Back to School Dinners: Easy and Delicious Meals for Busy Families

Back-to-school season is a busy time for families, and finding the time and energy to cook healthy, delicious meals can be challenging. That’s why I’ve compiled this list of easy and delicious dinner ideas perfect for busy families during baseball and back-to-school seasons.

Please hear me say right here: This is not a list of 30-minute meals or a comprehensive list of one-pot recipes. It’s not a “busy nights, quick dinner on the table” article. This is a list of tried-and-true meals we have all the time around my house—things I know we can quickly create and enjoy.

It’s about to be baseball season, and that means games on a school night that don’t start until 7. It also means first dinner and after-game “snack,” after we already have a massive after-school protein-laden snack. This season means early church nights while Dad is still at work and trying to grab any night we can together at the dinner table. These are the meals we feast on, and this list helps me not have to think about what I want to cook next!

A few tips help me survive the busy school year season, and honestly, most of them are tips I learned by watching my mom prepare dinner for us.

Cook Once, Eat Twice

One of my favorite ways to save time and energy in the kitchen is to cook once and eat twice. This means cooking a large batch of food one night and then using the leftovers for another meal later in the week. For example, you could make a big pot of lasagna on Sunday and then eat the leftovers for Tuesday night dinner when you have ball practice and need a quick dinner. Throw an extra salad or vegetable on your grocery list so its easy to stretch this dinner.

41 Weeknight Dinner Ideas for busy families that work every time. No reason to recreate meal plans, try these dinner ideas that are perfect for back to school nights.

Use the Crockpot

The crockpot is a lifesaver for busy families. You can throw all your ingredients in the crockpot in the morning, and dinner will be ready when you get home from work or school. There are countless easy and delicious crockpot recipes available online and in cookbooks.

Plan, Purchase, Create

One key to successful meal planning is to plan your meals ahead of time and then purchase the ingredients you need. This will help you avoid last-minute grocery store trips and ensure you have everything you need on hand to make your meals. I keep a list on my menu board of ingredients we need, proteins in the freezer, and new meal ideas. So, I PLAN my meals. PURCHASE the ingredients. Then CREATE when I have the time. Sometimes, that means meal prepping on the weekend or cutting vegetables for dinner before school pick up. Efficiency is a big part of my meal success.

Frozen Foods section

Do not miss what’s already cooked and ready at the grocery store – pasta, casseroles, Asian meals, shrimp dinners. There are many options. It may be that those busy nights where you have seconds between when you get home, change, and leave again that you just need something that’s ready to heat and eat! Give yourself a break and just say that ____ night of the week, we eat from the Frozen section. My husband and his siblings gave their mom a hard time about just getting dinner cooked by the Schwanns man, but she had dinner on the table!

Eat out night

Make it a tradition and a “thing” for your family. Maybe on a certain night of the week, you always eat at the same place. Use those “kids eat free” nights to your advantage and make it more of a tradition and memory maker where everyone can get around the table! I have friends who always go to chick fil A before Wednesday night church. Others always stop at Slim’s Chicken after baseball. Growing up when went to the mall and ate dinner at the food court on the night of a monthly meeting my dad always had. Those are sweet memory making times where you get across the table time with your kids!

Ask Friends What They Are Cooking and Loving

If you’re looking for new ideas for dinner, ask your friends what they’re cooking and loving. Chances are, they’ll have some great suggestions that you’ll want to try. And, new ideas that might motivate you in cooking.

Look at Your Pinterest Boards

If you’re like me, you have a Pinterest board full of recipes that you want to try. Take some time to look through your boards and find some recipes that you think your family will enjoy.

And, if you need my secrets to meal planning and even a planning sheet, check out this article I wrote for OnlyinArk.com.

Back to School Easy Family Dinners

Here are some of my favorite easy and delicious dinner ideas for busy families:

