150 Easy & Delicious School Night Dinner Ideas (GF + AF Options)

Today we’re going to take a look at fantastic school night dinner ideas that you can tap into on busy weeknights, and add to your weekly rotation. Now, I will be sharing gluten free and allergy friendly school night dinner ideas, however, don’t let that stop you. Busy families without dietary restrictions can still enjoy all of these easy weeknight dinners.

I repeat, everything I’m sharing is super versatile, and can be made with or without major allergens, so keep on reading. Be sure to use the TOC below to jump around to different dinner idea categories, as this is a long read.

Here’s the wild bit: since this article contains 150 ideas, you could rotate through them all and be covered for most of the school year. So, print this bad boy off, or bookmark it for later so you don’t have to think about what’s for dinner.

If you manage food allergies, sign up for my free 100 Days of Free-From Dinners. Each Sunday, I’ll send you a list of dinners for the week along with recipes where applicable, swap notes, batch cook notes, and more.

Table of Contents

Need Easy Lunch Ideas? Check out these helpful articles:

School Night Dinner Ideas for Families with Toddlers & Big Kids

When it comes to serving something for your whole family, especially when you have a mix of kids of all ages, my personal philosophy is to keep is simple, and to let people customize where possible.

If you’ve never served a dinner family style, where each component is on a dish and people take what they’d like, give it a try. Sometimes, this can make it easier when compared to pre-loading a plate for each person.

This style also makes meals easier in a sense because you have containers of this and that, all sitting out, and when dinner is done, you put the lids on and pop them in the fridge. The one tip I’ll give you is this (especially for picky eaters): make sure you use clear containers that allow your kids to see the food from their height at the table. If they can’t SEE it, it “doesn’t count” as a food exposure.

If you have a Costco in your area, check out their fresh ravioli section. For people who don’t manage food allergies, these types of convenience products can be a real life saver. I often kept their organic stuffed pasta in the fridge for my kids who could eat it.

Now, here are some fantastic school night dinner ideas you can put together pretty quickly on busy weeknights:

BBQ Meatballs & Pasta

There are a couple of ways to create this meal. However, since I have a severe corn allergy, I don’t purchase BBQ sauce and make custom blends. If you have a sauce you enjoy, you could use that as the foundation of your pasta sauce. In my case, here’s what this looks like.

I season up a couple of pounds (900g) of a ground meat with BBQ leaning spices (smoked paprika, ancho, onion, chili, garlic, ACV, etc.). Shape meatballs and bake them in the oven. Next, I get the pasta going, and that’s just boil, drain, and set aside.

Finally, in a large pot, I make a batch of something resembling BBQ sauce: tomato sauce + tomato paste + ACV + organic maple syrup + onion + garlic + ground mustard, etc. I’ll mix up the sauce ingredients then let that simmer whilst everything else is going.

Once the meatballs are done (use an instant read meat thermometer to confirm), I add them to the sauce pot, and when the pasta is done and drained, it goes to the sauce pot as well. Mix it all up and you’ve got meatballs and pasta.

You can take this technique and make any flavour combination that sounds tasty to you.

Build Your Own Bean Dip

This is an easy, straight forward dinner. Pull out containers of store bought items (salsa, guacamole, shredded cheese, etc.) and put them on the table. Warm tortillas and add those as well.

In a skillet, cook onion and bell pepper together for 5 – 10 minutes, then add ground meat. Season well with salt and spices. Whilst that cooks, heat refried beans. Now, you have all the components of a tasty bean dip.

Each person can add the parts they enjoy, and have a big bag of chips available for everyone to share.

Build Your Own Burger Bowls

I hear bowls are the new casserole, and I’m not mad about it. Here’s an example of a burger bow (from top to bottom of bowl):

Sauce/Condiment
Cooked + Chopped Burger Patties
Caramelized Onions
Diced Tomatoes
Chopped Romaine Lettuce
Tater Tots

You can take this concept and run with it. Just think, make burgers, but skip the bun and put it in a bowl with fries or tots (potato or sweet potato).

Build Your Own Burritos

These can be really fun to make with little kids, and this type of build your own helps them expand over time. For some, they start with just a tortilla and cheese, but over the course of a year of exposures, you’ll see your kids try some beans, meat, salsa, sour cream, and so on.

To create your set up, season ground meat, or meat strips, or meat cubes. It can be any kind of seasoning. On the side, have little bowls of different ingredients including refried beans or whole drained beans, shredded vegetables, shredded meat, rice (plain or seasoned), and anything else you like in a burrito.

Bonus points if you have cute novelty serving spoons to encourage little ones to give things a go.

Build Your Own Tacos

This is pretty straight forward. Season ground meat with taco seasoning, and put it in a serving dish. Personally, I put it in a glass container that I use for food storage. When dinner is done, I just put the lid on and it goes straight to the fridge.

Serve alongside tortillas or taco shells and a range of toppings your whole family enjoys. For us, that’s salsa, tomatoes, guacamole, shredded cheese, sour cream, pepper jelly, slaw, and caramelized onions. I try to make sure there are toppings each person enjoys, and I have yet to hear any complaints.

Easy Orange Chicken

There are so many ways to make orange chicken, but here’s a really easy one. Season cubed chicken with salt, onion, ginger, and maple. Cook until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165f/74c.

In a small pot, combine orange juice and a milk of choice. You can add spices such as ginger or black pepper. Heat, then stir in an arrowroot slurry or cornstarch slurry to thicken. Now you have a thick sweet sauce to coat the chicken in.

Serve this over a starch of choice alongside produce. From start to finish, as long as you cook the sauce and chicken at the same time, you’re looking at about a 20 minute cook time. You can always jazz this up by adding bell pepper, other aromatics, and a range of spices.

Easy Taco Pasta

I love making the meal for my kids on busy weeknights. Here’s what I do:

Get your pasta water salted and boiling, then cook and drain (whilst you cook the meat so it all finishes at the same time). Whilst pasta cooks, heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add a cooking fat/oil of choice and brown diced onions. Cook those for about 5 minutes, then add your ground meat (any). Add taco seasoning and salt. Break the meat into small pieces as it cooks which will distribute the salt and spices.

Crack open a can of pinto beans or black beans. Drain, and add to the meat once it’s half way cooked. Continue to cook. When the meat is done, turn the heat off. For the pasta sauce, I use guacamole thinned out with dairy free milk since I have a kiddo with a milk allergy.

The guacamole will naturally bring in more flavour. If you don’t have guac, you can use blended avocados with milk and spices.

Oven Baked Chicken Tenders

Remember shake and bake from our childhood? That’s essentially what this is. At most grocery stores, you can purchase a package of just the chicken tenders. Get that (I get this item at Costco, and the organic version is a good price).

In a large freezer baggie, add salt, spices, and breadcrumbs. Mix that up well, then add the chicken tenders to the bag. Give it a good shake to evenly coat the chicken tenders (this a great job for a child to help with.

