Weeknight dinners
Easy dinners for tired parents
Some nights you have real cooking in you. Most weeknights with little kids, you don't. These are 24 dinners sorted by how much you have left, not by cuisine, and every one is three steps.
Running on fumes About twenty minutes Real cooking Running on fumes About ten minutes, barely cooking. Nobody will remember that dinner was toast.
Breakfast for dinner 10 min Scramble a few eggs low and slow Toast, butter, and whatever fruit is in the house Milk in cups. Done. Make this tonight
Cheese and bean quesadillas 10 min Tortilla, cheese, a spoon of beans, fold it Pan on medium, two or three minutes a side Cut into triangles, salsa for you, apple slices for them Make this tonight
Snack plate dinner 5 min Cheese, crackers, deli turkey Cucumber, carrots, grapes Put it on one big board and let them pick Make this tonight
Rotisserie chicken night 10 min Pull the chicken into pieces Bagged salad for the grown-ups, bread and butter for everyone Frozen peas in the microwave for three minutes Make this tonight
Frozen pizza and cut veggies 15 min Oven on, pizza in when it beeps Cut carrots and peppers while it bakes Veggies go on the plate first Make this tonight
PB&J picnic on the floor 5 min Sandwiches cut into squares Yogurt cups and baby carrots Blanket on the living room floor. It's a picnic now. Make this tonight
Leftovers buffet 10 min Everything in the fridge that's still good Heat it all and line it up on the counter Everyone takes a little of two things Make this tonight
Toast with toppings 10 min A stack of toast Butter, peanut butter, cheese, sliced banana Scrambled egg on the side if you've got two more minutes Make this tonight About twenty minutes One pot or one pan, and the kids can help with most of these.
Butter noodles with peas 20 min Boil pasta, add frozen peas for the last two minutes Drain, butter, a big handful of parmesan Rotisserie chicken or a fried egg on top if you have it Make this tonight
Tacos 20 min Brown ground beef or warm a can of black beans with taco seasoning Shred cheese, cut lettuce and tomatoes Build-your-own at the table Make this tonight
Egg fried rice 20 min Leftover or microwave rice, frozen mixed veggies Hot pan, oil, veggies, then rice Push aside, scramble two eggs, stir in soy sauce Make this tonight
Grilled cheese and tomato soup 15 min Heat a carton of tomato soup Butter the bread outside, cheese inside, medium pan Cut the sandwiches into strips for dipping Make this tonight
Oven nuggets, corn and apples 20 min Oven on, nuggets on a sheet pan Frozen corn in the microwave with butter Slice apples while the timer runs Make this tonight
Ramen with egg and spinach 15 min Noodles in boiling water, toss half the flavor packet Crack in an egg and stir, add a handful of spinach Kids get theirs a little cooler, with the noodles cut Make this tonight
Baked potato bar 20 min Poke potatoes, microwave eight to ten minutes Butter, cheese, broccoli, leftover chili if you have it Everyone builds their own Make this tonight
Pita pizzas 20 min Pitas on a sheet pan, sauce and cheese Kids add their own toppings 425 for about eight minutes Make this tonight Real cooking Around half an hour, for the nights you've got a little more in you. Start these early.
Sheet pan chicken and potatoes 35 min Cut potatoes and carrots small, toss with oil and salt Chicken thighs on the same pan, 425 for 30 minutes Squeeze of lemon at the end Make this tonight
Spaghetti and meatballs 30 min Frozen meatballs into a pot of jarred sauce Boil spaghetti Garlic bread under the broiler for two minutes Make this tonight
Burgers and oven fries 35 min Frozen fries in the oven first Form small patties, salt, hot pan four minutes a side Cheese on at the end, buns toasted Make this tonight
Salmon, rice and broccoli 30 min Rice going first Salmon on foil, oil, salt, 400 for 12 to 15 minutes Broccoli steamed in the microwave, butter and salt Make this tonight
Quick chili 35 min Brown ground beef with an onion Canned tomatoes, two cans of beans, chili powder, simmer 20 minutes Cheese, sour cream and chips on the table Make this tonight
Chicken stir fry 30 min Rice going first Cut chicken small, hot pan, cook through Frozen stir fry veggies, soy sauce, a little honey Make this tonight
Homemade mac and cheese 30 min Boil elbows Butter, a spoon of flour, milk, stir until thick A lot of cheddar, then the pasta and some peas Make this tonight
Taco bowls 35 min Rice going first Seasoned beef or chicken, black beans, corn Bowls with cheese, lettuce, salsa, avocado Make this tonight Handy to have A rimmed sheet pan Most of the real-cooking dinners here are one pan and one timer. Find one A rice cooker Push a button at 5 and the rice is ready whenever dinner is. Find one Divided kid plates Nothing touching, which settles about half of all dinner arguments. Find one A big wooden board Snack plate dinner looks like a plan when it's on a board. Find one As an Amazon Associate, Nightlight earns from qualifying purchases. You don't need any of it.
Pick the dinner, and Nightlight counts the rest of the evening backward from lights out: when to start cooking, when to eat, bath, teeth, books. If you're running late, it tells you what to skip.
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