Twenty Minute Meals (Kid Friendly)

Looking for quick, 20 minute kid-friendly meals? You can get any of these easy meals on the table in 20 minutes or less. We know that busy weeknights call for recipes that are fast, satisfying and that everyone will eat at least one component of the meal. Bonus if the meal is easily deconstructed!. In this roundup, we’re sharing some 20 minute meals that will simplify your life and become go-to meals your family will love.

Dijon Salmon

This dijon salmon recipe is one of my most requested recipes, so I had to share it with you. It’s perfect for those busy nights when you feel overwhelmed and want to cook something simple and satisfying. Keep frozen salmon filets on hand for busy weeknights when you need to rely on 20 minute meals.

3 Quick and Easy Meals

When life gets hectic, having a few quick and easy 20 minute meals can make all the difference. In this post, we share 3 quick and easy meals that are perfect for busy weeknights: no complicated ingredients or hours in the kitchen necessary. These family-friendly meals are sure to make a regular appearance in your meal rotations. 

Lentil Ragout

This simple lentil ragout recipe takes less than 15 minutes and is just what you need to have on hand for hectic days. Even if you only have a few minutes, you can get a simple dinner on the table or make a quick and easy lunch. Make this as a side for chicken, fish or pork and use the leftovers for reheated, packed  lunches for school.

Simple Black Beans with Canned Beans

This easy black bean recipe uses canned beans and is delicious and perfect for busy days. It’s one of those great easy dinners that take 15 minutes to make, and you can make 7 (or more) variations on meals from it. It’s also a favorite reheated with rice and packed in a thermos (along with some cheese and avocado on the side) to take to school or to have as a hearty after-school snack.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos

Who doesn’t love a quick and easy family-friendly recipe that reheats well and is even liked by some picky eaters? I make these Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos on those busy weeknights when I need easy dinners. They’re ideal for busy parents who need 20 minute family meals, and this meal is in a regular meal-planning rotation at my house. 

Black Bean Taco Soup

This hearty Black Bean Taco Soup is a quick and easy option for busy weeknights, ready in just 20 minutes! Packed with protein-rich black beans, veggies, and zesty taco spices, it’s a satisfying meal that everyone will love. The leftovers are also great reheated for packed school lunches and weekend lunches. 

Easy Black Beans and Rice

This Easy Black Beans and Rice recipe is a 20 minute kid-friendly recipe that comes together with minimal prep and is made with simple pantry staples. Pro tip: keep canned black beans and precooked rice in your pantry for the easiest weeknight meal. And if you want to jazz it up a bit, serve these beans over nachos.

Sage and Sausage Pasta

The sausage sage pasta is coated with a velvety blanket of cheesy goodness. And who doesn’t love cheese?! The sausage is sliced and then browned to give it nice crispy edges and to flavor the dish. Add some kale at the end, to give the sausage sage pasta some color and you’ve got yourself a delicious meal. It’s one of my go-to meals. I’ve been making this dish for many years and even my picky eaters love it! They do eat around the kale.

Greek Chicken Bowls

Who else loves a recipe that’s easy to serve deconstructed?! If you have a picky eater at home, 20 minute meals like this Greek style chicken bowl can be a game changer for busy weeknights.

One Pot Chicken Stroganoff

You’ll love this recipe for One Pot Chicken Stroganoff. It’s one of those hearty, comforting 20 minute meals . If your child doesn’t like mushrooms, it’s easy to eat around them. Not only is this recipe ready in 20 minutes, leftovers make a great packed lunch. 

Mini Chicken Pot Pies

Chicken pot pie is a family favorite in my house. These mini chicken pot pies make a fun 20 minute family meal so they’re great for busy weeknights. This recipe is fun for kids to help with. Have kids mix all the ingredients together, fill the muffin tins and add the store bought biscuit topping. These are sure to become a family favorite.

Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas

If you’re looking for a new recipe to try in your air fryer, these air fryer chicken fajitas are just what you need.. It’s one of those 20 minute meals kid- friendly that’s easy enough for the busiest weeknights. And leftovers work well for packed lunches which makes life even easier. 

Skillet Pork Chops with Garlic Butter

What a lovely weeknight meal. It’s hard to believe it only takes 20 minutes to make these skillet pork chops with garlic butter, but it does. Make air fryer roasted potatoes and broccolini and you’re all set. If you have any leftovers, slice the pork to top a mixed green salad with the next day for lunch.

