The Starts at 60 community doesn’t just read about food – we cook it. From tried-and-true comfort classics to clever weeknight favourites, our readers have once again shown their love of good, honest home cooking in 2025.
This year’s Top 10 most downloaded recipes reflect exactly what our community values: simple ingredients, reliable results and dishes worth sharing with family and friends. Whether it’s a hearty dinner, a sweet treat or a clever kitchen staple, these are the recipes Starts at 60 readers couldn’t get enough of.
Ready to see which dishes made the list?
These egg muffins are great to make if you’re rushed for time — they’re the perfect grab and go breakfast! Plus, they taste awesome and aren’t filled with nasty stuff. In fact they’re gluten free and high in protein. This recipe makes 12 and can be made in silicone muffin cups or a muffin pan. These muffins can be kept for a week in the fridge and require just 45 seconds to reheat.
12 eggs
1 tsp of mixed seasoning
1-2 cups grated low fat cheese
1 cup shallots, diced
1 cup combined broccoli, capsicum, sauteed zucchini, sauteed mushrooms
1 cup bacon or ham
Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Spray your pans or cups with oil spray
Layer bacon or ham (diced or in strips), then the veges, cheese and shallots two-thirds of the way full.
Break eggs into large bowl and add seasoning, beating well. Pour egg into each muffin cup until it is 3/4 full and mix ingredients with a fork
Bake for 25-35 minutes until muffins have risen and are slightly browned.
Casseroles like this one are perfect for cool and cozy nights curled up in front of the fire. This recipe is packed with veggies and herbs, giving you the extra health kick you need and it’s so easy to whip up with everything thrown into one pot to cook together. Serve it up with a couple of slices of crusty bread and butter for the ultimate comfort meal.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1.8kg chicken thighs or drumsticks
1 brown onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
500g pumpkin, sliced into wedges
2 brushed potatoes, peeled, coarsely chopped
1 cup (250ml) white wine
2 tablespoons plain flour
1 tub chicken pot stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon oregano, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons basil leaves
Crusty bread, to serve
Heat oil in a large heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, in batches, for 3-4 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a plate.
Add the onion, garlic, carrot, pumpkin and potato to the pan. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring, for 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until liquid has almost evaporated. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes.
Combine the stock, tomato paste and 2 cups (500ml) boiling water in a jug. Add the stock mixture and oregano to the pan and stir to combine. Return the chicken to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender.
Divide casserole among serving plates. Sprinkle with basil leaves and serve with crusty bread.
There are some nights when you just can’t be bothered cooking, but still want something tasty to keep you satisfied. These fritters are some of the easiest you’ll ever make and the tastiest, too! Everything is thrown into one bowl and mixed together before being fried off in the pan. You can serve with a simple garden salad and a dollop of sour cream, or squeeze a little lemon into a few tablespoons of Greek yoghurt, mix well, and then alongside the fritters. If you have any leftovers, they’re great with a bacon and egg fry up the next day!
3 zucchinis (about 500g), ends trimmed and spiralised into thin noodles
3 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
100 grams of corn
100g self-raising flour
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoon oil, for frying
Mix together the zucchini, corn, spring onion, lime zest, cumin and flour (you may need to cut some of the longer zucchini strips in half). Stir in the beaten egg and season with salt and black pepper.
Working in two batches, heat half the oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Shape the fritters with your hands then then fry for 2–3 mins on each side until golden. Serve warm with the tomato salsa.
These Vietnamese pork meatballs couldn’t be easier to make. Instead of mince, this recipe uses pork sausages so all you have to do is squeeze the meat out of the casing, which is oddly satisfying. Once you’ve shaped them into little meatballs, they’re fried in a mix of sauces to creates a sticky and delicious glaze that truly is finger-licking good. Serve with a simple salad and add a side of steamed rice if you want to bulk it up a bit.
600g pork sausages
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
Squeeze the sausage meat from its casings and roll into walnut-sized balls. Heat oil in a deep frypan over medium heat and cook the meatballs, turning, for 5-6 minutes until golden and cooked through.
Add fish sauce, soy sauce, honey and 1 tablespoon water to the pan and stir to coat, scraping the bottom of the pan, then set aside.
Serve with your favourite dipping sauce and a fresh garden salad.
This saucy, sexy chicken recipe is so good, it makes us want to cook it over and over again. Will this become your new go-to recipe? Even if you’re not a huge fan of mustard, you’ll still get a kick out of this sweet and savoury saucy chicken.
500g skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp fresh rosemary for garnish
Preheat oven to 200 degrees and line an 8x8in pan with foil.
Whisk together mustard, syrup, vinegar, salt and pepper
Place the full breasts on the pan then pour the mixture on top.
Turn the chicken to make sure it’s all coated.Bake uncovered for 50 minutes
Remove and keep all liquid in pan.
Plate.
Whisk in the 1 tbsp of cornstarch with the liquid in the pan and drizzle over chicken.Serve with potatoes.
This simple base recipe is by far one of the best out there for a super quick and low-maintenance dessert treat. With just seven easy ingredients that you probably already have sitting somewhere in your kitchen, there’s nothing difficult about getting a hold on this recipe. Not only is it perfect for those days when you just have no time or energy to whip something difficult up, it’s also a guaranteed crowd pleaser thanks to its universally delicious flavour. So you never have to worry about serving this one up to family and friends for your next big event!
