100 old-school dinners making a comeback (2024)

Have fun rediscovering the great flavours of corned beef and white sauce - a much-loved recipes. So simple and delicious.

I don’t know about you, but whenever I serve a potato bake to family or friends, they’re so grateful. It’s as though I've read their minds and have given them what they were secretly craving. There are few sides more delicious than scalloped potatoes in a creamy sauce. Those sliced potatoes in molten grated cheese is what potato dish dreams are made of.As far as potato recipes go, potatoes au gratin is easy to make and difficult to resist. It's one of those wonderful recipes that works just as well at a dinner party as it does at a family BBQ. And this one's been given 5 stars time and time again.Why is this quite possibly our best potato bake recipe?While some potato bakes are cooked in a combo of cream and milk, our favourite version is made on milk alone, bound together with a light roux which prevents the splitting that often occurs.And there’s no scrimping on the cheese here either. Not only is it sprinkled over the top, it’s also melted into the sauce.Thin potato slices (you can use a mandoline to get those fine slices) layered in a baking dish and covered with a cheesy sauce sprinkled with more cheese? Sold.Sometimes called scalloped potatoes, potatoes au gratin, potatoes dauphinoise or potato casserole - whatever you call it, we welcome this cheesy potato bake on our dinner party table or at a family BBQ anytime. This really is a great recipe - and it's not hard to see why it keeps getting 5 stars from those who've made it.Key ingredients in our cheesy potato bakePotatoes: choosing the best variety of potato for your bake is an important part of getting this recipe right. What we need here is a floury potato like a sebago, rather than a waxy type.Butter:this recipe is all the better, thanks to melted butter in its sauce. It not only makes this recipe more creamy, but also imparts its subtle buttery flavour.Flour:flour is what thickens our delicious roux base for this recipe, and means our sauce comes together without using cream.Milk:along with the butter and flour, milk brings the sauce to life and softens the thinly sliced potatoes while the dish bakes. You can use any milk you have, but we recommend full cream milk.Cheese:it would hardly be a cheesy bake without this starring ingredient, which is stirred into the sauce and then added on top. We use a nice, sharp tasty cheddar-style cheese, which turns a lovely golden brown when baked and brings added flavour to your plate.Taste.com.au is swimming with potato bake recipes that'll have you running back for second helpings, including this moreish garlic bread potato bake. Comfort cooking at it's finest!Additional recipe notes by Alison Adams - Food Writer and Recipe TesterHow to make cheesy potato bake: full recipe below

Fast and fool-proof, this easy winter warmer is a weeknight winner.

You had us at ‘garlic prawns,’ then we read ‘creamy’ (swoon) and, finally, we learnt this recipe takes only 10 minutes to prep and 10 minutes to cook, and we were head over heels. We love learning from our readers and this recipe from Taste reader ‘KRISSSY86’ has become a favourite of ours.Why is this our go-to creamy garlic prawns recipe?When it comes to enticing kitchen aromas, garlic sizzling in a pool of butter is top tier, and these two ingredients form the base of this restaurant-quality, creamy garlic prawns recipe. Then, we elevate matters with a splash of floral white wine and a generous pour of cream. No hard-to-find ingredients are required here – just a handful of chopped, fresh parsley to give the dish a final boost. The ease of this creamy garlic prawns recipe makes it suitable for a midweek meal, served simply with steamed rice. And yet, its elegance steers it into dinner party territory, perhaps tossed with angel hair pasta to create an indulgent entrée. We know how much our home cooks adore our prawn starter recipes. And, just a couple of extra ingredients transforms this culinary concept into a creamy Tuscan garlic prawn recipe.Additional recipe notes by Alison Adams - Food Writer and Recipe Tester.

Spaghetti bolognese, or spag bol, as it's affectionately known in Australia, is what most of us would consider to be the quintessential Italian meal. However, In Italy, the thick, slow-cooked Bolognese sauce is usually served with flat pasta or in a lasagne. This spaghetti bolognese recipe really is a great recipe. It's absolutely delicious, and here's why we love it so.Why is this our favourite spaghetti bolognese recipe?Our version starts with a soffritto mix of finely chopped onion, celery and carrot (plus garlic) and is flavoured further by diced tomatoes, oregano and nutmeg. This particular spaghetti bolognese recipe is diabetes-friendly, making it suitable for everyone's dinner. It's easy to make spaghetti bolognese at home on any night of the week, and you can freeze the ground beef meat mixture for future use. You'll thank yourself later! Our best spaghetti bolognese recipe (and yes, that's a big call) is one kids will love, adults will crave and ticks the nutritional boxes!If this classic spaghetti bolognese is a favourite in your home, you're bound to adore our easy spaghetti bolognese bake, this 5-ingredient bolognese rice bake (a total midweek saviour!), our cheesy spaghetti bolognese pie, our garlic bread spaghetti carbonara, and this collection of budget-friendly pasta recipes.