Transfer. the contents (including extra seasonings from the baggie because why not) to a large baking tray covered with parchment paper. Bake at 425f/218c. Start with 18 minutes, then use your meat thermometer to check the chicken. Your chicken tenders are ready when the internal temperature is 165f/74c. Serve with any starch and produce you enjoy.

Chicken & Waffles

Making chicken and waffles can be a lot of fun because there are so many different flavour combinations. However, we’re not here for that. Instead, we’re here for the quick option.

On a weekend, plan ahead to double or triple batch waffles so you can freeze the leftovers. On chicken and waffle night, make something like these super easy chicken meatballs, and heat a waffle from frozen from your stash.

Now you’ve got chicken and waffles:) Serve with a side of fresh produce and you’re golden.

Clean out the Fridge Fried Rice

This is as easy as it sounds. If you manage a rice-eating family like me, here’s the plan. On Monday or Tuesday, make a big pot of rice and use some for dinner that night. You can use leftover rice here and there as well. Then, for dinner on Thursday night, you’ll have the leftover rice ready to go. Grab all of veggies from your fridge that haven’t been eaten yet for the week (or frozen vegetables if needed) and cook those up. Be sure to add a diced onion for flavour.

Add the rice, some kind of leftover protein, and scramble a few eggs. Mix it all together and you’ve got a dinner that reduces food waste, but still tastes amazing.

Pot Sticker Rice

You know the filling of a pot sticker is BOMB and you could kind of live without the outer bit? That’s what this dinner is all about. Get your rice cooker going (or even make pasta or a different starch all together).

In a large skillet, heat a cooking fat/oil of choice on medium-high heat. Add shredded carrot and small diced onion. Cook and mix and allow that to brown a bit. Add ground pork, smoked salt, and spices you enjoy in your pot stickers. Break down the pork as it cooks and mix in the vegetables. When the pork has cooked all the way through, it’s ready to go.

When I make this, I usually use onion granules, garlic granules, ginger, chopped dates and mushroom powder. Due to dietary restrictions, we can’t use soy sauce, however, you could use soy sauce or coconut aminos in your blend to create something closer to what you’ll find in restaurants.

Slow Cooker School Night Dinner Ideas

When it comes to making easy weeknight meals, you should absolutely lean into your slow cooker (and pressure cooker), especially when back to school season hits. Not only can your slow cooker whip up amazing meals (due to the long cook time), but you can also pull out your family favorite fall and winer recipes since the timing is right.

Whilst I’m more team pressure cooker than slow cooker, they absolutely have their place in the world, and here are just a few tasty ideas you can try:

Slow Cooker Bean & Corn Soup
Slow Cooker Beef Fajitas or Chicken Fajitas
Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Slow Cooker Chili
Slow Cooker Curry (can make this with any protein)
Slow Cooker Lamb Roast
Slow Cooker Pineapple Pork
Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken
Slow Cooker Spiced Lentil Soup
Slow Cooker White Bean Chili

Since there are thousands of websites and cookbooks on the topic of slow cooking, I’ll let you take these ideas and look up a recipe that sounds like something your family will enjoy.

Easy Dinner Ideas: Pressure Cooker Meals

Personally, this is one of my favorite ways to get a delicious dinner served up fast. When my kids were school aged, I used my pressure cooker (and later an Instant Pot) at least twice a week. The nice thing is, there are elevendybajillion Instant Pot recipes online. With that in mind, here are just a few delicious dinner ideas you can make in you IP or pressure cooker:

Classic Pork & Beans (pork cubes, white beans or pinto beans, tomato sauce, organic maple sugar or maple syrup, paprika, liquid smoke, crushed tomatoes, salt, spices)
Chicken & Cabbage Soup/Stew (boneless chicken thigh, large diced cabbage, onion, carrots, salt, spices, optional white beans)
Italian Chicken & Tomatoes (boneless chicken thigh, diced onion, Italian seasoning, white beans, crushed tomatoes, salt, spices)
Maple Curry Shredded Pork (pork cubes, chickpeas, sliced carrots, maple sugar, salt, spices)
Salsa Chicken (chicken thigh, black beans, diced onion, salsa, salt, spices)
Peach & Chicken BBQ Stew (cubed chicken, sliced onion, frozen peaches, sliced carrots, tomato sauce, salt, spices)
Pork & Bean Stew (pork cubes, bean of choice, diced onion, diced bell peppers, diced potatoes)
Spicy Korean Shredded Beef (beef cubes, gochujang, orange juice, sliced bell peppers, sliced onions)
Vegetable Soup (potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, sliced greens, white beans)

Remember, you can mess about with the different liquids you use to alter the flavour profile. Also, for my gluten free readers, a word of warning. I’ve been told that cooking gluten free pasta in an Instant Pot can clog the release valve. This isn’t something I’ve personally tested, but I’ve heard it enough times that I like to tell people to be cautious.

Great Ways to Use Organic Hot Dogs

When most people think of a healthy meal, they don’t think about hot dogs, and that’s fair. However, if you opt for organic hotdogs that are minimally processed, and pair them with a range of produce, I think you can honestly build a healthy dinner. So, with that in mind, here are some great ways you can tap into hot dogs without feeling like you’re loading up on heavily processed foods.

One of my kids was obsessed with hotdogs growing up, so I regularly purchased these organic hot dogs for him. For my child allergic to beef, I purchased organic chicken hotdogs, or these organic turkey hot dogs, that way my kids could eat similar meals together.

Here are just a few fun ways I served up hot dogs to them. Mind you, hot dogs essentially took the place of the protein I’d regularly use.

Creamy Hot Dog Pasta (think creamy ground chicken pasta, but hot dogs)
BBQ Hot Dog Pasta (this is a play on shredded BBQ chicken pasta, I made a custom BBQ sauce, then tossed with cooked pasta and chopped hot dogs)
Hot Dog Salad (slice and pan sear hot dogs, then use as a part of a loaded salad with a bunch of other toppings)
Hot Dog Soup (chopped carrots, diced onions, chicken hot dogs, chicken broth)
Spicy Hot Dog Wraps (chop hot dogs, cook in a skillet with onion, sliced carrots, and heat-bringing spices, pop that on a tortilla/wrap with lettuce and diced tomatoes or salsa)

School Night Dinner Ideas for Families with Lots of Extracurricular Activities

As a mom who had to take kids all over the place for different extracurricular activities, I’ve put together these ideas because they:

Taste Amazing
Are Easy to Make
Travel Well

Focus on that third point. Depending on the age of your kiddos, you may find yourself driving one kid to something whilst they eat in the car and everyone else is eating at home. I actually made it a point to keep a big stack of containers similar to these (I’d buy them at a local restaurant supply store) in the house at all times with disposable cutlery. My kids ate on the go a LOT.

To travel well, a recipe can’t be super loose/watery/runny, and it should also be something that doesn’t need to be cut with a fork and knife. Now, here’s a list of dinner ideas that can hit the road, and notes on how to make them:

Breakfast for Dinner

Smoothies, pancakes, waffles, and homemade breakfast sausages all travel SOOOO well. Breakfast for dinner was always a hit with my kids on busy weeknights. To make this even easier, you can double batch recipes your whole family loves on the weekends, then pull breakfast items from the freezer and reheat them. Talk about an easy dinner.

