To make feeding your toddler at the end of the day easier, here are our favorite easy toddler dinners. They store well if you want to make them ahead, are nutritious, and are yummy enough for everyone at the table!
Getting dinner on the table with an active and hungry toddler underfoot can be so hard. So I love taking advantage of dinners for kids that my whole family likes, but that also store really well to give me the option to make them ahead of time.
These easy toddler meals work well to make quickly and serve—or to make and store in the fridge or freezer for future busy days.
Which gives you a lot of flexibility in terms of cooking when you have the time and ensuring that everything you make will be delicious whenever you get to eat it. (These toddler dinners are also perfect for toddler meal prep.)
You can pair these toddler dinner ideas with simple sides like cut up fruit, applesauce, crackers, cheese, or anything that sounds appealing.
Table of Contents
- 1. Veggie-Loaded Marinara Sauce
- 2. Healthy Toddler Meatballs
- 3. Broccoli Tots
- 4. Sheet Pan Black Bean Quesadillas
- 5. Cheeseburger Pasta
- 6. Mini Egg Muffins with Cheese and Veggies
- 7. Chicken Fritters
- 8. Pastina Soup
- 9. Quinoa Patties
- 10. Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
- 11. Hamburger Helper
- 12. Baked Chicken Meatballs
- 13. Pizza Rolls
- 14. Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
- 15. Extra-Veggie Pasta
- 16. Breakfast Burritos
- 17. Easy Baked Chicken Tenders
- 18. Chickpea Fritters
- 19. Easy Mini Meatballs
- 20. Lentil Soup with Veggies
- 21. Cheesy Stuffed Meat Buns
- 22. Yogurt Pancakes
- 23. Chicken Nuggets with Sweet Potato
- 24. Salmon Cakes
- 25. Hidden Veggie Mac and Cheese
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Best Tips for Dinners for Kids
1. Veggie-Loaded Marinara Sauce
Serve this veggie-loaded sauce with pasta, meatballs, or even over couscous on the day you make it or thawed from the freezer on a future day.
2. Healthy Toddler Meatballs
Make a double batch the next time you make meatballs and tuck a bag full away in the freezer. Meatballs freeze extremely well!
3. Broccoli Tots
With a quick blitz in the food processor, you can have a batch of these seriously yummy broccoli tots in the oven. So yummy!
4. Sheet Pan Black Bean Quesadillas
This method lets you make enough quesadillas for the entire family at the same time, which means no standing by the stove flipping them endlessly.
5. Cheeseburger Pasta
All the flavors of a cheeseburger, in one easy to make skillet meal. Sign me up!
6. Mini Egg Muffins with Cheese and Veggies
Healthy toddler breakfasts for dinner are a great easy option. And these egg muffins are both versatile and delicious.
7. Chicken Fritters
Making a batch of these simple, but so good chicken fritters is a genius dinner option. They’re great on their own, served over a salad for adults, or even served alongside simple buttered pasta or fruit.
8. Pastina Soup
This soup is easy to make and leftovers reheat so well. Just add a little extra water or broth as needed!
9. Quinoa Patties
Stir together a simple batter of quinoa, egg, cheese, breadcrumbs, and either broccoli or cauliflower to make these patties. They are perfect for dipping in favorite sauces!
10. Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
With a veggie-rich sauce and an easy method, this slow cooker recipe is a dinner favorite.
11. Hamburger Helper
Iron-rich, easy method, and creamy flavor, this one-pot meal is a great toddler dinner…that you can enjoy, too!
12. Baked Chicken Meatballs
With vegetables tucked right in the mix and a straight forward ingredient list, these meatballs are a great toddler dinner.
13. Pizza Rolls
These are particularly good with marinara dipping sauce (which counts as a veggie in my book).
14. Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
This vegetarian soup, which has sweet potato for added nutrition and subtle sweetness, tastes even better the next day—hooray for leftovers everyone actually likes!
15. Extra-Veggie Pasta
Pasta is a total hit when served for toddler dinners and for good reason: It’s comforting, easy to eat, and satisfies their natural desires for carbs.
16. Breakfast Burritos
Make a big batch of these burritos on the weekend and come dinner time during the week, pair them with beans and a side of fruit and you’re good to go.
17. Easy Baked Chicken Tenders
Making chicken tenders at home is probably faster than you realize—and you can customize the ingredients for your preferences.
18. Chickpea Fritters
These have the yummy flavors of falafel, but with a lot less work.
