Simple Friday Night Meal Ideas

At the end of a long and tiring week at work, all we want to be able to do is sit down with our family and enjoy a big comforting meal. There are lots of meals which are ideal for a Friday night in, and today we are going to share a few of our top recipes for you to try out at the end of this week.

Chicken Fajitas

Friday nights are about fun and laughter and they can also be about a bit of flare and showmanship, and our simple fajita recipe can be the ideal addition to the table for you this week.

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts
• 3 bell peppers, sliced
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 1 sachet (4 tbsp) Fajita seasoning
• Salsa
• Sour cream
• Guacamole
• 4 cups Sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 bag Tortilla chips
• 8-12 tortilla wraps

To start this recipe you will want to heat some oil in a pan, add the chicken breasts and sprinkle over half of the fajita seasoning as well as some salt and pepper. Fry all the way through and then set aside for a while. Add the onion and peppers to the pan along with 2 tbsp salsa and the remaining seasoning. Cook for 15 minutes until soft. Slice the chicken and add back into the pan and let simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile take your tortilla chips and spread half of them onto a plate. Sprinkle on about a cup of cheese and some salsa, top with the rest of the chips, add some more cheese and salsa and microwave for 3 minutes until the cheese is melted. Top with sour cream and guacamole.

Serve everything on a table in bowls and let people build their own wraps!

Sausage Pasta Bake

This is such a great meal for a Friday night because it has just the right amount of carbs to tie you over for the weekend. For this recipe you can use your favourite sausages and your favourite type of pasta.

Ingredients:

• 8 sausages, cut into small pieces
• 500g penne (or other)
• 400ml passata
• 2 tbsp mixed herbs
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 350ml milk
• 1 tbsp flour
• 2 cups cheddar and mozzarella mix

Start off by frying the sausage in a pan until they are golden brown and crispy, set aside for later. Boil the pasta for 10 minutes in water and salt. Meanwhile, fry off the garlic in a pan for 1 minute, then add the tomato purée, passata and herbs, and simmer for 10 minutes.

To make a cheese sauce, start off by melting the butter in a pan. Once melted add the flour and stir until a paste is formed. Slowly add the milk and stir until the pasta dissolves and the sauce thickens. Add 1 cup of cheese and melt. Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the bake, pour your tomato sauce into the dish and add the sausage and pasta on top. Pour over the cheese sauce, cover with the remaining cheese and bake for 30 minutes until bubbly and hot.

Lasagna

Lasagne is a staple dish for any home and our version is super simple and actually uses some of the ingredients from the sausage pasta bake above!

Ingredients:

• 750g minced beef
• 1 packet lasagne sheets
• 400ml passata
• 2 tbsp mixed herbs
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 350ml milk
• 1 tbsp flour
• 2 cups cheddar and mozzarella mix

To start off, heat up a pan and add your mince beef. Fry for 10 minutes until totally cooked and golden. Add the garlic to the pan and stir for 1 minute or so. Add the passata, herbs and tomato purée and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, create a cheese sauce in the same way as the recipe above, melting butter, adding flour and then milk and cheese.

To assemble the lasagna start off with a ladle of beef sauce and then cover with pasta sheets. Add cheese sauce, beef sauce and pasta. Repeat a few more times and finish with cheese sauce and your cheese mixture on top. Bake for 40 minutes until bubbly and golden.

Cheeseburger

Cheeseburgers are super easy and a winner for anyone in the house! You can either make your own or simply check out the all the Sonic Menu Items instead.

Ingredients:

• 500g minced beef
• Salt and pepper
• American cheese slices
• Burger buns
• Your favourite sauces
• Tomato slices
• Shredded Lettuce
• Fries

To make amazing burgers, season the beef with salt and pepper, mould into a ball and place onto a hot oiled pan. Use a spatula to flatten the burger. Toast your buns meanwhile and set up your ideal burger. Once mostly cooked on both sides, add a slice of cheese to each burger and let it melt. Serve with fries!