11 Delicious and Easy Dinners in 30-Minutes or Less

With life being a balance of work from home and homeschooling the kids, quick family dinners are a saving grace.

By Whitney C. Harris April 14, 2020

For some families, being stuck at home right now is a time to experiment with new recipes. For others, quarantine life more about sticking to tried-and-true flavors. Either way, quick dinners the whole family will love are key, especially when social distancing means the kids are constantly circling the kitchen with nowhere else to go. Here are 11 quick and easy recipes that use some family-favorite ingredients like tomatoes, potatoes, cheese, chicken, and pasta. These meals are sure to please picky eaters and exhausted parents alike.

Salad that tastes like pizza? It’s a thing! And worth a try since you’re making loads of dinners for the foreseeable future. Enlist your kids to add other favorite ingredients like olives, pepperoni, mushrooms, whatever you have on your pizza.

This Cheesy White Bean Tomato Bake can be on the table in well under 20 minutes. Leave it in the oven a bit longer if your family loves crispy and burnt edges. Give kids big chunks of bread and some salad to round it out and you’re done. And if you have any leftover fresh herbs (dare to dream!) throw those on top as well for a fancy presentation.

A healthy take on chicken fingers, these sesame encrusted tenders can be served with almost any veggie or crunchy salad. Up the fun factor and pull every condiment out of your fridge, letting the kids squirt mounds of ketchup, mustard, mayo, and barbecue sauce for dipping.

Add your family’s grain of choice to this classic chicken piccata dish and there will likely be no leftovers. Dust off any frozen veggies from the back of your freezer and roast with lots of olive oil and garlic. And don’t be shy with the garlic. Social distancing after all!

Kids can choose how to fill their plates when you dish out all the delicious ingredients of these turkey taco bowls. The best part? Kids will be jazzed to see tortilla chips on their dinner plates.

Bright, spring-inspired basil pesto makes these loaded caprese grilled cheese sandwiches just the pick-me-up your family needs come dinnertime. You can make these using almost any kind of bread too.

A colorful stir fry helps pack the table with veggies and simply add whichever protein your family enjoys. This meal also does really well as leftovers.

A cozy shepherd’s pie might look like you spent all afternoon in the kitchen, when really it was only 20 minutes. It’s a great pantry meal filled with foods you already have around the house.

Sneak some cod or halibut onto the dinner table by upping the fun factor with kid-approved pomegranate seeds.

Fill your bellies with warm pasta and chickpeas by cooking this Italian stew. Leave a bowl of pecorino or parmesan on the dinner table for kids to sprinkle on top.

Toss some steak and veggies onto a sheet pan for a simple, Italian-inspired meal in under 30 minutes.