Food & Cooking Recipes Dinner Recipes Dinner Ideas for Kids 17 Quick and Easy Dinner Ideas for Kids the Whole Family Will Love Children and grown-ups will equally love these dishes—guaranteed. By Lynn Andriani Lynn Andriani Lynn Andriani is a New York City-based writer with 24 years of experience working in professional publishing and communication roles in addition to being a food writer for six years with MarthaStewart.com. Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 4, 2024 Close Photo: Mike Krautter The definition of "kid-friendly" certainly varies from child to child, but you'll find a few common threads among the best quick dinner ideas for kids. First, they're easy for parents to put together, and, in some cases, for kids to help out with preparing. They often draw on familiar ingredients—like pasta—and favor simple preparations in favor of complex sauces or lots of spices. They're usually customizable with elements that can easily be left out or swapped in, whether omitting the fresh basil garnish or using familiar American cheese instead of sharper Gruyère. Our favorite dishes featured in this collection have something for everyone—accessible for finicky eaters, but hardly boring or bland. Most importantly, our quick and easy dinner ideas for kids will appeal to family members of any age. 43 After-School Snacks Your Kids Will Love 01 of 17 Oat-Crusted Chicken Cutlets Sidney Bensimon Crispy, crunchy, savory, and wonderfully filling, these breaded chicken cutlets are going to become one of your go-to recipes. Cut them into strips for little fingers to pick up, or leave them whole for older diners to cut on their own. They're delicious with a squeeze of lemon, a squirt of ketchup, or whatever else your family's heart desires. View Recipe 02 of 17 Potato, Broccoli, and Cheddar Soup Alpha Smoot Cozy, creamy, and soothing, this cheesy soup is a smooth purée garnished with crunchy roasted broccoli florets. Skip roasting for steaming florets if that is more your kids' style, but don't skip the crunchy toasts—using the family's favorite bread, of course! This comforting bowl will be ready in 35 minutes flat. View Recipe 03 of 17 Pork Fried Rice If you start with leftover rice, this will be the fastest meal of the week. This quick kid-friendly dinner combines cooked rice with ground pork, eggs, frozen peas, and scallions. Sneak in some frozen corn if you like—you know they do! View Recipe 04 of 17 Vegetarian Chili Johnny Miller This is comfort food at its most convenient—it's quick and easy to make. Pantry ingredients including canned beans (pinto and black) plus tomatoes allow you to get this satisfying chili on the table in 35 minutes. Or, try our 30-minute Vegetarian Black-Bean Chili which is less tomato-centric. View Recipe 05 of 17 Spaghetti With Fresh Tomato-Basil Sauce Marcus Nilsson In the amount of time it takes to cook spaghetti, you can whip up a delicious homemade marinara sauce to go on top. Simmering the sauce with sprigs of fresh basil gives it a wonderful flavor. And you can add more—or not—before serving, depending on diners' tastes. View Recipe 06 of 17 Turkey Sliders With Baked Potato Wedges Kids will love eating these mini turkey burgers, and they'll also love making them. Let them form the patties, wash and tear the lettuce, and lay on the toppings. Trust us, there's no way they won't eat their own creation! View Recipe 07 of 17 Test Kitchen's Favorite Grilled Cheese Sidney Bensimon The familiar, cozy, easy grilled cheese sandwich is a perfect kid-friendly meal that everyone will love. Slathering the bread with a combination of butter and mayonnaise ensures a rich buttery flavor and an uber-crisp exterior. View Recipe 08 of 17 One-Pot Pasta With Broccoli and Lemon Bryan Gardner Busy cooks will adore this recipe: You cook the penne and the broccoli in the same pot (just give the pasta a five-minute head start). When both are al dente, toss with garlic, oil, lemon zest, and juice some grated cheese. View Recipe 09 of 17 Cheddar-and-Scallion Savory Pancakes Armando Rafael Is it breakfast? Is it dinner? Does it matter? These savory pancakes are downright delicious. View Recipe 10 of 17 Sheet-Pan Chicken Fajitas Ren Fuller This recipe for crowd-pleasing chicken fajitas has a smart trick for streamlining the cooking process. While fajitas are usually prepared one at a time on a very hot griddle in stages (first meat, then vegetables), this recipe has you cook everything at the same time in one pan in the oven. View Recipe 11 of 17 Tuna Cakes With Arugula-Tomato Salad Chris Simpson A protein and veggie-packed kid-friendly diner? Yes, please! Quick and easy for a weeknight dinner, these hearty cakes are made from canned tuna with grated carrots slipped in for a boost of nutrition. If your little ones aren't keen to eat their greens, you can easily serve the patties alongside brown rice or potatoes. View Recipe 12 of 17 Gnocchi With Peas and Egg Ren Fuller Here's another recipe where a pot of boiling water does double duty, cooking fresh peas, arugula, and gnocchi all at once. A touch of cream and Parmesan creates a rich sauce, while jammy soft-cooked eggs serve as the perfect finishing touch—though you can certainly cook them however your eaters like them. View Recipe 13 of 17 Grilled Kofta Kebabs Lennart Weibull Made with turkey, lamb, ground meat, or a mix of all of them, you can prep the mixture up to 24 hours ahead and simply roll them into a skewer when you're ready to make dinner for your kids. Easy to eat, children will love the taste and the shape too! View Recipe 14 of 17 Freezer Burritos Bryan Gardner These ingenious preassembled burritos are money in the bank. Fill tortillas with sautéed garlic and beans, cooked rice, cheese, and any shredded meat and veggies you like. Then roll up and freeze until you're ready to microwave or bake for near-instant gratification. View Recipe 15 of 17 Test Kitchen's Favorite Mac and Cheese Armando Rafael Our ultimate mac and cheese relies on three different kinds of cheese—American, cheddar, and Parmesan. For easier grating, put the block of cheese in the freezer for five minutes first. View Recipe 16 of 17 Chow Mein Martyna Szczesna Crispy noodles, chicken, and vegetables stir-fried in a flavorful brown sauce is an easy weeknight dinner. You make the sauce and chop the chicken and vegetables ahead of time to make it even speedier. View Recipe 17 of 17 Taco Casserole Mike Krautter Ground beef, pinto beans, and tomatoes spiced with chili powder bubble under a crunchy, gooey topping of tortilla chips and two cheeses in this quick and easy, kid-friendly casserole. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit