Now that we are into our second year with Poppy in school, getting dinner on the table fast is everything, and these easy back to school dinner ideas are the 31 weeknight meals I lean on hardest once the routine kicks back in: pasta bakes and stuffed shells, sheet-pan and skillet chicken dinners, loaded grain bowls, quick tacos and enchiladas, and a handful of meatless nights. Everything here is built to come together on a school night, and most of it makes great leftovers for the next day's lunch. To plan the whole week, my 50 Easy Dinner Ideas keeps the rotation from going stale, my 20 Best Breakfast Ideas for Back to School handles the morning scramble, and my 25 Easy Lunch Ideas to Prep Ahead takes the guesswork out of packing the lunchbox.
Table of Contents
PASTA DINNERS:
Cheesy Chicken Sausage Pasta Bake - This Cheesy Chicken Sausage Pasta Bake is truly one of my favorite weeknight meals when I'm needing something flavorful, fast and comforting!
Garlic Buttered Angel Hair with Burrata - This quick and easy pasta dish is one of my favorite meals from childhood.
Vegetable Lasagna - This Vegetable Lasagna is one of my favorite easy back to school dinner ideas. It has layers of caramelized vegetables, béchamel, basil vinaigrette, and plenty of cheese!
Turkey Bolognese Stuffed Shells - A quick bolognese stuffed into jumbo pasta shells makes for the easiest and most delicious dinner.
Sausage and Leek Orecchiette - It’s loaded with kale, tons of leeks, a bit of savory sausage, cheese, red pepper flakes, and more!
Tomato Basil Gnocchi - Truly the most perfect summer gnocchi recipe with burst tomatoes, burrata cheese, and herbs!
Chicken Lasagna Roll Ups - A spin on one of my favorite dishes of all time from Don Angie's in NYC. These Chicken Lasagna Roll Ups will rock your world.
CHICKEN DINNER IDEAS:
Homemade Orange Chicken - This homemade Orange Chicken is truly perfection!! So for those of you who order this every time you get takeout – try and make it and home and see what you think!
Ground Chicken Tacos - Take it from me, make a double batch on taco night and freeze half!
Easy Mexican Shredded Chicken - A great base for so many weeknight dinners!
Skillet Chipotle Chicken Enchilada Bake - One of my favorite dinners of all times! When you layer together shredded enchilada chicken with ALL THE CHEESE, tortillas, black beans and corn it’s basically a recipe for success. This recipe for Skillet Chipotle Chicken Enchilada Bake has been in our family for years!
Poblano Chicken Enchiladas - These have plenty of enchilada sauce and copious amounts of cheese. Add to that a delicious filling of shredded chicken, poblano peppers and corn and it’s a winning combination. I make these on the regular and, one of my favorite parts about this is that unless you’re feeding 6 people, there’s always enough for leftovers the next day.
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs - These are one of the most popular recipes on my website, and I know they will quickly become your new favorite weeknight meal no matter your age! I took each and every ingredient from the chicken parm recipe, and turned it into the most amazing mozzarella stuffed chicken parmesan meatballs.
Butter Chicken - This super flavorful Butter Chicken comes together faster than you could order-in, and couldn't be easier to make! Watch just how simple they are to make here.
Chicken Rice and Cheese Casserole - If you’re looking for comforting back to school dinner ideas – look no further! This Chicken Rice and Cheese Casserole is truly perfection! It's comfort food in a skillet.
CHICKEN BOWLS:
Chicken Fajita Bowls with Guacamole - These Chicken Fajita Bowls are another one of my all-time favorite easy back to school dinner ideas. Truly everything you’ve ever wanted, steamed white rice, black beans, charred corn, pico, guacamole and more! And best part about it… you serve it in a bowl. Which if you’re new here, is my all time favorite way to eat anything. Bowls all day, every day.
Chicken Shawarma Bowls - 1000% fully obsessed with these Chicken Shawarma Bowls!! I took everything I love from a Chicken Shawarma pita and stuffed it into a bowl so I could curl up on my couch and eat it very carefully without spilling. Makes sense right? You're gonna want them on the regular dinner rotation from here on out... they are THAT good!
Chicken Larb Bowls - Chicken Larb over coconut lime rice is truly a match made in heaven. I promise your family will be obsessed!!
Chicken Tawook Quinoa Bowls - It's as simple as adding some grilled chicken breast skewers on top of a quinoa bowl, hummus, garlic sauce, avocados, cucumbers and a bit of shredded lettuce and lunch or dinner is DONE! You can serve it up with a little extra pita because WHY NOT and be on your way to happiness.
