These tried-and-true family dinner recipes are perfect for back to school meal planning! Each recipe is easy, healthy, and totally kid approved (yep, even for picky eaters). Get ideas for family-friendly main dishes, crockpot meals your kids will devour, fast pasta recipes, and healthy dinner salads. There’s something here for everyone!
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‘Tis the season…no, not that season (it’s only August!). Back to school season!
Even if you work full-time all summer, there’s something about the start of school that makes the dinner routine seem so much more challenging. Is it the earlier bedtime? Fall sports? After school activities?
Whatever the reason(s), just the idea of thinking about getting kid-friendly, nutritious dinners on the table quickly and without drama sometimes makes me shudder. So I’ve rounded up our tried-and-true family dinner recipes to make the back-to-school transition just a wee bit easier (and delicious too!).
You’ll love these dinner recipes because they’re quick, easy, and packed with healthy, nutrient-dense real foods. Your kids will love these meals because they don’t scream “healthy food”. Win-win all around!
Easy One-Pan or One-Pot Dinner Recipes
One pot dinner lovers unite! Each of these kid-approved recipes can be made in one pan or one pot, and most of them are ready in 30 minutes or less with leftovers to spare. Packed with eat-the-rainbow vegetables and real foods, these dinner recipes are our tried-and-true family favorites.
Veggie Packed Hamburger Soup
Easy Hamburger Vegetable Soup
Easy Hamburger Vegetable Soup
Classic hamburger soup is made by simmering ground beef with veggies and a starch in a savory tomato-based broth. This Whole30 compliant version incorporates bell pepper, yukon gold potatoes, and fresh green beans, making it both colorful and nutrient dense. The resulting dish is more stew than soup, and is a hearty stick-to-your-ribs dinner that the entire family loves.
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20-Minute Honey Garlic Chicken
Healthy Honey Garlic Chicken
Healthy Honey Garlic Chicken
This honey garlic chicken is a quick, healthy dinner that’s ready in just 20 minutes. Diced chicken breasts are simmered with sliced carrots (or your favorite stir fry vegetables) in a simple honey garlic stir fry sauce that’s perfectly savory with just enough sweet and sour. It’s so easy, and so tasty, you’ll ditch the take-out menu for good!
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Weeknight Taco Soup
Easy Beef Taco Soup
Easy Beef Taco Soup
Convincing my kids to “eat the rainbow” has never been easier thanks to this quick and delicious Taco Soup Recipe! It’s packed with vegetables and a double dose of protein for a dinner that will fill them up and keep them full. It’s naturally dairy free and gluten free (just mind the toppings!) so it’s perfect for little ones with allergies or food sensitivities too.
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Keema Beef Curry with Potatoes and Peas
Keema Curry Recipe (Ground Beef Curry)
Keema Curry Recipe (Ground Beef Curry)
Easy Keema Curry features ground beef seasoned with garlic, fresh ginger, curry, garam masala, and turmeric. Simmer with tomato paste, fire roasted tomatoes and coconut milk to build a bold, rich sauce. Stir in roasted potatoes, peas, and chopped cilantro at the end to create a hearty beef curry dish that's the pinnacle of easy comfort food with complex flavor!
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Pumpkin Chicken Chili
Pumpkin Chicken Chili
Pumpkin Chicken Chili
Pumpkin brings sweetness and adds a velvety, melt-in-your mouth texture to traditional chicken chili. This recipe can be made in as little as an hour, but a longer, slower simmer session will maximize both flavor and tenderness. Save this for the weekends, and savor the mouth-watering aroma for hours.
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Lemon Garlic Chicken and Asparagus Skillet
Lemon Garlic Chicken and Asparagus Skillet
Lemon Garlic Chicken and Asparagus Skillet
Simple one-skillet meals, like this Lemon Garlic Chicken and Asparagus, are my weeknight workhorses! This recipe requires just a handful of real whole foods, one pan, and 30 minutes. It’s simple and filling and it tastes awesome.
