8 Celebrity Family Dinner Recipes

Basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal is more careful about his diet these days, but back when he was a 7-foot-1 starting center for his high school basketball team, he ended each game with a bowl of this rich macaroni and cheese. “It’s a recipe handed down from my great-grandmother,” says Shaq. “You can have it with a formal or informal dinner.”

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Headlining a Broadway show doesn’t leave much time for cooking. So when Nick Jonas is acting onstage in musicals like Les Miserables or How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, his mom swings by with her specialty – this eggy, cheesy casserole. “I first watched her make this when I was 5,” he says, “and was apprehensive since I’d never liked cottage cheese … But as soon as I tried it, the love affair started.”

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A mother of four boys, The Middle star Patricia Heaton serves these meatballs when she wants a relaxing, comfort food-style dinner. It’s her own mom’s recipe. “She died when I was 12, so I didn’t have that much time with her,” says Heaton. “But she taught me how to make meatballs … That was kind of my job, and I really looked forward to it.” She suggests serving it with red sauce, garlic bread, and a salad.

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“Our weekends are hectic,” says Jodi Picoult, the award-winning novelist and a mother of three. “We all look forward to a good soup on Sunday night.” Her Broccoli-Cheddar version is meant to be shared among family and good friends during a relaxed dinner conversation.

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You could spend hours making your own pasta and red sauce from scratch for an authentic, old-country-style lasagna. Or, you could spend a few minutes assembling the ingredients from this Sorvino family recipe, and have dinner on the table in just about an hour. It’s healthier than you might think, thanks to its use of low-fat dairy products. Just be sure to use the Sorvino sauce or another, high-quality alternative, since the lasagna’s flavor will be determined largely by its quality.

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There’s a fun story behind Linda Evans’ corn pudding: She discovered it after a Dynasty fight scene in a lily pond with Joan Collins. “During lunch, I was bundled up and shivering like a drowned rat, so I asked my assistant to get me something to eat. She came back with this warm plate of corn pudding. I was in heaven!” Evans got the recipe from the caterer, and it’s been a family favorite ever since.

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If you’ve never tried making polenta at home before, today’s the day. It’s essentially cornmeal, often with a little bit of butter or cheese, baked, boiled, or fried into your form of choice. A kid-friendly alternative to noodles and rice, it creates a lovely base for Shameless actress Emmy Rossum’s vinaigrette-tinged vegetables. “This is the perfect meal for me on the weekends,” she says. "I eat it often since I’m allergic to gluten.”

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Don’t be scared to attempt this slightly sweet fish dish, because it’s totally tried and true. “I’ve been making [it] for at least 10 years,” says NBC morning fixture Al Roker, who adds, “and it’s family-friendly—kids like it.” He suggests undercooking the fish ever-so-slightly, to avoid the dry flakiness that sometimes overtakes salmon. “People need to remember that even after you take fish off the grill or out of the oven, it’s going to continue cooking."

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For more delish dinners, take a gander at these Grandparents.com recipe:

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