Master List of Healthy Family Meals (Totally Kid-Friendly!)

Deciding what to make for family dinner each day can be a challenge, but this list of healthy family meals includes 150 favorites—including ALL the best kid-friendly dinners! Save this giant list of family dinner recipes to make quick work of meal planning.

Healthy Family Meals

All of these family meals have veggies in the mix and many include the nutrients we all need more of: fiber, protein, complex carbs, and vitamins. They are all doable meals to create at the end of the day or to make ahead, and I’ve sorted them by main ingredient so you can easily scroll and find options to put to use in your family.

What should I make for family dinner?

I try to plan our meals on Sundays so I have a general sense of what’s coming for the week. I like to allow myself the flexibility to switch a meal around if needed (like Monday’s chicken might go to Thursday if we have a sudden change in after school plans). And I like to have at least 1-2 “theme nights” like Mexican, pizza, or pasta night to make it easier to plan meals without always feeling like I’m starting at square one.

What are healthy meals for kids?

In my mind, healthy meals for kids are meals that include a range of nutrients but that also are easy for kids to eat. I also think a healthy meal is one that is a happy one, so it’s only partly about the nutrition for me—because meal times are about so much more than just the food. They help kids learn manners, new words, and allow us the much needed time to catch up with each other.

TIP: Since you never know what of the meal the kids will eat or not eat, focusing on the together time part of this part of the day is often much saner!

Healthy Kid-Friendly Dinners

I hope that this master list of healthy family dinners, which are all chosen to be kid-friendly and toddler-friendly, helps you come up with easy recipes to make for your family. I’m a big fan of making less work for ourselves, so all of these meals are ones that you can cook and serve to everyone at the table, no short order cooking required!

Healthy Family Meals with Chicken

Easy chicken dinners are a simple way to please a crowd and offer up a meal rich in protein. These family dinners with chicken are perfect for families and can be adjusted for the youngest eaters at the table.

1. Parmesan Crusted Chicken Tenders
2. Slow Cooker Chicken and Bean Tacos
3. Chicken Nuggets with Hidden Sweet Potato
4. One Pan Pesto Chicken and Brown Rice
5. Sheet Pan Garlic Ginger Chicken with Broccoli
6. Ranch Chicken Wraps
7. Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo
8. The Best Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot
9. Instant Pot Butter Chicken
10. Spaghetti with Chicken Sausage
11. Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos with Beans
12. Baked Chicken Tenders
13. Baked Chicken Nuggets
14. Baked Chicken Meatballs
15. Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

TIP: Meatballs and chicken nuggets freeze really well, so they are a good one to double up to save some for later!

Healthy Family Meals with Beef

With iron and protein, beef is a great addition to a family dinner. Plus, most recipes with ground beef or shredded beef are really easy for little kids to chew and eat. Here are some favorite kid-friendly beef recipes.

1. Healthy Meatballs with Hidden Veggies
2. Whole Grain Mini Meatballs with Kale
3. Slow Cooker Beef Burritos with Veggies
4. Zucchini Burgers
5. Skillet Stuffed Peppers
6. Korean Beef Bowls with Carrots
7. Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli
8. Philly Cheesesteak Pasta Skillet
9. Easy Sloppy Joes
10. Easy Shredded Beef
11. Easy Korean Ground Beef with Rice
12. Crockpot Beef Carnitas
13. Meatball Sandwiches
14. Creamy Beef and Shells
15. Easy Pasta with Summer Squash

Healthy Vegetarian Family Dinner Recipes

With plenty of plant-based nutrition, these vegetarian recipes are ideal for busy weeknights—and for satisfying those hungry little people at your table.

1. Easy Thai Green Curry with Veggies
2. Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Hidden Protein
3. 20 Minute Stir Fry Noodles
4. Homemade Broccoli Tots
5. Sheet Pan Black Bean Quesadillas
6. Spinach Quesadillas
7. Sweet Potato Quesadillas
8. Lentil and Veggie Sloppy Joes
9. 20-Minute Kale and Egg Frittata
10. Vegetarian Enchiladas with Butternut Squash
11. Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans
12. 5-Ingredient Curry
13. Broccoli Pesto Pasta
14. Spinach Pesto with Peas
15. Cauliflower Tots
16. Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
17. Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
18. Butternut Squash Risotto
19. Creamy Pasta with Broccoli
20. Broccoli and Cheese Pizza Pockets
21. One Pot Lentils and Rice
22. Refried Bean Roll Ups
23. Easy Teriyaki Shrimp with Rice and Veggies
24. Citrus Shrimp and Noodles
25. Quick Shrimp Tacos

TIP: Find my Master List of Vegetarian Meals for Kids here.

Healthy Family Meals with Fish

Packed with protein and subtle flavor, healthy fish recipes are a great option for family dinner—especially if you’re trying to reduce your meat intake.

