Midweek Meals: five stress-free dinners perfect for busy families

Tacos, traybakes and Sloppy Joes - family dinners should be quick, easy and always delicious 

Five easy-to-make dinners that will guarantee clean plates all round.

Chicken parmigiana

How to make chicken parmigiana worthy of The Sopranos

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 50 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Italian

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts, sliced through the middle and flattened

• 150g panko breadcrumbs

• 100g Parmesan, finely grated

• 3 eggs beaten

• 200g flour

• 100ml olive oil

• For the sauce: 

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 3 cloves garlic, crushed

• 600ml passata

• 1 onion

• 1 tsp butter

• Salt, pepper, sugar, to taste

• For the parmiagana:

• 2 balls of mozzarella, sliced

• Basil or parsley, chopped (optional)

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Method

1. First, make the sauce.

2. Add the olive oil and garlic to a cold saucepan. Turn on the heat to medium and as soon as the garlic starts to sizzle, pour in the passata.

3. Cut your onion in half and add to the sauce along with the butter. Cover, turn to low and simmer for twenty minutes.

4. Taste, check for seasoning and add salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. Remove the onion.

5. While your sauce is cooking, set up a breading station by pouring your breadcrumbs and cheese onto a plate, your flour onto another plate and your beaten eggs onto a third plate. 

6. Dip your chicken first in the flour, then in the egg and finally in the breadcrumbs. Place onto a wire rack and place into the fridge for ten minutes. 

7. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan and heat to medium. Fry the chicken for seven to eight minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and cooked through. Leave to rest on the wire rack.

8. Preheat your grill

9. In an oven-proof dish place the chicken in a single layer. Spoon over the tomato sauce and top with the cheese. Grill for around eight minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbling. Serve with a green salad. 

Midweek noodles

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

With the distinct flavours of garlic, ginger and soy, this versatile noodle dish combines a vegetable medley with a delicate crunch of sesame seeds

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 20 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp oil

• 1 packet of stir-fry vegetable mix (carrots, peppers, courgettes, and spring onion)

• 2 tsp garlic

• 2 tsp crushed ginger

• 3 tbsp dark soy

• 1 packet of straight-to-wok rice noodles

• juice of 1 lime

• 1 tbsp sesame oil

• 2 tsp sesame seeds, to garnish

Method

1. Heat the walnut oil in the pan; add the vegetables and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.

2. Add the garlic, ginger, and soy sauce, and continue to cook until the vegetables are slightly softened.

3. Add in the noodles and cook until heated through, roughly 2-3 minutes.

4. Squeeze the lime juice over them and drizzle with sesame oil, toss well to combine.

5. Serve sprinkled with some lightly-toasted sesame seeds and enjoy.

Fish tacos

A stalwart of American food trucks, these tacos are stuffed with hearty vegetables and delicate flavour and will be in regular rotation on your weekly menu

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 25 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 40g panko breadcrumbs

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp garlic granules

• salt

• pepper 

• 1 egg

• 300g fresh cod or haddock fillets, cut into goujons

• 6–7 sprays of rapeseed oil

• For the sauce:

• 3 tbsp lighter than light mayo

• 1 tsp yellow American mustard

• 1 pickled gherkin, finely chopped

• 1 tsp pickle juice from the gherkin jar

• 1 garlic clove, finely minced

• juice of ½ a lime

• To build the tacos:

• 4–6 small wholemeal wraps

• Shredded lettuce

• 1 red onion, halved then finely sliced into half moons

• 1 large tomato, diced

• 3-4 tbsp tinned sweetcorn

• 1 radish, finely sliced

• fresh coriander (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

2. Lash the panko, smoked paprika and garlic granules, along with the salt and pepper, into a bowl and mix well.

3. Beat the egg in a separate bowl, then dip the goujons first into the egg, then into the spice mix, making sure they are coated evenly.

4. Spray a baking tray with a little oil and evenly lay out the coated pieces of fish on it. Pop in the preheated oven and cook for 15-20 minutes, turning and spraying with a little oil halfway through, until the coating is golden and brown.

5. To make the sauce, mix all the ingredients in a small ramekin and put to one side.

6. Heat the wraps on a dry pan until soft or pop in the microwave for 20 seconds, then lash on the lettuce, onion, tomato and cooked fish goujons. Finish by shaking over some sweetcorn, drizzle over the sauce, and garnish with some radish and optional coriander.
   This recipe is from Gina and Karol Daly's The Daly Dish Rides Again, published by Gill Books.

