Easy Kid Friendly Dinner Recipes

Family Dinner Ideas For Kids

12 Kid Friendly Weeknight Dinner Recipes

These delicious and healthy dinner ideas are toddler and kid-friendly! Perfect for the entire family, get some inspiration and shake up your typical weeknight meal.

Medically reviewed and co-written by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist , and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist .

In this guide, youll find:

Are You Looking For Quick And Easy Dinner Ideas For A Family With Kids Ive Rounded Up A List Of Simple Meals That Are Made With Just A Few Cheap Ingredients Everything From Ground Beef And Chicken To Carb Loaded Comfort Foods

I think most kids are notorious picky eaters, which makes it difficult to find family meals that everyone can agree on. My daughter will tell you everything is too spicy, my husband just wants a big plate full of meat, and I usually prefer a little healthy rabbit food like a beet salad. Try putting that all together! It aint easy making everyone happy.

Fortunately, Ive rounded up a few delicious recipes over the years that my entire family agrees on, plus they make for great last minute dinners, especially if youre a lazy cook like me. These are all perfect for busy moms and dads on a budget! And who isnt these days?

Home Made Spaghetti And Meatballs

Spaghetti and Meatballs is another all-time kids-friendly all-star meal thats really easy to make, producing lots of smiles over plates.

Weve found one of the most delicious recipes using homemade spaghetti sauce and meatballs that tastes so much better than store-bought meatballs and spaghetti sauce, its not even close!

The little extra effort it takes to make this classic dish will pay off when you see just how much your kids love this incredible dish!

Healthy Dinner Ideas For Kids

There are a lot of ways to make a meal a bit healthier. One of my recents favorites is to use my air fryer instead of pan frying in oil. You can also choose to bake a dish instead of fry it.

Another way is to sneak in some veggies.

Zucchini has become more popular. You can make zucchini noodles or shred it and put it into your baked goods.
Cauliflower is a great rice substitute.
Shredded carrots hide well in red sauces

Baked Chicken Drumsticks Oven baked chicken drumsticks are a healthy alternative for fried chicken lovers! They are seasoned to perfection and baked, not fried!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup This recipe for Homemade Chicken Noodle soup is one of the easiest, tastiest recipes full of chicken breast chunks, celery, carrots, and home-style egg noodles.

Baked Chicken Fingers A healthy way to eat chicken that kids absolutely love Baked Chicken Fingers! Chicken dipped in flour, egg, and panko, then baked to a crispy perfection! Not to mention theyre SO easy to make!

Baked Chi cken Nuggets Homemade chicken nuggets are easy to make and packed with flavor! Much tastier than the frozen or fast-food options, these nuggets are healthy and delicious.

English Muffin Pizzas English muffin pizzas are a quick and easy meal the kids will love. They are savory, delish, and sized just right!

Flatbread Pinwheels Three variations of delicious flatbread pinwheels are easy to assemble and make the best school lunches, or shareable appetizers!

Tips For Easy Family Dinners

Prep Ahead To save your sanity during the week prep one or two items that you are planning on using for dinners that week on the weekend chopped an onion, marinate some chicken, make a veggie-loaded pasta sauce, etc. It doesnt have to be an all-day event. Even 30 minutes of prep time goes a long way.

One Meal for Toddlers, Kids and Adults Make one dinner for toddlers, kids and you! I developed these recipes for toddlers and kids, but I eat them as well! Dont think that you have to make an extra meal just for yourself. I sometimes add sriracha, a large green salad or more veggies to my portion depending on what the recipe is, but the base recipe is always the same.

Plan Ahead The one thing that has helped me endlessly is meal planning. I choose my meals for the week, go shopping once and then everything is there when I need it. I never worry about what Im going to make that evening and I can also plan to cook double batches for freezer meals.

Easy Pizza Pinwheels

What Are Easy Dinner Ideas For Kids

When youre looking for a kid-friendly dinner recipe, it can be tempting to turn to fast food, the box of mac-n-cheese, or a can of sloppy joes in the pantry. Or scramble to find slices of bread for sandwiches again. Weve all been there. However, with more time spent at home, making dinner together can be a great way to bond as a family. Its also a great way to develop your kids life skills and independence! If theyve helped make it themselves, they may also be more likely to eat it.