1. Wild Salmon Salad
2. Easy Wild Salmon Cakes
3. Easy Teriyaki Shrimp with Rice and Veggies
4. Citrus Shrimp and Noodles
5. Quick Shrimp Tacos
6. Fish Stick Tacos
7. Shrimp Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa
8. Sesame Salmon
9. Panko Fish Nuggets
10. Oven-Baked Fish Sticks
11. Easy Homemade Crab Cakes
12. Shrimp Pad Thai
13. Tortilla Crusted Talapia
14. Lemon Butter Salmon with Pasta
15. Baked Fish and Chips

Healthy Family Dinner Recipes with Pasta

Quick, easy to cook, and available in so many nutritious varieties, pasta is a pantry staple most families can’t (and shouldn’t!) live without. These recipes are some easy ones to share with the kids at the dinner table.

1. Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
2. Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
3. Stovetop Mac and Cheese
4. Avocado Pasta
5. Creamy Pasta with Broccoli
6. Healthy Pasta Salad
7. Easy Marinara Sauce with Extra Veggies
8. Spinach Pesto Pasta with Peas
9. Easy Ratatouille with Pasta
10. 4-Ingredient Sausage Pasta with Broccoli
11. Sausage Pasta with Butternut Squash
12. Spaghetti with Green Beans and Feta
13. Instant Pot Minestrone
14. Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli
15. Lemony Broccoli Pasta
16. Cold Veggie Noodle Bowls with Soy Lime Vinaigrette
17. Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce
18. Instant Pot Taco Pasta
19. 5-Ingredient Spinach Parmesan Pasta
20. Mediterranean Pasta

TIP: A lot of these can be packed up for school lunch the next day!

Kid-Friendly Dinner with Grains

Serve up delicious whole grains to everyone at the table with these easy family recipes built around plant-based goodness.

1. Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
2. Shortcut Butternut Squash Risotto with Brown Rice
3. Coconut Rice
4. Grain Bowls with Peanut Sauce
5. Carrot and Chickpea Skillet over Quinoa or Rice
6. Quick and Easy Fried Rice
7. Stuffed Quinoa Peppers
8. Peanut Chicken Power Bowls
9. Quinoa Fried Rice
10. Tex-Mex Quinoa Salad
11. DIY Grain Bowls
12. Cheesy Rice with Veggies
13. Baked Brown Rice Risotto
14. Italian Lentils and Rice
15. One Pan Brown Rice and Pesto Chicken

Healthy Family Dinner Recipes with Beans

Affordable, versatile, and endlessly easy to customize, making family meals around beans is a great way to serve up protein and fiber—that tastes great! These are some of our go-to family dinners with beans and legumes.

1. Loaded Potato Nachos
2. Veggie Chili Mac
3. Big Batch Veggie Chili
4. Roasted Veggie Tacos with Chickpeas
5. Toddler-Friendly Black Bean Soup
6. Slow Cooker Channa Masala with Carrots
7. Homemade Hummus Sandwiches
8. Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas
9. Slow Cooker Black Bean Tacos
10. Baked Falafel
11. Sheet Pan Black Bean Quesadillas
12. 30-Minute Black Bean Soup
13. Butternut Squash Hummus
14. Instant Pot Chicken and Bean Tacos
15. Vegetarian Quesadillas with Beans and Cheese
16. Easy Taco Roll Ups with Refried Beans
17. Homemade Refried Beans
18. Perfect Pinto Beans
19. Slow Cooker Black Beans
20. Sweet Potato Hummus

Kid-Friendly Meals on a Budget

Feeding a family can cost so much more than we expect—but there are simple ways to keep the grocery budget in check if we’re a little strategic about the ingredients we buy. Here are my go-to inexpensive family dinners that your family will love too.

1. 30 Minute Lentil Soup
2. 30-Minute Black Bean Soup
3. Sweet Potato and Cheese Quesadillas
4. Vegetarian Burritos with Rice and Beans
5. Homemade Refried Beans
6. Vegetarian Quesadillas with Beans and Cheese
7. Sheet Pan Black Bean Quesadillas
8. Easy Taco Roll Ups with Refried Beans
9. Taco Stuffed Potatoes
10. Mediterranean Breakfast Pitas
11. Freezer Ready Mini Pizzas
12. Broccoli and Cheese Pizza Pockets
13. Mini Spinach and Cheese Pizza Rolls
14. Easy Wild Salmon Cakes
15. Healthy Pineapple Fried Rice
16. Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
17. Stovetop Mac and Cheese
18. Creamy Pasta with Broccoli
19. Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
20. Homemade Hummus with Pita
21. Mini Egg Muffins with Veggies and Cheese
22. One Pot Lentils and Rice
23. Skillet Stuffed Peppers
24. Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
25. Greek Pita Pizzas

I’d love to hear about your family’s favorite healthy meals so please chime in below in the comments!

Filder Under:Advice, Cooking Tips, Dinner, Recipes