12 Dinner Ideas for Large Families
These are recipes your whole family will love.
Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe
I grew up in a family of six and vividly remember the gallons of milk my parents would bring home from the grocery store every single week. Feeding a big family is no joke.
While my family doesn't drink that much milk in a week, we do go through a lot of food. Some days, keeping the fridge stocked feels like a full time job with dinner being the biggest challenge.
Feeding two teen boys requires big portions so I look for recipes that serve six or are meant to be served with filling sides, such as pasta and rice. All the recipes below easily feed a big family and are oh-so tasty.
Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe
Grab your skillet and you'll have a crowd-pleasing dinner ready in 30 minutes. If you can't find chicken cutlets, you can slice chicken breasts horizontally to create two chicken cutlets.
Get Recipe: Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Vegetarian Sheet Pan Burritos
Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe
Banish mushy vegetarian burritos by roasting chickpeas and walnuts to add a welcome crunch to the filling.
Get Recipe: Vegetarian Sheet Pan Burritos
Cedar Plank Salmon
Simply Recipes / Mike Lang
Take advantage of warm weather and grill salmon on cedar planks. It's my all-time favorite way to prepare salmon. Serve with asparagus and a baguette.
Get Recipe: Cedar Plank Salmon
Meat Lovers' Sheet Pan Pizza
Pizza is always the right answer when my family asks, “What’s for dinner?” I preheat the oven and bring the pizza dough to room temperature as I cook the sausage.
Get Recipe: Meat Lovers' Sheet Pan Pizza
Lamb Meatball Pitas
Alison Bickel / Simply Recipes
These irresistible lamb meatballs are seasoned with fresh herbs and make a whopping eight servings. You can make the meatballs ahead of time and freeze them for up to three months.
Stovetop Barbecue Pulled Chicken
Simply Recipes / Tara Omidvar
I love that this recipe uses one pot, cooks the chicken in a homemade bbq sauce, and is ready in 40 minutes. Pile the shredded chicken on toasted buns and top with coleslaw.
Get Recipe: Stovetop Barbecue Pulled Chicken
Mapo Tofu
Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu
Combining tofu with ground pork ensures no one leaves the table hungry. Mapo tofu is a classic Sichuan dish you'll want to serve with rice.
Get Recipe: Mapo Tofu
BLT Pasta
Skip the bread and make a heaping bowl of warm, bacon-y pasta instead. Sundried tomatoes ensure you don’t have to wait until summer to enjoy.
Get Recipe: BLT Pasta
Carnitas
Simply Recipes / Susy Villasuso
One of my favorite ways to feed my large family is by making carnitas on the weekend and using it for two different meals. I serve carnitas tacos the first night and then use the leftovers for burritos by adding cilantro lime rice for a quick weeknight dinner.
Get Recipe: Carnitas
Instant Pot Paella with Chicken and Sausage
I’ve made a lot of Instant Pot recipes and can honestly say that this is the one dinner recipe I come back to year after year. The saffron and chorizo adds a burst of flavor that we all love.
Get Recipe: Instant Pot Paella with Chicken and Sausage
Chipotle Citrus Marinated Pork Tenderloin
It took me quite a few tries to land on a pork tenderloin recipe that the whole family enjoyed. You can double the marinade and save half for the sauce if you don't want to reuse it.
Get Recipe: Chipotle Citrus Marinated Pork Tenderloin
Roast Chicken on Angel Hair Pasta
Two whole chicken legs, two chicken breast halves, and a whole pound of pasta is plenty of food for a big family, and it’s ready in an hour.
Get Recipe: Roast Chicken on Angel Hair Pasta
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