Easy Weeknight Family Dinners

These easy weeknight family dinners will save you when you don’t know what to make. All kid-friendly, relatively healthy and delicious, they’re going to be on regular rotation. They are at our house! (all recipes have dairy-free and gluten-free options in the notes)

Sausage and Veggie Sheet Pan Dinner with Texas Roadhouse Rice

Servings: 5

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb sausage of choice, cubed into 1" slices
  • 3-4 cups washed veggies, cut into 2" pieces broccoli, onion, bell peppers, mushrooms are all great options
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1-2 tsp all-purpose seasoning
  • 2 tbsp balsamic glaze optional, but adds such great flavor
Texas Roadhouse Rice
  • 2 cups white rice
  • 1/2 cup butter could sub 1/4 cup olive oil for part of the butter
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne omit if you don't like heat
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 4 cups chicken broth

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment.
  2. To large bowl, add prepared veggies and meat. Drizzle with olive oil and all-purpose seasoning. Drizzle with balsamic glazed (if using) and toss.
  3. Turn contents of bowl out onto lined baking sheet and spread out evenly.
  4. Bake 22-25 minutes or until veggies are tender and browned and meat is cooked, turning halfway through the cooking time.
Texas Roadhouse Rice
  1. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Saute rice for 5 minutes.
  2. Add onions & cook 3 minutes. Add the seasonings, except the broth. Stir well.
  3. Add broth & simmer for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat & let simmer for 12-15 minutes or till the liquid has absorbed.

Notes

*To make this rice dairy-free: I used 1/4 cup Miyoko’s Vegan Butter and 1/4 cup olive oil instead of regular butter

Burger-Loaded Salad with Oven-Roasted Potatoes

Servings: 5

Ingredients
  

Salad
  • 1 head romaine lettuce, washed, dry & chopped
  • 1 cup chopped tomato
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced onion
  • 1/4 cup chopped dill pickles
  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Dressing
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 4 tbsp ketchup
  • 2 tsp mustard
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp dill relish
Oven-Roasted Potatoes
  • 5 medium russet potatoes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • all-purpose seasoning or seasoning salt

Method
 

  1. In medium pan, brown ground beef over medium-high heat. Drain grease into can or bowl to discard later. Add spices to meat and stir.
  2. In large salad bowl, add chopped lettuce & top with cooked meat & burger toppings.
  3. In small bowl, mix together dressing ingredients. Drizzle salad with dressing and enjoy.
Oven-Roasted Potatoes
  1. Before beginning salad, preheat oven to 425F. Line baking sheet with parchment or foil.
  2. Peel potatoes, rinse and pat dry. Cut into 1 1/2-2" cubes.
  3. Add to medium bowl & drizzle with olive oil & sprinkle with seasoning. Toss. Put on parchment lined tray.
  4. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden on both sides, turning halfway through cooking time.

Easy Breakfast Burritos

Servings: 6 burritos

Ingredients
  

  • 6 10" flour tortillas I like tortilla land uncooked tortillas
  • 12 large eggs
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp taco seasoning
  • 2 cups hash brown potatoes, cooked
  • 1 lb ground pork sausage
  • cheddar cheese
  • salsa
  • guacamole

Method
 

  1. Cook hash browns according to package instructions.
  2. Heat a medium frying pan over medium-low heat. Add olive oil. Once hot, add eggs and scramble until cooked the way you like them
  3. In a large pan, heat to medium and add sausage. Cook until no longer pink or about 10 minutes. Drain grease.
  4. To your sausage, add the scrambled eggs, the cooked hash browns and taco seasoning.
  5. Warm your tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds (or cook them according to package if you're using tortilla land brand). Top with 1/4-1/3 cup of your filling and top cheese, salsa and guacamole.

Notes

*To make this recipe gluten-free & dairy-free, use corn tortillas or almond flour tortillas and vegan cheese. We like Trader Joe’s Almondmilk Mozzarella 
*Serve with fruit

Spaghetti and Homemade Meatballs

Servings: 6

Ingredients
  

  • 1 box spaghetti noodles we like the whole wheat kind
  • 1 16 oz spaghetti sauce
  • 1/2 cup chopped veggies use what you have in your fridge (zucchini, green beans, mushrooms, carrots, peppers, onions, etc)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp dried parsley
  • 1 tsp italian seasoning
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup water

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil.
  2. In medium bowl, add meat, breadcrumbs, seasonings, eggs, salt and water. Mix well and form into 2" balls and place on lined tray.
  3. Bake 15-18 minutes or until no longer pink.
  4. Cook pasta according to package. Drain.
  5. Chop veggies. In medium pan, add oil and heat and then sauté veggies for 5 minutes. Add sauce and heat.
  6. Top pasta with meatballs, sauce and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Notes

*Serve with salad or green veggie
*To make this recipe gluten-free & dairy-free: Use ground oats instead of breadcrumbs. Use Ronzoni brand gluten-free spaghetti noodles. I use Follow Your Heart branch dairy-free parmesan cheese.

5 Ingredient Black Bean Soup with Quesadillas

Servings: 6

Ingredients
  

Black Bean Soup
  • 3 15 oz cans black beans (with liquid)
  • 2 1/2 cups salsa
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
Quesadillas
  • 12 10" flour tortillas
  • 3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Method
 

Soup
  1. In medium pot, add all soup ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes.
  2. Serve topped with sour cream, avocado slices and/or a squeeze of lime
Quesadillas
  1. Brown tortillas on either side. Over low heat, place one tortilla in the pan & evenly sprinkle a layer of cheese over it, then cover with another tortilla. Place lid on pan and cook for 2-3 minutes & then flip and cook for another minute or two on the other side.
  2. Cut into 4 wedges and serve

Notes

*To make this recipe gluten-free & dairy-free: Use corn tortillas or gluten-free tortillas. Use vegan cheese like Trader Joes Almond Milk Mozzarella. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating