57 Kid-Friendly Dinner Ideas For Busy Weeknights—And Busier Parents

Busy parents, listen up.

We all deal with the weeknight supper scaries every now and then. It's when you need something quick, easy, and crowd-pleasing—but you're drawing a blank and the clock is ticking. Pleasing all of the kids, plus the grown-ups, is no simple feat. With that challenge in mind, we've rounded up a collection of kid-friendly recipes that the whole family will love. With hearty options like comforting casseroles and sheet pan suppers, as well as family fun-oriented mains like meatball sliders and cheesy calzones, you're set with more than enough quick and easy dinner ideas for kids to last you all month long and then some. Read on for 50 dinner recipes for kids that even the pickiest eaters will go crazy for.

Buttermilk Chicken Tenders with Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans

Forget about the fast-food drive-thru—this homemade recipe is way better. The chicken tenders marinate in buttermilk while you prep the rest of the menu. After soaking, dip the chicken in panko and pan-fry for a quick chicken meal that’ll make everyone happy.

Ravioli Lasagna

Lasagna on a weeknight? This spin makes it possible in under 30 minutes. Everything you love about lasagna comes together without the labor, using refrigerated cheese ravioli, jarred marinara, sausage, and cheese.

Skillet Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

This creamy recipe is so delicious that your kids won't even notice that they're eating veggies while enjoying their mac and cheese. You can use the same skillet to cook the pasta, cauliflower, and cheese sauce—making this dinner a breeze to clean up.

Sloppy Joe Casserole with Dinner Rolls

The favorite sloppy meal just got a makeover, and you can eat this version with a fork. Mix in mustard and pickle relish to the filling, and top with cheese and rolls. This will be your go-to way to make sloppy joes.

Gourmet Grilled Cheese with Bacon

Don't let the name fool you—this grilled cheese is extremely easy and as kid-friendly as it gets. The magic touch: Bacon.

Homestyle Ground Beef Casserole

You've just found your new favorite ground beef recipe. Serve this noodles and beef dish with salad and garlic bread for a new family favorite.

Uncle Jack's Mac-and-Cheese

Macaroni and cheese is always a hit, and this creamy, cheesy version is no exception. Instead of baking in the oven, this recipe cooks in the slow cooker so it’s ready to serve after a long day.

Sheet Pan Nachos with Chorizo and Refried Beans

These spicy, meaty nachos are sure to be a frequent request. Don’t skip the step of mixing the salsa and beans together. This mixture helps keep the other toppings in place when you cook the nachos.

Burrito Bowls

Keep Taco Tuesday on its toes by making these burrito bowls instead. This recipe is full of customizable ingredients, so every child gets exactly what he or she likes.

Salmon Burgers with Creamy Tartar Sauce

These burgers will make even skeptical diners rethink salmon. Capers, dill, and lemon give these patties plenty of brightness. Topped with homemade tartar sauce, lettuce, and tomato, they’re a fresh take on weeknight eating.

Slow-Cooker Pork Tacos with Fresh Tomato Salsa

This easy slow cooker recipe is the only one you need for Taco Tuesday. Start this in the morning, and you’ll be ready to top your tacos by dinnertime.

Pimiento Cheese Chicken-Broccoli Casserole

Casseroles are the ultimate easy weeknight dinner. Rotisserie chicken, fresh broccoli, and whole-grain pasta make this bake lighter than some casseroles. But pimiento cheese means this recipe doesn’t skimp on taste.

Cowboy Casserole

There’s a lot to like in this casserole that rounds up so many comforting ingredients, like ground beef, beans, tomatoes, and chiles. Cheese and sour cream add creaminess. Tater tots create an incredibly crispy topping.

King Ranch Chicken Mac and Cheese

This isn't your everyday macaroni and cheese—it's so much better. Rotisserie chicken and canned soup turn this casserole into a quick, comforting, and welcome weeknight meal.

Chicken Spaghetti

Say hello to your new favorite chicken casserole. This chicken and spaghetti dish is loaded with vegetables. Use tongs to neatly twirl the pasta for pretty weeknight servings.

Potato-Crusted Pizza

Why not surprise the kids with a creation that combines some of their favorite foods? This pizza is built on a crisp crust of shredded potato rounds.

Extra Easy Lasagna

Same ingredients, shorter cook time. This classic lasagna uses no-boil noodles that soften during baking for a total cook time of one hour—without sacrificing any flavor.