Breakfast Rice

To have breakfast rice ready go quickly, have your rice already cooked, or use leftover rice from the fridge. I usually use:

Organic Sushi Rice
Organic Eggs
Uncured Bacon
Shallot
Diced Tomatoes or Halved Cherry Tomatoes or Diced Bell Pepper

Cook the shallot and bell pepper or tomatoes in butter (or a cooking fat/oil of choice). Add chopped bacon and when the bacon is about 2/3 cooked, add whisked eggs. Mix everything together and cook it like you’re scrambling eggs. When the eggs are 80% cooked, add all of your rice and a little milk of choice to create a creamy texture.

As soon as the eggs are done, you’re ready to roll. I tend to season this with black pepper and marjoram.

Chicken & Mushroom Ragu

You can make ragu from any combination of vegetables and meat. The key in this case is to make sure your sauce is thick enough that it travels well. Serve your ragu over rice, pasta, quinoa, mashed potatoes, or any other starch your whole family enjoys.

My kids love eating ragu with grain free chips for dipping.

Creamy Avocado Pasta

Not all pasta sauces will travel well, but this one will because it’s on the thicker side. In your blender, combine avocados, milk of choice, smoked salt, a couple drops of liquid smoke, onion granules, and ancho chili (delivers a very, very mild heat).

Cook the pasta in salted water, drain, then add the blender contents to your pasta pot. Heat, then add the pasta back in and toss well to coat. That’s it. You can boost the protein content by adding something like uncured bacon bits, or some kind of ground meat leftovers from your fridge.

Creamy Rice & Vegetables

This is pretty easy to make. You do need to have rice (or quinoa) available. It can be fresh, or leftovers from the fridge. Dice up any combination of vegetables your family enjoys. You can also use frozen veggies. Get them in a large skillet and cook.

Next, add milk of choice (a lot), along with an arrowroot slurry or cornstarch slurry to thicken. Finally, add the rice to the pan and mix it all up together. That’s a basic creamy rice with vegetables.

You’ll want to add salt and spices to avoid having a bland dinner.

French Bread Pizza

This is super straight forward. Pop frozen veg on a sheet pan and oven roast. Whilst that’s going, spread French bread with tomato paste. Sprinkle Italian seasoning all over (or a custom pizza spic blend [yup, I had one of those when my kids were growing up]).

Top with cheese and any favorite toppings your whole family enjoys. The nice thing is, you can cut the bread into portions for each person, and then the toppings can be just for them. This travels super well, just don’t forget to pack extra napkins.

Ham and Cheese Melts

This is basically a grilled cheese sandwich with ham in the middle. You can use a store bought lunchmeat or a homemade thin meat (yeah… I had a phase where I made “deli” meat at home for my kids).

Don’t forget to add a little seasoning to the bread after you butter it if you really want a pop of flavour. Serve with a side of cucumbers + dip for a refreshing element

Honey Mustard Bacon Pasta

First, get your salted pasta water going so everything finishes at the same time. In a large skillet, cook chopped bacon and onions together. You don’t need a cooking fat since the bacon fat will render down.

Add ginger, smoked paprika, and organic maple sugar whilst the meat cooks. When the meat is just about done, add frozen peas. Turn the heat off when the peas are cooked, and right about the same time, your pasta will be done cooking. Drain, then put everything into your pasta pot. Add copious amounts of honey mustard (or mustard + honey), and a little milk of choice.

Mix it all up together and you’ll have a creamy mustard sauce that travels well.

Ground Pork Pasta

You can season up a pound or two of ground pork. Add salt and the spices you’re in the mood for. Whilst the meat cooks, cook your pasta (don’t forget to salt the water). Top with a thick sauce your family enjoys, and this will be travel ready.

Loaded Nachos

Who doesn’t love chip and cheese perfection? Kids love nachos, and you can make them with simple ingredients whilst skipping ultra processed ingredients. Here’s what I often made nachos with:

Chopped Black Olives (you can buy this canned)
Sour Cream (or dairy free sour cream)
Guacamole (I get the organic three pack at Costco that’s freezer friendly)
Diced Tomatoes OR Salsa
Shredded Cheese of Choice
Taco Seasoned Ground Meat
Grain Free Tortilla Chips (I have a severe corn allergy, so my kids only had grain free chips)

That’s it. You don’t need processed cheese or a million fancy ingredients to make nachos your whole family will love. To make these, place a large piece of parchment on a baking tray. Put down chips, and place your cooked meat all over. Top with cheese, then add another layer (or two) of each item. Bake to melt the cheese.

Use a spatula to divvy up portions, then have each person add their favorite toppings. Since this meal is topping heavy, and you’re using a lot of pre-made items, it takes about 15 minutes to pull this together. The item that takes the longest is the meat. Also, preheat your oven whilst the meat cooks.

Spinach Feta Meatballs

You can make this style meatball or honestly, any kind of meatball. Plus, meatballs are freezer friendly so you can make a double batch and leave a gift in the freezer for future you. To make spinach feta meatballs, you’ll want to do one of two things:

Cook frozen spinach completely, then squeeze out all the liquid. Roughly chop, then fold into meat alongside feta crumbles.
Roughly chop several handfuls of fresh organic baby spinach, then fold into meat alongside feta crumbles.

Once you have those folded in, add salt and any additional spices, mix, form meatballs, and bake.

School Night Dinner Ideas: Sheet Pan Meals

When I was deep in extracurricular activities for my kids, and running around like a typical busy parent, sheet pan meals were there for me. They’re like that friend that you meet when you’re young, and you pick up the conversation here and there. You know the type.

Before you jump into the world of making sheet-pan meals, I’d suggest getting an instant read meat thermometer (this is the one that I use). This will make it super easy for you to know if your sheet-pan meal is ready, assuming you plan on including meat.

Making a sheet-pan meal is SUPER easy. All you have to do is pop cut ingredients on the tray, drizzle oil all over the meat and vegetables, toss to coat, and roast in the oven. In some cases, you’ll want to use two trays, and always, always dear friend use parchment paper. Not foil, because food can still stick, but parchment. Your release is easy and cleanup is a breeze.

