39 Creative Dinners Your Kids Won’t Know Are Good For Them (2024)

Due to the intense heat circulation that happens in the air fryer, the outside of these chops crisps slightly while the inside stays nice and juicy. 20 minutes later — most of it hands-off time — and it's basically instant dinner.

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With only 5 ingredients these black bean tostadas are the easiest and fastest meal to throw together. You can always add on additional toppings like corn salsa, avocado ranch, or endless crunchy veggies like radishes or pickled red onions, but here we keep things simple.

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In our attempt to copy the P.F. Chang's fan favorite, we flavored ground chicken with hoisin sauce (a fermented bean paste that gives the chicken the quintessential Chinese-American flavor), soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, Sriracha, and sesame oil. Skip the Sriracha if your kids don't like spice.

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Crispy chicken tenders without the deep fryer? YES! These air fryer chicken strips only need 10 minutes to get golden and crispy. The honey mustard dipping sauce can be stirred together during that time to make this a fast, kid-friendly meal.

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If you're trying to cut carbs, you know there are a lot of no-nos in . This version takes out all the trouble ingredients (ahem, PASTA) without sacrificing flavor. The pork rind topping is totally optional, but we think it adds a pleasant crunch.

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Although these shortcut falafel aren’t as crispy as the classic fried variety, they develop a nice golden crust and contain all the key spices. A zippy roasted pepper salad is the perfect foil, and creamy tahini sauce (aka tarator sauce) ties it all together.

Get the Roasted Vegetable Baked Falafel Sandwiches recipe.

Tilapia has a very mild fish taste and is a great way to get your non-fish eaters to love it. We cooked ours in plenty of butter, lemon, and garlic to make it bright and fresh.

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Creamy vegan queso dip and meaty lentils make a satisfying filling while a quick trip in a hot skillet adds crunch to every bite. To make them a little faster, make the lentils up to 4 days ahead, the queso the day before, and prep your lettuce and tomatoes the morning of. When it's time to eat, grab an extra set of little hands to make assembly a snap.

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This creamy pasta is kind of the grown-up version of , but even easier and better. The broccoli is in no way hidden, but it's still a great way to sneak in an extra serving of greens, and even the pickiest of eaters will eat their vegetables if they are coated in cheese.

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Because these are made of slightly healthier sweet potatoes, you can go a little wilder with the sauce and toppings. Serve your gnocchi either boiled or seared, in a caramelized sauce of bacon fat, butter, maple syrup (skip the bourbon for kids) or in a simple cacio e pepe finish like in this potato gnocchi recipe.

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Kids love burgers, no doubt about it, but us adults know that perhaps a burger isn't the best everyday choice. Enter the turkey burger. This easy recipe hits all of the key flavor points and satisfies even the most discerning of kids. Serve with oven-baked fries for a real fast-food-style treat.

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OK, fine. There's not actually any ziti in this recipe. But your kids honestly won't even notice. The roasted cauliflower does a solid job of replacing the pasta.

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Tofu gets a bad rap for being flavorless, boring, and at times undesirably rubbery—but the hate is SO undeserved. We tried a number of different methods to get the most crispy and flavorful tofu possible here—try them all to see which is your favorite.

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Healthier ground turkey recipes have a bad rep for being bland and boring. But this meatloaf is LOADED with flavor. How? Worcestershire garlic, rosemary, and thyme. The herbs are our favorite part. We love rosemary and thyme but you can fee free to add any you and your family prefer.

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This fried chicken has all the flavor of the original, without the mess of frying! Your family will freak over the Dijon, barbecue sauce, mayonnaise, and honey sauce too.

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Kids LOVE zucchini noodles. These are one of our favorite iterations, topped with all our favorite burrito toppings. Your kids will slurp these down in no time.

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This is possibly our favorite use of cauliflower as a culinary master of disguise. Top this with your kid's favorite pizza toppings!

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These chickpea based meatballs pack tons of flavor, come together quickly, and even provide a good amount of protein and fiber. Once baked, these balls have a near-perfect texture—your kids won't know they're not meat!

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Our chili takes only 40 minutes to make, and can be jazzed up with as many toppings as you like. Kids love being able to pick and choose what THEY like, so set up a DIY toppings bar for this chili. Bonus? It tastes even better next day!

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Enjoy the perfect combination of cheesy and beefy goodness with these unreal tacos. We promise you'll be so obsessed with this zesty, flavorful filling, you'll want to eat it with a spoon. Use whatever ground beef you like best. We usually go with 80% lean 20% fat.

Get the Cheesy Ground Beef Tacos recipe.