Fast Family Dinners When You're Out Of Time
When the kids are hungry, tired, and demanding dinner this instant, parents can feel especially stretched thin. That's why, as a working parent, you need to have quick and easy dinners in your back pocket, ready to go at a moment's notice. These easy meal ideas are practical, flavorful, and simple enough for busy nights when patience is running low. Here are 20 meals to get you inspired and back on your feet for the kids.
1. Rotisserie Chicken Quesadillas
One of the biggest cooking lifesavers for busy parents is a store-bought rotisserie chicken. And when you combine that with a quick recipe like quesadillas, you can figure out dinner in no time. All you need to do is shred the chicken, tuck it into tortillas with cheese and whatever other toppings you have on hand, and voila. Your kids will have a delicious meal ready in no time.
2. One-Pan Sausage and Veggies
One-pan meals keep things neat and tidy, and every busy parent loves a recipe where the steps are essentially "throw everything into the pan." For something like sausage and veggies, just grab whatever you have in the fridge, slice them up, and then season them with plenty of seasoning to give it flavor without complicating things.
3. Breakfast-for-Dinner Scramble
Seriously, no one ever said breakfast was only built for mornings! When you're in a rush, scrambled eggs can come in clutch because they cook so quickly. To make them a more filling meal, toss in some cheese, diced meat, spinach, and other leftover vegetables for a hearty meal. You can serve it with toast or hash browns on the side, or even rice would compliment the dish well!
4. Turkey Taco Rice Bowls
Taco bowls look complicated, but really, they're just a mish mash of different ingredients thrown into a bowl. Ground turkey already cooks in minutes, and when sprinkled with taco seasoning, create the perfect protein for your dish. Just spoon it over rice with toppings like shredded lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and corn, and you're all done.
5. Creamy Tomato Tortellini
Always keep some refrigerated goodies at the ready for those days when you simply can't be bothered. Something like premade tortellini is perfect because it cooks much faster than dried pasta, and feels like you put more effort into the dish than you did. Just warm up some store-bought sauce with a splash of cream, and a handful of spinach if you want some greens.
6. Sheet Pan Chicken Nachos
Nachos can be a surprisingly filling meal, especially when you add loads of goodies. To make sure this dish satisfies, top tortilla chips with plenty of shredded chicken, cheese, black beans, and corn. Bake them in a sheet pan for maxium hassle-free ease, then add fresh toppings like diced tomatoes and sour cream when done.
7. Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
For something so fancy sounding, you'll be surprised by how easy this pasta dish can be to make! It's all thanks to shrimp cooking so incredibly quickly; you just need to sauté them with butter, garlic, and a little lemon juice, then toss it with cooked spaghetti or linguine. Add peas or broccoli if you want a vegetable in the mix!
8. Mini Pita Pizzas
Homemade pizzas make for a fun and tasty dinner treat, but prepping the dough is far too much of a hassle. Instead, use pita bread as a sturdy base that works just as well for fast personal pizzas. Let the kids add the sauce and choose their toppings before baking them for a simple and surprisingly speedy dinner.
9. Chicken Caesar Wraps
Another great way to use a rotisserie chicken, just chop them up into bite-sized pieces, mix them with romaine lettuce, Caesar dressing, and Parmesan, and dinner is ready to be served. Wrapping them up in a tortilla makes it great for a handheld weeknight meal.
10. Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes
Kids can be quite finicky, which is why delicious yet easy-to-make recipes are so important to have on hand when you're feeling especially worn out. Something like cheeseburger sloppy joes are a great example! Just brown some ground beef, stir in ketchup, mustard, a little Worcestershire sauce, and shredded cheddar, then spoon onto buns. The flavor is familiar, kid-friendly, and faster than shaping patties for burgers.
11. Fried Rice with Frozen Vegetables
Fried rice is the ultimate "I have no time" kind of meal that still fills up the kids and keeps them happy. Leftover rice is ideal, but even if you didn't prep, microwaveable rice can definitely suffice. It's always a good idea to keep frozen veggies on hand just for this, and once you mix in some eggs, diced meat, and soy sauce, dinner is complete.
12. BBQ Chicken Baked Potatoes
Don't forget your microwave can be powerful tool when you're in a rush. Just microwave some large potatoes until tender before splitting them open and adding on some shredded chicken mixed with barbecue sauce. Once hot and ready for eating, you can add on some cheese, green onions, sour cream, and other toppings to make it a full dinner.
13. Pesto Pasta with Chicken
Pasta is one of the easiest, most reliable dinners you can make on a weeknight. There are so many different kinds to make, such as this pesto pasta which you can just buy the sauce from the store! Toss in your cooked pasta with the pesto, some cooked chicken, and cherry tomatoes or steamed green beans, and you're all set.
14. Bean and Cheese Burritos
Canned goodies can really come to your aid in moments like these. Just take some canned refried beans and shredded cheese, spread them on a tortilla, and warm them up in a pan or oven. Serve them with salsa and sour cream and some rice on the side for a simple meal that still delivers.
15. Chicken Noodle Soup Shortcut
It might not be your mom's recipe, but when you're in a pinch, it'll do wonders. Start with boxed broth, then add shredded rotisserie chicken, frozen vegetables, and quick-cooking noodles. Simmer everything until the noodles are tender, and season it with salt, pepper, and a little parsley if you have it. That's it!
16. Ham and Cheese Melts
Sometimes, it's best to just stick with the classics. You can never go wrong with the combination of ham and cheese, and when you layer them on bread with mustard and mayo before heating them so the cheese melts, it hits every time. You can pair it with a quick salad, soup, or cooked veggies on the side to make it more complete.
17. Teriyaki Chicken Stir-Fry
Stir-fries are essentially just tossing all of your ingredients into a pan with some sauce, which is exactly the kind of low-energy cooking you're probably looking for. Frozen veggies will do great in this scenario, and bottled teriyaki sauce gives you all the flavor you need. Just add in some protein of your choice, and when done, serve over some hot rice.
18. Tuna Pasta Skillet
Canned tuna can become a fast, budget-friendly dinner when mixed with pasta and a simple sauce. Stir it into cooked noodles with a little butter, cream cheese, peas, and a splash of pasta water until everything turns creamy. It’s mild, filling, and most importantly, quick to make.
19. Chicken and Cheese Taquitos
Another delightfully quick option, to make chicken and cheese taquitos, you really just need to fill small tortillas with shredded chicken and cheese before rolling them tightly to bake in the oven. The more important part is the sauces, like guacamole, salsa, and sour cream, which you can easily buy from the grocery store for no hassle.
20. Ravioli with Brown Butter and Peas
Frozen or refrigerated ravioli cooks quickly and feels a little more special than plain pasta. It's an easy way to trick your kids into thinking you worked really hard on dinner! While it boils, just melt butter in a skillet until it turns lightly golden, then add peas and toss in the cooked ravioli. Easy peasy, yet so delicious.
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