Good Dinner Recipes For Kids

Best Sloppy Joes Ever

If you have kids, youve likely made lots of Sloppy Joes over the years. Its a dish you can throw together in minutes.

But while its tempting to keep using the canned mix, weve found a recipe that tastes so much better than any of the processed stuff on store shelves.

You can also remix this recipe by adding some green chilies to make it spicier or add a bit of BBQ sauce for a smokier flavor.

And if youre trying to cut back on red meat, you can also substitute ground turkey or lamb.

Ham And Cheese Pockets

This is another great take on pizza pockets but with a different filling. This homemade dough will surprise your family and yourself with how easy it is to make. These cheesy pockets are filled with sliced ham and lots of flavors that will definitely quench your comfort food craving. Say goodbye to your box-packaged pizza pockets.

Leftover Turkey Monte Cristo

The Monte Cristo is a classic sandwich that is traditionally made with ham. However, this turkey version is giving ham a run for its money!

You can use any type of white bread you like, and gluten-free white bread will even work perfectly.

The recipe calls for Swiss cheese, and thats what really makes a Monte Cristo sandwich special.

The recipe author includes an amazing recipe for a ginger-laced orange sauce that is made with cranberries. This sauce brings on the perfect balance between savory and sweet.

Goodness, this looks delicious, doesnt it?

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Healthy Dinner Ideas Forkids And Adults

• Dragon Roll Sushi: One of the all-time best sushi dishes, this dragon roll is filled with shrimp tempura and cucumber, with a fun avocado topping, resembling the dragon scales. Itll definitely attract attention from your kids immediately.
• Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas: This crockpot chicken recipe is one of our favorite dinners. Serve them with flour tortillas and your kids will love them!
• Avocado Pasta: A delicious vegetarian dinner idea thats made with avocados, basil, garlic, lemon, and olive oil. Its creamy, refreshing, and full of flavor!
• Turkey Tacos: One of the few healthy options for kids, these turkey tacos are loaded with ground turkey, veggies, and spices. They are full of flavor and perfect for meal prep!

Quick And Easy Tuna Tacos

The Spruce

Do something different on taco night, with this yummy tuna taco recipe. Toss budget-friendly canned tuna with chopped onion and cilantro in a creamy lime-infused mayonnaise dressing. Load into corn tortillas for a zesty, easy-to-make dinner.

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Is Healthy Eating For Kids Even Possible

Yes and no. Healthy eating for kids is possible when we stop pleasing our kids and instead think of mealtimes as an opportunity to introduce foods and find the next favorite thing.

I tell my kids this might not be your favorite meal but it sure will help you grow. Tomorrows might be it! Of course, theres always one element in the meal that each person will eat so that youre not getting up to make something else.

When is healthy eating for kids not possible? When they eat the same foods repeatedly and little variety is added to their meals.

Experts refer to healthy eating as a childs willingness to eat a variety of foods, not the types of foods they eat.

Of course, its always a great idea to eliminate processed foods and sugars from the familys diet since they only generate a dependency for more of those types of foods.

Easy Black Bean Chili

This black bean chili is a big hit with our 4 year old son and many of his friends. Its beyond simple to make, and the flavor is outstanding. Its got a hint of smokiness to highlight the tangy tomatoes and savory black beans. Top it with your favorite toppings, and its so hearty and savory, youll forget its healthy, too.

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Quick & Easy Instant Pot Macaroni And Cheese

As a child, macaroni and cheese was always a favorite of mine. If youre like most people and purchased or received an Instant Pot as a gift this year then youll be happy to know you can make your kiddos favorite meal, mac and cheese in it too! This recipe comes together in just 15 minutes perfect for busy nights.

http://www.forkly.com/recipes/quick-easy-instant-pot-macaroni-and-cheese/ PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: FORKLY

Cheesy Chili Mac Casserole

Chili mac is a food we love to make on the stovetop with macaroni, beans, chili powder, and tomatoes.

However, its just as delicious when you make chili mac in the oven in a casserole dish.

What makes it even more amazing? All of the melty cheeses. This recipe is loaded with shredded cheddar cheese and shredded pepper jack cheese.

Spices like chili powder and dried oregano bring the flavor.

Meanwhile, a jar of salsa makes this dish super saucy. The milk and some flour bring it all together for a marvelous masterpiece of a dish.

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Walking Taco Casserole Recipe

Welcome to the taco casserole with a funny name.

Walking tacos are called walking because you can walk around while you eat them. Sounds good to us!

But what about a walking taco casserole? Well, you can serve this casserole in a bag of Fritos with a plastic fork, ideally.

The casserole calls for ground beef and its not a terribly saucy casserole since its meant to be eaten out of a bag.

This walking taco casserole gets its flavor from taco seasoning, and its just the right amount of creamy.