Shortcut Lasagna: it’s “semi-homemade” but tastes like it’s been made all day. I like to make two at a time and keep one in the freezer, ready to go for another family meal or to take to a friend. Add a salad and garlic bread, and everyone is happy. Another shortcut is to cook the sauce in the crockpot all day, even with the meat, and then it’s ready to assemble when you get home from work.
Slow-Cooker Stroganoff: This is my venison version adapted from my friend Mix and Match Mama, but it can be done with chunks of beef, chicken, or even pork. The rich flavor of the broth just makes it a comfort meal any day of the week. I like to make this for Sunday lunch and eat the leftovers as dinner on baseball or church night when we just need to warm up something quickly.
Roast: any way you slice it, Roast is a win. Beef, Pork, or Venison in the crockpot. Top with onion chinks, potato chunks, and baby carrots. My favorite way is to sprinkle with lipton onion soup mix and pour over a Coca-Cola. I do about 10 dashes of Worcestershire and some salt and pepper. And let it cook on low for 8 hours. Sometimes I sear the meat, sometimes I add Catalina dressing, sometimes I use pot-roast seasoning, and sometimes I use a Dr. Pepper or Diet Coke, but my people are always happy. My boys don’t really like it, but Mississippi Roast is a great alternative to the traditional dinner.
Shepherd’s Pie: I always make my roast leftovers into Shepherd’s Pie and remember this when I’m buying my protein: leftovers repurposed in a new way.
Mexican lasagna/enchiladas: stacked enchiladas are the lazy and best way to eat enchiladas. You can change out the protein, add more vegetables, or hide the things you don’t want your kids to see. Serve with rice and beans, salsa, or a big wad of guacamole.
Taco salad: this was one of my favorites growing up, and my mom could get everything together ahead of time and throw it together at the last minute. Lettuce, taco meat, ranch style beans, salsa, cheese, corn, carrots, onions, bell pepper, and catalina dressing. Let everyone build their own or mix it all together and just eat a big bowl of deliciousness. I will say it is not something that keeps very well as leftovers.
Potato soup or corn chowder: find a favorite recipe or look for one of those soup mixes at a kitchen store or craft fair. These are great for a meatless night coupled with a side salad.

Crockpot tacos: This recipe breaks many people’s food rules by putting raw meat in the crockpot, but it works for me! And if it doesn’t, you can just have tacos—whatever way your family likes them—baked tacos, tostadas, soft tacos, or chicken tacos (see below), or get a taco kit from Sam’s Club!
Chicken Tacos: this a family recipe my husband remembers from growing up. In the crockpot add chicken, rotel, corn or mexicorn, taco seasoning and dry ranch. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Serve with tortiallas and your favorite toppings. This also works as a great filling for enchiladas or on top of a taco salad.
Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken with Rice: this is a whole meal ready from the crockpot to your plate! One trick is to boil your rice in coconut milk to make it a little sticky and have a different flavor. We love the red peppers and warm pineapple.
Goulash: This meal is probably the taste of my childhood, and I can never make it as good as my mama does. It’s so simple and uses cheaper ingredients, which is always helpful for weeknight dinners. This is one of those you could make when you get home from school and reheat as people come in late in the evening. The leftovers always taste better than the first time!
Orange chicken with roasted veggies: put a jar of orange marmalade and a jar of BBQ sauce in the crockpot over the chicken. Cook on low for 8 hours. It’s crazy, but it’s so good. You can also repeat this with jarred Asian sauces. Roast a pan of veggies at 400 for 20 minutes with any seasoning and it’s an easy stir-fry dinner!
Asian protein with veggies and rice: Do not overlook the jarred sauces in your grocery store—PF Chang sauces, Panda Express Sauces, La Choy—there are so many options, and just pour them over your protein of choice.
Cheeseburger Mac: I developed this version because I wanted more vegetables to make it a one-pot meal, but there are many simpler versions with fewer ingredients.
Crockpot meatballs: There are a variety of options here, including Swedish meatballs, meatballs in tomato sauce or sweet chili sauce, some BBQ sauce, and a can of pineapple. Don’t overlook the meatball!
Cheesy tortellini: there are many varieties of this. Again, I make it in the slow cooker, but I’ve thrown it together in a metal pan ahead of time and to take to a friend. Kids and grown ups love this. Its so hearty and heart warming.
Sausage sheet pan: we had this for dinner the first night of school while I was trying to clean the freezer from extra summer vegetables. All you need is smoked sausages, veggies (fresh or frozen), and any starch you want to add. Cut it up and cook at 400 for 20 minutes. I’m telling you, this is never the same. Sometimes, I use chicken sausages, turkey sausages, or something else. And I often use a bag of mixed frozen vegetables. My favorite combination always includes broccoli, tri-colored peppers, and red onion. I like to season it with balsamic dressing, but you can mix that up too and give it more Asian flavor, or just olive oil and seasonings. Sometimes we eat it with rice, cauli rice or meat and vegetables!
Sheet pan – in general look for sheet pan meals, theta re the way to go with a sheet of foil and everything cooked at once!
Sloppy Joes: Old Fashioned or Philly Cheesesteak I keep on repeat. We will eat this on bread or open-faced one night, then have it on spaghetti or baked potatoes a different night. I like french onion dip and ruffles with my Sloppy Joes, but a caesar salad is also a nice side too!