If your schedules especially busy, having a few ready meals you can make quickly and easily can be a game changer. I constantly have some lentil soup and meatballs in my freezer that can be ready for dinner pretty quickly.

So you dont have to reheat old wontons from last weeks Chinese takeout or the fried chicken macaroni casserole from the neighborhood potluck. Here are some dinner ideas for kids that may inspire you to venture outside your regular meal menu and try something new for your next weeknight meal.

*This article contains affiliate links. It doesnt cost you anything, but if you click on the link and buy something, well earn a small commission to help our writing team create more great articles.*

Loaded Chicken And Potato Casserole

Chicken and potatoes are a match made in heaven. Any recipe with these two on the ingredients list is already a winner, this one included.

This casserole is bursting with chunks of chicken and potatoes and topped generously with melty cheese and smoky bacon.

Need I say more?

Just when you think mac and cheese couldnt get any better, this recipe takes the classic dish to a whole new level with bacon and ranch chicken.

This mac and cheese is ridiculously meaty, cheese, and purely addictive.

Family Dinner Menu Ideas

There are some simple family dinner menu ideas throughout this website in our recipe index. But before you get lost in the world of too many recipes, youll find some great recipes below that are easy to make, have simple and fresh ingredients, and family-friendly.

Youll find lots of dinner recipes to create your own family dinner menu in this video playlist:

If you are working with a specific list of kid-approved ingredients for dinner try one of these posts where I pull some family favorites which each feature a star ingredient:

Shrimp Dinner Ideas

Easy Parmesan Buttered Noodles

What’s for Dinner? 9 Kid-friendly Dinner Ideas

Sometimes you just need simple meals to make kids smile. And they dont get much simpler than buttered noodles.

This Easy Parmesan Buttered Noodles recipe adds the flavor of freshly grated parmesan cheese and a few herbs to make these delicious noodles extra yummy.

And if your kids dont like herbs, just leave them out. These noodles are still going to be the best theyve ever eaten.

Potato Chip Chicken has to be one of the champions among kids friendly casseroles. This dish is loaded with delicious flavors and an unforgettable texture.

You young ones will enjoy every crunchy and savory bite.

Best of all, theyll hardly notice if you sneak in one or two veggies like broccoli and cauliflower.

Talk about a win-win!

Oh my goodness. If we can tear you away from the memorizing picture above, wed like to tell you a bit about this Chicken Parm Sliders recipe.

Of course, in a way, the picture speaks for itself, but dive in.

These sliders have shredded chicken cooked in marinara sauce and loads of mozzarella cheese, sitting between two mini potato buns.

If this is making your mouth water, imagine what the actual sliders will do to your kids when you set them on the table?

We teach our kids always to follow the rules, but some rules are meant to be broken such as only eating eggs for breakfast.

Who made that rule, anyway?

This recipe for Potato Chip Frittata tosses that outdated notion out the window, combining fresh eggs, shredded cheese, and potato chips.

Disappointed kids.

Dino Buddies Chicken Parmesan

The name of the dish alone already tells you its excellent for kids.

Level up the classic chicken nuggets by turning them into chicken parmesan! This simple transformation makes processed food healthier, tastier, and more filling.

It couldnt be simpler, either. Just top them with spaghetti sauce and cheese, and pop them in the oven.

Serve them on a bed of spaghetti noodles, and boom, lunch or dinner is served.

Want to save this recipe? Enter your email below and we’ll send the recipe straight to your inbox!

Best Ground Beef Kid Friendly Recipes

Italian Beef Rollups Crispy Fried Meatloaf Two Boys Casserole Oven Baked Cheeseburger Sliders Crowd-Pleasing Brisket Beef Stroganoff Secret Ingredient Meatloaf Cheesy Stuffed Meatloaf Country Meat Loaf & Potato Casserole All American Skillet Goulash You May Also Like Easy Cheesy Cottage Pie 6 Easy Chili Recipes With Ground Beef

Plus, you can sneak a lot of vegetables into ground beef recipes. These 16 Kid Friendly Ground Beef Recipes are some of the most popular ground beef recipes on the blog in no specific order. I also like to share these recipes as part of my Monthly Meal Plans. Ground Beef is a cheap, and is always going on sale.

