20 Easy Pasta Meals for Your Family Dinner Rotini
Want to add some easy pasta recipes to your family dinner routine? We're saving you time by collecting the "greatest hits" family pasta dinner ideas from our parent-curated recipe lists, plus any other all-time favorite kid-friendly pasta dishes our community adds right here.
To make your go-to pasta meals a little more exciting without having to reinvent the wheel (or to modify a recipe you think your kids might not go for), try serving them with a fun and different pasta shape, or change up the protein and veggies.
Need picky eater pasta dishes, or just have a variety of different food preferences in your house? Try offering a deconstructed pasta meal where everyone gets to build their own. Serve a few different jarred sauce options like marinara, Alfredo and pesto that can be mixed and matched. You can also clear our the fridge of any leftover cooked meat, veggies, and bits of cheese.
Add your own favorite easy pasta meals to the list! Submit a recipe link with your personal review below.
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Peanut Noodles
Simple peanut sauce is easy to make with common pantry ingredients like peanut butter, soy sauce and sesame oil. Add fresh or frozen veggies to this peanut noodle recipe to round it out into a complete meal.
Slow Cooker Pesto Mozzarella Chicken Pasta
Mommyx3 (Monique H): My children tend to be verrry picky and from the oldest to the youngest the picky level goes up more lol. One thing they all love in common is some good chicken! The perfect blend of chicken, pesto, lemon, and mozzarella is definitely mind blowing and delicious. Side with some garlic bread for a little kick.
Gnocchi With Sausage and Spinach
Kelly R: The flavor of this dish is deceptively complex, even though it just calls for a handful of simple ingredients. It's one of my go-to easy family dinners! The Italian sausage (use a chicken or turkey variety if you prefer) makes it delicious, and makes even the leafy greens kid-approved.
Ground Beef (or Turkey) Stroganoff
Kelly R: I always use turkey in this easy dinner recipe, and chop the mushrooms so they can't be distinguished. Great served over noodles, rice, or even cauliflower rice. I like to throw frozen green beans in with the boiling noodles to save time and effort.
Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta
Vanessa M.: This was a big hit at our house. It reminds me of dreamy pasta dishes from fancy Italian restaurants. The combination of sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, Marsala wine (the alcohol fully cooks out so it is safe for kids), heavy cream, and parmesan cheese takes this pasta and chicken dish to a new level of yum!
Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups
Katie G.: My kids love the taste of these lasagna roll ups and I love the simplicity of the recipe. Feel free to add spinach or keep it out if your kids don't like "green stuff." I also add extra spices to my filling for a little extra flavor. Double a batch and throw one in the freezer for later.
One Pot Hamburger Helper
christadiserio: This recipe is a healthier version of the delicious Hamburger Helper you ate as a kid. It uses minimal and everyday ingredients, which is great especially when you're looking for easy family dinner ideas you can throw together after a long day. If you feel like going a step further in making this recipe even healthier, you can always substitute ground turkey for the beef.
Spaghetti Carbonara
Kristy Pepping: My kids love spaghetti and this 5-ingredient carbonara dish is super easy to throw together. One of my go-to easy family dinner ideas when I'm wondering what should I make! For an even healthier version, use turkey bacon and whole wheat pasta.
Instant Pot Creamy "Baked" Ziti
Kelly R: This kid friendly Instant Pot dump recipe is the first thing I made in mine, and now I get what the fuss is all about. Pour in a variety of simple ingredients, pressure cook for a few minutes, and you're left with a wonderful creamy tomato pasta that tastes like it took much more effort than it did. We enjoyed ours with some warmed peas mixed in at the table. Easy peasy!
20-Minute Chicken Ramen Stir Fry
Katie G.: It was during quarantine of 2020 that I discovered this recipe which has now become a family favorite. The combination of ramen, chicken and broccoli in a sweet Asian sauce is a winner with everyone. The leftovers (if there are any) are great as leftovers.
Lemon Spaghetti
This easy pasta recipe from Giada De Laurentiis has a flavorful no-cook sauce of olive oil, Parmesan cheese, fresh lemon juice and zest, tossed with al dente spaghetti and fresh basil.
Easy Goulash
Alexandra F.: I'd never heard of goulash before my dad requested it for a birthday dinner, and now this tasty and ridiculously easy one pot meal is in our regular rotation. Ground beef, tomato sauce, macaroni noodles and just a few more ingredients combine in a single pot on the stove to make a yummy, comforting meal our whole family loves. It's super easy to customize, too, if you have allergies to account for or want to sneak in some extra veggies.
Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli
This delicious kid-friendly pasta dish has simple ingredients and cooks quickly enough for any busy weeknight. The leftovers taste great, too.
Creamy Garlic Alfredo Sauce
This easy Alfredo sauce uses cream cheese for its silky texture, and comes together in a snap. Pair with your family's preferred pasta and add-ons.
Cheesy Sausage Rigatoni
Kelly R: With many of the same flavors as baked ziti, this sausage rigatoni was a big hit with my whole family and totally easy to assemble and throw in the freezer. I was worried that the texture might suffer after being frozen, but it was delicious!
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Upparent collects community-submitted recommendations and reviews, and any ideas that are shared reflect the opinions of individual contributors.