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Steak Bites with Sweet Potatoes and Peppers
Whole30 Steak Bites with Sweet Potatoes and Peppers
Whole30 Steak Bites with Sweet Potatoes and Peppers
This recipe for Whole30 steak bites is packed with tons of flavor and huge pops of vitamins thanks to colorful sweet potatoes and bell peppers. It’s an easy, approachable weeknight dinner recipe that’s ready in under 45 minutes.
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Kid-Friendly Weeknight Pasta Recipes
There’s nothing easier and more kid-friendly than pasta! Ditch the basic spaghetti and meatballs and try one of these new classics.
Caprese Pasta with Italian Sausage
Caprese Pasta with Italian Sausage
Caprese Pasta with Italian Sausage
This caprese pasta with whole wheat penne and Italian sausage is a protein packed, lighter take on the classic. It’s packed with a full pound of fresh tomatoes, and just enough pasta to satisfy a craving but still be considered low carb. You’ll love this bright, intensely flavored summer pasta recipe!
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Ricotta Pasta with Peas
Easy Ricotta Pasta
Easy Ricotta Pasta
Weeknight meals may never be the same once you have a bite of Creamy Ricotta Pasta. This vegetarian pasta dish features leeks, sweet peas, and a smooth, simple cheese sauce that's quick, easy, and absolutely dreamy. It's practically perfect on its own, but also extremely welcoming for add-ins.
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Spinach Pesto Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower
Winter Spinach Pesto with Rotini and Roasted Cauiflower
Winter Spinach Pesto with Rotini and Roasted Cauiflower
This winter spinach pesto with tangy ricotta cheese is an easy, nutritious, and super satisfying vegetarian winter pesto recipe. It pairs perfectly with nutty, pan-roasted cauliflower florets and hearty whole grain rotini.
Healthy Kid-Friendly Main Dishes
From chicken to steak to salmon, there’s bound to be a recipe in this list that will entice both parents and picky eaters. Each of of these main dish recipes have been tested and approved by my discerning (read: super picky!) kids. Plus they’re quick, easy and pair with super simple side dishes like steamed rice and broccoli.
Caprese Chicken
Caprese Chicken Recipe
Caprese Chicken Recipe
You won’t believe how easily and quickly this simple Caprese Chicken comes together. I’ve cooked this on my grill and grill pan with equally good results (although I’m always partial to using our kettle grill in the summer!). This chicken is very impressive for a dinner party or gathering, and doubles easily – see the recipe notes for my doubling hack if you’re limited to using just a grill pan.
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Grilled Rosemary Steak
Rosemary Steak Strips
Rosemary Steak Strips
Flank steak is the perfect cut for for feeding a crowd quickly and deliciously. It’s relatively affordable for its size (especially compared with pricier cuts like sirloin or rib-eye), and when cooked properly, it’s tender and juicy. A quick marinade pairs perfectly with this lean cut, and truly improves the flavor without adding too much fuss.
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One Pan Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Thighs
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Thighs – Paleo and Whole30
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Thighs – Paleo and Whole30
This sun-dried tomato chicken is an easy weeknight dinner the entire family will love. It’s a one-pan paleo and Whole30 compliant recipe you’ll turn to again and again.
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Apple Cider Grilled Chicken
Apple Cider Chicken
Apple Cider Chicken
This apple cider chicken is the best chicken you’ll ever taste. Life. Changing. Chicken. It grills up with a crispy charred, smokey exterior and juicy tender interior. While this takes a bit of time to marinate (at least 2 hours, and up to overnight) the hands on time is little and the cooking time is just 10 minutes.
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Pan Seared Salmon with Mango Cucumber Salsa
Cucumber Mango Salsa over Pan-Seared Salmon
Cucumber Mango Salsa over Pan-Seared Salmon
This fresh and tangy cucumber mango salsa is one of my favorite toppings for simple pan-seared salmon. It’s a fast and easy condiment that is packed with colorful, seasonal vegetables. This is weeknight whole foods cooking at it’s simplest and most delicious.
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Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos
Easy Grilled Chicken Tacos
Easy Grilled Chicken Tacos
Just because it's Taco Tuesday, doesn't mean you shouldn't fire up the grill! Cilantro Lime Grilled Chicken Tacos marry citrus and smoke for a flavor that pairs perfectly with loads of your favorite toppings. The cilantro lime marinade is a breeze to whip up and chicken is ready to serve in under 20 minutes!
