Back to School Weeknight Dinner Ideas
Hello and welcome to Around The Table With Aunt Bee: Back To School Edition – I can not believe Summer break is over! I am however, looking forward to getting back into a routine, not to mention FOOTBALL SEASON and the comfort foods of Fall!
With Back to School being such a busy time for everyone, I wanted to put together a list of our favorite, quick and easy recipes that are perfect for busy families. There is a little bit of everything in this list of recipes, because it takes all kinds to make it work, depending on your circumstances on any given day. I hope this list of recipes and ideas inspires you, and I hope your family loves them as much as ours! (A special thanks to rock star blogger and mom of 4, Michaela, from An Affair From The Heart, for contributing two of her busy family’s favorite, easy weeknight recipes.)
Back to School Weeknight Dinners
Smoked Sausage Penne Alfredo – This is an absolutely delicious dinner that is on your table in under 30 minutes. A quick weeknight meal that feels like a weekend treat!
Slow Cooker Steak Tacos – This wonderful meal is prepped in 5 minutes then cooks in your slow cooker for 8 hours! Perfect for a long day when you know you will be way too exhausted to even make a sandwich when you get home! You won’t be tempted with the drive-thru when you know this delicious dinner is ready and waiting!
*Bonus* Your house will smell like a Tex-Mex heaven when you walk in the door!
{5 Ingredient} Chicken Parmesan Ravioli Bake – This recipe is one of the most kid pleasing recipes I have created! Not only is it delicious, it only calls for 5 ingredients, and dinner is ready in under 30 minutes! This is also a great one to prep ahead of time. Just refrigerate until ready to bake!
Stuffed Bell Peppers – I can not tell you how many countless times I made this recipe during nap time when my kids were babies. It is one of my favorite recipes on my site, and while it takes about 30 minutes to prep, you can even prep it a couple of days in advance! Just pop it in the oven whenever you are ready to bake it!
Porcupine Meatballs – Classic Southern comfort food at it’s finest! These meatballs take about 10 minutes to prep, then bake in the oven in a delicious sauce.
Italian Wonder Pot – One Pot, 20 minutes, dinner is done. You don’t even have to drain your noodles. You won’t believe how easy and delicious this is!
Pork Chop & Garden Vegetable Rice Bake – This is our favorite recipe we had this Summer. It is from scratch with about 15 minutes of hands on time, but then the whole meal bakes together in the oven for an hour!
Brown Sugar Lemon Chicken – This is the most hands on recipe in this list. I included it because it is my absolute all time favorite chicken recipe and because, hey, some weeknights we DO have a little extra time. Right? TOTALLY WORTH IT!
I would love to hear some of your favorite weeknight meals – share them in the comments! I hope your kiddos have a wonderful school year!
You Might Also Like…
More Kid-Pleasing Recipes on RCM
Back to School Guide for North Alabama
This article was originally published in 2014 and has been updated with current info.
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When the kids are back in school, it’s so nice to end the day with a family dinner. Thanks Brandi for this yummy collection!
You are so right, Nancy! So glad you enjoyed it!
What a fabulous collection of back to school recipes Brandi. I know many parents will be appreciate having such a wonderful selection of kid-friendly dinners everyone can enjoy. Well done!
Thank you so much, Linda!
Brandi, nice job on the article and the great recipes!
Thanks a bunch, Patty!
Awesome group of recipes! I love it! I’m always looking for quick dinners (back to school time or just anytime!). Thanks for this! I’ve pinned it for later.
Thank you so much, Debi!
My friend, this is one amazing line-up!! I love how you have a little bit of everything, sometimes weeknight meals just get so darn monotonous! I am sure your kiddos appreciate that you mix it up for them! (You’re such a good mom!!) Thank you for including a couple of our family favorites with yours!! You’re the best!
I had to come back and read through it all again!! I just love this!! I have shared all around! <3
Thank you SO much, Michaela! And thanks again for contributing some of your wonderful recipes!!!
Wonderful post! I love all these fantastic ideas for those crazy weeknights! One thing I like to do is make pizzas using French bread and left overs! Fast and easy!
French Bread pizzas from leftovers is such a great idea!!! We also use pita’s for the crust sometimes! Thanks for your comment, Kecia!
This is an absolutely stunning collection of recipes. This is sure to help out so many busy households. I know I will keep this collection on hand.
Thank you so much, Nicole!
G’day! Great round up collection Brandi! I’d love to try each one!
Cheers! Joanne
Thanks a bunch, Joanne!
All these recipes look so doable and delicious. Thanks for sharing such an informative post. All great ideas!
Fortunately schools start on the 15th of September here! So I am having still a month. But I pinpointed these options for when the time comes. They all look absolutely mouthwatering!
Katerina, I am jealous! I wish school started back later here! I hope your family likes these easy dinner recipes! 🙂
G’day What a great Round Up Brandi!
I wish I could try every one!
Cheers! Joanne @ What’s On the List
Thank you!
I’m always on the lookout for new speedy meals! I love this collection and can’t wait to try the Stuffed Bell Peppers.
Thanks for all these great ideas for our back to school days that are just around the corner; great job with this one!!
All fabulous ideas!!! I’m going to try the slow cooker steak tacos first!
Thanks so much for this wonderful collection of Back To School Weeknight Dinners. This will be so helpful on those hectic days.