Five quick and easy half-term dinners kids will actually eat
Tired of mealtime meltdowns? These five speedy, stress-free dinners are perfect for busy families looking to keep kids happy (and fed) this half term
What’s for tea? If you’re a parent asking that question on repeat this half term, you’re not alone. With the usual school routines out the window, mealtimes have a habit of becoming more battlefield than bonding time. And when you’re juggling work, playdates and snack demands, cooking something vaguely nutritious – and vaguely appealing – can feel like one task too many.
To help ease the pressure, we asked Sophie Nahmad, lead recipe developer at Gousto, for her top mealtime survival strategies. Her advice? Keep it quick, keep it flexible and keep the kids involved.
Five hacks for feeding the family during the holidays
- Stick to under 30 minutes – fast meals mean fewer meltdowns (from everyone).
- Let them play with their food – think tacos or fajitas they can build themselves.
- Get them involved early – pick the week’s meals together and stick them on the fridge.
- Cut down on washing up – one-pan dishes are your best friend.
- Hide the healthy stuff – grated carrot in your bolognese. Spinach in your curry. No one will notice.
“Half term is supposed to be fun, not spent stressing over what to cook every night,” says Nahmad. “But for many people balancing work and childcare, it’s tempting to resort to ready meals or highly processed foods. These quick and easy dinner hacks and recipes are designed for real life: minimal prep, maximum flavour, and guaranteed to get a thumbs up from even the fussiest little eaters.”
With that in mind, we’ve pulled together five weeknight wonders the whole family can get behind – all ready in 30 minutes or less, with minimal mess and zero mealtime drama.
To prep this dinner, you only need five minutes. After baking chorizo, leek and pasta in a pot, you'll swirl crème fraîche into the sauce and serve it up with salad and a squeeze of lemon.
Serves: 2
Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
Lemon
Intense chicken stock mix (5.5g)
100g diced chorizo
80g creme fraiche
30g grated Italian hard cheese, such as Parmesan or Pecorino
30ml Chinese rice wine
1 leek
20g rocket
150g tortiglioni, or pasta of choice
Method:
- This recipe takes around 5-10 minutes to prep, so get your casserole dish and all your ingredients ready, then wash your fruit and veg. Note: make sure your dish is oven-proof and safe to use on the hob. Don't have one? Start cooking in a large, wide-based pan, then transfer to an oven-proof dish and cover tightly with foil
- Preheat the oven to 220C/200C (fan)/gas 7 and boil a kettle. Heat a large, wide-based hob-safe oven-proof casserole dish with a matching lid with a drizzle of olive oil over a high heat. Once hot, add your diced chorizo to the dish
- Wash your leek thoroughly to remove any grit from between the leaves, then top, tail and slice into rounds. Add the sliced leek to the dish.
- Add your chicken stock mix to the dish with your tortiglioni, Chinese rice wine and 350ml boiled water. Nestle the pasta into the water as much as you can, then stir everything together and bring to the boil over a high heat.
- Cover with a lid and put the dish in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the pasta is cooked through. Use this time to clear up, set the table, have a cup of tea or simply chill! Tip: give everything a stir halfway through for evenly cooked pasta!
- Once the pasta is cooked, remove the dish from the oven and stir through your creme fraiche and grated Italian hard cheese. Add the juice of half your lemon and give everything a good mix. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt if needed – this is your oven-baked creamy chorizo and leek pasta.
- Cut the remaining lemon into 1 wedge per person. Wash your salad, then pat it dry with kitchen paper. Serve the oven-baked creamy chorizo and leek pasta with the salad to the side. Garnish with a lemon wedge. Drizzle the salad with olive oil and season with a generous grind of black pepper. Dig in!
For this quick korma, you’ll pan-fry diced chicken in mild curry paste, before adding coconut stock and sweet butternut squash. Serve with ready-to-heat rice, flaked almonds, coriander and naan.