Here are some great sheet pan meal combinations you can try to get started:

Beef Cubes (season with salt, soy sauce) + Broccoli Florets (fresh or frozen) + Bell Pepper Slices + Large Diced Onion + Sesame Oil or Perilla Seed Oil
Beef Cubes (season with smoked salt, ancho chili, smoked paprika, chipotle powder) + Frozen Pearl Onions + Diced Eggplant + Large Diced Tomatoes
Chicken Breast Cubes (season with smoked salt, garlic granules, marjoram, thyme) + Lemon Slices (to coat the meat and veg) + Diced Fennel (serve this alongside white beans)
Chicken Breast Cubes (season with ranch dressing packet of seasoning) + Cherry Tomato Halves + Sliced Celery + Large Diced Gold Potatoes (serve with bacon bits)
Chicken Thigh Slices (season with ancho chili, smoked salt, smoked paprika) + Sliced Onions + Sliced Bell Peppers
Chicken Thigh Slices (season with Italian seasoning) + Large Diced Purple Potatoes + Fennel + California Blend Frozen Vegetables
Lamb Cubes (season with salt and a savory blend) + Cherry Tomato Halves + Large Diced Zucchini + Medium Diced Onion + Medium Diced Potatoes
Lamb Cubes + (season with chipotle and other heat-bringing spices) + Large Diced Japanese Sweet Potatoes + Large Diced Zucchini (drizzle with honey before serving, serve with gochujang + cream cheese or plain yogurt mixture)
Pork Cubes (season with smoked salt, marjoram, and thyme) + Large Diced Potatoes + Medium Diced Onion (serve with applesauce from the fridge)
Pork Cubes (season with BBQ leaning spices and organic maple sugar) + Large Diced Sweet Potatoes + Large Diced Onion + Sweet Corn

Unless your sheet pan meal has a starch on the tray (usually potatoes or sweet potatoes), you’ll want to start your rice cooker, cook quinoa, boil pasta, etc. whilst the pan is in the oven. Try to time it so they finish at the same time.

Pizza Night Dinner Ideas (We’re Not Talking an Average Frozen Pizza)

If you’re a fan of pizza nights, I’d encourage you to include pizzas your entire family loves in your weekly rotation. Now, you could buy frozen pizza, or…. you could keep everyone’s tastebuds on a high by making them fresh at home.

Whilst these aren’t the absolute fastest meals to make during back to school season, if your kids are foodies at heart, a pizza dinner might be the perfect way to lift their spirits after returning to school. You know, because summer break doesn’t last forever.

When it comes to making a fast, easy, delicious meal, you can serve up bagel pizzas, or english muffin pizzas. To make, cut your bagel in half to open, or open the english muffin. Smear tomato paste on both sides, sprinkle Italian seasoning all over, top with cheese, then add a little of everyone’s favorite toppings. Bake on a sheet pan that’s lined with parchment paper. Your mini pizzas are ready when the cheese has completely melted.

Personally, I use a frozen pizza dough ball that you thaw and roll out to make fresh pizza. I usually have one of my kids do that part since it’s my least favourite part of cooking a pizza. From there, I cook up some wild new flavour combination, or cook up their favorite toppings to make pizza.

Here are some fantastic pizza flavours to try:

Basic Pizza: Tomato Sauce + Italian Seasoning + Mozzarella + Par-Cooked Seasoned Ground Meat
Bacon & Fig Pizza: Red Sauce + Gouda Cheese + Thick Cut Bacon + Caramelized Figs + Honey Drizzle + Basil or Arugula
Harissa Pizza: Red or White Sauce + Mozzarella Cheese + Harissa Seasoned Ground Pork + Golden Raisins + Parsley
Hawaiian Pizza: Red Sauce + Maple Seasoned Pork + Pineapple + Green Onions + Canned Chopped Black Olives
Honey Apple Pizza: White Sauce + Mozzarella Cheese + Parmesan + Cooked Apple Blend (diced apple, bacon/bacon bits, maple, ginger)
Orange Fennel Pizza: White Sauce + Cooked Pork Blend (ground pork, fennel pollen, diced fennel bulb, onion) + Orange Segments + Honey Drizzle
Peppers & Cheese Pizza: BBQ Sauce + Cheese Blend + Sliced Peppers (the goal is to blend and rotate thru different cheeses and different peppers)
Simple Chicken Pizza: White Sauce + Savory Seasoned Ground Chicken + Parmesan + Mozzarella Cheese
Spiced Lamb Pizza: White or Red Sauce + Ground Lamb (smoked salt, onion, ancho, garlic) + Pomegranate Arils + Honey Drizzle
Spicy Beef Pizza: White Sauce + Mozzarella + Spice Seasoned Ground Beef + Sliced Peppers + Chopped Fresh Herbs

School Night Dinner Ideas Featuring Ground Turkey & Ground Chicken

Ground turkey and ground chicken are honestly, two of the easiest proteins to cook with. Not only that, but if you make an easy meal with either one, they tend to come together quickly (around the 20 minute mark). Here are some easy school night dinner ideas you can tap into, and use either chicken or turkey in the recipe:

Bean Dip (refried beans, seasoned + cooked ground meat, guacamole, salsa, shredded cheese)
Meatballs (Italian, BBQ, Curry, Spicy, Savory, Fruity [think apple cinnamon chicken meatballs], etc.)
Pasta + Red Sauce (cook the ground meat, then fold into your pasta sauce)
Peanut Chicken + Stir-Fry Vegetables
Pineapple Chicken + Peas (cook ground chicken with onion, maple, and ginger, add diced pineapple and frozen peas half way through cooking, serve with a starch)
Pressure Cooker Chili (on the stovetop, this takes longer, but chili in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot is quick)
Seasoned Ground Meat + Mashed Potatoes + Fresh Produce (get the potatoes going, then cook the meat and they’ll finish at about the same time)
Spicy Curry Turkey Pasta (season ground turkey with curry powder, onion, chipotle, add canned coconut milk, serve over rice)
Tacos (super versatile, and you can rotate through sides and toppings)
Thanksgiving Pasta (savory seasoned ground turkey, sweet potato pasta sauce, chopped cranberries, trust me, it’s worth trying)

Easy Meals to Make with Ground Beef

If you love adding ground beef to your dinner table, here are some easy school night dinners you can add to the weekly rotation:

Baked Beef Pasta

There are loads of easy pasta bake recipes you can find online, but you can also try something simple. To make a baked beef pasta, heat an oven safe pot or Dutch oven. Add a cooking fat (tallow, oil, butter, DF butter, etc.) and cook diced onions and ground beef together. Season with salt or smoked salt, and whatever flavour profile you’re going for (BBQ, Italian, curry, etc.). You only need to cook the beef long enough to distribute the spices and lock in the edges so you don’t have a giant clump of beef.

Now, add dry pasta, a sauce (or even milk/cream), spices, and any other ingredients you want such as shredded vegetables. Mix it all together very well, pop the lid on, and bake in your oven. The dish is ready when the pasta is cooked to your liking. This usually takes 25+ minutes, but check on your pasta after 20 minutes to get an idea of how much longer you need.

Pasta dishes like these are usually freezer friendly since the noodles are drowning in a sauce, so keep that in mind, as you may be able to batch cook and freeze the dish. I will say, red sauces will freeze and thaw much better than cream/white sauces.

BBQ Beef Wraps

These are really easy to make, and super versatile. In a large skillet, cook your ground beef. Season with whatever you love, alongside salt. Add the cooked beef to a wrap or large tortilla and top with other ingredients. Think, lettuce, tomato, bacon strips or bits, a dollop of sour cream, etc. Wrap it up and enjoy. I serve wraps with a side of sliced fruit for my kids.

