• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Learn how food affects your body. Get Free Nutrition Info Today

the-lean-green-bean-logo
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Kids
  • Resources
    • Ebooks
    • Food Prep
    • Videos
    • Snack Round-Ups
    • Gift Guides
  • About
    • Become An RD
    • Work With Me
  • Search
the-lean-green-bean-logo
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Kids
  • Resources
    • Ebooks
    • Food Prep
    • Videos
    • Snack Round-Ups
    • Gift Guides
  • About
    • Become An RD
    • Work With Me
  • Search

30+ Kid-Friendly Dinners

December 2, 2020 by Lindsay 2 Comments

102 shares
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

These Kid-Friendly Dinners come highly recommended and are perfect to try with your picky eaters. They’re simple, easy and can be served with a variety of side dishes. 

kid-friendly dinners even the pickiest eaters will love

Hi friends!

Let’s talk kid-friendly dinners, shall we? Lately, I’ve been in a little bit of a dinner rut when it comes to feeding my family. Survival seems to be the name of the game lately and I don’t have a lot of energy left over for dinner planning. Add in that I’ve got a couple of kids who aren’t the most adventurous eaters and it has me falling into the trap of serving many of the same things over and over. 

I decided it was time to learn what some kid-friendly favorites were in other houses so I reached out to my Instagram community and made a list! Of course, some of the responses were the “stereotypical kid dinners”, yet even so, they’re still good ideas! I haven’t made pulled pork sliders in forever and my oldest loves them. So here are 10 easy ideas that don’t even need a recipe:

  1. Spaghetti with Meatballs
  2. Tacos/Nachos
  3. Breakfast for Dinner
  4. Mac and Cheese
  5. Hot Dogs/Pigs in a Blanket
  6. Hamburgers
  7. Quesadillas
  8. Pizza
  9. Chicken Noodle Soup
  10. BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders

Then I made a list of specific types of recipes that were recommended several times like lemon chicken and hamburger helper and asked people to submit links to a specific recipe if they use one and it’s a hit with their family. Here are some fan favorites:

Kid-Friendly Dinners

cheesy ham and rice casserole

  • Cheesy Ham and Rice via Iowa Girl Eats (pictured above)
  • Lemon Chicken via Ina Garten
  • Change Your Life Chicken Shawarma via The Lazy Genius
  • Turkey Pumpkin White Bean Chili via Skinny Taste – top with cheese and Fritos or serve with tortilla chips for scooping
  • Pizza Pasta Bake via Spend with Pennies

pasta e cici

  • Pasta with Chickpeas via Smitten Kitchen (pictured above)
  • Creamy Chicken Quinoa Broccoli Casserole via Pinch of Yum
  • One-Pot Hamburger Helper via The Defined Dish
  • Double Crust Chicken Pot Pie via Sally’s Baking Addiction or this one from Pillsbury
  • Easy Chicken Marinade via The Lean Green Bean – after marinating I cook in a pan with carrots and serve with orzo.

slow cooker whole chicken

  • Fall Apart Slow Cooker Chicken via Wholefully (pictured above)
  • Pesto Chicken Tortellini via The Lean Green Bean (make this even easier by using chicken sausage and just mixing it with pasta, pesto and peas)
  • Skillet Tater Tot Casserole via Iowa Girl Eats
  • Greek-Style Chicken via The Defined Dish
  • Honey Soy Salmon 

cheesy broccoli cauliflower soup

  • Best Broccoli Cauliflower Cheese Soup via Modern Minimalism (pictured above) Serve with crusty bread for dipping!
  • Sloppy Joes via Divas Can Cook
  • Three Layer Lasagna via Barilla
  • Instant Pot Hamburger Stroganoff via Julie’s Eats & Treats
  • Shrimp Scampi (replace zoodles with regular noodles if you want. You can also sub chicken for shrimp)

oven baked chicken parmesan

  • Chicken Parmesan via Well Plated (pictured above)
  • Meatloaf via The Wholesome Dish
  • Instant Pot Crack Chicken Pasta via Plain Chicken
  • Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta via Crafty Morning
  • Swedish Meatballs via Damn Delicious

 

A few more ideas to try:

  1. Chicken Tortilla Soup – especially served with tortilla chips for dipping
  2. Fish Sticks – you could make your own. I buy mine premade. Easy way to get fish into all 3 kids at my house.
  3. Chow Mein – I loved this dish as a kid and I was a VERY picky eater
  4. Stuffed Shells – start simple with just sausage and cheese and then you can start working some veggies in!

Let’s chat:

Do your kids have a favorite recipe?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

 

table talk series
LEARN HOW FOOD AFFECTS YOUR BODY.

Get my free Table Talk email series where I share bite-sized nutrition information about carbs, protein, and fat, plus bonus information about snacks and sugar!

Enter your email here ...

Filed Under: Dinner, Kids

About Lindsay

Lindsay Livingston is a Registered Dietitian and new mom from Columbus, Ohio. On her blog, she shares simple, healthy recipes, nutrition tips, workouts and snapshots of her life. Follow her on Twitter @LeanGrnBeanBlog and Instagram @TheLeanGreenBean and be sure to subscribe via RSS or email so you never miss a post!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Meghan says

    December 2, 2020 at 12:39 PM

    Thank you so much for this list!! I have it book marked. I can’t wait to cook my way through it. Really appreciate all you do—it’s super helpful!

    Reply
  2. Ivie M Enriquez says

    December 2, 2020 at 5:30 PM

    I am always looking for ideas. I have a VERY picky child, who just wants all things carb – crackers, bread, chips. He won’t eat meat (except chicken nuggets), and only grilled cheese sandwiches and sometimes a cheese quesadilla. Very unwilling to try new food. He does love fruit and some raw veggies (does not like them cooked).
    I think I just need to make more stuff and see what he eats.

    My other kid eats anything and everything…..

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Lindsay Livingston The Lean Green Bean Healthy Living Tips and Tricks

I'm a Registered Dietitian and mom of three from Columbus, Ohio. I use this blog to share simple, healthy recipes, nutrition tips, and an honest glimpse of motherhood!

Learn More →

Questions? Comments? Email me: [email protected]

The Lean Green Bean Facebook The Lean Green Bean Instagram The Lean Green Bean Pinterest The Lean Green Bean Twitter The Lean Green Bean Feed
footer-logo
The Lean Green Bean Facebook The Lean Green Bean Instagram The Lean Green Bean Pinterest The Lean Green Bean Twitter The Lean Green Bean Feed
Recipes

Breakfast
Dinner
Snack
Slow Cooker

Kids

Cooking With Kids
Favorite Gifts
Toddler Meals
Indoor Activities

Resources

Easy Packed Lunches for Kids
Dinner Spark
Snack Spark
Ultimate Guide to Food Prep

About

Meet Lindsay
Become an RD
Work with Me

The Lean Green Bean is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Read the full privacy and disclosure policy here.

Copyright © 2022 · The Lean Green Bean

table talk series

Learn how food affects your body.

Get my free Table Talk email series where I share bite-sized nutrition information about carbs, protein, and fat, plus bonus information about snacks and sugar!

[email protected]