19. Easy Mini Meatballs
These meatballs are tender and delicious—and they feature a whole grain and a veggie but mostly just taste yummy!
20. Lentil Soup with Veggies
This easy soup has veggies and protein, making it a complete meal in one that works for any age.
21. Cheesy Stuffed Meat Buns
Think of these like cheeseburgers, but in a much easier form for toddlers and kids to eat!
22. Yogurt Pancakes
Breakfast for dinner is always a hit and if you have these pancakes—which feature an unexpected dose of yogurt.
23. Chicken Nuggets with Sweet Potato
These simple nuggets include just a few ingredients and are super moist and tender from the inclusion of sweet potato.
24. Salmon Cakes
Salmon cakes are an affordable way to offer up healthy fats and protein to the little ones in a toddler dinner.
25. Hidden Veggie Mac and Cheese
Creamy, yummy, and with extra veggies, this is a favorite toddler dinner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Try to make sure the food is actually easy to eat, so shred it or cut it up more as needed. Or help the child load the food onto a fork or spoon. Offer a yummy dip they like. And remember that everyone has different preferences, so your kiddo might still be learning to like a range of foods.
You can start by making a list of the foods they enjoy, then building options from there. Remember that kids might be more or less hungry than we expect, and preferences can change. It may help to let them serve themselves from family style options, to sit and eat with them, and to talk about things other than the food.
Many toddlers aren’t super hungry at dinner as they may front-load their intake, which means they have eaten their caloric needs earlier in the day. This is often a phase that passes. You can consider what they’ve eaten over the course of a whole day and also offer a simple bedtime snack, too.
Best Tips for Dinners for Kids
- Add sour cream, ketchup, salsa, or any other dips or sauces you or the kids like to add more flavor.
- Serve meals family style to allow kids to serve themselves (giving them some power often helps with meal time dynamics!).
- Start with smaller portions to avoid food waste and allow more as long as everyone is sharing.
- Remember that it’s normal for kids not to eat every single thing you offer them. Model enjoyment, remember that perfection is not the goal, and try to zoom out when you think of their intake as kids often eat balanced when you look at their week—but may not look very balanced at each meal.
- To help with ideas for the rest of the day, try my Shortcut Toddler Dinners, Toddler Lunch Ideas, and Healthy Snacks for Kids, too.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear what your favorite make-ahead dinner is for your family, so please chime in below in the comments!
This post was first published October 2017.
Right here is the perfect web site for everyone who wishes to find out about this topic. You know a whole lot its almost tough to argue with you (not that I personally would want to…HaHa). You definitely put a fresh spin on a subject which has been written about for a long time. Excellent stuff, just excellent!
Could I get the recipe that you used for the easy veggie pasta and what kind of pasta that was pictured?
Sure, it’s this recipe https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/baby-pasta/ If you search for “star pasta” that should come up with options.
Thank you for all these recipes!
You are a lifesaver!!!!!♥️
You are any go to EVERY DAY! All the time. So thank you!
Tia
Oh some of these looks so good and packed with nutrients! I swear that’s the only way to get the greens in my little guys tummy. Thanks for some amazing ideas – can’t wait to try them!
I hope they help!
Who says meatballs have to be paired with red sauce? Cook up a big batch and freeze them (up to two months!) to use any way you want for a quick and easy addition of protein to any weeknight meal.
Hi! I love all of your recipes 🙂 Can they be found in a particular one of your Cookbooks? I’d love to purchase one.
Hi! I don’t have a cookbook with all of my recipes, but you can find my ebooks here: https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/store/
Can the sweet potato chicken nuggets be frozen for later?
Yup! Just reheat for about 8-10 minutes or until warmed through in a 375 degree F oven or in the microwave in 15 second increments.
I’m going to try a few of these recipes thus upcoming week. I’m excited to try the quesadillas, but I have a few skeptics because of the pumpkin!
Fingers crossed!
Thanks so much for these ideas! Now i have motivation to make meals that he will actually eat! Thanks again
Fingers crossed for you!!
Your recipes are genius!!!!! I have such a picky eater. He literally ate toast for three months straight from 12 mo to 15 mo. In one day, he devoured your maple chickpea snack and spinach pizza roll-ups. Thank you so, so, so much!!!!!1
I’m so glad to hear this! (He may still have phases of not wanting to eat much or what you make him but I’m glad you have more options!)