BBQ Pork Loaded Baked Potatoes

A top-your-own potato bar makes dinnertime a little more fun for the kiddos. Vegetables, corn chips, cheese, slaw, and sauce let everyone create unique combinations.

Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup

This good-for-the-soul recipe will have you reminiscing of mom. Save time and effort the rest of the week by making a large pot and freezing the rest in individual freezer bags.

Southwest Chicken Cutlet Rice Bowl

Season the chicken cutlets with the Southwest dry rub and then refrigerate overnight. For dinner the next day, they’ll cook up quickly. Add microwaveable rice, chiles, corn, and seasonings for a bowl that’s high on taste.

Grilled Chicken 'N' Cheese Sandwiches

This classic grilled cheese packs added protein to keep you and the kids fueled for longer—far longer than its preparation time of 20 minutes.

Beef Stew with Cheddar Biscuits

We wouldn't dream of topping hearty skillet beef stew with anything other than cheddar biscuits. Now, you won't either.

Buttermilk Alfredo Chicken Spinach Pasta

20-minute pantry pasta has never tasted so good. Not a fan of spinach? Swap out blanched green peas, snap peas, broccoli, or your favorite vegetable.

Beefy Baked Ravioli with Spinach and Cheese

This quick dish starts with your preferred ravioli from the refrigerated section. Switch up the flavor by swapping ground chicken or turkey for the beef and using Swiss chard in place of the spinach.

Cheesy Potato Soup with Bacon

Like a loaded baked potato, but in soup form. This recipe feeds a crowd, freezes well, and comes together in a Dutch oven.

Mini Meatloaves

Say goodbye to dry, tough meatloaf. These loaves' small size facilitates faster, more even baking. For even easier clean up, place paper liners in the muffin pan prior to baking.

Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Breasts

They'll love this recipe just as much as chicken tenders, guaranteed. As an added bonus, the sauce for the chicken and potatoes can double as a salad dressing.

One-Pan Ranch Chicken And Vegetables

Forget pounding the chicken and throwing together a sauce with this simple sheet-pan recipe. After you try it, you'll want to keep ranch seasoning mix stocked in your pantry year-round.

Healthy Turkey Lasagna

This fresh take on classic beef lasagna is a weeknight casserole the whole crew will love. Wonton wrappers take the place of lasagna noodles. Alternate a cheese-and-spinach mixture when layering the wonton wrappers for full-on flavor.

Meatball Sliders with Tomato Sauce

What kid will turn down a fun meatball slider? Whipping it up in a slow cooker makes it fun for you, too.

Old-Fashioned Chicken And Dumplings

If this classic Southern dish hasn't made an appearance on your Sunday supper table, we highly recommend it. This recipe uses buttermilk to give the dumplings a light texture. The flour from kneading the dough helps thicken the broth.

Oven-Fried Pork Chops with Sweet Potatoes and Green Beans

Your whole meal comes together in a sheet pan. Need we say more? It's a new meat-and-potatoes classic.

Ham and Noodle Casserole

You won't meet a more crowd-pleasing casserole than this one, made with egg noodles, chopped ham, and a mix of springy vegetables. Chive-and-onion cream cheese is the secret ingredient that boosts the flavor of this dish.

White Calzones with Marinara Sauce

Calzones feel oh-so special when the kids can fill and fold their own! A good homemade or farmer’s market ricotta really makes a difference in this recipe.

Chicken Bog

This is the best old-fashioned recipe that you might not have ever heard of. It's hard to go wrong with a delicious pot full of chicken and rice.

Sloppy Cola Joe Dogs

Two kid-friendly favorites—Sloppy Joes and hot dogs—come together in a no-fuss family dinner. Cola adds a fun twist.

Roasted Tomato Soup with Cheddar Cheese

May we suggest pairing this perfect tomato soup with the aforementioned bacon-laden grilled cheese recipe? It's the perfect weeknight duo.

Chicken Biscuit Sandwiches

Buttery biscuits, creamy white barbecue sauce, and slow-cooked chicken make this recipe a next-level supper in our book. For the kiddos, slaw optional.

Pork Chops with Dijon-Buttermilk Sauce

A tangy Dijon-buttermilk pan sauce helps keep these skillet pork chops from drying out. Served on a bed of egg noodles, this comforting meal will be a weeknight game changer.

