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!
‘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!
- Jump To: Easy One-Pan or One-Pot Dinner Recipes
- Jump To: Kid-Friendly Weeknight Pasta Recipes
- Jump To: Healthy Kid-Friendly Main Dishes
- Jump To: Family Favorite Crockpot Recipes
- Jump To: Quick and Easy Dinner Salad Recipes
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
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.
20-Minute 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
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
This keema curry starts with a base of ground beef seasoned with garlic, fresh ginger, curry, garam masala, and turmeric. It's then simmered with tomato paste, fire roasted tomatoes and coconut milk until rich in both hue and flavor. Creamy roasted yukon gold potatoes, peas, and chopped cilantro are stirred in at the end. The result is a hearty beef curry dish that's is the defintion of easy comfort food!
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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
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
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
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
Ricotta pasta is a simple but elegant dinner you can whip up in under 30 minutes. It's an adultier, somewhat healthier version of mac n'cheese that just happens to also be totally kid-approved. The vegetable additions are flexible, but using frozen peas translates to no extra prep, and very little extra time. I love this recipe for busy weeknights when I'm scratching my head thinking "What I can make ASAP?". Ricotta pasta is the perfect answer.
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Spinach Pesto Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower
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.
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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
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
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
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
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
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
There's no need to wait for Taco Tuesday to enjoy these easy grilled chicken tacos! Chicken thighs are tossed in a tangy cilantro lime marinade, then grilled until charred and juicy. The marinade is fool proof and 100% make ahead for a healthy weeknight dinner the entire family will get all swoony over (yes - kids too!).
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Creamy Rosemary Garlic Chicken
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
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
Chicken breasts are one of the most popular cuts of meat, but I often find them dry and bland unless they've been properly brined or marinated. Enter the magic of the slow cooker, which solves our dry chicken problem with easy and elegance. Chicken breasts are slow cooked in a slightly spicy sauce until juicy and infused with flavor. Lime juice and salt tenderize the chicken as it cooks, and the result is restaurant-quality cilantro lime chicken that will transform you into a weeknight dinner super hero!
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Slow Cooker Apple Cider Pulled Pork
This slow cooker apple cider pulled pork recipe is an easy and versatile fall recipe. It's sweet but not cloying, savory but still cidery, and ready for the slow cooker in just 20 minutes.
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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 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
You'll be making this quick and easy steak fajita salad with cilantro lime dressing all summer long!
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Strawberry Avocado 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
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
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.
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