250 g sweet plain biscuits
125 g unsalted butter, melted
375 g cream cheese softened
1 lemon, zested
2 tsp vanilla essence
1/3 cup lemon juice
400g sweetened condensed milk
Process biscuits until finely crushed. Add butter and mix well.
Press half of the biscuit mixture into the base of a greased and lined 20 cm springform tin. Use a glass or spoon to push the remainder of the mixture around the sides of the tin. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add lemon zest and vanilla and beat well. Gradually add the condensed milk and lemon juice, and continue to beat until smooth.
Pour into the prepared tin and refrigerate overnight. Serve.
These salmon patties are super easy to whip up and since everything is baked on one tray, they require minimal cleaning, which is a bonus! One piece of fresh salmon goes a long way here, making this a very affordable and easy meal for 2-3 people. This version skips the oil-heavy frying that fish patties usually call for – so you can fill up more on dessert later! Serve them up with a hearty helping of veggies or a salad and some oven-roasted potato wedges. Yum!
1 × 200 g piece of salmon, skin on
1 egg, beaten
½ red onion, finely diced
150g (1¼ cups) almond meal
½ bunch of fresh dill, chopped (but save a few sprigs for dressing at the end)
Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Pop your salmon on one of the lined baking trays and bake for just 15 minutes.
Leave the salmon to cool just a little then flake it into a bowl.Mix in the egg, red onion, 100 g of the almond meal and the dill. Season with salt and pepper. Form the mixture into 8 small patties, then roll the patties in the last of the almond meal. Place them on the other lined baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and pop them into the oven to bake for 10 minutes. Serve with steamed veggies or a fresh salad and oven-roasted potato wedges.
If you’re looking for a quick and simple weeknight meal then you just can’t go past this super easy lasagne. With the help of the slow cooker, this once difficult dish is now fuss-free, requiring just a few steps and less than an hour of preparation time. As the perfect crowd pleasing recipe, you can serve this up to any and all guests. Simply throw it all in the bowl of the trusty slow cooker and forget about it while the machine works its magic to create the deliciously cheesy end product. Enjoy!
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1kg pork and veal mince
90g (1/3 cup) tomato paste
125ml (1/2 cup) red wine
680g jar bolognese pasta sauce
250ml (1 cup) chicken style liquid stock
1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
250g pkt dried lasagne sheets
600ml carton pouring cream
3 eggs, lightly whisked
300g (3 cups) coarsely grated three cheese mix
Fresh curly parsley leaves, to serve
Heat oil in large frying pan over high heat. Cook mince, stirring with wooden spoon to break up any lumps, for 10 minutes or until mince changes colour. Add tomato paste.
Cook, stirring, for 1 minute to coat. Add wine. Cook for 1 minute or until wine evaporates. Add pasta sauce, stock and oregano. Season. Simmer for 10 minutes or until reduced slightly.
Meanwhile, whisk cream and eggs in bowl until well combined. Season. Stir in 2 cups cheese.
Grease insert of 3.5L slow cooker. Spread thin layer of mince mixture over base. Cover with layer of lasagne sheets, breaking sheets to fit, if necessary. Drizzle one-fifth of cream mixture over lasagne sheets and top with one-quarter of remaining mince mixture. Continue layering with remaining lasagne sheets, cream mixture and mince mixture, finishing with layer of cream mixture.
Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.Cook on Low for 3 1/2 – 4 hours or until the lasagne sheets are tender and liquid is mostly absorbed. Carefully remove the insert from slow cooker. Set aside, covered, for 10-15 minutes to rest. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve.
If you’re trying to cut down your sugar intake but still satisfy a sweet tooth or two, this sugar-free banana bread could be the answer! The vanilla bean paste gives it a delectable sweet flavour, minus the guilt!
Serves 10
4 very ripe bananas
2 eggs
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 cup wholemeal flour
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Preheat oven to 160C (or 140C fan-forced). Grease and line an 11.5cm x 22cm (base measurements) loaf pan with baking paper.
Mash bananas in large bowl with a fork until smooth. Add eggs, oil, milk and vanilla and stir until combined. Sift flours, cinnamon, baking powder, bicarbonate and a pinch of salt over banana mixture (then tip in the flour kernels, if you like). Stir until combined.
Spoon into prepared pan and level top with a spatula. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Stand in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve.
Is there any better morning tea treat than scones with jam and cream? This recipe has sultanas in it for a little burst of sweetness with every bite. If you’re not a fan though, you can just omit them from the batter and just have them plain. Serve them up warm out of the oven and dollop on a heaped spoon of jam and cream for the perfect sweet treat.
2 cups self-raising flour
Pinch of salt
30 g butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup sultanas
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup milk, plus extra, for glazing
Preheat oven to 220C (210C fan-forced). Line scone tray with non-stick baking paper. Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Add butter and rub in lightly with fingertips.
Add sugar and sultanas and stir to combine. Make a well in the centre of the mixture. Add beaten egg and almost all of the milk. Mix quickly with a flat bladed knife to a soft dough, adding more milk if necessary. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth. Press or roll out to form a round about 2cm thick.
Cut dough into rounds using a floured plain 5cm cutter. Place scones together, without touching, on prepared tray and brush with extra milk. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.