The best family dinner ideas for kids

Eat Your Veggies Pasta Salad

“Kids won't eat veggies? Try making dinner fun with animal shaped pasta! Cut your vegetables up small so they're a little harder to pick out, get some cute pasta, make a quick dressing, and dinner is served! Fill it out with a rinsed can of beans or some leftover shredded chicken. Toss your salad in mason jars and have a family picnic dinner outside!” —Anne Myer, Teach Eat Love

Find the recipe here from Teach Eat Love.

Lemony Spaghetti with Peas and Ricotta

“This Lemony Spaghetti is such a good choice for family dinners. It's kid-friendly (spaghetti! green peas! cheesy ricotta!), but still feels–and looks–like a grown-up meal. It's also super fast to make using just a few pantry and fridge staples and very flexible. You could leave the lemon out of your toddler's portion, for instance, or add some chicken for extra protein.” —Emma Christensen, Simply Recipes

Find the recipe here from Simply Recipes.

Spaghetti Squash and Red Sauce 

“This is my go-to easy dinner in the winter. It's so simple to make, and everyone in my family loves it. Added bonus: it's gluten-free.” —Anne Myer, Teach Eat Love

Find the recipe here from Teach Eat Love.

Sweet Potato Fettuccine with Sausage

“This recipe is a great twist on rich, heavy fettuccine al fredo with a sauce made from roasted sweet potatoes. It might sound odd, but sweet potatoes, sage, and cinnamon make a fantastic savory-sweet base that convinced my anti-sweet potatoes kid that they're actually pretty awesome.” —Anne Myer, Teach Eat Love

Find the recipe here from Teach Eat Love.

Leftover Asian Chicken Wraps

“This is so great for families because it uses leftover chicken and throwing it all together is a breeze! It also feeds a crowd, which is great if you have a big family or if you love leftovers!” —Gaby Dalkin, What’s Gaby Cooking

Find the recipe here from What’s Gaby Cooking.

Savory Waffles

 “Waffles for dinner? What kid doesn't want to hear that? I love using kid favorites to get my children to try new foods, and this recipe is no exception. My daughter was skeptical of fresh herbs until she tried these savory waffles with chives, topped with a fried egg, and thinly sliced radishes. It's a quick dinner that's fun.” —Anne Myer, Teach Eat Love

Find the recipe here from Teach Eat Love.

Perfect Roast Chicken

“I usually hate it when people use the word "perfect" to describe recipes, but sometimes something is really perfect: this chicken is one of those times. It's a simple, fool-proof recipe for a classic, family meal.” —Anne Myer, Teach Eat Love 

Find the recipe here from Teach Eat Love.

Siracha Lime Salmon Packets 

“I love salmon packets because they are incredibly easy to make, plus easy cleanup. When you have kids and evenings are hectic, easy prep and cleanup are both essential! My kids love salmon. It's such a great mild tasting fish, which is great for kids.” —Kristen Doyle, Dine & Dash

Find the recipe here from Dine & Dash.

Chicken Souvlaki

“The name is tricky to pronounce but it's just a super easy marinade for grilled chicken skewers that the whole family loves! Serve it up with roasted potatoes and salad for a healthy and delicious meal!”  —Carrian Cheney, Oh, Sweet Basil

Find the recipe here from Oh, Sweet Basil.

Carne Asada Tacos

“We love Taco Tuesday especially when it involves juicy, marinated steak tacos!” —Carrian Cheney, Oh, Sweet Basil

Find the recipe here from Oh, Sweet Basil.

Sweet Pork

"All year long we like to bust out our slow cooker for this sweet pork that's perfect for sandwiches, tacos, burritos and even on salads!” —Carrian Cheney, Oh, Sweet Basil

Find the recipe here from Oh, Sweet Basil.

Chicken Parmesan Subs

“It's chicken, carbs and cheese, what isn't to love? Plus you wont believe how easy the chicken is to make with our shortcuts.” —Carrian Cheney, Oh, Sweet Basil 

Find the recipe here from Oh, Sweet Basil.

Rainbow Vegetable Sandwich

This colorful sandwich is sure to entice even the most veggie-adverse kid in your crew. The Rainbow Sandwich incorporates leafy greens, vibrant bell peppers and other veggies falling under a spectrum of colors. It’s a feast for the eyes and we all know kids are more willing to taste foods that look good, too. 

Find the recipe here from Two Peas & Their Pod.

Salmon BLT Sliders

Who doesn’t love a good BLT? Well this recipe takes it a step further by adding a bit of salmon to the dish. Kids will love the tiny burgers and parents will love that it’s an easy fix. “This is a great choice for families because it takes less than 30 minutes to prep and cook!” —Julie Tran Deily, The Little Kitchen

Find the recipe here from The Little Kitchen.

French Dip in the Slow Cooker

“There's nothing better than throwing everything into a slow cooker, letting it do all of the work and ending up with awesomeness for dinner! We love this juicy French dip sandwich!” —Carrian Cheney, Oh, Sweet Basil

Find the recipe here from Oh, Sweet Basil.

Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup

If you have leftover ham after cooking a big holiday dinner, this creamy soup will make delicious use of those meaty bits and is ready in just 30 minutes. Maria Lichty of Two Peas and their Pod suggests stashing some leftover ham in the freezer so that you can pull some out anytime your family needs a quick meal.

Find the recipe here from Two Peas & Their Pod.

Turkey Taco Salad 

“It can be hard to serve salad for dinner when you have kids at the table, but the right salad not only works, but it can also get kids to give salad a chance. This salad is totally reconstructible so that the salad averse can have what is basically a taco dinner—or anything in between. My little one eats every thing separately, scooping up turkey and fixings with tortilla chips. My older son does the same, but with salad on the side, and I eat it just like this, in a big, hearty salad that easily fills me up for dinner.” —Stacie Billis, One Hungry Mama

Garlic Butter Grilled Vegetable Pizza

Pizza night gets a healthy twist with this dish. Loaded with grilled veggies, this pizza recipe is yummy, better for the whole family and is a quick way to use up any leftover ingredients in your fridge.

Find the recipe here from Two Peas & Their Pod.

Slow Cooker Chicken Ropa Vieja 

“With the right recipe—which isn’t always easy to find—the slow cooker is a busy family cook’s best friend. And this is as right a slow cooker recipes as I’ve found (or developed!). Full of flavor and low in fat, this healthier twist on traditional Cuban Ropa Vieja is an easy, flavorful weeknight meal that needs nothing more than a pile of rice with some frozen green peas thrown in and a side of sliced avocado.” —Stacie Billis, One Hungry Mama

Find the recipe here from One Hungry Mama.

Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo 

“There’s nothing more satisfying that taking a decadent sometimes meal and making it an everyday possibility. This lighter version of alfredo sauce is not only totally delicious, but comes together in a pan, one, two, three. Then add cooked pasta, toss and serve. It’s truly a weeknight lifesaver, which is why my family eats it all the time!” —Stacie Billis, One Hungry Mama

Find the recipe here (and video here) from One Hungry Mama.