We know cooking isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But, you don’t need to be a masterchef to prepare delicious home-cooked meals either.

One of the biggest things stopping reluctant cooks from getting in the kitchen is this: not knowing where to start. One look at a complex recipe can make you feel like home cooking just isn’t going to happen.

But, we’re on a mission to help everyone prepare delicious meals at home (beginners included). So, we’re giving you a sample of our favourite SmithKit recipes that are perfect for even the most inexperienced cooks.

Ready to whip up a quick and easy meal (in less time than it takes to defrost a frozen meal)? Keep reading to master our most popular simple SmithKit recipes.

In this blog, we’re sharing our favourite beginner-friendly recipes, including:

• Crispy Oven “Fried” Chicken with Spiced Honey Sauce

• Chicken Baked in Chilli Coconut Sauce

• Chocolate Brownies

• Savoury Mince

• Fish Tacos

• Tomato, Bocconcini and Basil Tarts

Let’s get cooking.

Beginner-Friendly Recipe 1: Chocolate Brownies

Who doesn't love a warm chocolate brownie? The good news is that it’s pretty much impossible to mess this recipe up. Bake them for afternoon tea or serve warm for dessert with a scoop of ice cream.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups of caster sugar

• ½ cup of self raising flour

• ¾ cup of Cocoa (we recommend using the darkest Cocoa you can find, such as premium Dutch Cocoa)

• 250 grams of butter - melted

• 4 eggs

• 1 cup of choc chips (optional)

• 1 cup of frozen berries (optional)

Method

1. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, and cocoa. Add melted butter and eggs and whisk it all together before pouring mixture into a tray lined with baking paper. When it comes to the tray, use whatever you have (just make sure your mix is at least 2-3cm deep).
   
   

2. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees and bake the mixture for 40 minutes. We recommend checking the brownies after 30 minutes to keep them a touch gooey on the inside.

SmithKit Kitchen Tips: To elevate your brownies, you can add 1 cup of choc chips (or roughly chop half a block of chocolate) and add to the mixture. You can also scatter over 1 cup of frozen berries once the mixture is in the tray or even scatter some jarred pitted-cherries for Black Forest Brownies.

Beginner-Friendly Recipe 2: Savoury Mince

This super simple recipe is easy and incredibly delicious, perfect for beginner cooks. We like to make extra and store it in the freezer, or add in some extra veggies and use the mix to make pasties. The versatile recipe can be served on top of toast (even topped with a fried egg, just like grandad would cook) or with a side of rice or mashed potatoes. And finally, use it to make Cottage Pie; mince in a casserole dish, topped with some mashed potato and grated cheese and bake at 180 degrees for 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

• ½ finely chopped onion

• 1 finely chopped carrot

• 500 grams of beef mince

• 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

• 1 cup of beef stock

• 400 gram tin of crushed tomatoes

• 1 cup of frozen peas

Method

1. Heat oil in a pot. Add onion and carrot and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until softened.
   
   

2. Add beef mince and cook until the meat has browned
   
   

3. Add Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine. Add beef stock and crushed tomatoes and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
   
   

4. Add frozen peas and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Beginner-Friendly Recipe 3: Fish Tacos

Make taco night a weekly event at your house with this super simple fish taco recipe. We’ve designed this beginner-friendly recipe to get dinner on the table in half an hour (or less).

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons of Mexican spice mix

• 500 grams of firm white fish

• Olive oil or olive oil spray

• 3-4 cups of pre-cut coleslaw mix (veg only, no dressing)

• 1 bunch of roughly chopped coriander

• Juice of 1 lime

• 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered

• 1 avocado - diced

• Sea salt

• 8 tortillas

• Grated cheese

• Sour cream

• Salas or chipotle sauce

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180 degrees. Lightly grease or line a baking tray with paper.
   
   

2. Place Mexican spice mix into a bowl. Slice fish into finger length pieces and add them to the bowl, turning to cover in the spices.
   
   

3. Place the spice-covered fish pieces onto the lined trays and drizzle with oil. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until fully cooked (or pan fry the fish until cooked through).
   
   

4. Pour coleslaw mix into a bowl and mix in ½ the coriander and the juice of ½ a lime.

5. Gently combine the cut cherry tomatoes, sliced avocado, remaining coriander and lime in a bowl with a sprinkling of sea salt

To assemble:

1. Heat 8 tortillas for 30 seconds in a microwave or 20 seconds each side on a dry hot pan.
   
   

2. Fill as you wish with fish, coleslaw, and the avo mix. You can also add grated cheese, sour cream, salsa or chipotle sauce, whatever you like!