Beef & Broccoli Mac n Cheese

Start with a basic broccoli mac and cheese recipe like this one. Whilst the pasta cooks, cook your ground beef in a large skillet. Season well, but try not to over-salt it since cheese can be pretty salty.

Once the mac and cheese is done, add the cooked ground beef and stir it all together. Easy peasy 🙂

Beef & Bacon Burgers

If you have a food processor, what I personally like to do is combine 450g/1 pound ground meat with 335g/12 ounces bacon (3/4 pound, which is the size of the package that I purchase).

The bacon will bring a lot of salt to the table, so be mindful when salting the mix. Add any other seasonings you like, then cook your burger as you normally would. On busy school nights, I like to bake up organic sweet potato fries and serve them on the side. Generally this whole meal is ready in about 30 minutes.

Beef & Cheese Quesadillas

To make these, you’ll either want to use leftover ground beef from the fridge or freezer, or, cook up a fresh batch of ground beef before making the quesadillas. Once the beef seasoned and cooked, grab a large skillet and make your quesadillas.

There are a couple of ways to incorporate the ground beef. You can put down a ring of cheese and have the beef in the middle, or you can have a full layer of cheese, then a layer of beef, then top with another layer of cheese.

How you fill the middle will come down to how cheesy you want the quesadillas to be. The triple layer approach yields a cheesier end result, which some people are absolutely in for. To change this up, experiment with different beef seasonings, or try different cheeses. Here are some ideas:

BBQ Seasoned Beef + Fresh Mexican Cheese + Mozzarella Cheese
Curry Seasoned Beef + Mozzarella Cheese + Halloumi Cheese
Greek Seasoned Beef + Feta Cheese + Mozzarella Cheese
Italian Seasoned Beef + Parmesan Cheese + Mozzarella Cheese (100% Parm can get really salty in a large amount)

On top of that, you can have fantastic dips on the side like guacamole, salsa, tzatziki, and so on. Only your imagination can hold you back on this one.

Beef & Egg Fried Rice

I’m pretty sure everyone has their favourite kind of fried rice combination to cook at home. Rather than the typical protein you use, swap it for seasoned ground beef that’s been broken into bite sized pieces.

Alternatively, you can cook the ground beef about 70% of the way, then add your raw eggs to the pan to cook them together. The end result is pieces of beef beautifully coated in egg, and it can change up the mouthfeel of your fried rice.

Beef Curry Meatballs

Pop 450g – 900g (1 – 2 lbs) of ground beef into a large mixing bowl. Add salt, shredded carrots (suck as carrots), onion powder, a little organic maple sugar, and curry powder. Mix well with a large fork, then form meatballs and cook as you normally would. Personally, I use this scooper to form the meatballs, and oven bake.

You can also pan fry or even air fry your meatballs. Remember, meatballs are super freezer friendly, so if you have a little extra bandwidth, make a double batch to fill your freezer for a future easy dinner.

Beef Stuffed Pita

These are so cool! To make a stuffed, pita, aggressively season raw ground beef, fold in diced or shredded vegetables as desired, then stuff into a pita.

Pan sear meat side down on high heat to caramelize in a cooking fat of choice, then finish cooking in the oven. If the pan is oven safe, pop the pan in the oven. If not, transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

These are super duper easy to make, and you can change up the seasonings and dipping sauce each time. Serve with a side of produce you enjoy.

Caramelized Onion & Beef Pizza Pockets

My kids adore caramelized onions, so I always make huge batches and freeze leftovers in small containers for future meals. If you don’t have caramelized onions already made, skip this meal on a busy weeknight, as properly caramelized onions can take up to an hour to make.

Now, assuming you have some, to make this meal, pop your beef into a bowl and aggressively season. Then, fold in the caramelized onions. Divide a pizza dough ball into 4 – 6 portions. Roll each one out, put the filling on half, add cheese, then fold over the dough. Crimp to seal.

Place your filled doughs on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake until the dough is ready.

Faster Edition (How I normally make this): Grab leftover ground meat from your fridge and use that in place of the raw meat. You get to skip the seasoning step, and they come together a little faster.

Ginger Garlic Beef & Rice

Heat a large skillet and add a cooking oil/fat of choice. Add your ground beef, smoked salt, garlic granules, ground ginger, and onion granules. Cook until the beef is done and serve over rice.

This is a super basic seasoned meat, and you can jazz it up with more spices, diced vegetables, or even a sauce. However, on a busy school night, simple ground meat + steamed veggies + steamed rice = easy dinner win.

Personally, I get the rice cooker going with the steamer basket insert so the rice and veg cook together, and then serve it up. It’s SUPER easy.

Ground Beef & Grits

Confession, I’ve never made grits, but for good reason. I have a life-threatening corn allergy. Now, if I could make grits, what I’d do is make a pot of uber creamy cheesy grits. Whilst the grits cook, season and cook your ground beef in a separate skillet.

That’s it. Beef and grits. You can add fresh produce on the side and call it an easy back to school dinner win.

Hummus & Beef Pitas

If your entire family enjoys hummus, this is a great back to school meal you can have served up in under 30 minutes. You can also use leftovers in lunches the next day. In a large skillet, cook your ground beef in a cooking fat of choice, and season with salt, alongside spices that compliment the hummus you’ll be serving it with.

Once the beef is cooked, stuff the pitta with hummus, fresh vegetables (snap peas, sliced bell pepper, etc.), and the ground beef. That’s it.

Spicy Beef & Quinoa

This is another easy meal you can serve on busy weeknights. Rinse your quinoa, then get it cooking. Next, get some frozen veggies into the oven. Finally, heat a large skillet, add your cooking fat/oil of choice, and add the ground beef. Cook on medium-high heat. Season with smoked salt, and heat-bringing spices (chipotle, chili powder, etc.). Mix well and break the beef down as it cooks. By the time the beef is done, your quinoa and veg should be just about ready as well.

You can increase the spice level by mixing in gochujang to the beef as it cooks, or serving with spicy kimchi on top.

Sweet Potato Ground Beef Pasta

Get your pasta water salted and heating. Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat and add a cooking fat/oil of choice. Add the ground beef and salt well. Cook the dry pasta according to the package instructions.

When the beef is half way cooked, add canned organic sweet potato, a milk of choice (or cream), and stir together. Season with any spices you’d like (I often do maple, ginger, onion, marjoram, and smoked paprika). Taste and adjust your spices and salt as needed.

When the pasta is cooked, drain, then add it to the beef pan. Mix everything together and you’re ready to roll. This takes less than 30 minutes to make (usually about 22 minutes for me)

Taco Tuesday Dinner Ideas

As someone who raised quite a few kids, one of the back to school dinners they always cheered for would be tacos. Now, if you’re anything like me, you get pretty bored making the same old tacos week in and week out. In addition to keeping a custom taco seasoning on hand for super fast dinners, I also served up a range of taco creations.

