30 Quick and Easy Weeknight Pasta Dinner Ideas (perfect for picky eaters!)
Easy pasta recipes for families! Kid-approved easy pasta dinners are perfect for families with picky eaters.
It sure can get a bit frustrating trying to think of new dinner ideas all the time.
Especially if you have picky eaters in your house!
Kids are tough to please, but pasta is usually a winner.
Not only is pasta budget-friendly, but you can keep several boxes in your pantry for busy weeknights when you barely have time to cook.
I put together a whole list of easy, kid-approved pasta dinner recipes, so you have tons of ideas to add to your meal plan.
There are so many fun ideas here, and you and your family will love the variety.
There’s more to pasta than plain old spaghetti, as tasty as it is.
Let’s dive in!
💡 Psst: Want a whole YEAR of dinner ideas at your fingertips? Grab my One Year of Dinners Meal Plan, with 365 different recipes!
Easy Weeknight Pasta Dinner Recipes
No-Boil Lasagna
Easy no-boil lasagna made with beef, marinara sauce, ricotta cheese, and super convenient oven-ready noodles.
Enjoy all the flavors of traditional Italian lasagna with minimal time and effort.
One Pot Taco Spaghetti
One Pot Taco Spaghetti is an easy 30-minute dinner recipe that combines the delicious flavors of tacos and spaghetti.
The perfect alternative to traditional Taco Tuesday!
Cheese Stuffed Shells {Olive Garden Copycat}
Giant pasta shells stuffed with three kinds of cheese, on top of rich marinara and doused in creamy alfredo sauce.
It’s amazing enough for special occasions, but simple enough for any weeknight.
Panera Chicken Tortellini Alfredo
This rich and creamy chicken alfredo tortellini tastes just like (or even better than!) the now discontinued Panera Bread version.
Made with a homemade alfredo sauce, this easy weeknight copycat recipe is kid-friendly comfort food done right.
Crock Pot Spaghetti
This crock pot spaghetti recipe is perfect for busy days when you know you aren’t going to have time to prepare dinner.
Put everything in the slow cooker and leave it simmering all day. Then, stir in the pasta before dinner and enjoy with an Italian salad and Texas toast or garlic bread.
Chicken Rigatoni
This easy Chicken Rigatoni recipe serves up tender, bite sized chicken morsels in a rich and creamy tomato sauce.
Loaded with Italian flavors and comes together so easily, it’s cheesy, hearty and guaranteed to satisfy kids and adults alike!
Roasted Gnocchi With Veggies and Sausage
A simple and delicious sheet pan meal perfect for the busy weeknights, this roasted gnocchi dish has only a handful of ingredients and a few minutes of prep, so it’s on the table in no time.
American Goulash
American Goulash is an easy, one-pot, classic comfort food made with ground beef, tomatoes, and macaroni noodles.
It’s an easy year-round dinner that’s delicious as leftovers, and is guaranteed to win over even the pickiest eaters!
Easy Chicken Piccata Pasta
A light and zesty pasta dish made with lemon juice, capers, and cream, this Chicken Picatta Pasta tastes like it's straight from your favorite Italian restaurant.
It’s the perfect comfort food dish to enjoy anytime of year.
Spaghetti Pie
An amazingly tasty pile of spaghetti, cheese and meaty goodness this Spaghetti Pie Recipe is one of the best, easy weeknight dinner recipes.
You’ll fall back on it time and again when you need a delicious, easy meal the whole family loves.
It also makes the perfect dish to take to new parents or a family in need.
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta
This quick creamy vegetarian pasta recipe uses sun-dried tomato pesto and is bursting with rich garlic, basil, and cheese.
Plus, it’s conveniently customizable with any veggies to create your own favorite version.
Crock Pot Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
Indulge in the ultimate comfort food with this crock pot garlic parmesan chicken pasta recipe.
Slow-cooked to perfection, tender chicken is shredded in a flavorful garlic parmesan sauce, creating a mouthwatering dish that will leave you craving for more.
Convenient, versatile, and family-friendly, this easy meal is impressive with its perfect ratio of rich flavors and minimal effort.
Neapolitan Layered Pasta Bake
Quick to make from scratch, this dish is handy for busy days and even makes great meals to take to parents of a newborn or someone who could use a premade meal to have on hand.
Air Fryer Pasta Bake
This super easy Air Fryer Pasta Bake recipe is perfect for lunch or dinner.