Quick and Easy Spaghetti Bolognese

Consider this recipe a Mama-approved makeover of a quality jarred pasta sauce and box of pasta. Even better, this recipe comes in hot in under 30 minutes.

Molasses-Soy Glazed Salmon and Vegetables

A quick meal that’s healthy and delicious? Sign us up! Tangy glazed salmon and vegetables cook together on a sheet pan. Serve with brown rice to soak up the molasses-soy sauce.

Chicken-Bacon Ranch Casserole

What’s not to love in this creamy casserole that has all the family favorites? Ranch, chicken, and bacon star in this pasta dinner that bakes up bubbly and golden in 20 minutes. This dish reheats well for leftovers the next day.

Greek Pork Chops with Squash and Potatoes

This might be one of our favorite meat-and-potatoes dinners ever. Everything cooks on one sheet pan, making cooking and cleanup quick and easy.

Skillet Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry

Treat the family to a classic dish reinvented in a user-friendly skillet. A puff pastry topping means you’ll spend less time making this dinner so you can relax—or tackle homework—before the meal.

Turkey, Apple, and Brie Sandwich

These ingredients hit the trifecta of flavor. A sandwich filled with roasted turkey, hot pepper jelly, and brie will be the leftovers you crave.

Chicken Parmesan Pizza

These quick pizzas are short on time, but they deliver on flavor thanks to a garlic bread crust. Fried chicken strips and an Italian cheese blend make these easy to put together on busy evenings. Serve with a tossed salad for an easy side.

Skillet Enchiladas Suizas

Enchiladas may seem like too much work on a weeknight, but this recipe requires no filling or rolling. All of the ingredients are cooked in one skillet. Set out a topping bar with avocado, cilantro, radishes, cheese, and jalapeños, and let everyone top this chicken enchilada casserole how they choose.

Honey-Mustard Baked Salmon with Vegetables

Use up leftover veggies and impress even seafood skeptics with this sweet and tangy salmon dish. Panko crumbs add crunch to subtly disguise the fish's texture.

Easy Taco Casserole

Switch up taco night with this cozy casserole. While the meat, beans, tortillas, and cheese bake together in one dish, there’s time to set up a topping bar. With lettuce, pico de gallo, and onion, each family member gets what they want.

Pizza Spaghetti Casserole

Add in your favorite pizza toppings to this spaghetti dish for a fun dinner that’s a real family pleaser. You can make this ahead and freeze it for a week when your schedule is full. Just thaw overnight, and let stand at room temperature before baking.

Chicken Tamale Pie

Corn muffins are the base for this one-skillet pie. Spoon spicy chicken, corn, and vegetables over the base, top with cheese, and broil till golden and bubbly.

One-Pan Hot Honey Chicken and Rice

Comforting chicken and rice gets a kick from a honey-chile sauce, and it will make you rethink your usual recipe. This meal cooks in one skillet, and chicken thighs make it budget-friendly. If you have leftovers, you can repurpose this meal into fried rice later in the week.

Ground Beef Vegetable Soup with Gnocchi

When dinner calls for a hearty soup, this vegetable-beef recipe is your answer. Fill it with fresh vegetables like green beans, spinach, and zucchini, ground beef, and a tomato broth. Add gnocchi during the last few minutes of cooking, and top with Parmesan cheese.

Easy Steak Fajitas

When a fajita craving strikes, you don’t need to order from a restaurant. Cooking them at home is easy thanks to prepared seasoning and a container of fresh-cut peppers and onions from your grocery store. Set out cilantro, guacamole, salsa, and sour cream for topping.

Creamy Pesto-and-Shrimp Penne with Peas

This dish looks like a special occasion meal, but it takes minutes to prepare using frozen foods and pantry staples. With pre-peeled shrimp, frozen peas, and store-bought pesto, you can have this pasta dinner ready in no time. Reserved pasta cooking water is the key to the creamy sauce.

Oven-Baked Chicken Drumsticks

Simply seasoned with salt, pepper, and rosemary, there’s little hands-on time needed for this easy chicken dinner. Roasting the drumsticks on a wire rack creates a crispy skin. Serve with a side salad for an easy complete meal.

Ham-and-Vegetable Cobbler

When you need a filling, satisfying weeknight meal, this cobbler is the recipe to have on hand. Fill it with cooked ham and whatever frozen vegetables you have available. A refrigerated pie crust makes this dish the rival of any pot pie recipe.

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