The easy dinner formula: a protein, two sides, done.

The best easy dinner ideas start with a simple formula: a protein, two sides, done. Choose something generous for the centre of the table, something fresh alongside it, and perhaps a condiment to bring it together. It’s a useful starting point for easy weeknight dinners, and just as useful when friends are coming over.

These three menus move easily from dinner after work to relaxed entertaining. Keep things simple during the week, or add a drink and dessert when you have company.

A roast chicken dinner for easy entertaining

Our Ultimate Roast Chicken is the centre of this spread, with Greek Lemon Potatoes, Tzatziki and Cabbage & Broccoli Slaw alongside.

The potatoes make it a proper roast dinner; the slaw brings crunch, parmesan, toasted pine nuts and lemon vinaigrette. Spoon the tzatziki into a bowl for everyone to help themselves, and serve the chicken and potatoes on a generous platter.

It’s a dinner that works as well for family as it does for a few friends. When you have company, finish with Basque Cheesecake. A complete evening, without adding much to your to-do list.

An easy pasta dinner: lamb ragu and rigatoni

Slow-Cooked Lamb Ragu, Rustichella Rigatoni and our Garlic Bread. A bottle of Sherdale Pinot Noir on the table.

This one takes a slightly different approach to the formula: the protein is in the sauce, the pasta brings it together, and the garlic bread belongs alongside. There’s no need to add more simply to make the menu longer.

Cook the rigatoni according to the packet instructions, warm the ragu according to its label, and toss them together before serving. Bring the garlic bread to the table warm and pour the wine. An easy weeknight dinner that’s equally at home in the middle of a table full of friends.

A butter chicken menu for a relaxed dinner

Butter Chicken with Cashews, Fragrant Lemongrass Jasmine Rice, Paratha Flatbread and Mango Chutney. For friends coming over, start with a Passionfruit & Lychee Ping Pong on arrival.

The rice is the natural companion to the butter chicken, while the paratha is there for the sauce you won’t want to leave behind. Mango chutney adds a sweet contrast, served on the side so everyone can add their own.

Set everything in the middle of the table and let people build their plates. It’s a generous dinner without a long list of dishes, and an easy option when you want to feed a few people without spending the evening in the kitchen.

A formula, not a rule

The point isn’t to count the dishes. It’s to make choosing dinner easier.

Begin with something you feel like eating, then give it the right company. Roast chicken, potatoes and slaw. Lamb ragu, rigatoni and garlic bread. Butter chicken, rice and paratha. A condiment, a bottle of wine or something sweet can turn the same meal into a little more of an occasion.

Good food, put together simply. From our family kitchen to yours.