Simply cook your favorite pasta, mix with pasta sauce, top with cheese and bake in the air fryer.
Slow Cooker Ravioli Lasagna
With just 3 ingredients, this “lazy lasagna” recipe is made using frozen ravioli for an incredibly easy hands-off dinner in the slow cooker!
If you love lasagna, you’ll love this recipe.
Lemon Chicken Pasta
Full of flavor, but requiring minimal ingredients, you can have Lemon Chicken Pasta on the table in about 30 minutes.
Easy Pepperoni Pasta Bake
This cheesy, gooey, and easy Pepperoni Pasta Bake is a great dish for the whole family.
Such a great twist for pizza night, and you can’t argue with only 4 ingredients!
Instant Pot Chicken Bacon Ranch Alfredo
Dust off that Instant Pot to make his creamy Chicken Bacon Ranch Alfredo.
It’s crazy easy because everything cooks right in your pressure cooker, INCLUDING the bacon.
Plus, it doesn’t have too many ingredients, making it really affordable too.
Penne Pomodoro
Penne pasta is coated in a homemade tomato and basil sauce for a quick and easy meatless meal everyone will love.
Or add in some ground beef or turkey, or Italian sausage to make it heartier.
Easy Baked Chicken Parmesan Casserole
A quick one-dish dinner that everyone will love, this easy Baked Chicken Parmesan Casserole is ready to bake in just 10 minutes.
5 Ingredient Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
This quick macaroni and cheese recipe is made with 5 ingredients, and it takes less than 20 minutes to make in your pressure cooker.
Easy Cheesy Hamburger Casserole
Get ready for the ultimate comfort food with this easy cheesy hamburger casserole recipe.
Ground beef, filling pasta, and delicious melted cheese makes for a frugal dinner the whole family will love.
Easy One-Pan Baked Tortellini Recipe
Easy one-pan baked tortellini recipe is a quick dinner recipe that’s made in one skillet in less than 30 minutes.
Perfect for picky eaters and busy weeknights, you can use ground sausage, beef, or turkey.
Instant Pot Italian Mac and Cheese
Instant Pot Italian Mac and Cheese is a tasty cross between mac & cheese and spaghetti.
It's cheesy, creamy, saucy goodness that takes less than 30 minutes total to make!
Chili Mac
This classic dinner recipe will be a winner with your entire family.
Chili Mac is made with elbow macaroni, ground beef, tomatoes, and topped with cheese for all those comfort food vibes we need during the week.
Easy Skillet Lasagna
Skillet lasagna with cottage cheese is a game changer if you're a fan of lasagna but dread the tedious process of putting it together.
You'll skip all the difficult steps of a traditional lasagna and still end up with a totally delicious one pan meal.
Taco Gnocchi Skillet
Taco Gnocchi Skillet has it all going on in one pan!
Taco-seasoned ground beef, plenty of vegetables, tender bites of gnocchi, melty cheese, and crushed tortilla chips.
It’s bold and flavorful with a variety of fun textures in every bite.
Creamy Boursin Pasta
TikTok sensation Creamy Boursin Pasta is so quick and easy.
This dish is wildly addicting and uses just a few simple ingredients. It’s gone viral for a reason!
Easy Baked Ziti with Italian Sausage
One of those easy casseroles that tastes like you’ve been cooking all day, Baked Ziti is surprisingly quick!
Layers of tender ziti noodles, with a meaty zesty Italian sausage sauce and a cream creamy ricotta cheese layer that bakes until beautiful and bubbly.
Creamy Tuna Pasta Bake
This creamy tuna pasta bake recipe is a comforting classic family dinner on the table in 45 minutes.
Pasta is mixed with a homemade creamy sauce, tuna and sweetcorn, sprinkled with cheese then baked until golden in this versatile recipe.
Ready to try some of these fast easy pasta recipes?
I hope this list of pasta dinners for families has given you tons of inspiration for what to make for those picky eaters in your life.
You can feed the whole family on a budget with these ideas, and cook simple, tasty food at the same time.
And if you want even more dinner ideas, be sure to grab my One Year of Dinners Meal Plan bundle – you won’t have to come up with new ideas for a year!
You may also like:
75 Easy & Fun School Night Dinners for Families
35 Quick Ground Beef Dinner Ideas You Can Make on a Budget
50 Kid-Approved Chicken Weeknight Dinners for Busy Nights