We're all for retro revival – this one's a classic for good reason.

Get the kids in the kitchen to make perfect lamb cutlets in just a few easy steps!

This family-friendly butter chicken is a weeknight winner.

We throw tradition to the wind with our speedy spaghetti carbonara recipe, with some sneaky shortcuts for time-poor cooks. It may taste exactly like the real deal, but this carbonara sauce has some secrets behind its glossy surface, proving some rules are just begging to be broken.What's the secret behind this easy spaghetti carbonara recipe?Beloved my many, our easy carbonara recipe is one of Australia’s most popular recipes, and we know exactly why it's become the stuff of weeknight legend. We do the thing your nonna told you not to: we add cream. And yet, although it breaks from the traditional Italian recipe, it’s all for a delicious reason. We promise.Traditional carbonara recipes require a degree of technique (for example, adding ingredients at just the right temperature and time) and quality (read: expensive) ingredients, which just aren’t ideal for regular weeknights. That’s why we like to add thickened cream to our carbonara recipe with cream.A cheaper supermarket ingredient that ensures a velvety, indulgent sauce that will rival a restaurant-made spaghetti carbonara, a splash of cream means dinner's ready in 12 minutes! This carbonara recipe is one of the quickest you’ll come across. Here's to making weeknights simpler (without compromising on flavour). Go on, break the rules. We won't tell.Key flavourful ingredients in our spaghetti carbonaraPancetta: providing the perfect salty hit for your carbonara dish, pancetta acts as a shortcut to umami deliciousness. If you don't have pancetta, you can certainly use bacon. For a vegetarian version, you can sprinkle your pasta with 'bacon bits' instead, which are generally made from soy-based ingredients (just check the packet!) or use some rinsed capers for a salty addition.Eggs:Not silky carbonara sauce would be complete without eggs, which also bring added protein to your dish. Though this may not be a traditional carbonara, the eggs still play an important role.Thickened cream: our shortcut to getting this meal on the table in next-to-no-time, thickened cream bolsters the sauce and creates a luscious, rich sauce.Parmesan:sharp, tasty parmesan cheese brings extra cheesy goodness to the table. We suggest adding some to the creamy carbonara sauce, and reserving extra to sprinkle on your bowl of pasta at the end (alongside parsley, if you're using it). Vegetarians can also look for vegetarian-friendly parmesan in supermarkets.Here's some other old-school favourites we've made simpler. More time to spare? Try our slow-cooker carbonara recipe, too!Additional recipe notes by Alison Adams - Food Writer and Recipe TesterHow to make our easy spaghetti carbonara: get the full recipe below

A rich beef stroganoff filling paired with a creamy sour cream mash topping – pies don't get any better than this!

This classic crumbed veal schnitzel will please the whole family at dinnertime.

Bring the family together over Swedish meatballs - there's a mouthful of flavour in every bite!

Don't know what to cook for the kids? Try this quick and easy ham fried rice.

Update a family favourite with these hearty pork and veal porcupine meatballs.

100 old-school dinners making a comeback (2024)

FAQs

What were the most popular dinners in the 1950s? ›

1950s Dinners

You'd find hearty main dishes like Salisbury steak, beef stroganoff and meat loaf on a '50s dinner menu, plus scrumptious sides. Casseroles were also popular, particularly those featuring seafood or ham.

What to make for dinner when you're broke? ›

  • Creamy pasta carbonara. A lovely, creamy version of a well-known favourite.
  • Best Spaghetti and Meatballs. ...
  • Mongolian Beef Stir-Fry. ...
  • Devilled sausages. ...
  • Potato and leek soup. ...
  • Lemon chicken. ...
  • Salt and pepper chicken. ...
  • Chicken and bacon carbonara.

What was dinner like in the 1960s? ›

Dinner: American palates became more sophisticated thanks to Julia Child, but many 60's meals were still dominated by convenience foods like this terrifying olive,celery and cheese jello salad. Buffet dinners of beef stroganoff, green beans amandine and flaming cherries jubilee were popular.

