Family Dinner Menu Ideas: 11 Super Simple Tried & True Favorites

Quick Dinner Ideas For Kids

Need some super simple family dinner menu ideas? You’ve come to the right place!

What’s for dinner? How many times have you heard this question? Maybe somewhere around 4,567,324 times! Accurate?

These family dinner menu ideas are here to save the day! I consider these my go-to meals! Quick, simple, and budget-friendly!

Meal planning is great. I love finding new recipes to try. Looking through cookbooks is one of my favorite things to do.

But sometimes we just need a recipe that requires no thinking. Something that can be thrown together in just a few minutes. No prep time. With these meals, the word recipe is even kind of a stretch!

A meal that has ingredients that you almost always have on hand! In my house, this is my off night.

Maybe you are too tired to cook! Or maybe you just don’t WANT to cook.

Ordering takeout or swinging through a drive-thru can be tempting. But holy french fries that can get expensive.

These are easy-to-make meals that will satisfy everyone. I especially love them because they are quick dinner ideas for kids. Ain’t nobody got time for a hungry child!

And best of all these ideas will not blow your food budget!

Meals like this won’t make you Top Chef material. But they will get your family fed!

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Here Are My 11 Go-To Quick and Easy Family Dinner Menu Ideas

1) Quesadillas

All you need is cheese and a tortilla. It really can be that simple. Open up a can of refried beans on the side if you want!

Sour cream and guacamole are great for dipping if you happen to have them!

2) Grilled Cheese

I like to keep a couple of fancier cheeses in the fridge for grown-up grilled cheese. My husband and I love muenster and cheddar.

But my daughter is all about that American sliced cheese. Open up a can of tomato soup to complete the meal.

3) Eggs

Breakfast for dinner is one of our favorites. There are times when I plan this ahead of time and make a breakfast feast for us. There are also times when scrambled eggs and toast get the job done.

This breakfast sandwich maker would be perfect for making super quick and easy breakfast sammies!

Brinner is always a winner!

4) Bean Burritos

This is one of my personal favorites. You got beans, tortillas, and cheese? Then you are ready to make this super simple meal!

We always add sour cream and salsa! We’re a condiment family!

5) Chili Dogs

Can of chili. Check. Hot Dogs. Check. Dinner is served. Oh, and buns. Cheese if you wanna take it one step further and make chili cheese dogs!

My husband is also a fan of just cutting up hot dogs and putting them in his chili. What can I say? I forget buns a lot and we have to improvise.

6) Rotisserie Chicken

We love rotisserie chicken. They are ready for you at the store. They are inexpensive. And they are delicious. I just take the meat off the bones and we eat it just like that. Put a veggie on the side and voila!

You could also put this in a quesadilla.

7) Pasta

I always have noodles and pasta sauce.

Roast some broccoli for a quick crowd-pleasing meal.

I use my Air Fryer every single time I make any kind of vegetable! No pre-heating is required, it’s super quick, and most important things turn out insanely delicious! You need one of these in your kitchen!

8) Sandwiches

Lunch meat and cheese are staples in our house. My daughter and I are big sandwich people. Our love for carbs runs deep.

A hot salami and cheese is melty meaty goodness!

I love sandwiches because there are so many options. BLT is another great one. Peanut butter and jelly is a classic.

Look at what you have on hand and I am sure some kind of sandwich can be created! And use a sandwich maker to make things even easier!

9) Frozen Pizza

Yep. We eat frozen pizzas every once in a while. Home Run Inn is our absolute favorite. It is so dang good.

Serve it with a salad and you are set. Or don’t! That frozen pizza is fine all on its own!

Use this pizza cooker and you don’t even have to turn the oven on!

10) Salad

I always have some type of leafy green in my fridge. Whether it is a head of lettuce, some romaine or spinach, or even an all-in-one bag salad mix. Throw some cheese, veggies, and dressing on there and dinner is served. Rotisserie chicken could also be a nice addition.

A salad is actually one of my daughter’s favorite things to have for dinner. I hope I didn’t jinx myself by saying that.

She is basically like an annoying food critic. Everything I make is the wrong texture these days. In true little monster fashion, next week I am sure it will be something else. Let’s just hope she doesn’t turn her back on salad.

11) Tacos

I always have some kind of ground meat in my fridge or freezer. Some ground beef and a few spices. Dinner is served, my friend.

This meat mixture can be used for a variety of meals. We often make nachos. This usually happens when I forgot to get tortillas from the store. Yep, just like the hot dog buns.

Hey, use this to make a taco salad! This is what I am having for dinner tonight!

So, did you get some inspiration for what you’re making for dinner?

I think that time spent around the dinner table is what is most important. The actual food comes in second place. Plan a night a week when the gourmet chef mom has left the building.

Heck, these meals can be made by men who never step foot in the kitchen. Older kids too.

So, skip the drive-thru and make one of these quick and easy meal ideas instead.

Oh, I almost forgot! Are you looking for some quick and easy dinner ideas that are a little fancier than the ones on this list? They may require a tad more effort but man these recipes are worth it! You have to check out Real Life Dinners by Rachel Hollis!

Another one of my favorites is 100 Days of Real Food: Fast and Fabulous by Lisa Leake. This is perfect if you are looking to cut out processed food(for the most part)!

Also, if you want to try some new meals but you don’t want to put in any of the groundwork this requires, then you should definitely check out this $5 meal plan service.

Simple and delicious meal inspiration sent right to you. Winner winner chicken dinner!

Do you have any go-to family dinner menu ideas?

Would these quick dinner ideas for kids get a thumbs up in your house?

I hope you enjoyed this article! If you liked this content make sure to subscribe to our mailing list.

You Might Also Like:

How To Meal Plan and Save Money

How To Live A More Positive Life

The Secret Weapon That Will Make You More Productive