Serves: 2
Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
250g British diced chicken breast
½ tbsp curry powder
25g solid creamed coconut
280g cooked white long grain rice
2 mini garlic and coriander naans
160g butternut squash cubes
5g coriander
15g flaked almonds
Method:
- Before you start cooking, get all your ingredients and equipment ready, wash your fruit and veg and take your chicken out of the fridge, open the packet and let it air. Note: equipment and pan sizes vary. Make sure you cook food thoroughly (even if it takes you a little longer than 10 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 200C/180C (fan)/gas 6. Boil half a kettle. Add your mini garlic and coriander naans and flaked almonds to a baking tray (or two!) and put in the oven for 6 minutes or until the naans are warmed through and the almonds are lightly toasted. Tip: Watch these like a hawk to make sure they don’t burn!
- Add your butternut squash cubes to a heatproof bowl. Cover the bowl with cling film and pierce a few holes in the top. Put the bowl in the microwave and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the squash is fork-tender. Meanwhile, heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of vegetable oil over a high heat
- Once hot, add your diced chicken to the pan with your curry powder and cook for 3-4 minutes or until browned. Meanwhile, chop your creamed coconut roughly (if required). Dissolve the chopped creamed coconut in 150ml boiled water – this is your coconut stock.
- Add the coconut stock to the pan with 1 tsp sugar and a generous pinch of salt and bring to the boil over a high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-high and cook for 6-8 minutes further or until the chicken is cooked through (no pink meat). Note: Please make sure you cook your chicken thoroughly (until it’s piping hot) as cooking equipment varies.
- Once the chicken is cooked through, stir the cooked butternut squash cubes through the sauce – this is your chicken and butternut squash korma.
- Meanwhile, squeeze your pouch of cooked white long grain rice to separate the grains. Tear the top corner of the pouch (just a little) and microwave for 2 minutes or until piping hot. Tip: If you’re cooking two pouches, pop them in together but increase the microwave cook time accordingly. Pick your coriander leaves from their stalks, and discard the stalks. Serve the chicken and butternut squash korma, warmed rice and warmed naans. Garnish with your toasted flaked almonds and coriander leaves. Enjoy!
For this speedy supper, you'll grill halloumi, zap tortillas in the microwave, and whip up homemade salsa and chipotle yoghurt to boot! To serve, let everyone make their own tacos, and dig in.
Serves: 2
Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
125g cherry tomatoes
1 little gem lettuce
80g natural yoghurt
200g halloumi
6 plain tortillas
20g chipotle paste
5g coriander
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 lime
Method:
- Get all your ingredients and equipment ready. Skim through these steps, then wash your fruit and veg. Note: equipment and pan sizes vary. Make sure you cook food thoroughly (even if it takes you a little longer than 10 minutes).
- Preheat the grill to a high heat. Slice the halloumi into 12 slices.
- Add the halloumi slices to a baking tray. Drizzle with vegetable oil and sprinkle over the smoked paprika. Put the tray directly under the grill for 4-5 minutes or until warmed through and softened – this is your smoky halloumi.
- Meanwhile, pick the coriander leaves from the stalks, and discard the stalks. Chop the cherry tomatoes roughly. Chop the coriander leaves and cherry tomatoes together until combined.
- Transfer the chopped tomato and coriander to a bowl. Add the juice of ½ a lime and season with a pinch of salt and pepper – this is your tomato salsa.
- Combine the chipotle paste (can't handle the heat? Go easy) and natural yoghurt in a small bowl – this is your chipotle yoghurt. Add the tortillas to a plate and microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until warmed through.
- Wash and shred the little gem lettuce. Cut the remaining lime into wedges. Set the warmed tortillas, shredded lettuce, smoky halloumi, tomato salsa and chipotle yoghurt in the centre of the table, ready to share. Garnish with the lime wedges and let everyone dig in. Enjoy!