What food to serve at a 60s party? ›

Of course, no retro co*cktail hour menu would be complete without some old-school appetizers like a cheese ball, fondue, and deviled eggs. Those beet dyed eggs were even topped with some fried Spam because meat in a can was all the rage. Canned fish was a staple in the 60s too.

What food was popular in the 1970s? ›

18 retro dishes from your childhood
  • Bombe Alaska. Nothing screams the 70s quite like sponge, ice cream and meringue drenched in rum and set on fire, right? ...
  • Vol-au-vents. ...
  • Mini ham and pineapple pizzas. ...
  • Battenberg cake. ...
  • Scotch eggs. ...
  • Cheese fondue. ...
  • Crepes Suzette. ...
  • Apricot chicken.

What did kids eat for lunch in 1910? ›

School lunch in 1910 was a far cry from what it is today. Volunteer programs were the predominant source of school lunch subsidized school lunches. However, cities were starting to develop programs that would offer 3-cent meals. These meals were typically simple fare, such as soup, bread, and milk.

What is the cheapest food to make for a party? ›

20 Great inexpensive party food ideas
  • Ham and cheese pinwheels. ...
  • Mini spinach pies. ...
  • Spaghetti bolognese. ...
  • Baguettes with toppings (bruschetta) ...
  • Egg, cheese, and ham skewers. ...
  • Chicken pot pie. ...
  • Cheese straws. ...
  • Macaroni and cheese. You can make a few dishes of macaroni and cheese and serve it from warming trays.
Oct 13, 2022

What is the cheapest thing to make for dinner? ›

  • 1Chicken Kiev pasta bake. ...
  • 2Easy savoury mince. ...
  • 3Beef stroganoff soup. ...
  • 4Easy baked bean cottage pie. ...
  • 5Moussaka soup. ...
  • 6Vegetable and tofu nasi goreng. ...
  • 7Pumpkin soup with haloumi bites and garlic croutons. ...
  • 8Slow cooker chicken stroganoff recipe.

What to make for dinner when unsure? ›

  • 1Mid-week lamb ragu. Turn lamb sausages into hearty ragu in this delicious 30 minute meal.
  • 230-min crispy beef and shiitake noodles. ...
  • 3Minute steaks with broccolini & cannellini bean. ...
  • 417-minute spiced lamb cutlets with couscous salad. ...
  • 5Speedy shepherd's pie. ...
  • 6Beef stroganoff. ...
  • 7Lamb kofte with beetroot hummus. ...
  • 8Lamb korma.

What can I make for dinner if I have no ideas? ›

Dinner will be ready in no time!
  • Asparagus-Stuffed Chicken Breast. tasty.co. ...
  • Honey Soy-Glazed Salmon. tasty.co. ...
  • The Best Ever Slow Cooker Pot Roast. tasty.co. ...
  • Chicken & Biscuit Bake. tasty.co. ...
  • One-Pot Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta. tasty.co. ...
  • Oven-Baked French Bread Pizzas. tasty.co. ...
  • Upgraded Ramen. ...
  • Easiest One-Pot Beef with Broccoli.
May 16, 2024

What was served in 50s diners? ›

Items like pancakes, sausages, meatloaf, burgers, and sandwiches were standard on diner menus, and still are today. The meals were priced low, making diners popular even before their rise in the 1950s.

What food to serve at a 50s party? ›

From tea sandwiches and deviled eggs to meatballs and pigs in a blanket, the co*cktail hour foods of the 1950s were simple to make, but still quite delicious.

What did people eat in a day in the 1950s? ›

Typical main dishes might have been a hamburger, tuna fish, chicken casserole, dried chipped beef in cream gravy over toast, fried chicken, mac and cheese, Spam, canned ham, spareribs, hot dogs wrapped in Bisquick, hot dogs with barbecue sauce, liver and onions or various bean dishes.

What was the most popular food in 1955? ›

Here's the most popular food the year you were born:
  • 1930s: Creamed Chipped Beef. The Great Depression meant dinner could be pretty lean. ...
  • 1940s: Meat Loaf. ...
  • 1950: Tuna Casserole. ...
  • 1951: Baked Alaska. ...
  • 1952: Salisbury Steak. ...
  • 1953: Chicken Tetrazzini. ...
  • 1954: Deviled Eggs. ...
  • 1955: Green Bean Casserole.
Aug 31, 2017

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