42 Easy Kid Friendly Dinner Ideas
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Dinner time with kids can be a mix of fun and challenge, especially when trying to find meals that are both nutritious and appealing to their tastes. If you’re searching for new ideas to keep your little ones happy and healthy at the dinner table, you’ve come to the right place.
In this post, we’ll explore a variety of kid-friendly dinner ideas that are quick to prepare and sure to please even the pickiest eaters. From sneaky veggie-packed dishes to fun finger foods and interactive DIY meals, these recipes are designed to make dinner enjoyable for everyone.
Kid Friendly Dinner ideas
These kid friendly dinner ideas will be a hit! You'll find a selection of dinners here kids will love, even the pickiest of eaters!
This classic comfort food is easier than ever to prepare from scratch and is perfect for a family meal, as it’s kid-friendly and sure to be a comforting favorite.
BBQ Bacon Chicken Casserole features tender pasta, chicken, bacon, cheese, and tomatoes, all enveloped in a creamy BBQ sauce. This dish is kid-friendly, simple to prepare, and can even be made a day in advance.
If you're excited to experiment with your new air fryer, this recipe could be the perfect choice for your family. These Air Fryer Chicken Tenders with Homemade Honey Sauce are quick and easy to prepare! They're also kid-friendly and perfect for a hectic weeknight meal.
Say hello to Baked Chicken Spaghetti, a.k.a. your new favorite comfort food and the best-kept secret in spaghetti recipes!
This dish combines chewy spaghetti with a rich tomato sauce that’s creamy, cheesy, and brimming with chicken. It's baked as a casserole in the oven and topped with a layer of melted mozzarella cheese.
Cheese Quesadilla is a quick and easy classic Mexican dish that takes just about ten minutes to make. It's the perfect meal if you're in a hurry and craving a Tex Mex dish. Plus, it’s kid-friendly, making it a great option for a family meal.
Looking for a kid-friendly, protein-packed dinner that's both easy and incredibly delicious? These air fryer steak bites are a total win!
They're super simple to make and require no time in a marinade, which means you can have perfectly seasoned steak bites ready in under 15 minutes from start to finish!
Chickarina Soup is a comforting and nourishing chicken meatball soup featuring soft pearl couscous, veggies, and a flavorful broth.
It’s a homemade take on Progresso's canned soup, offering an amazing level of comfort. This soup is kid-friendly and perfect for warming up the whole family with its wholesome ingredients.
These Chicken Enchilada Bowls are simple to whip up for dinner tonight. Plus, they're a hit with all ages, making them a family-friendly choice for any occasion.
Homemade Bagel Bites are the perfect choice for lunch, dinner, or an after-school snack! They're quick and easy to prepare, ideal for any busy weekday, and loved by both adults and kids. With just four ingredients, you can customize these bites to suit any taste.
Meatloaf is good but mini meatloaves are even better. Kids will love that they can pick them up with their fingers to eat.
Quick and healthy Lemon Chicken Pasta with Broccoli is a yummy meal that comes together in less than 30 minutes.
This dish is perfect for a busy weekday and is sure to be a hit with both adults and kids.
Adding ranch to your shredded chicken tacos offers a delicious twist for taco night! This easy chicken taco recipe is a crowd-pleaser that the whole family will love.
These homemade chicken nuggets are a fantastic for a weeknight dinner that both kids and adults will enjoy. Oven-baked and crispy, these breaded chicken bites offer a healthier alternative and are incredibly easy to make from scratch.
Cheeseburger Pizza combines two of the world's favorite comfort foods into one perfect weeknight meal! It features a delicious crust topped with lean beef, bacon, and plenty of yummy cheese. Add all your favorite cheeseburger toppings to create a meal that's sure to become a family favorite!
These tasty pizza pinwheels are sure to be a hit! This easy recipe uses freshly baked pizza dough and all your favorite pizza toppings, making it perfect for snacks, dinner, or even parties.
This walking taco casserole turns your favorite fair treat into a super easy weeknight dish! It's loaded with seasoned ground beef, melty cheese, and plenty of crunchy corn chips.
This casserole is a fun and simple way to enjoy those classic flavors at home.
Chicken penne alfredo is a crowd-pleaser that gets everyone excited when it's served. This one-pot recipe features tender pasta and moist chicken enveloped in a rich, creamy, cheesy sauce. It's the perfect easy dinner option for busy weeknights, and the whole family is sure to love it.
Spaghetti and Meatball Sliders are a fun twist on two classics. These handheld spaghetti sandwiches are packed with homemade meatballs, tangy marinara sauce, and melted cheese, all tucked between soft Hawaiian rolls.
This garlic chicken is bound to become the latest staple in your weekly recipe lineup! It's simple to prepare in less than 30 minutes and consistently wins over the crowd!
This Meatball Casserole recipe is a straightforward dinner option that only requires four ingredients! It's perfect for using up leftover meatballs and can be ready in about 30 minutes. If you're looking for an easy weeknight meal, this recipe is definitely worth trying.
Mac and Cheese with Cream Cheese, crafted in a slow cooker using three types of cheese, is the ultimate cheesy comfort food meal.
French bread pizzas are always a hit with kids. While you can buy them premade at the store, they are so much better, and cheaper, to make them at home.
Taco pasta can be a delicious and filling meal for kids. They'll enjoy the flavors of tacos in a filling pasta form and it's easy to put together.
Chili made in the instant pot is an easy dish that's perfect for busy workdays. It's a set and go dinner idea that's ready when you are!
Not fond of just regular chili? Mix it up a bit and add some tater tots into the mix to create a filling dish.
Instead of frying chicken tenders, you can make homemade baked tenders. These are easy to make and flavorful. Serve them with their favorite sauce or some mac and cheese and you have a filling meal.
Pizza casserole is an easy to make dinner for the kids. You can customize the casserole with their favorite pizza toppings.
Add a little fun to taco nights and make taco pockets. They're little pockets of goodness that are filling with a flavorful taco filling.
Go with mini cheeseburgers for little hands. These are served on Hawaiian rolls and will be a tasty treat for them.
Cheeseburger macaroni is easy to make, filling, and flavorful. Kids will love the homemade dish and you can dress it up a little more.
For older kids, this turkey, salami, and cheese sandwich can be a game changer. It's easy to make and filling.
Use Naan bread to make mini pizzas that the kids can customize with their favorite toppings.
Cheeseburger dumplings are an easy dish that you can make with just a few ingredients. Inside the pockets is a cheeseburger filling kids will enjoy.
Need an easy dinner that you can make a batch of? Ham and cheese sliders are mini warmed sandwiches that are perfect for little hands.
BBQ chicken is rolled into mini taquitos for kids. They only need a few ingredients and are made in the air fryer for an easy kid friendly dinner.
These pinwheels are easy to customize and something the kids can enjoy for dinner. They're also easy to make.
Spice up sloppy joe night and try pizza sloppy joes. This is a quick 15 minute dinner idea kids will love to eat.
Pigs in a blanket are popular with kids, these use hot dogs to make larger pigs in a blanket and use puff pastries.
A homemade cheese pizza is easy to make. Pizza is always an option when it comes to kid friendly dinners.
Skip the traditional burritos and make a burrito bowl instead. It's an easy dinner idea the whole family will love.
These baked chicken nuggets are homemade goodness. You can serve them with a side or fries to make a complete meal for kids.
Hot dog fried rice is an easy and unique dinner idea for kids. It's also easy to make and full of fun goodies.