Beginner-Friendly Recipe 4: Crispy Oven “Fried” Chicken with Spiced Honey Sauce

Whether you’re whipping up a quick and easy midweek dinner or want to make your own crispy chicken burgers, this simple recipe will become an instant household favourite.

Simply pair this chicken with an easy green salad or throw some frozen chips in the oven for an easy dinner, perfect for any night of the week.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of plain yoghurt

• ¼ cup of milk

• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder

• 1 kg of skinless and boneless chicken thigh

• 5 cups of Cornflakes

• ½ cup of wholewheat flour (or plain flour)

• Fresh thyme leaves (optional)

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

• Pinch of Sea salt

For the sauce:

• 3 tablespoons of honey

• 90 grams of butter

• 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika

• ½ teaspoon of garlic powder

• Pinch of chilli powder (optional)

Method

1. Combine yoghurt, milk and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder in a bowl. Add chicken thigh to the yoghurt mixture and chill for 30 minutes.
   
   

2. In a bowl, mix cornflakes (roughly crush them in your hands, a few ‘squeezes’ should do it) and flour as well as fresh thyme leaves (if you have some).
   
   

3. Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Line a couple of baking trays with baking paper (or grease lightly with oil).
   
   

4. Remove the chicken from the yoghurt mix and gently shake off excess liquid. Put one or two pieces of the chicken into the cornflake mix at a time, and lightly press to crumb both sides.
   
   

5. Lay the crumbed chicken onto the baking trays. Drizzle with some olive oil (or olive oil spray) and scatter with sea salt.
   
   

6. Bake the chicken for 15 minutes and then remove from the oven to flip and cook for another 10 minutes. Sometimes we can’t be bothered to do this step, so remember you can also bake the chicken for 25 to 30 minutes without flipping (just expect one side to be crispier than the other).
   
   

7. To make the sauce, melt together (in a microwave or pan) the honey, butter, smoked paprika, ½ a teaspoon of garlic powder and pinch of chilli powder (optional). Once all ingredients are combined and melted, the sauce is ready.
   
   

8. Remove the chicken from the oven and drizzle the hot honey sauce over each piece.

SmithKit Kitchen Tip: We also use this crumbed chicken recipe for crispy chicken burgers. Buy a bag of pre-cut coleslaw mix, blend some whole egg mayo with some honey (even mayo with a spoonful of the honey sauce would be delicious). Lightly toast some burger buns, add coleslaw to the base, top with chicken, and drizzle a bit of mayo.

Beginner-Friendly Recipe 5: Chicken Baked in Chilli Coconut Sauce

Another oh-so-easy chicken bake recipe that is perfect for those nights you don’t feel like cooking. Steam some veg, and cook some rice for an easy dinner, perfect for any night of the week.

We've also made this with fresh salmon fillets. Just reduce the cooking time to 20-30 minutes.

Ingredients

• 500 grams of skinless and boneless chicken thigh

• 1 tablespoon of crushed ginger

• 1 tablespoon of crushed garlic

• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar

• Juice of 1 lime

• 1 teaspoon of fish sauce (optional)

• 1x can of coconut milk

• 2 teaspoons of crushed chilli

Method

1. Head the oven to 180 degrees.
   
   

2. Lay the chicken pieces in a deep sided dish.
   
   

3. In a bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients. Adjust the quantity of the chilli to suit your flavour preference (you can even add Sriracha sauce if you have it).
   
   

4. Pour the coconut sauce mix over the chicken and bake for 40 minutes.

Beginner-Friendly Recipe 6: Tomato, Bocconcini and Basil Tarts

Give your local bakery a run for its money with this easy tart recipe. You can experiment with loads of different toppings (which is why this is one of our most popular recipes). Another SmithKit favourite is potato tarts (using thinly sliced roast potatoes, a cheese of your choice and dollops of caramelised onion jam).

Ingredients

• 2 sheets of puff pastry

• 250 gram of bocconcini

• 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes, sliced

• Handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
   
   

2. Line a flat tray with baking paper. Cut 2 sheets of puff pastry into 4 squares and place onto baking trays.
   
   

3. Use a small, sharp knife to score a 1-2cm border around each tart case (be careful not to cut through the pastry, just make a mark).
   
   

4. Top the inside of each square with layers of bocconcini and cherry tomato slices. Sprinkle over some freshly chopped basil.
   
   

5. Bake the tarts for 15 minutes or until golden.

So, there you have it. When it comes to building kitchen confidence, these easy recipes are guaranteed to help you (or someone you know) master new cooking skills. Give these simple recipes a try and you’ll be an avid cook in no time.

Did you know these recipes are just a taste of what’s on the SmithKit menu? Find out more about our pre-designed meal planners and browse our pricing packages here.