It seems like tater tots were made for casseroles, doesnt it?

So many great casseroles have tater tots as an ingredient, usually as a crispy golden-brown topping.

This casserole claims to be the best tater tot casserole around, and with this ingredient list, were willing to bet on it.

The recipe calls for lean ground beef, but of course, you can use ground chicken or ground turkey.

Cream of mushroom soup makes this casserole nice and creamy, and two cups of cheddar cheese make it all come together.

If you want to make lasagna and feel overwhelmed by all of the steps that go into making this classic Italian casserole, give this legendary Barilla lasagna a try.

Using Barilla Marinara Sauce makes it easier than creating a tomato sauce from scratch.

Also, you dont have to make a cheese sauce. Simply blend your Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, Mozzarella cheese, eggs, and ricotta cheese to create heaven in your oven.

Thanksgiving Turkey Leftover Pizza

Any time is a good time for pizza, right? Even on the day that you have tons of Thanksgiving leftovers.

After trying this pizza, you might want your local pizza shop to start making it for you all the time.

Fortunately, its incredibly easy for you to make at home with your cooked turkey, leftover stuffing, and leftover mashed potatoes.

Who knew a pizza like this could be so delicious?

For the pizza crust, you can use a frozen puff pastry sheet that youve thawed or another storebought pizza dough.

We love this recipe for leftover turkey burritos because it uses up the very best leftovers from your Thanksgiving dinner.

The burrito is stuffed full of roasted turkey meat, mashed potatoes, and dressing.

These yummy leftovers are wrapped up in a soft flour tortilla and baked in the oven.

When you pull your burritos out of the oven, serve them up on plates and smother them with gravy.

Top these burritos off with cranberry sauce if you have any left. A dollop of sour cream on top works nicely, too.

Its a given that after Thanksgiving or Christmas, turkey leftovers will be used to make tasty turkey sandwiches.

A turkey sandwich is as traditional as the roasted Thanksgiving turkey, after all.

One thing you can do to really make these sandwiches even tastier is to use soft brioche buns or other thick buns.

The great thing about this particular turkey sandwich recipe is that it also uses other Thanksgiving leftovers, such as gravy and cranberry sauce.

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Toad In The Hole Recipe

Toad in the hole is a traditional English recipe that is a lot of fun to cook and eat.

Just pour some batter into a pan then add in a piece of sausage for a crispy outside and tender inside!

This dish is great because you can make it from scratch or cheat and use Bisquick mix which will make things easier when cooking up this Friday night dinner.

You can even get creative and add some veggies to this Friday night dinner recipe so its a great way to get the kids excited about trying new things.

Cheesy Chicken And Broccoli Rice

Getting kids to eat their veggies can sometimes feel like a never-ending battle. The not-so-secret-weapon: cheese.

Cheesy broccoli and rice is a great dish to add other ingredients, like peas or carrots. Its also something you can easily make in the Instant Pot on those busy nights. With pieces chopped up small enough into bite-sized pieces, this makes a great toddler meal, too!

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Cheesy Baked Tortellini Casserole

Just a few simple and cheap ingredients to make this incredibly delicious pasta casserole with meat sauce! The cream cheese makes all the difference. This meal is incredibly filling and feeds a large family, but is just as good leftover for a few days so you can get several meals out of it.

Baked Tortellini Casserole Recipe & Instructions

Favorite Dinner Ideas For Kids

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This post may contain affiliate links. If you shop from one of our links, we may earn a commision.Updated: Amy Palanjian

Make family dinner easier with this master list of dinner ideas for kidsthat grownups will enjoy too! These are some of our favorite meals using pasta, chicken, vegetarian staples, pizza flavors, and fast methods to help you feed your family day in and day out.

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Kid Friendly Dinner Recipes: Updated Classics

These classic dishes may sound familiar, but weve upped their flavor, healthfulness, and kid-approvedness in a big way.

• Whats crunchy and juicy and keto all over? These Baked Pecan Chicken Tenders, thats what! Serve them with a side of homemade buttermilk ranch and your kids just might think theyve died and gone to heaven.
• This Turkey Quinoa Meatloaf is protein packed and full of lots of veggies. And the best part? Your kids will never know just how healthy it is.muhahahaha!
• These Steak Bites with Sweet Potatoes are perfectly sized for little mouths and, as an added bonus, are paleo-friendly! Healthy and delicious is something we can all get behind.
• Everyone loves a juicy cheeseburger and we think our Classic Cheeseburger with Secret Sauce is the best!

Help Them Set Targets

Ask your child what they want to achieve for that particular school year. Tell them to set a specific goal or target. If they say, I want to get better grades, tell them to be more specific. It will be better if they say they want to get a GPA of 2.5 or higher. Having a definite target will make it easier for them to undertake a series of actions to achieve their goals, instead of just shooting for the moon.