Spending hours on a chilli con carne stops today! In our speedy twist, you'll add chipotle paste for instant smoky flavour, and serve it up with rice in just 10 minutes. Simmer, ding, done!
Serves: 2
Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground smoked paprika
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
250g beef mince
40g cheddar cheese
200g finely chopped tomatoes
390g red kidney beans
280g cooked white long grain rice
11g vegetable stock mix
20g chipotle paste
Method:
- Get all your ingredients and equipment ready. Skim through these steps, then wash your fruit and veg. Note: equipment and pan sizes vary. Make sure you cook food thoroughly (even if it takes you a little longer than 10 minutes).
- Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of vegetable oil over a high heat. Once hot, add your beef mince to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until browned all over, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you go.
- Squeeze your pouch of cooked white long grain rice to separate the grains. Tear the top corner of the pouch (just a little) and microwave for 2 minutes or until piping hot. Tip: if you're cooking two or more pouches, pop them in together, but increase the microwave cook time accordingly.
- Add your ground cumin, ground smoked paprika and chilli flakes (can't handle the heat? Go easy) to the pan and cook for 30 secs. Add your vegetable stock mix, chopped tomatoes, chipotle paste (not a fan of spice? Just add a little) and 50ml cold water, then bring to the boil over a high heat.
- Meanwhile, drain and rinse your red kidney beans.
- Add the drained red kidney beans to the pan and cook for 4 minutes further or until the beef is cooked through (no pink meat) – this is your smoky chilli con carne. Note: please ensure you cook your beef thoroughly (until piping hot) as cooking equipment varies.
- Grate your cheddar cheese. Serve the smoky chilli con carne with the cooked rice to the side. Garnish with the grated cheese. Enjoy!
For a succulent dinner, you'll zap waxy potatoes in the microwave and serve them with seared salmon fillets, a creamy mustard dill sauce and tender greens. Sizzle, dollop, smash, done!
Serves: 2
Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
160g Tenderstem broccoli
1 garlic clove
5g dill
2 skin-on salmon fillets
80g spinach
5.5g vegetable stock mix
80g creme fraiche
350g waxy potatoes
21g wholegrain mustard
Method:
- Get all your ingredients and equipment ready. Skim through these steps, then wash your fruit and veg. Note: equipment and pan sizes vary. Make sure you cook food thoroughly (even if it takes you a little longer than 10 minutes).
- Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of olive oil over a medium-high heat and boil a kettle. Once hot, add your salmon fillets (skin-side down), season with a pinch of salt and cook for 9-10 minutes, turning once halfway. Tip: Your fish is cooked through when it's opaque and flakes easily.
- Meanwhile, chop your waxy potatoes in half. Add to a heatproof bowl, cover the bowl with cling film and pierce a few holes in the top with a fork. Put the bowl in the microwave for 6-8 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Add your Tenderstem broccoli to a pot with a matching lid with a pinch of salt and cover with plenty of boiled water. Bring to the boil over a high heat and cook for an initial 2-3 minutes or until almost cooked. Wash your spinach, then shake off any excess water.
- Chop your dill finely, including the stalks. Peel and finely chop (or grate) your garlicAdd your crème fraîche to a bowl with your wholegrain mustard (not a mustard fan? Go easy!) and vegetable stock mixAdd the chopped garlic, most of the chopped dill (save some for garnish!) and 2 tbsp [3 tbsp] [4 tbsp] cold water and mix it all together – this is your creamy mustard sauce
- 6. Once the broccoli is almost cooked, add the spinach to the potCook for a final 1 min or until the spinach has wilted, then drain, return to the pot and keep covered until serving – these are your greensOnce the potatoes are fork-tender, add small knob of butter and a generous pinch of salt and pepperCrush the seasoned potatoes lightly with a fork – these are your crushed potatoes
For more quick, family-friendly recipes like these – including 10-minute meals and one-pan wonders – head to Gousto’s Half Term Meal Hub.
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