizzled over this salad, slathered on jacket potatoes, or dipped onto vegetables, it's good. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

Bring on the salads for dinner. Throw everything you've got in there for maximum flavour and nutrition.

66. Baked heirloom tomatoes

Take a trip to Southern France one evening soon. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

When tomatoes are in season, there is simply no finer dinner.

67. Trofie al pesto

The Ligurian city of Genova is the home of true pesto Genovese made with basil, salt, oil, garlic and pine nuts. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

Pesto pasta has long been the go-to last-minute dinner of many a family. Now it's time to ditch the jar.

68. Beef and broccolini with oyster sauce

Drawing on the 'holy trinity' of Chinese cooking, Adam shares his simple steak stir-fry with ginger, onions and garlic. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

This looks exactly like a dinner most families would devour in seconds. Fortunately, it's prepared in much the same amount of time.

71. Peanut butter curry

Step aside butter chicken, there's a new kid favourite in town.

72. Foul mudammas

Fava beans and chickpeas seasoned with tahini, lemon and garlic make for a light and fresh vegan meal. Source: Adam Liaw

Perhaps some of the appeal of this Middle Eastern favourite is lost in translation, but don't let the name stop you. It's a tasty-as vegan classic that's healthy to boot.

73. Frying pan kabab khashkhash

This Syrian kabab is made from lamb mince and served on roasted tomatoes. Source: Adam Liaw

Skip the barbecue and fry your kabab in the pan on the stove. Those moreish Middle Eastern flavours are all there and some.

74. Chicken and mushroom doria

Think of a gratin of béchamel over rice. Source: Adam Liaw

Doria is an Italian-inspired dish that originated in France, but now only seems to exist in Japan where it is phenomenally popular.

75. American hot wings with ranch dressing

Dipping wings into sauce is such a fun way to eat. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

Chicken wings may be cheap and cheerful, but when they're spiced just right they're also spectacular.

Dish these desserts

78. Tofu doughnuts

Deep-fry your sweet tofu batter then dust with cinnamon, icing sugar or sweetened kinako powder. Done. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

Dessert-inject some protein with Adam's crunchy tofu doughnuts. They take a tiny 15 minutes from whoa to go.

79. Four-ingredient flan

Adam nails a dessert that's both crowd and cook pleaser. Five minutes of prep for an evening of 'you're the best cook ever's.

80. Crispy banana split

As if a banana split wasn't already amazing, now there's a deep-fried version. Source: Adam Liaw

A banana split is always a good idea, particularly when the banana is deep-fried to crispy perfection. Do try this one at home.

81. Hot chocolate tart

A shortcut way to a knockout tart using everyone’s favourite ingredients. Source: Adam Liaw

A silky tart filled with a blend of chocolate, Tim Tams and mini marshmallows is always going to make the list.

84. Cherry clafoutis

This extremely simple dish from southern France is no more difficult than cherries set in a sweet base. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

It's French, so it has to be complicated and fiddly, right? Wrong! But it does have to be luxurious and special and a cherry clafoutis is all that and more.

85. Vietnamese coffee tiramisu

We bow.

86. Super vanilla ice-cream

This ice-cream is a labour of love, and very much worth the wait. Source: Adam Liaw

Sometimes it just isn't about convenience.

87. Sticky banana and white chocolate puddings

The rich butterscotch sauce is a giveaway that this is a take on the perennially popular sticky toffee pudding. Source: Adam Liaw

A good pudding is everything we love about dessert. Sweet, comforting and endlessly satisfying.

90. Emergency apple crumble

This dish is beyond easy to make and super-easy to cook. Store the leftover raw crumble in the freezer for later pressing pudding emergencies. Source: Adam Liaw

If you've never needed an emergency pudding, you're doing everything right. Make this one anyway.

91. Whipped ricotta with charred peaches

Sweet peaches, creamy ricotta and tangy pickled shallot come together for a beautiful (and different) dessert. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

A fruity dessert ends the meal just right. In this one, Adam adds a pickled shallot twist to keep us on our toes.

94. Toasted marshmallows

If you've never tried a homemade marshmallow, you've never tried a marshmallow. Source: Adam Liaw

This is the kind of sweet that would really keep the jacket potato party going (see above).

95. Vegan black sesame and coconut ice-cream

All you need is a blender. Source: Adam Liaw

A quick four-step, no-churn ice-coconut cream that will be on high-rotation in no time at all.

96. Vegan snickers

This recipe is the healthy version of a Snickers bar, without the lack of flavour that comes with some 'tastes like' desserts. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

This is exactly how you want to finish dinner, right?

97. Strawberry, white chocolate and crème fraiche galette

Make your own pastry to really send this dessert into the taste stratosphere. It's a texture thing, too. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

The French love a good pastry dessert, and dishes like Phoebe Wood's strawberry galette are why.

100. Loukoumades with honey and cinnamon

Loukoumades are equal-parts savoury and sweet. Much like many yiayias. Source: Adam Liaw

Once you get the hang of them, delicious loukoumades are a breeze to make. Just ask any yiayia.

101. Biscotti

Biscotti or lady fingers are wildly popular in Italy and pretty much the entire world. Source: Adam Liaw

We'll let biscotti have the last word here. Because biscuits really are the best way to end both meals and mammoth favourites lists.