Easy Kid-Friendly Dinners for Busy Weeknights

overhead view of chicken meatballs being dipped in tomato sauce

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 25

Easy kid-friendly recipes made with familiar ingredients and plenty of ways to customize dinner, so kids and adults can eat the same meal. Not sure where to start? Try these easy meatballs first! You can make them from scratch or use frozen, whichever you have on hand.

5 from 28 votes

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Ingredients

1 pound ground meat, beef, turkey, or chicken
½ cup bread crumbs
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Make the meatballs:

In a large bowl, mix the ground meat with breadcrumbs, egg, seasonings, and Parmesan cheese.
Use your hands to roll the mixture into golf-sized balls (about 2 tablespoons per meatball). If the mixture feels sticky, wet your hands with water or oil to make it easier to roll.

Cook them:

Bake the meatballs: Preheat the oven to 400F with the oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place each rolled meatball on the prepared baking sheet, leaving room between each meatball.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops look golden brown and the middles are cooked through, to an internal temperature of 145F (for ground beef) or 165F (for turkey and chicken).
Air-fry the meatballs: Preheat the air fryer to 400F for 5 minutes. Once hot, open the basket and spray it (or line it with foil or an air-fryer liner). Then, place the meatballs in a single layer. Air-fry for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through. Larger meatballs might take an extra minute or two; they're done when the internal temperature reaches 145F (for ground beef) or 165F (for turkey and chicken).

Serve:

While the meatballs are cooking, boil the pasta if you're serving them with pasta. Or, slice the bread and serve them as meatball subs. Prep a simple side salad to serve them as the main course with sauce on the side. You choose!

Storage:

Refrigerate leftover cooked meatballs for up to 3 days or freeze them for up to 3 months.

Notes

If you have frozen meatballs:

Place the frozen meatballs on a baking sheet and bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes, until hot. They're already cooked.
Air-fry at 325F for 10-12 minutes, opening the basket and shaking halfway through, until hot in the middle.

Once they're hot, serve them just the way your family likes them.

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