Two Simple 20 minute meals

Both these meals are so quick and easy that you might worry they “don’t count as real meals.” As I mentioned in my last post, meals don’t have to be perfect to be “real.”  As much as I love to cook, opening packages, jars, boxes, and heating food and putting it on a plate counts as cooking. And I am a big fan of a go-to meals list that’s made up primarily of no-recipe-needed meals.

Just like with life, it’s not black and white.  Cooking also falls on a spectrum. There are times you eat out or buy take-out.  Sometimes, you cook frozen meals.  

Other times you have a sandwich, and sometimes you make a 3-course meal. Well, you likely only do that if you like to cook, and definitely not on a weeknight!

What You’ll Love About These Two Simple 20-Minute Meals

• Chicken, rice, green beans, spaghetti, and meatballs with a side of broccoli take only 20 minutes to make.
• It’s easy to serve sauces and dips on the side with the chicken, spaghetti, and meatballs, making mealtime easier if you have picky eaters. Let them decide whether to dip the chicken in ketchup or a sauce or put pasta sauce and meatballs on their spaghetti.
• Both meals are made from pantry and/or frozen foods so that you can have them on hand for any night you need a kid-friendly, 20-minute meal.

How to make Trader Joe’s Mandarin Chicken with Rice and Green Beans

1. Preheat your oven to 400 F, and then place the chicken on a parchment-lined sheet pan.  Bake for for 18-20 minutes.
2. Next, fill a medium size pan with water and a teaspoon of salt.  Don’t skip salting the water because the beans absorb some of the salt while they’re cooking which helps season them.
3. When the beans are done (I cook them for less time than the package suggests), season them with a drizzle of olive oil and some Krazy Jane’s Mixed Up Salt.  I have a fondness for this stuff because it’s what my grandmother seasoned her green beans with.
4. Frozen rice takes 3 minutes.  Don’t forget to salt it!  Cook the rice in the microwave according to the package instructions.
5. Last, heat the sauce for the chicken. In my house, we like to dip the chicken in the sauce that comes in the package or dip it in ketchup. You might like to drizzle the sauce over the chicken and then serve it.  If you have picky eaters, they’ll likely prefer sauces and dips on the side.

Spaghetti and Meatballs with Broccoli is an Easy 20-minute Meal for Families

I tend to buy DeCecco brand pasta because it’s the brand we served in the restaurant where I first worked as a line cook and then baker.

Yes! I do serve regular pasta, as opposed to whole wheat pasta. It’s completely OK to eat regular pasta if that’s what you prefer!  

Think of your nutrition over the course of a week. You’d get more fiber and protein from whole wheat pasta that’s for sure.

But if you want to have regular pasta, you’ll get the fiber and protein from some other food you eat during the week.

Steps to make pasta with meatballs and broccoli

1. Fill a large pot with water and generously salt it.  The pasta will absorb some of the salt which helps season it.
2. Once the water comes to a boil, add your pasta. Give it a good stir with tongs.
3. Put a jar of your favorite (or my favorite) pasta sauce in a pan large enough to hold the sauce and a bag of frozen meatballs. Bring the sauce to a simmer.
4. Add the meatballs and stir.
5. Cook until the meatballs are heated through (follow directions on the package). Or you could heat the meatballs in your microwave and add them to the pasta sauce.
6. Cook your pasta for about 10 minutes.  I take a piece out and take a bite to make sure it’s cooked the way I like it.
7. Next cook whatever veg you have around either in your microwave on on the stove. I  usually keep frozen broccoli, green beans, and peas on hand.  I tend to cook them less than the instructions advise to prevent them from being mushy.
   • Yes, frozen vegetables are great.  They are typically frozen at the same location where they’re harvested, so they are frozen when they’re at their freshest.
8. Season your broccoli with a pat of butter and some salt and pepper.
9. Finally, don’t forget to grate some fresh parmesan cheese over the pasta.  I also love it on broccoli.  

Dinner is served!

What are your favorite simple 20-minute meals?

What to Keep on Hand to Make Both These 20 Min Meals:

1. Pasta
2. Pasta sauce
3. Meatballs, frozen
4. Broccoli, frozen (or any frozen vegetables you like)
5. Green beans, frozen
6. Rice, frozen
7. Trader Joe’s Mandarin Orange Chicken
8. Parmesan cheese