When it comes to constructing a delicious meal that screams taco, but also, I’m a little different, think about these base components:

Beans (refried beans, whole beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, black beans, etc.)
Cheese (milk based or dairy free)
Meat/Meat Alternative (can be ground meat, fajita meat, something thing sliced, shredded meat, and so on, just make sure it’s well seasoned)
Tortillas (corn tortillas, soft flour tortillas, hard taco shells, grain free tortillas)
Toppings (shredded lettuce, cabbage, slaw, shredded carrots, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, cream cheese, spicy sauce, etc.)

Now, with those components in mind, here are some awesome taco night ideas to try:

Curry Chicken Tacos (Shredded Curry Chicken + Shredded Mozzarella + Toasted Chickpeas + Shredded Maple Carrots + Yogurt Sauce + Fresh Chopped Mint [optional])
Fish Tacos (Pan Seared White Fish + Kidney Beans or Navy Beans + Caramelized Onions + Sliced Cucumbers)
Italian Tacos (Italian Seasoned Ground Pork + Parmesan Cheese + Chopped Black Olives + Diced Tomatoes)
Grilled Peach Tacos (Balsamic Maple Glazed Peaches + Sweet Corn + Quartered Tomatoes + Cheesy Lettuce [cook fresh chopped spinach with a mild cheese])
Lamb Tacos (Well Seasoned Lamb + Cannellini Beans + Mild Cheese + Pomegranate + Shredded Carrot)
Peanut Chicken Tacos (Shredded Chicken Thigh + Navy Beans + Crushed Peanuts + Sliced Bell Peppers + Spicy Sauce Drizzle + Homemade Creamy Peanut Sauce)
Salmon Tacos (Pan Seared Salmon Strips + Chopped Arugula + Parmesan + Diced Tomatoes + Shredded Carrots)
Soy Beef Tacos (Soy Glazed Beef Tips or Fajita Meat + Refried Beans + Mild Cheese + Corn + Diced Tomatoes)
Spicy Pork Tacos (Gochujang Ground Pork + Kimchi + Black Beans or Pinto Beans + Homemade Cream Cheese Sauce)
Tofu + Corn Tacos (Crispy Smoked Paprika Seared Tofu + Sweet Corn + Black Beans + Mild Cheese + Diced Tomatoes + Diced Bell Peppers + Diced Mango)

Tasty Recipes to Try

Here are a few simple recipes you can incorporate into your weekly meal plan:

International School Night Dinner Ideas

If you’re like me, you’re always serving up internationally inspired meals to keep meals interesting. I will admit, it might just be me since I’m a recipe developer and all that jazz. If you feel like exploring. something new, but whilst keeping the meal simple and quick, here are some delicious meal ideas for you to try:

Curry (season ground meat and potatoes with curry powder, full fat coconut milk is a great complimentary flavour)
French (make a creamy butter tarragon pasta sauce, serve with asparagus and bacon)
Greek (make lamb meatballs, serve with tzatziki sauce and lemon garlic fries)
Italian (tortellini soup with crusty garlic bread on the side)
Japanese (homemade avocado sushi, use rice wine vinegar in your rice, add seasoning such as togarashi)
Korean Inspired Pork Chops (in a bowl, combine gochujang, honey, smoked salt, onion, garlic, and a milk of choice; pour over pork chops, cover with foil, oven roast)
Mediterranean (bake fish packets in the oven with lemon, tomato, asparagus, and garlic)
Mexican (make a Mexican street corn with fresh Mexican cheese, taco seasoned ground meat, and a starch of choice)
Middle Eastern (season ground meat with harissa, serve with a creamy basic pasta)
Thai (spicy Thai garlic chicken like this recipe, ready in about 20 minutes)

Easy Vegetarian Dinners for Busy School Nights

If your family follows a vegetarian diet (or have dietary restrictions that overlap with the vegetarian diet), here are some easy dinner ideas for vegetarian families to add to their weekly rotation:

Egg Salad Sandwiches

Rather than make a typical egg salad sandwich, change things up a little. Use smashed avocados in stead of mayo (or do a 50/50 mix). Layer your sandwich with a range of ingredients including crispy romaine, shopped fresh spinach, caramelized onions, grilled eggplant, sliced heirloom tomatoes, and so on.

Oven Eggplant Parmesan

OK, this meal won’t be ready super fast, but it’s super easy to make, and your oven does most of the work. In a casserole dish, layer slices of onion, eggplant, and marinara sauce. When I make this, I also put dairy free Parmesan in the layering process, rather than only have it on top.

Cover the dish in foil and oven roast at 375f/190c until the onions and eggplant are soft. Serve with a side of steamed veggies. If you don’t manage a milk allergy, you can add Parmesan rind to the dish and remove before serving. It adds a little more cheesy flavor.

Pan Fried Tofu Pasta

This has SOOOOO much potential. To start, boil your favorite dry pasta. From there, you’ll season and pan sear firm tofu until it’s crispy on all sides. Coat your drained noodles in a sauce that compliments your tofu seasonings. Here are some ideas for you:

Curry Tofu, season with curry powder, coat noodles in a cream sauce that’s seasoned with curry, add a touch of maple syrup and shredded carrots
Italian Tofu, season with Italian seasoning, coat noodles in egg yolk, marjoram, thyme, basil, and black pepper.
Maple Ginger Tofu, make the noodles with a butter sauce that has ginger, garlic, and other aromatics.
Spicy Tofu with Korean gochujang, and make the pasta sauce with honey + orange/tangerine juice + onion + gochujang + milk or broth to thin it out.
Tofu + Mexican Street Corn, season the tofu with taco seasoning, or pepper leaning spices, serve noodles with sweet corn, diced bell peppers, and a crumbly white cheese.

Note: If you manage a soy allergy, you can get soy free tofu these days made from pumpkin, or other legumes.

Tomato Soup + Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Tomato soup can come from a can, however, if you have the time, purchase quality tomatoes and make your own at home. I love making tomato soup with heirloom tomatoes when they’re in season. They’re combined with onion, rainbow chard stems (as a celery alternative), and a little fennel. I cook my aromatics in dairy free butter (have a kiddo allergic to milk), then add the tomatoes, smoked salt, and whatever spices I’m in the mood to serve up. Let that all stew together, then blend.

When the soup is about 70% done, I start working on the sandwiches so they’re done at the same time. The biggest grilled cheese tip I can give you is to season the bread with Italian seasoning. My kids go WILD for it like that. It’s like eating herbed garlic cheesy bread and soup.

Legit Veggie Burgers (not the ultra processed weird ones, but you know, bean and vegetable burgers)

You can purchase veggie burgers, or make them at home. Personally, I’m not a fan of ultra processed vegetarian (and vegan) meat substitutes. I lean into brands that mainly use whole food ingredients as the base.

When I make veggie burgers at home, I put chickpeas or black beans in the food processor along with seasonings and a little flour to bind. I cook those in dairy free butter on the stove top and the kids go wild. They’re like little veggie sliders, and my kids add all sorts of dips and sauces.

