Family Dinner Menu Ideas

Easy Weeknight Dinners For Family

Eating dinner with our family has always been a priority. These are some of our favorite family dinner ideas and recipes that everyone will love!

To us, the best family dinner ideas start with our most comforting Southern food, but keep in mind busy weeknights and the need for hearty, kid-friendly options.

Need new ideas to freshen up your menu? Get 16 Family Dinner Menu Ideas for Busy Nights! Includes a free printable to keep in your pantry so you'll never forget.

These quick meal ideas will help you fit dinner into the family's busy schedule every night.

Sit down with the family for a delicious dinner everyone will enjoy. Here’ll you find delicious comforting recipes perfect.

1. Salmon Cakes with Salad

Crab cake fans will love these less-expensive seafood cakes made with salmon and spiced with Old Bay.

2. Baked Pork Chop

This simple preparation is perfect for a weeknight just shake and bake!

3. Beef and Cheddar Casserole

Try a new take on the casserole a standby one-dish dinner. This one combines hearty ground beef with cheddar and egg noodles.

4. Chicken Tamale Pie

Food Network Kitchen turned classic tamales into this shepherd's pie-style casserole with a cornmeal topping.

5. Salmon and Polenta

Salmon fillets are perfect for family dinners. Serve them with grilled polenta, a sweet and comforting carb alternative to potatoes, which take forever to cook.

6. Baked Tortellini with Kale Pesto

This baked pesto pasta is rich, cheesy and flavorsome, so the kids will love it, but it's also loaded with kale, so even the adults can feel good about scarfing it down for dinner. Plus, it's ready from start to finish in under an hour.

7. Baked Tortellini with Kale Pesto

This baked pesto pasta is rich, cheesy and flavorsome, so the kids will love it, but it's also loaded with kale, so even the adults can feel good about scarfing it down for dinner. Plus, it's ready from start to finish in under an hour.

8. Crispy Pork Chops with Sriracha Brussels Sprouts

This dinner for four is ready in just 40 minutes thanks to boneless pork chops. Plus, change up the everyday roasted sprout with a quick honey-Sriracha sauce.

9. Lighter Chicken Parmesan

Can you believe The Pioneer Woman's version of chicken Parmesan is not only lighter but also takes just 16 minutes to cook.

10. Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Here's a family dinner trick from Ree: Make meatballs ahead of time and freeze them for later. When you and the fam need to eat next, just pop them out and cook them in this quick Asian-inspired sauce.

11. Barbecue Chicken and Brussels Sprouts

Chicken thighs mopped with barbecue sauce make for a hearty meal when served with halved Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes dusted with chili powder.

12. Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Sunny uses quick cooking chicken tenders and cuts them into bite size chunks for her easy, satisfying pot pie.

13. Cheesy Gnocchi Casserole

Turn prepared gnocchi into a satisfying meal with the addition of peas, ham and a creamy, cheesy sauce.

14. Maple Mustard Chicken Thighs

Ellie proves that white meat isn't the only "good-for-you" part of the chicken. She uses bone-in chicken thighs and removes the skin, brushing the meat with a tangy glaze.

15. Kid-Friendly Pasta Salad

Ree's pasta salad is loaded with bacon and cheese, so even the kids will devour it.

16. Chicken Noodle Soup

Thanks to the help of quick-cooking chicken breasts, Ree's pot of comforting chicken noodle soup is ready in just 35 minutes.