I have two kids, and while they aren’t extremely picky eaters, finding a dinner they both like isn’t always easy. One might love something the other isn’t excited about, and some nights I simply don’t have the time to negotiate over dinner.
Over the years, I’ve figured out which meals usually work for everyone. Pasta, chicken, cheesy dinners, quesadillas, and anything that resembles pizza tend to get the fewest complaints in our house.
So I put together some of our favorites along with other easy dinner ideas for kids. Most are simple enough for a regular weeknight, and you can easily adjust many of them if your kids don’t like a certain vegetable, sauce, or topping.
Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Chicken tenders are always an easy win with kids, and making them in the air fryer keeps dinner simple.
They come out crispy on the outside and tender inside without needing a pan full of oil. Add fries, potatoes, or some cut-up vegetables on the side.
Easy Chicken Quesadillas
Quesadillas are especially useful on busy evenings because they take about 25 minutes and don’t need many ingredients.
These are filled with chicken, melted cheese, peppers, and green onions. You can also leave the vegetables out of a few if your kids prefer them plain.
One-Pot Marry Me Chicken Pasta
Chicken and pasta are already a pretty safe combination in our house, and the creamy sauce makes this an easy family dinner.
Everything cooks in one pot, which also means fewer dishes afterward. Serve it straight from the pot with some Parmesan on top.
Pizza Baked Spaghetti
This is basically two kid favorites mixed into one dinner.
Spaghetti is baked with marinara, pepperoni, mushrooms, peppers, mozzarella, and Parmesan, giving it plenty of pizza flavor while still eating like a pasta dinner.
Loaded Cheesy Beef Nachos
Nachos work surprisingly well as dinner, especially on Friday nights or evenings when I don’t feel like making a traditional meal.
Tortilla chips are loaded with seasoned ground beef and melted cheese, then you can add tomatoes, olives, jalapeños, salsa, or whatever your kids will actually eat.
Puff Pastry Cheeseburger Pockets
These are basically cheeseburgers wrapped in flaky puff pastry, with ground beef, cheese, ketchup, and a little mustard if you like it.
They’re easy to hold and eat, which also makes them handy for nights when everyone seems to be eating at a different time.
Cheesy Ground Beef Pasta Skillet
Ground beef, pasta, and plenty of melted cheese make this a pretty easy sell with kids. It’s a simple dinner you can put on the table without making several different sides to go with it.
Creamy Tuscan Chicken
My kids love this one, so it had to make the list.
Chicken breasts cook in a creamy sauce with spinach and tomatoes, and I usually serve it with pasta, rice, or bread to soak up the sauce.
Buffalo Skinny Chicken Sandwich
This chicken sandwich has plenty of buffalo flavor without being complicated to make.
If you’re cooking for younger kids or anyone who doesn’t like much heat, simply use less buffalo sauce and let everyone else add more at the table.
Sheet Pan Sausage and Vegetables
Smoked sausage, potatoes, broccoli, peppers, and red onion all roast together on one pan.
The sausage and potatoes usually make this easier to sell to kids, and you can serve them more of the vegetables they actually like rather than insisting everyone gets the same mix.
Chicken Lasagna Soup
This takes the familiar flavors of lasagna and turns them into an easy bowl of soup. It has chicken, tomatoes, lasagna noodles, and plenty of Italian flavor. Add some grated Parmesan on top and serve it with bread.
Traditional Lasagna
Lasagna takes a little more time than most dinners on this list, but it’s hard to go wrong with layers of pasta, ground beef, tomato sauce, béchamel, and melted cheese.
It also reheats well, so I usually don’t mind having leftovers the next day.
Air Fryer Chicken Pesto Pasta
This is a useful dinner for busy evenings because the chicken cooks in the air fryer while you prepare the pasta.
Pesto gives the pasta plenty of flavor without needing to make a separate sauce, and Parmesan on top finishes it off.
Ham and Cheese Egg Muffins
Egg muffins aren’t just for breakfast. These are made with eggs, ham, cheddar, peppers, and green onions and can easily work as a quick dinner with toast, potatoes, or some fresh fruit on the side.
Chicken Stroganoff
Tender chicken and mushrooms are cooked in a creamy gravy that works especially well over noodles. If your kids aren’t fans of mushrooms, they can easily be picked out or chopped smaller before cooking.