Family Dinner

Dinner never seemed so fun!

Lately by the end of the week, I have absolutely zero energy to cook. That’s when I lean on dinners with the fewest possible ingredients and the smartest grocery-store shortcuts. Some rely on ready-made items like salad dressing or a bag of coleslaw mix, while others start with pre-prepped produce to save time. Whatever helps get dinner on the table.

A big casserole dish filled with baked pasta is the easiest (and tastiest) way to feed all of your family and friends.

One thing I always keep stashed in my fridge: a pack (or two) of chicken sausage. I consider it my in-case-of-emergency dinner solution. May I suggest you do the same? Partnered with a few items from the pantry or the freezer, it’s a super-handy ingredient for easy weeknight dinners. It also comes in a ton of different flavors — spicy andouille, Italian herb, apple-chardonnay, and pesto, to name a few.

On our sister site, The Kitchn, the most popular recipe of 2024 by far was Kelli Foster’s classic lasagna. (Kelli is The Kitchn’s official Dinner Therapist and the person behind some of our most beloved recipes like Tuscan Chicken and our Best-Ever French Toast.)  I’m not usually a lasagna girl (I wasn’t even when everyone else was in 2020!). They take forever, and I’m never that impressed. Baked ziti? So much easier, just as good.

It’s barely bread-making.

You might even find a new favorite meal.

You don't need meat to keep everyone well-fed and happy.

Rotisserie chicken is a weeknight hero, riding in to save the day by helping you make quick work of dinner. The pre-cooked, pre-seasoned chicken can be added to soups, pastas, rice dishes, and more to create delicious, protein-based dinners with ease.This snapshot will give you five quick chicken dinners that are guaranteed to become instant family favorites. The chicken: Each recipe uses half of a rotisserie chicken (about 14 ounces), which equals 1 1/2 to 2 cups shredded meat.

They make weeknights so much easier.

Summer has given way to fall, and gone are the long days, trips to the beach, and perfectly ripe heirloom tomatoes at the farmers market. But there are some pretty great things about fall as well — there’s pumpkin, for example, not to mention all the apples, hearty greens, and root vegetables that start showing up at the market.

My 12-inch cast iron skillet is my very best friend in the kitchen and a close second is its 12-inch stainless steel counterpart. Both pans cook more meals than any others thanks to their ability to go from stovetop to oven and sometimes to the table to serve. In general, one pan meals are ideal for weeknight cooking; they make dinner possible on busy nights and they cut down on dishwashing.

It’s great on everything from pasta to sandwiches to fries.

Make your cleanup so easy.

These are perfect for lazy nights.

It’s the only potato salad I’ll eat.

They’re always the first dish gone.

Plus, they only get better as they sit.

Let's talk about how amazing this pasta is.

“The undisputed champion of hot dogs.”

I’ve been cooking family dinner for several years now, and despite a rigorous meal planning routine I still find there are days (or weeks) where I just can’t figure out what to feed my family. Here are 40 of our favorite family meals — a list that includes everything from classic beef chili and chicken parmesan to broccoli cheddar orzo — that you can pin, bookmark, or save for those nights when you need a dinner recipe that the whole family will love.

Family favorites for a cozy dinner.

From easy recipes to store-bought favorites, these dips might actually be magic.

It’s never tasted better.

Step away from the stove.

It’s worth the membership alone.

Creamy gazpacho, loaded salads, and more.

Here's your playbook for feeding a crowd without heating up the kitchen.

Punchy flavor in every bite.

It's great on everything.

It’s ready in 10 minutes.

It’s a winner.

Super flavorful and minimal cleanup!

Some days are more balanced than others, and that’s perfectly fine!

I’ve made it too many times to count.

It adds a ton of extra flavor.

All the flavor with half the effort!

Turns out, it’s a shape thing, and your kids will approve.

I'll never prep it another way.

It’s the easiest dinner ever.

Saucy noodles, hearty rice bowls, juicy burgers, and more.

It’s a game-changer.

Superhero night is about to become a regular thing.

Mayo + mustard = magical

You’ll never heat pizza another way.

It’s creamy without a drop of cream.

It’s a miracle.

Ready in just 30 minutes.

And how it transformed our dinners into something surprisingly simple.

Stop wasting all those eggs and flour.

Meals your kids will (hopefully, probably!) eat.

Our readers have spoken!

Skip the possibility of takeout.

It's one of the easiest ways I know to get a veggie-packed dinner on the table.

Turn it into a brand new meal.

I still remember the sweet sense of victory I felt when I cooked one dinner that my whole family — including my toddler — adored and gobbled up. I’m still new to this, but have learned that feeding toddlers is tricky business that requires patience, understanding, creativity, and persistence. These days I put my meal-planning efforts into building a roster of easy dinners that my whole family enjoys.

I have a personal rule when it comes to my kids: I always say yes when they ask to help with cooking. This doesn’t mean I’m inviting them to cook every meal with me, but when they ask I always oblige. Cooking with kids sometimes that means dinner takes 10, 15, even 20 minutes longer to get on the table, but we always learn something — even if it’s just to make sure the lid is tightly sealed on the paprika.

The secret is out.

It’s a revelation.

It makes a huge difference.