Quick Kid-Friendly Dinner Recipes the Entire Family Will Love

In the amount of time it takes to cook spaghetti, you can whip up a delicious homemade marinara sauce to go on top. Simmering the sauce with sprigs of fresh basil gives it wonderful flavor. And you can add more—or not—before serving, depending on diners' tastes.

The familiar, cozy, easy grilled cheese sandwich is a perfect kid-friendly meal that everyone will love. Slathering the bread with a combo of butter and mayonnaise ensures rich buttery flavor and an uber-crisp exterior.

Busy cooks will adore this recipe: You cook the penne and the broccoli in the same pot (just give the pasta a 5-minute head start). When both are al dente, toss with garlic, oil, lemon zest, and juice some grated cheese.

Is it breakfast? Is it dinner? Does it matter? These savory pancakes are downright delicious.

This recipe for crowd-pleasing chicken fajitas has a smart trick for streamlining the cooking process. While fajitas are usually prepared one at a time on a very hot griddle in stages (first meat, then veggies), this recipe has you cook everything at the same time on one pan in the oven.

A 15-minute, kid-friendly dinner? Yes, please! Even better, this meal is healthy, convenient, and interactive—everyone gets to DIY their own hand roll.

Here's another recipe where a pot of boiling water does double duty, cooking fresh peas, arugula, and gnocchi all at once. A touch of cream and Parmesan creates a rich sauce, while jammy soft-cooked eggs serve as the perfect finishing touch—though you can certainly cook them however your eaters like them.

Tropical Hawaii inspired our grilled pineapple-glazed pork and bell-pepper skewers. They're fantastic served alongside rice that's been embellished with chunks of pineapple, scallions, and ginger.

These ingenious preassembled burritos are money in the bank. Fill tortillas with sautéed garlic and beans, cooked rice, cheese, and any shredded meat and veggies you like. Then roll up and freeze until you're ready to microwave or bake for near-instant gratification.

Our ultimate mac and cheese relies on three different kinds of cheese—American, cheddar, and Parmesan. For easier grating, put the block of cheese in the freezer for five minutes first.

Crispy noodles, chicken, and vegetables stir-fried in a flavorful brown sauce is an easy weeknight dinner. You can even make the sauce and chop the chicken and vegetables ahead of time to make it even speedier.

Ground beef, pinto beans, and tomatoes spiced with chili powder bubble under a crunchy, gooey topping of tortilla chips and two cheeses in this quick and easy, kid-friendly casserole.