Serve your veggie burgers with a smoothie, or misc. veggies from your freezer (makes your life easier).

Vegetarian Protein Options

Protein is often a concern when people think about vegetarian dinners or vegan dinners. When it comes to meat free protein options, there are quite a few to lean into as a vegetarian:

Soy/Tofu
Soy Free Tofu
Beans
Cheese
Eggs
Nuts
Seeds
Yogurt (you can make some fantastic sauces and incorporate yogurt)

You can add these ingredients into your daily meals here and there, and so long as you’re serving up balanced meals, there’s a very good chance you’ll hit your daily dietary needs for protein. If you have concerns, you can have your GP run a panel to see if you’re protein deficient, and if so, work with an RD to craft meals that meet your needs.

Filling Salads for Busy Nights

I might be a little weird, but I have a lot of childhood memories that include salad. It could just be the era I grew up in, but if you’re a salad fan like me, here are some filling ideas. Remember, a salad is not chopped iceberg lettuce and a sad salad dressing. A good salad should be robust, touch several texture points, fill you up, and feel super satisfying.

BBQ Beef Salad: Shredded BBQ Beef (from your slow cooker or pressure cooker), Spring Greens, Caramelized Red Onions, Sweet Corn, Salsa, Crumbly White Cheese
Breakfast Salad: Chopped Bacon or Chopped Breakfast Sausage, Scrambled Eggs, Fresh Spinach, Chopped Romaine, Caramelized Onion, Croutons
Candied Salmon Salad: Maple Candied Salmon (store bought or homemade) + Chopped Romaine, Fresh Spinach, Oven Roasted Zucchini or Yellow Squash
Classic Cobb Salad: Hard Boiled Egg, Ham Cubes (or any kind of pork), Tomatoes, Olives, Chopped Romaine
Fun Chicken Salad: Shredded Chicken (from your slow cooker or pressure cooker), Quartered Concord Grapes (or raisins/golden raisins), Croutons
Ginger Tofu Salad: Seared Maple Ginger Tofu Cubes, Fresh Spinach, Crunchy Chickpeas (homemade or store bought), Diced Tomatoes, Diced Red Onion
Maple Soy Pork Salad: Maple + Soy Glazed Pork, Diced Mango and/or Diced Pineapple, Diced Red Onion (or caramelized onion), Freeze Dried Peas
Salmon Salad: Pan Seared Salon (or oven roasted), Tangerine Segments (or any kind of orange), Quartered Cherry Tomatoes, Caramelized Onions, Crushed Crackers
Southwestern Salad: Black Beans, Chopped Romaine, Chopped Fresh Spinach, Sliced Avocados, Sweet Corn, Quartered Cherry Tomatoes, Ground Meat (season and cook on high in a skillet)
Tuna Salad: Canned Tuna, Diced Apple, Caramelized Onion (only use a little), Raisins (or cranberries), Small Sliced Celery, Chopped Olives
White Fish Salad: Pan seared White Fish, Spring Greens, Cranberries, Shredded Carrots

When it comes to topping your salad bowl, I won’t tell you what kind of salad dressing to reach for and for good reason: I kinda hate salad dressing, as does one of my kids. To us, the perfect salad is refreshing lettuce in a bowl with a bunch of ingredients on top. If you happen to love salad dressing, be sure to choose a flavor that will really compliment all of the other ingredients.

If you’re like us, the key to making dressing free salads fantastic is to use some kind of fruit or saucy ingredient. When you do that, the natural liquids give you a fantastic mouthfeel, and you don’t miss the dressing.

Meal Planning Tips

As you enter back to school mode, you’ll want to have some solid meal plans ready to go. Meal planning not only makes grocery shopping easier, but makes budgeting easier, and can help ease the mental load on a particularly busy evening. Here are my top tips:

Plan to make an easy dinner recipe at least 4 times a week. You may have a family favourite that screams comfort food that takes longer to cook, or has more moving pieces. By planning for a simple recipe, you’re more likely to make it through your week unscathed.

If you’re new to the back to school rodeo, look online for things like “fast dinner recipe with XYZ” with XYZ being your favorite protein, or “30 minute dinner recipe with XYZ”. When you use the right adjectives when searching online, you’re more likely to get the right results. Also, if a recipe developer excludes the prep time in the timing, you need to take that into account. If you’re slow at dicing onions, but the recipe calls for 3 onions, well, it might not be so fast after all.

Keep a running grocery list on your phone or fridge. This will make your trips to the grocery store so much easier because you won’t forget those little random things you ran out of, like Italian seasoning or organic brown sugar.

Plan to make something each person LOVES at least once a week. This can be harder if you have quite a few kids, but do what you can to ensure each person gets a really good food win.

Plan for batch cooking at least once a week… future you will be so freaking grateful.

Fill Your Pantry Well

Having the ingredients your family loves on tap and ready to go will make pulling together a fast dinner that much easier. When it comes to pantry ingredients, I have a personal rule that when there’s only two left, it goes on the shopping list. There’s no point in running out of your staple ingredients. Here are great pantry items to stock that can make easy dinners, well, easy:

Breadcrumbs
Broth, Stock, and/or Bone Broth
Canned Beans (get them ALL and rotate thru them, black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, cannellini beans, navy beans, chickpeas/garbanzo beans, etc.)
Condiments Your Family Loves (you know, for the kid that wants to dip everything in ketchup)
Dried Fruit (raisins and dates especially)
Dry Pasta (get a range of shapes and ingredient bases such as bean, wheat, corn, rice, etc.)
Dry Quinoa (whilst I’m all about variety, I only get white quinoa for my kids)
Flavouring Agents (acid/vinegar, mushroom powder, spices, herbs, salt, smoked salt, seaweed, etc.)
Flour (for when you need to thicken a sauce, etc.)
Pasta Sauce (try to have several bases such as tomato, squash, creamy, etc.)
Maple Syrup & Maple Sugar (if you plan on cooking at home a lot, having something to add a touch of sweet can go a long way)
Nuts & Seeds (I buy plain/unsalted, then crush to use in recipes for added texture and a little nutrition boost)
Rice (get a lot of varieties and rotate through them, brown rice, white rice, sushi rice, etc.)

Fill Your Freezer Well

When you plan ahead and grocery shop in a way that compliments your busy life, you’ll always have ingredients in your freezer that can help you in a pinch. In my humble “I’ve mastered the busy school night dinner” opinion, these are the ingredients you want to have available:

Frozen Veggies of All Shapes and Sizes (broccoli, mushroom, diced onion, stir-fry veggies, corn, peas, carrots, green beans, etc.)
Frozen Fish Fillets & Shellfish (assuming you enjoy seafood, I get the wild caught bags at Costco)
Frozen Fruit You Love (great for making smoothies if you want a breakfast for dinner kind of evening)
Frozen Pasta (think cheese tortellini, ravioli, etc., and you can just add a sauce and side of veg)
Homemade Broth or Stock (you can also purchase this, but I love so save the cooking liquid from my Instant Pot and use it like a savory broth)
Guacamole (I buy the huge organic 3 pack at Costco and it freezes/thaws well)
Pizza Dough (can be a fresh ball or the par-baked style)
Prepped Meat (I buy organic meat in bulk at Costco, then pre-cut and store in freezer baggies, makes dinners much easier)
Organic Sweet Potato Fries
Organic Tater Tots

This list scratches the surface, but I’m sure you get the idea. I can tell you from so much experience, my freezer stock was used very regularly on busy weeknights.