Creamy Rosemary Garlic Chicken
Creamy Rosemary Garlic Cream Sauce
Creamy Rosemary Garlic Cream Sauce
This one pan crispy chicken with rosemary cream sauce is one of my favorite whole foods recipes! It’s nutritious and kid-friendly, plus the prep is easy and fast, making it the perfect go-to meal for chaotic nights.
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Healthy Tuscan Chicken
Healthy Tuscan Chicken over Spaghetti Squash
Healthy Tuscan Chicken over Spaghetti Squash
This healthy tuscan chicken is a one-skillet dinner recipe that’s loaded with classic Italian flavors. Tossed in a creamy dairy free sauce with tons of vegetables, this healthy take on the classic delivers big bold flavor with none of the guilt. Serve it over roasted spaghetti squash for a low carb, Whole30 compliant meal, or over your favorite base (like whole grain pasta, polenta, or creamy cauliflower puree).
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Family Favorite Crockpot Recipes
Slow cooker for the win! These are restaurant quality meals made in the comfort (and ease) of your very own home.
Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken
Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken
Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken
Allow your crockpot to transform boring, and often dry, boneless skinless chicken breasts into an easy, healthy, and incredibly flavorful dinner. Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken cooks low and slow in a blend of spices for deeply infused flavor and incredibly tender meat. Stuff into tacos, serve in bowls, make burritos and salads…the possibilities are endless.
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Slow Cooker Apple Cider Pulled Pork
Apple Cider Pulled Pork
Apple Cider Pulled Pork
Apple Cider Pulled Pork is the hands-free, low-and-slow combo you need this and every fall. It takes just twenty minutes to prep, and your crock pot does all the heavy lifting. Thanks to a flavorful dry rub, apple cider, and apple cider vinegar, this slow cooker pulled pork recipe delivers deep, developed flavor every time. Slow cooker pulled pork should be cooked low and slow, so plan for at least 8 hours cooking time.
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Quick and Easy Dinner Salad Recipes
For the more adventure little ones or older teens who will happily eat leafy greens, these dinner salads are the perfect meal to toss together in 30 minutes or less. Prep any marinades the night before, and your dinner routine will be an easy, breezy affair.
Chicken Shawarma Salad with Tahini Dressing
Chicken Shawarma Salad with Tahini Dressing
Chicken Shawarma Salad with Tahini Dressing
Chicken shawarma salad is an incredibly flavorful, fresh, and elegant weeknight paleo dinner. Each bite is crisp, bright and bursting with flavor. The marinade takes just minutes and can be prepped the night before, making for an easy and fast dinner.
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Steak Fajita Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette
30-Minute Steak Fajita Salad
30-Minute Steak Fajita Salad
This quick and easy Fajita Salad with Steak topped with a zingy cilantro lime vinaigrette is about to become your go-to Tex-Mex dinner recipe. It’s got no added sugar, plus it's naturally grain and nut free. Best of all, it's ready in just 30 minutes!
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Strawberry Avocado Chicken Salad
Avocado Strawberry Chicken Salad
Avocado Strawberry Chicken Salad
This strawberry chicken salad with avocado and creamy balsamic dressing is one of the most delicious ways to take advantage of spring’s best produce! This healthy, vibrant dinner salad is ready in just 30 minutes!
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Salmon Avocado Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing
Salmon Avocado Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing
Salmon Avocado Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing
Tender, flaky salmon shines bright all on its own, but it really stands out in this salmon and avocado salad, tossed with seasonal produce and creamy lemon dressing. This salad is a true superfood combo, loaded with healthy omega-3 fats and all of the vitamins and nutrients your body craves.
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BLT Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing
BLT Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing
BLT Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing
This BLT Salad is a classic, but with a delicious twist in the form of hot bacon dressing. Skip the mayo or buttermilk vinaigrette and toss your greens, ‘maters, and croutons with this tangy salty dressing instead. You’ll still get a kick of creaminess from ripe avocados, with double the bacony flavor.
Did you make any of these Family Dinners? I’d love to know how they turned out! Leave a comment and a rating below.
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