Its a kid-friendly ingredient that works in a ton of kid-friendly recipes, and the seasonings that work with it run the gamut. Its like a kitchen chameleon! And last, but certainly not least, ground beef is a relatively inexpensive meat option, which means we dont have to spend an arm and a leg to provide a great meal for our families.

For a Korean burger: Top with kimchi, gochujang mayonnaise, and fresh cilantro leaves. For a Mexican burger: Top with avocado, pico de gallo, pepper Jack cheese, and chipotle mayonnaise. For a Southern-inspired burger: Top with fried green tomatoes, chow-chow, and pimiento cheese. 11 of 11. View All.

Don’t Miss: Lemon And Ginger Weight Loss Drink Recipe

Tips For Dinner With Littles

Eat together: Have you ever heard the phrase All your children want for dinner is you? I wholeheartedly believe this.

I know that everyones schedules are different and it might be really hard to do this on a regular basis, but even if you make time once a week to sit down together to eat I think you will find it will nurture their souls as well as their bodies.

Have them help: Having my kids help usually means more work for me. Its definitely easier to just do it myself, BUT I have noticed that when they help make a meal they appreciate the effort put into making it. As a result they are more apt to eat it.

Serving dishes: I have some fun plastic baskets that Ill pull out when were having a BBQ or Picnic. Ill line them with napkins and all of a sudden that same lunch they always eat is new and fun.

There are all sorts of fun dishes, bowls, cups, utensils, straws etc that you can use to spice up a meal.

Instant Pot Chicken And Dumplings

The Best Easy Kid Friendly Dinner Recipe

When it comes to the kids, the dumplings may be the main attraction in this dish, but you’ll feel better knowing they’re also eating a good serving of vegetables and chicken. Onions and garlic are sauteed, chicken broth, seasonings, vegetables, and chicken are added, the homemade dumpling dough is spooned on top, and the stew is pressure cooked for just a few minutes. Peas, parsley, and cream finish it off.

Don’t Miss: Ground Turkey Meatloaf Recipe Healthy

Cheese Tortellini In Creamy Marinara

Kids love pasta, but it doesn’t always have to be spaghetti. Try this cheese tortellini in creamy marinara sauce! In just 15 minutes, youve got a pasta skillet thats a literal symphony of flavor. The fresh basil-infused marinara sauce is perfectly complimented with pillows of tangy goat cheese. Our 4 year old gives it high marks!

Family Favorite Dinners For Kids

Copycat Chick Fil A Nuggets This recipe allows you to have the crispy, delicious chicken nuggets you love from Chick-fil-A without even leaving your house! These Copycat Chick Fil A Nuggets taste just like the real thing. Best of all, theyre ready in less than 30 minutes!

Ham And Cheese Sliders Everyone loves these Hot Ham and Cheese Sliders because theyre easy, cheesy and addicting! They dont take long to make, and are perfect for any get togetheralways a crowd pleaser!

Corn Dogs Hand-Dipped Corn Dogs recipe copycat Disneylands! Hot dogs dipped in a honey cornmeal batter and fried until crispy!! So good!!

Pepperoni Pizza This homemade pepperoni pizza is wonderfully crispy every time. Achieve the perfect slice right at home!

Easy Spaghetti This easy spaghetti recipe is kid-friendly and is made with a delicious homemade spaghetti sauce making it the perfect family dinner recipe!

Ritz Cracker Chicken Crispy Cheddar Chicken is coated in sour cream, cheddar cheese, and ritz cracker crumbs and baked to crispy perfection. Top it with a creamy sauce, and its to die for!

Chicken Quesadillas These easy, cheesy Chicken Quesadillas are a crowd favorite. They are not only filled with cheese and chicken, but a delicious homemade sauce that makes these hand-held goodies irresistible!

Homemade Hamburger Helper Hamburger Helper is filling and hearty. A perfect dish for the family that comes together in under 30 minutes!