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce: Sometimes, basic is best. I love a jarred spaghetti sauce with meat, onions, and bell peppers added. I’ll also sometimes put all kinds of things in the crockpot and let a good marinara build all day while I’m busy. Add meat, meatballs, or even chicken strips to go with it. You can serve this on any pasta; it doesn’t have to be spaghetti noodles.
Chicken strip chicken parm: Use that same marinara sauce and put it over chicken strips. I’m talking about buying frozen chicken strips. Cook them up crispy. Serve over spaghetti noodles or angel hair pasta and marinara sauce. Add some cheese and Italian seasoning, and you have a luxury dinner!
Slow-cooker pulled pork is the easiest and most versatile pulled pork. It can be made into sandwiches, tacos, tostadas, and baked potatoes—it can go on everything! Did I mention it’s made in the crockpot? I love to do this one on gamedays or to feed the family over a weekend because it feeds so much!
Fish stick tacos: this one I’ve learned from a friend. But cook frozen fish sticks. And make a little taco slaw with cole slaw or broccoli slaw mix. They make a crema sauce from greek yogurt and lime juice. Toast your corn tortillas and load them up.
Crockpot pork tenderloin: sear your pork tenderloin and cook it in the crockpot. You can find great seasonings from soy sauce or Asian, but I just like to get one of the pre-seasonined pork tenderloins, sear it and make a little juice from the pan drippings and chicken broth. Pour it into the crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Serve with veggies!
Leftover protein stir-fry with roasted veggies:I typically turn leftover protein into tacos or stir-fry. I’ll often cook with this option in mind. Double up on pork tenderloin, add extra chicken to a sheet pan, or include a couple of extra steaks, cover them with stir-fry sauce, and toss them in a skillet while you roast vegetables.

The same food prepared in a different way feels like a new meal.

Salmon, rice, and roasted veggies: You can do it on a sheet pan or just cook the salmon. Like everything else, this is one of those meals that I season, put on a foil-lined cookie sheet, and bake at 400 for 20 minutes. I keep salmon in the freezer, so it’s usually one steak per person.
Salmon tacos: Salmon cooked the same way as above with less Asian seasoning and sprinkled with taco seasoning instead makes great insides for a taco shell or on top of a salad with corn, tomatoes, peppers, onions, and beans.
Enchiladas from Sams with rice and beans, chips, and salsa
Taco Kit from Sams: it comes with everything, you just supply the drinks!
Hawaiian Pork Tacos – BBQ meat from Sams, pineapple salsa, coleslaw all in a tortilla – also learned from a friend.
Chicken fajita pasta: pick your noodles, but this one tastes just like one of my favorite dishes from Cheesecake Factory.
Pioneer Woman chickpea curry with chicken: I love this approachable curry recipe. I just cook chicken cubes in the skillet first and then start the process in the recipe.
Tortellini soup: my sister-in-law makes this as a stewpot dinner, but I like having it ready from the crockpot cooking all day. Either way, its always so good (and feeds a crowd)
Hamburger soup is one of my favorite cold-weather meals. It tastes like something from your grandmother’s table.
Feta chicken pasta: this recipe took off on TikTok last year, and it’s so good. It’s a quick meal on busy nights, one that you can make for the first round of dinner eaters, and it’s easy to heat up when people get home from games.
Meatball subs: You can do this in the skillet or crockpot, but it’s marinara and meatballs. Yes, you can season up the tomato sauce as you like, but buying frozen meatballs makes it so easy. Scoop out meatballs into hoagie bread and top with cheese. Toast them under the broiler. Serve with chips or salads.
Taco soup is an easy recipe that my mom always made. We eat it with chips or fries.
Chicken Pot Pie: I will tell you right now: this is the best filling for chicken pot pie. The Herby Cream Cheese makes it something spectacular. Topping a pot pie is controversial, so I will tell you to do you. I like it naked, with no topping. But a biscuit, puff pastry, or crescent roll all work fine. You can totally put this in a pie plate or baking dish and throw a pie crust on top. Whatever your people like, but know. The filing is fine by itself, and you can add a can of biscuits!
Chicken spaghetti: my husbands favorite, and I apparently never make it enough, but its perfect for a crowd and when you make one, you might as well make two and put on in the freezer for next time. I like to cook my chicken in the crockpot to make it easier and then I can use the broth to cook the spaghetti.
Meatloaf and Meatball sheet pan: My friend Meagan inspired us with these incredible meatloaves and green beans sheet pan. I’ve mixed it up with turkey and an ice cream scoop, but any way you serve it, this one is easy. I will pre-mix this before church and scop and cook them while we get changed out of our church clothes. I just cook the meat and then a can of green beans. Then, we have leftovers for later in the week.
Beef Stew: it’s basic, its simple, it’s hearty, and in the slow cooker, it’s easy!