Our top 30 kid-friendly recipes will have everyone leaving the dinner table happy, healthy, and full-bellied. What more could you ask for?
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- Kid Friendly
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Our Most Popular Family-Friendly Recipes, Under One Roof! You're Welcome.
We can all use a win in the kitchen every now and then, especially when it comes to being able to quickly prepare meals that our whole family will enjoy. With that in mind, we’ve taken the liberty of rounding up our top 30 kid-friendly recipes that will have everyone leaving the dinner table happy, healthy, and full-bellied. What more could you ask for?
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Soup For Everyone!
Slurpable and simmering, soups are the ultimate kid friendly dinners!
- This comforting and Easy Chicken Noodle Soup uses our favorite rotisserie chicken hack and tastes like love in a bowl making it one of our favorite, easy family-friendly meals.
- My kids love crushing chips and piling on all the cheese atop this Smoky Tortilla Soup, while I enjoy some bright cilantro and cubed avocado. This is one of our best kid friendly meals.
- This Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage and Kale practically broke the internet when it debuted and might just be one of the best quick and kid friendly dinner ideas out there. For more ideas on how to get dinner on the table fast, check out our Best Quick Dinner Ideas.
- Our easy Chicken Ramen Soup is a favorite in my house. My kids love the long, slurpable noodles, and I love that I’m not loading them with sodium from those preservative-laden seasoning packets.
- This Tomato Bisque with fried cheese is a fresh take on a classic pairing that makes for a dunkable, fun, and kid-friendly meal that is sure to end the day with smiles.
The Best of The Bowls
These bowls get lots of really good (and good for you) stuff into one compact little package, and are one of our simple weeknight dinner staples. A lot of them can be prepped ahead making for some quick dinner ideas for kids!
- We’re obsessed with this Chicken Teriyaki Sushi Bowl. Shredded seaweed, thinly sliced cucumber, creamy chunks of avocado, and of course that sriracha mayo all add up to one incredibly tasty take on dinner. We serve all the deconstructed parts to our kids and they love it!
- Brown rice and black beans kick of this loaded Chicken Fajita Burrito Bowl that’s topped with our Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas and alllll the toppings for a completely customizable dish even picky eaters will chow.
Kid Friendly Dinner Recipes: Updated Classics
These classic dishes may sound familiar, but we’ve upped their flavor, healthfulness, and kid-approvedness (thats a word right?) in a big way.
- What’s crunchy and juicy and keto all over? These Baked Pecan Chicken Tenders, that’s what! Serve them with a side of homemade buttermilk ranch and your kids just might think they’ve died and gone to heaven.
- This Turkey Quinoa Meatloaf is protein packed and full of lots of veggies. And the best part? Your kids will never know just how healthy it is….muhahahaha!
- These Steak Bites with Sweet Potatoes are perfectly sized for little mouths and, as an added bonus, are paleo-friendly! Healthy and delicious is something we can all get behind.
- Everyone loves a juicy cheeseburger and we think our Classic Cheeseburger with Secret Sauce is the best!
- This Perfect Roast Chicken with Lemon Herb Pan Sauce makes for a really simple and cozy weeknight meal.
- These Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard Sauce are as delightful as they are dippable.
- Our Skillet Roasted Chicken with Cabbage is both keto and paleo approved, making it a kid-friendly meal the whole family can get behind,
- Nothing says "I love you" like this homemade Skillet Chicken Pot Pie. It also makes a hearty make-ahead meal for those days when you just can’t add one more “to-do".
Who Doesn’t Love a Good Meatball?
They’re savory, flavor-packed, and so customizable. They also happen to be some of the most kid friendly food around.
- Served alongside tzatziki and warm pita, these Mediterranean Meatballs are full of warm spices and are a family-friendly way to introduce new flavors to your table. I will also add that this is one of the best toddler friendly meals!
- It turns out everyone’s favorite Swedish Meatballs are even tastier when homemade and not ingested while shopping for furniture. Who knew?
- Meatball Sub Sandwiches. Crusty bread, stretchy cheese, delish meatball. Need I say more?
- Yes, these Teriyaki Meatballs with Roasted Broccoli are as delicious as they sound. Make extra.
- We toned down the spice a bit and now these Turkey Meatballs in Creamy Red Curry Sauce are a new family favorite.
- These Classic Meatballs with Tomato Sauce just may take the top prize for the most kid-approved, oft-requested dinner of all time. Pro tip: make a huge batch and freeze some for easy, make-ahead meals.
For The Pasta Lovers.
Kids and noodles were made for each other. We love making these dishes to our little ones and watching their mouths begin to drool with anticipation.
- Forget the box, our Four Ingredient Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese takes this quintessential “kid food” and transforms it into an insanely satisfying weeknight meal.
- Little hands will love helping with these Easy Stuffed Pasta Shells almost as much as the ooey gooey cheese they’re topped with.
- This Baked Penne Alla Vodka might sound all grown up, but it’s a winner for young and old alike.
- This Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce comes together fast and is one of our favorite quick meals for kids!
¡Olé!
Mexican-inspired meals are amongst the most family-friendly, kid-approved meals out there and these dishes are no exception.
- Our Baked Chicken Quesadillas is at the top of our list for easy kids friendly dinners! They are a great way to make lots of cheesy and crispy quesadillas in a hurry—no standing over the stove required!
- Marinated Cilantro Lime Chicken Thighs make for the perfect prep-ahead meal for a dinner that's as quick as it is satisfying.
- These Beef Empanadas make for a really fun (and tasty!) way to get kids involved in the kitchen.
- In the mood for fajitas? We’ve got you! Whether you opt for these Easy Steak Fajitas, or keep it really simply with our Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas. Both are healthy kid friendly dinners that you just can’t go wrong with!
Did Your Picky Eater Love One of These Dinners?
If you decide to whip up any of these kid-approved meals we’d love to hear if they were a win! Be sure to post your dish to Instagram and tag @themodernproper and #themodernproper so we can admire your handiwork and do a happy dance along with you. Happy eating!
