If it's time to add some new family dinner recipes to the rotation, you have come to the right place.
Making dinner should be easy - and fun! And you don't need to be a professional in the kitchen to make a meal that your family will love.
Below, contestants vying for the Miss South Africa 2024 title have shared their favourite recipes that you can try at home.
These easy dishes are wholesome and affordable - no junk food, fancy techniques, or expensive ingredients are required.
Mia Le Roux’s Thai green chicken curry
Ingredients
750g skinless chicken breasts
Olive oil
400g button mushrooms
400g tin coconut milk
1 chicken stock cube
200g sugar snap peas
½ bunch fresh basil
I red chilli, chopped
I lime
For the curry paste
4 cloves of garlic
2 onions
5cm piece of ginger
1 lemon
4 green chillies
1 tsp ground cumin
½ bunch of fresh coriander
2 tbsp fish sauce
Method
To make the curry paste, peel, roughly chop, and place the garlic, onions, and ginger into a food processor.
Add the zest of the lemon and squeeze the juice into the processor. Trim and add the chillies, the cumin, and half the coriander.
Blitz until finely chopped then add the fish sauce and blitz again. Slice the chicken into 2.5cm strips.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, add the chicken and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until just turning golden, then transfer to a plate. Slice the mushrooms into even pieces.
Return the pan to medium heat, add the mushrooms, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until golden. Transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the Thai green paste for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pour in the coconut milk and 200ml of boiling water, and crumble in the stock cube. Turn the heat up and bring gently to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes or until reduced slightly.
Stir in the chicken and mushrooms, reduce the heat to low, and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through, adding the sugar snap peas for the final 2 minutes.
Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Roughly chop and stir through the basil leaves and remaining coriander leaves, and scatter over the chopped red chilli. Serve with a wedge of lime and steamed rice.
Nobuhle Langa’s amazing spaghetti bolognese
Ingredients
300g spaghetti
1 tbsp of oil
1 onion, finely chopped
200g beef mince
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt & pepper to taste
¼ tsp turmeric
1 tomato, finely diced
70g tomato paste
185ml Bolognese sauce
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
Cheese, optional
Fresh basil, optional
Method
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions, usually about 8 -10 minutes, until al dente.
Drain the pasta and set aside. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat, add the chopped onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, until it becomes translucent.
Add the minced garlic and sauté for another minute. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the mince to the pan with the onions and garlic.
Cook the mince, breaking it up with a spoon, until it has browned all over (about 5-7 minutes). Season with a pinch of salt, pepper, and turmeric.
Stir well to combine. Add the diced tomato and cook for a minute then stir in the tomato paste and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
Pour in the Bolognese sauce and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes, allowing the flavours to combine.
Add the sweet chilli sauce and stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed.
Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the Bolognese sauce and toss well to coat the pasta evenly with the sauce.
Cook for another 2 minutes to ensure the pasta is fully coated and heated through. Serve immediately, garnished with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese or fresh basil.
Mardri van Jaarsveld’s Marry Me Chicken
Ingredients
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
500g boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
A handful of fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
200ml chicken broth
30g chopped sun-dried tomatoes
125ml cream
25g finely grated Parmesan
Torn fresh basil leaves, for serving
Method
Preheat the oven to 190°C. In a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high, heat one tablespoon of oil.
Generously season chicken with salt and black pepper and cook, turning halfway through, until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate.
In the same skillet over medium heat, add the remaining two tablespoons of oil.
Stir in garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir in broth, tomatoes, cream, and Parmesan; season with salt. Bring to a simmer, then return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan.
Transfer skillet to the oven and bake chicken until cooked through and juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a knife, 10 to 12 minutes.
Arrange chicken on a platter. Spoon sauce over. Top with basil.