A Month of Healthy Fall Dinner Ideas for Kids

August 27, 2019
Fall means the kids are back to school and the idea of turning on your stove to make dinner is finally appealing again. ‘Tis the season for comforting lasagnas, homemade pizzas, and plenty of hearty soups and stews. These are EatingWell’s tried-and-true recipes, all kid-friendly and perfect for Fall.
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Instant Pot Lasagna Soup

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This satisfying and hearty soup has all the flavors of lasagna, but without the fuss of layering ingredients in a baking dish and waiting for the lasagna to bake. Here, we take advantage of the multicooker to prepare a soup that is ready in 10 minutes. Just top the soup with ricotta and Parmesan and enjoy!

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Chicken Cordon Bleu

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This classic chicken recipe for crispy chicken breasts filled with ham and melty cheese is baked, instead of fried, for a lightened-up, delicious dinner.

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Alphabet Soup

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Recite your ABC's while you enjoy this kid-friendly soup that you can feel good about serving--it's packed with healthy vegetables. If you can't find alphabet noodles, any small pasta (like orzo) will work.

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Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes

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Two of our favorite comfort-food sandwiches join forces in these family-friendly dinner sandwiches. We found that softer buns make this easier to eat, and it's all the better when wrapped takeout-style in a sheet of foil.

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Cauliflower Rice-Stuffed Peppers

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Slash the calories and carbs of traditional stuffed peppers by swapping white rice for cauliflower "rice." The riced cauliflower is hearty and won't turn to mush during baking. Use an assortment of red, yellow, orange and green peppers to make an appealing presentation.

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Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

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This creamy crowd-pleasing pasta salad features the tantalizing flavors of Buffalo chicken with a healthy dose of vegetables. Bring it to your next potluck or picnic, or whip it up for game day.

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Baked Beans with Ground Beef

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Upgrade baked beans from classic side dish to a meaty main meal by adding lean ground beef. The final result, a superfast hearty casserole, is an easy and fast dinner option. Ground turkey or even sausage would work nicely in this dish. Just watch the sodium.

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American Goulash

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American goulash, also known as old-fashioned goulash, is the perfect economical family meal. The pasta cooks right in the sauce, so this satisfying dish can cook in just one pot.

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Kung Pao Broccoli

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Broccoli florets soak up the flavors from Chinese five-spice powder--a combination of sweet spices including anise, cinnamon, cloves and subtly spicy Szechuan peppercorns. Serve over black rice.

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Montreal-Style Hanger Steak & Sweet Potato Frites

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Steak frites, aka steak and fries, is a French bistro staple. In this healthy recipe, we swap roasted sweet potatoes for the fried spuds and make a yogurt-blue cheese sauce instead of compound butter.

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Black Bean Tacos

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Mixing mashed canned beans with whole beans and seasonings makes an incredibly simple taco filling from your pantry. Top these speedy 5-ingredient tacos with lettuce, tomato and salsa or any of your favorite taco toppings.

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Honey-Garlic Salmon

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A simple marinade of soy sauce, lime, honey and garlic adds tons of flavor to salmon with ease. Just a few ingredients make this quick and tasty recipe perfect for a busy weeknight. Serve with brown rice or quinoa and a green salad.

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Slow-Cooker Baby Back Ribs

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This easy load-and-go crock pot recipe is a great dinner to make with your kids. Let the kids stir the sauce while you rub the ribs, then just let the slow cooker do the rest of the work! Serve with a colorful coleslaw and brown rice.

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Chicken Parmesan Pizza

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Upgrade pizza night with this recipe makeover that combines two all-time favorites--pizza and chicken Parm--into one quick and easy pizza (no dipping and breading required!).

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Barbecue Pork Chops

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The quick, super-easy barbecue sauce in this recipe would be great on roasted chicken as well. Serve with your favorite slaw and a cold lager.

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Chickpea Curry (Chhole)

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Made with convenient canned beans, this quick and healthy Indian recipe is an authentic chickpea curry that you can make in minutes. If you want an additional vegetable, stir in some roasted cauliflower florets. Serve with brown basmati rice or warm naan.

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One-Pot Greek Pasta

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A little bit of Sunday meal prep goes a long way in this one-dish Mediterranean pasta recipe. The pasta is cooked ahead of time and stored in the fridge to use for meals all week, but any leftover cooked pasta you have on hand will do. Chicken sausage with feta is especially good in this recipe.

