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The weeknight dinner guide
Practical ways to plan, shop, prep and store so that dinner on a busy evening feels easy rather than stressful.
A simple weekly routine
You don’t need a complicated system. Most people find dinners become easier with a short weekly routine that takes less than half an hour in total.
Check
Look at the week ahead: late meetings, activities and evenings out.
Choose
Pick quick recipes for busy nights and slower ones for relaxed evenings.
List
Write one shopping list, grouped by aisle, after checking the cupboard.
Prep
Wash greens, chop onions or cook a pot of grains to get ahead.
The dinner-ready pantry
Grains
Pasta, rice, couscous, noodles, oats
Tins and jars
Chopped tomatoes, chickpeas, beans, coconut milk, tuna
Flavour builders
Garlic, onions, stock cubes, soy sauce, curry paste, tomato paste
Spices
Cumin, smoked paprika, chilli flakes, oregano, curry powder
Freezer
Peas, spinach, mixed vegetables, prawns, bread
Fridge
Eggs, cheese, yoghurt, butter, lemons
With these basics on hand, a quick pasta, curry, fried rice or bean quesadilla is always possible.
Smart ways to use leftovers
- Extra rice becomes egg fried rice the next night.
- Roast chicken goes into wraps, salads or a quick soup.
- Leftover curry or chilli fills baked potatoes or quesadillas.
- Roasted vegetables blend into soup or toss through pasta.
- Spare sauce freezes in portions for instant future dinners.
The 15-minute fallback
Keep pasta, a tin of tomatoes, garlic and a hard cheese in the cupboard at all times. In fifteen minutes it becomes a proper dinner, and a handful of frozen peas or spinach adds vegetables.
Storing leftovers safely
| Food | Fridge | Freezer |
|---|---|---|
| Cooked rice | 1 day in the fridge; cool quickly | 1 month |
| Soups, stews and curries | 3–4 days | 3 months |
| Cooked chicken | 3–4 days | 2–3 months |
| Cooked pasta with sauce | 3–4 days | 2 months |
| Cooked fish | 2 days | Best eaten fresh |
Cool leftovers quickly and refrigerate within two hours. Reheat until steaming hot throughout, and only reheat once.