These 7 Things Should Be Added to Your Family Dinner Rotation

What’s for dinner?

It’s a question that looms in the minds of parents and children every night. There are endless possibilities for dinner, but when it comes time to start cooking, the ideas of what to eat start sounding like ordering take-out for yet another night.

Many families have curbed this mindset by creating a family dinner rotation. Every week, two weeks or another number of days goes through a rotation of dinner menus. This makes planning shopping for groceries for the week so much easier, and you don’t have to go through the same cycle every night of what’s for dinner.

If you’re looking to add new items to the rotation or even start your own food rotation, you’ve come to the right place. These seven things should be added to your family dinner rotation to keep hungry spouses and children from guessing what’s on the menu every night, making your nightly routine easier.

1. Rigatoni with Vegetable Bolognese

Meatless Mondays just got better. Many families opt to make their diets more sustainable by having at least one night a week where they eat a plant-based meal, and you can do the same!

Instead of using ground beef or turkey, this bolognese recipe swaps it out for mushrooms, but you can’t even tell the difference! It’s packed with all of the Italian flavors, and it’s quick and easy to make. Plus, you get in some hidden servings of vegetables for your kids.

2. Sunday Chicken Dinner

While this meal doesn’t have to be on a Sunday, it makes for a hearty and comforting meal for your family. With a bit of extra prep, the Sunday chicken dinner will be a sensation. Plus, it can all be cooked in a slow cooker, saving you time and effort!

Of course, you’ll need a broiler chicken and some veggies, like potatoes, green beans, carrots and whatever else you would like to add. Sprinkle on some seasonings, put it in the slow cooker for 6-8 hours, and your house will fill with delicious aromas. Serve it on a platter, and if you want, use the cooking juices to make a savory gravy.

3. Family Pizza Night

Instead of ordering pizza, make a fun family night out of making your own! Pizza is a family dinner classic, and making it will bring your family together for one of the best nights of your family dinner rotation.

Make the dough from scratch, gather everyone’s favorite toppings and let your kids craft their culinary creations. On busier pizza nights, opt to order from a local restaurant to support the local economy. Pizza truly makes everything better.

4. New England Clam Chowder

Don’t be afraid to stretch your family’s tastebuds every once in a while. You can channel all of the flavors of New England in this one-pot chowder that your family will be sure to love! Plus, cooking the clams will give you a bit of a culinary challenge that will impress your family.

Fresh clams work best in this recipe, but you can substitute them with canned clams. Add in bacon, potatoes, fresh aromatics and some oyster crackers for a hearty dish.

5. Skillet Mac & Cheese

Who doesn’t love macaroni and cheese? This skillet macaroni and cheese elevates the boxed version for a dinner your whole family will love. With only six ingredients, it doesn’t get much easier!

You could just eat macaroni and cheese for dinner, but if you want to add some vegetables or protein, choose any that you like, such as a grilled chicken breast and side salad or pork chops and green beans.

6. Stir Fry or Fried Rice

Protein plus veggies plus rice plus a delicious Asian sauce equals the perfect family take-out inspired dinner. You can choose any protein for stir fry or fried rice, like chicken, beef, pork, shrimp or tofu. Fry it up until it’s cooked through, and add in your veggies. Toss it with sauce for a delicious stir fry.

You could take the stir fry and make it fried rice by adding in some scrambled egg and leftover rice from a previous dinner. The options are endless with both of these dishes, and you can’t go wrong with either!

7. The Famous Tik-Tok Pasta

Have you ever tried any Tik-Tok trends and recipes? The famous Tik-Tok pasta blew up all over social media, and it’s pretty delicious and easy to make as long as you can find the ingredients. If you don’t like tomatoes or feta, you can always change the vegetables and the type of cheese you use.

The traditional recipe calls for cherry tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, some seasonings, feta and, of course, pasta. All you do is add everything except the pasta to a baking dish, bake it and then once it’s done, stir in cooked pasta. The result is a creamy pasta dish.