American-style sloppy joes

recipe by:Neven Maguire

This is a version of a sandwich that is an all-American classic, consisting of minced beef cooked in a spicy tomato sauce, often with the addition of kidney beans

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 40 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 American

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil

• 50g raw chorizo, diced 

• 350g lean minced beef 

• 1 small onion, finely chopped 

• 1 green pepper, diced 

• 1 fresh small green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional) 

• 140g tomato purée 

• 3 tbsp dark brown muscovado sugar 

• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar 

• 1 tbsp honey 

• 2 tsp Dijon mustard 

• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 

• 1 × 400g tin of kidney beans in chilli sauce 

• 4-6 burger buns 

• 1 Little Gem lettuce, shredded 

• 100g cheddar cheese, grated 

• handful of mixed hot chillies in brine or sliced jalapeño chillies, drained (optional) 

• sea salt

• freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook until it just starts to release its oil, then add the minced beef. Stir-fry until the meat starts to brown, breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon. Add the onion, green pepper and chilli (if using) and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or so, until the vegetables are beginning to soften.

2. Add the tomato purée, sugar, vinegar, honey, mustard and Worcestershire sauce and stir until well combined, then stir in the beans. Season to taste, then bring to a simmer and cook for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is nice and thick.

3. Toast the burger buns under the grill. Arrange the lettuce on the bottom of each bun, then spoon over the sloppy Joe beef mixture. Scatter the grated cheddar on top with the hot chillies (if using), then sandwich together with the tops of the buns.
   
   Neven Maguire’s bestselling Midweek Meals is published by Gill Books, priced €22.99

Parmesan pork with roast vegetables

Brining the pork keeps it incredibly moist, tender and juicy and that combined with the layers of umami flavour in the crumb make this a delicious family meal

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 8 hours 20 mins

Cooking Time

 1 hours 25 mins

Total Time

 9 hours 45 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 500g pork fillet (1 loin)

• For the brine:

• 300ml buttermilk

• 3 garlic cloves

• 4 sprigs thyme and rosemary

• 1 tbsp brown sugar

• 1 tbsp sea salt

• 1 tbsp dijon mustard

• For the crumb:

• 200g panko breadcrumbs

• 50g Parmesan

• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely diced

• 1 tsp fresh thyme

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• For the traybake:

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 750g baby potatoes (skin on)

• 200g butternut squash or sweet potato

• 1 sweet red pepper

• 2 red onions

• 5 garlic cloves (skin on)

• 1 courgette

• 2 apples

• ½ tin of chickpeas

• 3 tbsp of balsamic glaze

Method

1. Prepare the pork 8 hours advance or overnight to allow it to tenderise. Trim the fat off the pork and cut into medallions (about 10 pieces per pork steak). Place all the ingredients for the brine a in a sealable container and stir. Add the pork, ensuring it is well covered and then seal it up, pop in the fridge and allow to tenderise.

2. To make the crumb, grate the Parmesan, finely chop the rosemary and thyme and combine all the seasoning ingredients together with the breadcrumbs.

3. Now, assemble the traybake. Quarter the baby potatoes, de-seed and chop the peppers, dice the courgette and butternut squash and peel and quarter the red onions.

4. Open and drain the tin of chickpeas, core and cut the apple into chunks. Pop the cloves of garlic from bulb and leave skins on.

5. Preheat the oven to 180℃/200℃ fan. Put 2 tbsp oil on the oven trays with a big pinch of fresh black pepper and sea salt, heat it in the oven for 3-4 minutes Remove the tray from the oven and scatter on the potatoes, butternut squash, peppers, onion, garlic, apple and chickpeas. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 50 minutes until the vegetables are roasted.

6. As the vegetables roast, cook the pork on a separate tray. Remove the pork from the bag. Allow to drip and drain a little. Coat each piece in the crumb. Pat on the crumb well. Heat another tray in the same way, when hot remove from the oven and place the pork on the hot tray to allow the crumb to sizzle. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

7. When cooked, remove from the oven, stir through some fresh rosemary and thyme and drizzle the traybake with a little balsamic glaze. Toss everything together. Sit the crispy parmesan pork on top. Serve family style dining garnished with a little fresh rosemary and thyme and some Parmesan.