Family Dinner Ideas

Spending quality time with family and friends is something I love doing. Family mealtimes are often looked forward to with great enthusiasm! Mealtimes are a time for gorging on delicious food with near and dear ones. Family dinner is also an ideal time to bond between the family. Family dinners should be enjoyed in such a way that the television or even the radio should be turned off. This is the time one should utilize to not only develop healthy eating habits but also exchange news about the things that happened during the day. However, to ensure that children in particular learn to eat all sorts of food items, you need to bring about some innovation in the dinner plans. Here are some family dinner ideas and recipes.

Family Dinner Ideas and Recipes:

Lasagna Soup Recipe

Ingredients
Olive oil (2 teaspoons)
Onions - finely chopped (2)
Garlic cloves - minced (4)
Oregano (2 teaspoons)
Bay leaves (2)
Fusilli pasta (8 ounces)
Diced tomatoes (One 28-ounce can)
Chicken broth (6 cups)
Red pepper flakes (½ teaspoon)
Tomato paste (2 tablespoons)
Finely chopped fresh basil (½ cup)
Italian sausage (1½ pounds - either bulk or remove casings)
Ricotta (8 ounces)
Grated Parmesan cheese (½ cup)
Salt (¼ teaspoon)
Pepper as per taste
Shredded mozzarella (2 cups)

Preparation
First, you need to heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. To this pot, add the sausage and cook it well for about 5 minutes. Slice the sausage into small pieces with the help of a wooden spoon. Once done, drain the excess fat and add onions. Cook for an additional 6 minutes. Also add the garlic, red pepper flakes and oregano. Stir for another minute. Now, add the tomato paste and allow the paste to turn a shade of brown. This may take around 5 minutes. Next add some bay leaves, the broth along with tomatoes and their juice. You have to now bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for half an hour. Add pasta and bring the soup to a boil on medium heat. The pasta needs to be checked to ensure it's being cooked properly. Once done, discard the bay leaves, and top the soup with basil. Use salt and pepper for seasoning.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, place the Parmesan cheese along with ricotta. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon of salt along with a little amount of pepper and mozzarella. Pour the soup over this and serve hot!

Delicious Pasta Recipe

Ingredients
Grape tomatoes (2 pints)
Olive oil (¼ cups)
Dried fettuccine/tagliatelle pasta (1 pound)
Garlic paste (1 teaspoon)
Kosher salt (¼ teaspoons)
Ground black pepper (¼ teaspoons)
Shallots - thinly sliced and separated into rings (3)
Basil leaves – julienned (½ cup)
Grated Parmesan cheese (¼ cup)
Shaved Parmesan cheese (¼ cup)

Preparation
Boil a large pot full of salted water. Heat the broiler. Place tomatoes on a baking sheet. Also add 2 tablespoons of oil, pepper and a dash of salt. Broil it but keep a distance of at least 6 inches, away from the heat. Shake the sheet in between and after ten minutes, the tomatoes will char slightly.

Add pasta to boiling water. Cook till it turns tender. Cook the shallots with garlic in a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and after 6 minutes, add the tomatoes. Now, reduce the heat. Cook the ingredients for an additional 6 minutes. Once done, drain the pasta. Place in another bowl. Add the grated cheese, basil and tomato sauce and sprinkle with the shaved cheese.

These recipes can be useful for any kind of a family dinner and will surely spice up your mealtimes!