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Easy Creamy Chicken Skillet

This creamy chicken skillet is your weekday best friend. Its super easy and its super tasty. Start to finish in 30 minutes, this just may become a new staple in your rotation.

So there you go, thirty great dinner ideas for kids. Dont they all look like something the little ones will love? Which will make their way into your regular rotation?

Pin or bookmark this collection of great recipes so you always know where to find it. And be sure to to GypsyPlate, were always cooking up new easy recipes for you!

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

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Leftover Turkey Tortilla Soup

When youre craving Mexican food and flavors, how about serving up nice steaming bowls of turkey tortilla soup?

This traditional Mexican soup is full of delicious veggies like corn, tomatoes, chiles, and beans. In other words, it has everything that makes Mexican food so amazing.

Serve this smoked turkey soup the traditional way with crumbled tortilla chips on top.

Also, feel free to sprinkle on some Jack cheese or shredded cheddar cheese to make this soup extra tasty.

Serve this soup with diced avocado and sour cream that you and your guests can spoon on top of the soup.

Leftover Turkey In Gravy

A list of the best leftover turkey recipes would be incomplete without leftover turkey and gravy.

Using leftover turkey to make a delicious turkey and gravy dish is an idea that we can all agree on.

For this recipe, you only need two ingredients. Yep, you read that right!

This turkey and gravy recipe uses your leftover turkey and a jar of turkey gravy that you buy at the store.

Your family will think youve been slaving over the stove for two days in a row to make this dish.

Serve this up with some veggies or a salad. Also, a baked potato, mashed potato, or rice make this a wonderful and memorable meal.

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Creamed Turkey On Toast

Creamed turkey on toast is similar to good old-fashioned biscuits and gravy. This dish is pure comfort food and we are here for it.

When you have turkey leftovers, you can actually freeze some of your turkey meat up in freezer bags to use for future recipes.

Pulling a bag out of the freezer for a quick and easy meal is an idea we can get behind.

This recipe has plenty of veggies, including carrots, onion, celery, and peas.

The seasoning is dried thyme and dry mustard. To make this dish extra creamy, use half and half instead of milk. You can use the fat-free version, too.

Most people love a BLT. How about making this turkey sandwich, which is basically a BLT on steroids?

This sandwich gets its flavor from a surprising pop of Dijon mustard.

Unlike the traditional BLT, this turkey BLT has cheddar cheese, which, of course, is sublime.

If you have spring mix lettuce, it makes a lovely sandwich. However, you can use whatever lettuce you happen to have in your fridge.

To make your bacon super crispy and flat, bake it in the oven. You will love how oven-baked bacon comes out!

Easy Pancakes From Scratch

Easy Pancakes from Scratch by Sweet Tea and Thyme

Lets start with the all-time breakfast favorite, shall we? If youve only used a boxed mix until now, youll be surprised at how simple it is to make pancakes from standard pantry ingredients. Even simpler: Sheet Pan Pancakes , which get cooked all at once and dont require flipping. Set out some peanut butter or almond butter to spread on top, if you like, to make these more filling.

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How To Make Poutine

Poutine is a classic French dish that made its way to the US via Canada.

With the decadent flavors of cheese curds, gravy, and french fries, youll find it hard to resist this dish.

Poutine is perfect for cravings because it has all kinds of delicious components that go into the meal.

This is one where there wont be any leftovers which is good because the dish wouldnt last very well in the fridge anyway.

Italian Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Theres nothing better than waking up on a weekend morning to the smell of a breakfast casserole.

You can make this casserole the night before and have it ready to pop into the oven when you wake up. By the time youre finished with your morning coffee, breakfast is ready for the table.

The Italian sausage is something different for breakfast and it creates a memorable occasion out of a simple morning.

You can use frozen diced hash browns for this recipe. Be sure to thaw them before adding them to your mixture.

When you want a casserole that is both savory and sweet, you can turn to this butternut squash and apple casserole.

This casserole is made with mashed butternut squash, brown sugar, apples, and pecans.

A perfect casserole to celebrate fall, this casserole has all of the best things about autumn.

This butternut squash casserole has a secret ingredient: corn flakes cereal. The corn flakes help to make the crunchy crust that is absolutely delicious.

You can use walnuts in this casserole if you prefer those to pecans.

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Creamy Broccoli Potato Soup

Heres a creamy broccoli potato soup that will blow your mind. Its impossibly creamy, plant-based, and it tastes like the coziest bowl of comfort. And its 100% made of veggies! Hows that for amazing? This easy and healthy soup is vegan and gluten-free, so it works for a variety of diets. It tastes like an elevated version of broccoli cheese soup from a can, and kids love it.