Don’t Miss: Keto Diet Cube Steak Recipes

Crockpot Shredded Buffalo Chicken

Another easy slow cooker meal! I love making chicken in my crockpot because you really cant mess it up. Its turns out so tender and easy to shred every time, which makes it perfect for sandwiches. If your family likes buffalo sauce, they are going to love this simple meal.

Buffalo Chicken Recipe & Instructions

Chicken & Zucchini Casserole

Ive made this recipe countless times, and its always a hit with my kids. I do recommend the StoveTop brand of stuffing because its packed full of flavor, making any additional seasoning unnecessary. You could also add other soft veggies to the mix if youd like such as squash, corn or mushrooms.

Chicken Zucchini Casserole Recipe & Instructions

Meatball Mac And Cheese

LauriPatterson/Getty Images

Load up this rich and gooey mac and cheese with tender meatballs for a tummy-filling dinner that kids will demand you make again. It’s so easy to prepare with dried pasta, frozen meatballs, jarred alfredo sauce, and loads of shredded cheese. Bake it up in under 30 minutes, and get it on the table, fast.

Homemade White Castle Burgers Copycat Recipe

White Castle burgers are among some of the most beloved comfort foods that are nearly impossible to find sold at restaurants in most areas.

The good news is that you can make your own castle burgers at home without having to settle for the frozen version or going on some wacky Hollywood odyssey with a friend.

This recipe brings together all your favorite ingredients, such as diced onion and pickles.

And the way its cooked might surprise you.

Also Check: London Broil Recipes Slow Cooker

Easy Ground Beef Recipes For Dinner

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Flatten each biscuit with the palm of your hand and place 12 biscuits in the bottom of the pan. Cover biscuits with half of the pizza sauce. Top with pepperoni and cheese. Repeat the layering, adding 8 flattened biscuits to the top of the pan.

Ground Beef Recipes. Trusted ground beef recipes from Betty Crocker. Find easy to make recipes and browse photos, reviews, tips and more. 1. 2. 3. There are no social login steps defined in Sitecore for this flow!

In short, meals with hamburger are a repeating part of many folks dinner routines, and theres no reason to allow that to become boring in the slightest. Also see How to Brown Ground Beef on the Stove. Here are 10 family-pleasing dinner recipes for putting ever-popular ground beef to work in new and delicious ways. Dinner ideas for days.

In a large pan over medium heat, heat oil. Cook onion until soft, 5 minutes. Add ground beef and spices, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, and season with salt and pepper.

1. Make the Swedish Meatballs: combine ground beef, ground pork, bread crumbs, egg yolk, allspice, nutmeg, and sautéed onion. Season with salt and pepper. Roll the mixture into meatballs about 1 inch in size. 2. Cook meatballs in a hot skillet with oil, rotating them with a fork until all sides are browned. 3.

Try These Quesadillas With Other Classic Pizza Ingredients Such As Sausage Mushrooms Olives Bell Pepper Jalapeo Onion Spinach Basil And More

10 Kid Friendly Dinner Recipes in less than 30 mins

Heat a large skillet to medium heat and fry the pepperoni until crisp. Remove them from the pan and place them on a paper towel to soak up the extra grease.

Use a paper towel to remove any remaining pepperoni grease from the pan and then add about 1/2 tbsp of butter and spread it around with a spatula as it melts.

Drop your tortilla into the pan, flipping it a few times so that both sides are evenly covered in butter. Crisp ONE SIDE of the tortilla for a minute and then flip and top the CRISPY SIDE with shredded cheese, pepperoni, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.

Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the under side is golden brown and your cheese is melted.

Fold one side of the tortilla over and remove from the pan. Allow it to rest for a few minutes before slicing with a pizza cutter.

Serve with warm pizza sauce or marinara.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with this recipe! In addition to the pepperoni, you could also add mushrooms, jalapeños, olives, basil, bell peppers, spinach, onions, etc.
If you happen to have grated parmesan on hand, try sprinkling a little into the quesadilla along with the shredded cheese.

Also Check: Keto Peanut Butter Bars Recipe