Batch Cooking: Your Ticket to Easy & Delicious Dinners

Sometimes called bulk cooking, batch cooking is a way of life that has you invest a little up front, and reap HUGE rewards later on. There are a lot of one-pot meal recipes you can double batch to fill your freezer, even if you manage dietary restrictions.

It’s important to know a few things before you start:

Get the right containers for your household, individual appetites, and needs.
Technically anything can be frozen, but not everything thaws well.
Often times, the shelf life is more about the decline in quality rather than food “going bad”.
Only batch cook your favorite meals. There’s no point in having a freezer full of food you don’t like.
Regular pasta dishes don’t tend to freeze well, but super coated pasta dishes such as lasagna do well.
Freeze main components, and you can always add a side of white rice or mashed sweet potatoes once you’ve thawed and reheated.
Don’t skimp on spices. Flavour is king and you do NOT want to thaw bland, boring, lackluster meals.

If you’re living the Busy Life Rodeo (I should trademark that)…

There are certain dinners that are EASY to batch cook when you’re making a regular dinner. Here are some easy meals to get you started:

Beef Stew (can also make a pork stew)
Chili (meat based, bean based, vegan, or vegetarian, all chili tends to do well when frozen and thawed)
Homemade Chicken Nuggets
Lasagna Soup (skip the layers and make life EASY, it’s a one-pot meal where you break lasagna noodles and let them cook in the tomato sauce)
Meatballs (there have got to be elevendybajillion recipes online to choose from)
Ragu (you can rotate through different proteins and vegetables to create an amazing variety for your freezer)
Shredded BBQ Chicken (or pork)

The best part about batch cooking a one-pot meal is that most are leaning into simple ingredients. You aren’t going to be in your kitchen for hours and hours, but man will future you be thanking current you for taking this step.

Answering Your Questions About School Night Dinner Ideas

Is it possible to make a quick dinner in my air fryer?

It’s going to depend on the type of air-fryer you have. Story time. When my kids were teenagers, they begged for an air fryer, and even offered to help pay for one, so I caved. We ended up with an air fryer that I hated. It took forever to heat food, the size was weird, and I could say more, but you get the idea. At the time, it was hailed as like, theeee coolest air-fryer, but no. Just no.

So I gave up on air fryers until I bought this bad boy. It’s been a day and night kind of experience and if you have a big air fryer like this one, I think yes, you can make a quick dinner because that’s part of the selling points. Other air fryers? many are too small to properly hold enough food for a balanced meal. Not only that, but a lot of air fryers want you to have the food in a single layer, so there’s wasted space.

The new one that I’ve been using has several shelves, so you can truly load it up without any issue. I could easily see you having a layer of protein, a layer of starch, and a layer of vegetables in that air-fryer, which will lead you to having a quick dinner ready for your family to enjoy.

Is there a good substitute for sesame oil when cooking Asian meals?

Yes dear friend, yes, and it’s called perilla seed oil. It’s a lot more popular in Korea, and it’s a little known item everywhere else in the world. Maybe one day it can be the cool new thing that everyone knows about, but until then, I’ll just keep spreading the word.

You can use perilla seed oil anywhere you’d use sesame oil (stir fry, tofu, oil drizzle on top of a final dish, etc.).

What are some good back to school meals that will taste good the next day in lunches?

I think my top five back to school dinner ideas for the intent of lunch leftovers for the classroom or workplace will be:

Burger Patties (you can send these with or without a bun, I often sent them with romaine lettuce since it’s so fresh and crisp)
Chili & Corn Free “Cornbread” (something my entire family loves, I have a severe corn allergy, so you can make traditional corn bread)
Meatballs (not even exaggerating, but there are thousands of ways to make meatballs so you never get bored and they’re freezer friendly. here’s an easy recipe to get you started)
Ragu (this is really a pasta sauce in disguise, but works great with chips and produce in a lunch box)
Waffles or Pancakes (whilst these are breakfast foods, they’re freezer friendly and work beautifully in a lunchbox, plus, you can have breakfast for dinner)

What are some easy pasta ideas for kids who don’t like tomatoes?

This is such a great question, as not all kiddos are tomato fans. When you have a family member that doesn’t like tomatoes, there are a few easy directions you can head in:

Avocado Sauce
Bean Sauce
Butter Sauce
Curry Sauce
Pesto
Saucy/Wet, but no actual sauce
Squash Sauce
White/Cream Sauce

Now, let’s take a look at some examples on how you’d make those work. You can also take these ideas and change them up just by swapping your dry pasta (or fresh pasta).

Bacon + Chopped Dates + Cream + Curry
Blended White Beans (boil first for 15 – 20 mins to soften) + Marjoram + Thyme + Ground Beef + Milk/Cream
Butter + Lemon + Garlic + Caper Pasta Sauce
Canned Pumpkin + Marjoram + Little Tarragon + Milk/Cream + Parmesan
Egg Yolk + Black Pepper + Parmesan Cheese + Marjoram + Thyme
Hummus Pasta (the best way to make this is to take a hummus your whole family loves and thin it out with a savory broth, or something like whole milk + heavy cream
Ground Pork + Pesto + Corn
Mexican Street Corn Pasta (noodles + sweet corn + black beans + taco seasoned meat + avocado cream sauce)
Roasted & Blended Butternut Squash + Parmesan + Milk/Cream
Tender Chicken Bites + Blended Avocado + Milk/Cream + Chopped Olives

In all of these examples, in case you also happen to be dairy free or lactose intolerant, you can make them dairy free. Use a milk of choice. If you want something a little heavier, add melted dairy free butter and make sure it’s well emulsified.

You can also cook aromatics such as onions or shallots before getting into your sauce making, but essentially, you’re making skillet dishes, adding a liquid to make it saucy, then tossing your pasta in the final creation. I do this kind of thing all the time and my kids adore it every time.

Are there easy back to school night dinners that are gluten and dairy free?

Yes! In fact, pretty much every idea I’ve shared throughout this article is an easy back to school dinner that can be made gluten free and dairy free. In some cases, you’ll need to have a GF or DF alternative on hand like gluten free crackers or dairy free sour cream. However, there isn’t a single idea that can’t be made safely.

In case you need pantry basics/staples, here are some helpful resources:

Dairy Free Substitutions (milk, butter, cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, etc. and includes brands)
Gluten Free Bread
Gluten Free Crackers
Gluten Free Pasta
Gluten Free Carbs