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Almond-Crusted Chicken Strips

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Give these oven "fried" chicken strips a try, and you may just find the perfect healthy swap for restaurant chicken fingers.

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One-Pot Pasta with Tuna

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Use the one-pot pasta cooking method to make this tuna pasta recipe that calls for just 5 ingredients and is ready in just over half an hour. For extra crunch and a tuna noodle casserole feel, sprinkle this speedy pasta dish with toasted whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs.

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Two-Ingredient-Dough Margherita Pizza

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You won't believe how quick and easy it is to make this healthy pizza. Thanks to a two-ingredient dough that combines self-rising flour and Greek yogurt, there is no need for a rise time. Just roll, top and bake, and you'll have a delicious dinner on the table in under half an hour.

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Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole

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Casseroles make perfect meal-prep dinners--this enchilada version is so easy to prep ahead. The whole casserole can be built and left to hang out in the refrigerator for up to three days. Then all you have to do is bake it off on a busy night and you have a healthy dinner on the table in a jiff. The quick homemade enchilada sauce in this recipe is great when you don't have any of the canned sauce on hand--just season crushed tomatoes with spices and salt for an instant enchilada sauce.

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Smoked Gouda-Broccoli Soup

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Smoked paprika and smoked Gouda give this broccoli-and-cheese soup recipe a double hit of smoky flavor. If you can't find smoked Gouda, smoked Cheddar gives delicious results as well.

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EatingWell's Pepperoni Pizza

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Pepperoni pizza gets a healthful makeover with whole-wheat pizza dough and a flavorful tomato sauce that, thanks to the addition of pumpkin puree, provides extra beta carotene and fiber. We've topped the pie with low-fat turkey pepperoni, but if you like, use your favorite sliced vegetables instead.

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Slow-Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup Meal-Prep Freezer Pack

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Not only does this chicken noodle soup recipe utilize the crock pot for a set-it-and-forget-it easy dinner, you can also prep all the ingredients ahead of time and store them away in the freezer to pull out on a day where you forgot to plan dinner. That's a meal-prep win! Just make sure you thaw the food before adding it to the slow cooker--otherwise it will remain at an unsafe temperature for too long.

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Quick Stovetop Mac & Cheese with Peas

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Fresh basil and green peas give this healthy mac and cheese recipe a pretty green hue. We like the buttery, nutty flavor of fontina, but provolone, Gruyère or Gouda could be used as a substitute.

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Sheet-Pan Chicken & Brussels Sprouts

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Roasted Brussels sprouts and chicken thighs are a match we go back to over and over again in the Test Kitchen. Paired with cumin, thyme, sweet potatoes and a hit of sherry vinegar, they create one of our favorite easy dinner recipes.

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Spaghetti with Quick Meat Sauce

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Instead of opening a jar of sauce, try this easy spaghetti with meat sauce on a weeknight. Serve with steamed broccoli and garlic bread. The recipe makes enough for 8 servings. If you're serving only four for dinner, cook 8 ounces of spaghetti and freeze the leftover sauce.

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Pressure-Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

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This classic Indian-inspired dish typically takes several hours to make, but we simplified it by skipping the traditional yogurt marinade and letting the pressure cooker infuse the tikka masala flavor into lean chicken breasts. Cayenne adds heat, while a splash of cream keeps the spice in check (add less cayenne if you want it less spicy). Serve over rice and with a piece of naan to soak up the sauce.

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Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Glazed Pepitas

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You'll need a pie pumpkin, not the carving kind, for this healthy soup recipe. Roasting the pumpkin brings out a sweet, almost smoky flavor and creates a soup with depth and character. Store-bought pepitas are a good topper, but the homemade glazed ones here are really special. Serve with a swirl of crème fraîche, sour cream or smoked olive oil, if desired.

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Chicken Sausage and Peppers

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Colorful peppers and tomatoes and sweet onion make this sausage dinner pop with fresh flavor. Roasting instead of sautéing makes this even easier for a busy weeknight.

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Southwestern Vegetable & Chicken Soup

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Who wouldn't want to eat their vegetables when they're tucked into a fragrant broth with bits of tasty chicken and spiked with a shot of fresh lime and cilantro? This healthy chicken vegetable soup seems even richer with the smoky flavor from roasted poblano peppers and garlic. Serve this healthy chicken soup recipe with tortilla chips.

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