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Our 10 most popular recipes of 2023

A bowl of fusilli pasta cooked with chopped broccoli, garlic and topped with feta, chilli flakes, walnuts.
Quick, cheesy and veggie-filled, this pasta is perfect for weeknights.()

Every year, we take a look back at your favourite recipes to help you find new meals to add to weeknight rotations or baking project.

In 2023, the most-clicked recipes included weeknight pastas, budget-friendly dinners that last for days, and a good amount of cake.

Scroll on to see what made number one (it was originally billed as a 'weird combo' of ingredients). 

10. Self-saucing sticky date and butterscotch pudding

A baking dish with Hetty Lui McKinnon's self-saucing sticky date and butterscotch pudding, a plate of pudding nearby
Nothing like a bit of pudding magic for dessert.()

It takes just 15 minutes to prep this delicious and nostalgic pudding by Hetty Lui McKinnon. She combines two classic puddings — sticky date and butterscotch — into one delicious dessert.

9. Fusilli with broccoli, feta and walnuts

Frying pan of broccoli, fusilli pasta with feta cheese. An easy weeknight dinner that is vegetarian.
Feta, lemon and chilli flakes add flavour to this easy pasta meal.()

This recipe has plenty going for it — it feeds many, uses an entire bag of pasta (no awkward amount leftover), and is ready in 30 minutes. Hetty Lui McKinnon uses a handful of hardworking ingredients, including feta and a healthy amount of broccoli.

8. Vegetarian cauliflower, pea and potato pie

An aerial photo of a black dutch oven with a layer of brown potato, a spoon scooping out some veggies
This recipe is inspired by both aloo gobi mater and shepherd's pie.()

The brief was a delicious vegetarian alternative to a cottage (beef) or shepherd's (lamb) pie, and Hetty Lui McKinnon delivered. It's inspired by the flavours and spirit of the beloved North Indian dish aloo gobi matar: a potato, cauliflower and pea curry.

7. Spaghetti with prawns, lemon and garlic

A patterned plate of spaghetti with prawns, lemon, chilli and garlic by Julia Busuttil Nishimura. An easy spring meal.
Chopping the prawns makes for tastier bites and is an economical way to cook with seafood.()

In this 15-minute meal that tastes like a holiday, Julia Busuttil Nishimura cleverly uses prawns in an economical way — the pasta is the hero and the prawns are chopped into bites, helping a little go a long way. The sauce comes together as the pasta cooks, and it's a dish that could be a weeknight dinner and special enough to share with friends. 

6. Shorabat Adas: Traditional lentil and rice soup

Bowl of lentil and rice soup, a simple and nourishing meal to serve when Ramadan fasting ends. 
Comforting, delicious and easy to digest. The perfect soup for when Ramadan fasting ends.()

Lina Jebeile's soup is made with a few simple pantry essentials, which are transformed into a delicious soup. It's a comforting meal Lina makes often for her family, especially during Ramadan. 

5. Carrot cake loaf with cream cheese icing

A loaf of carrot cake on a chopping board, slathered generously with frosting and topped with walnut pieces.
The cream cheese icing on this cake is obligatory and should be slathered on generously.()

Enjoy the spice and decadence of a carrot cake without having to make a complicated layered cake. Julia Busuttil Nishimura's loaf version includes dates for a hint of caramel. The cream cheese icing is a must. 

4. Easy overnight oats 

Bowl of overnight oats with chia seeds, topped with berries, an easy breakfast recipe.
Alternative milk makes this simple recipe vegan.()

Spend five minutes mixing up this quick and nutritious breakfast and enjoy it all week. It's a flexible recipe that can be made with your preferred milk. Julia Busuttil Nishimura loves to serve it with yoghurt, coconut flakes and fresh berries.

3. Tuna pasta with zucchini and basil

A close-up shows a hand stirring a full pan of tuna pasta with zucchini, basil and rigatoni pasta.
This simple pasta is not only a joy to eat but also a delight to prepare. It has a friendly, rather than fussy, amount of chopping and stirring.

Published in November, this recipe by Heidi Sze became a fast favourite. It's built on pantry staples, like tinned tuna and pasta, with a simple sauce made from grated zucchini. Fresh basil and lemon juice bring this dish to life. 

2. Vegetarian tin-can chilli

Bowl of vegetarian chilli topped with sour cream, avocado, coriander, jalapeno, a vegetarian dinner that freezes well.
Chilli can be made ahead of time and freezes well, too.()

There are so many ways to remix Hetty Lui McKinnon's tin-can bean chilli. Enjoy it as a soup with sour cream and cheese, over tortillas for nachos, or wrapped in burritos. The recipe uses cheap tinned ingredients and makes a huge batch to enjoy throughout the week, or freeze for later.

1. Chocolate and zucchini cake 

A loaf of chocolate zucchini cake with cream cheese icing and candied zucchini flowers served on a white dish.
Finish your chocolate zucchini cake with candied zucchini flowers.()

Annabel Crabb has the most popular recipe from 2023, with her chocolate and zucchini cake, which was part of the most recent season of Kitchen Cabinet. She admits the combination sounds weird, but similar to a chocolate beetroot cake, zucchini makes a delicious and moist addition to a dark, rich chocolate cake.

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