BBQ Chicken Quinoa Bowls - This Loaded BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad has layers of quinoa, grilled corn, black beans, shredded BBQ chicken, diced avocado, BBQ sauce and a little cheese. It's packed with so much flavor and is one of my favorite make ahead meals!! Just assemble the entire thing, minus the avocado, so then you can grab them for lunch when you're hungry.
GROUND BEEF DINNER IDEAS:
50/50 Mushroom Beef Burgers - t's made with 50% ground beef and 50% finely chopped mushrooms and it's truly the juiciest perfect burger of all times.
Ragù alla Bolognese - A go-to meat sauce is an absolute must in my world. It's one of those freezer meals I keep on hand at all times, so if I need a comforting/impressive/delicious meal, I pull out a Ragù alla Bolognese in like no time flat!
Spicy Beef Larb with Coconut Rice - Spicy Beef with Coconut Rice - literally what your weeknight dinner dreams are made of!! And don't skimp on the cucumbers!!
Tortellini with Sausage and Mascarpone - The sausage, the sauce, the mascarpone, the freshly made pasta – it’s a recipe for success. We’ve been making this as a quick and easy weeknight meal and it is INSANE.
Perfect Italian Meatballs - Buckle up – these are the most perfect Italian meatballs that will ever grace your kitchen.
VEGETARIAN DINNERS:
Bean and Cheese Enchiladas - The most perfect recipe for Bean and Cheese Enchiladas!! Say hello to one of your new fav back to school dinner ideas that the whole family will love!
Stacked Eggplant Parmesan - I mean, how could you go wrong with breaded eggplant piled high with red sauce, 3 kinds of cheese and fresh basil? It's basically everything I look for in life, all baked into one giant skillet.
Quinoa Stuffed Peppers - There's a quinoa risotto-type situation on the inside, some corn, black beans, and cheese on top because why not, and some guacamole on the side to round out the meal. It's perfection!
Black Bean Veggie Burger - The veggie burger of your dreams! My mom used to make veggie burgers in bulk and then store them in the freezer so we could whip them out at a moment's notice and eat. If you're looking for back to school dinner ideas you can prep ahead these are amazing!
Cauliflower Rice Bowls with Instant Pot Black Beans and Roasted Sweet Potatoes - Cauliflower Rice Veggie Bowls with Instant Pot Black Beans, perfectly roasted sweet potatoes and all the guacamole on top! It's the perfect lunch or dinner.
Garlic Sauce Pasta - The best quick and easy pasta dish that is super inexpensive and satisfies any craving!!
Back to School Dinner FAQs
What is an easy back to school dinner?
An easy back to school dinner is a quick, mostly hands-off weeknight meal you can get on the table fast on a busy school night, usually in 45 minutes or less. The best ones are kid-friendly, made from pantry and freezer staples, and tend to reheat well for the next day's lunch. Think pasta bakes, skillet chicken, grain bowls, tacos and sheet-pan dinners.
What are the best easy back to school dinners?
Build your rotation around a few reliable categories: a baked pasta or stuffed shells, a skillet or sheet-pan chicken dinner, a loaded grain bowl, and a quick taco or enchilada night. Add one or two meatless meals like bean and cheese enchiladas or stuffed peppers. Mixing cuisines keeps the week from feeling repetitive.
How do I meal prep dinners for the school week?
Pick one prep day and cook components rather than full meals: brown a batch of ground meat, roast a tray of vegetables, cook a pot of rice or grains, and whisk a dressing or sauce. Store them separately so you can assemble different dinners through the week in minutes. Many of these recipes can also be fully assembled and refrigerated a day ahead.
Which back to school dinners freeze well?
Saucy, baked and braised dishes freeze best: pasta bakes, lasagna roll ups, enchiladas, bolognese, meatballs and chili-style dinners all hold up for up to 3 months. Cool them completely, freeze in meal-sized portions, and thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. Crisp or fresh dishes like salads and grain bowls are better made fresh.
What are good vegetarian back to school dinners?
Bean and cheese enchiladas, stacked eggplant parmesan, quinoa stuffed peppers, black bean veggie burgers and a garlicky pasta are all filling, kid-approved meatless options in this roundup. Most are protein-packed from beans, cheese or quinoa, so they hold up as a full dinner. They also tend to be the most budget-friendly nights of the week.
Chicken Fajita Bowls
Ingredients
For the Chicken
For the veggies
- 1 poblano pepper thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 yellow pepper thinly sliced
- ½ yellow onion thinly sliced
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breasts into thin strips, about the size of your finger. Combine the lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, cumin, chili powder and red pepper flakes in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the chicken and marinate for 1 hour.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chicken mixture, marinade included, and sauté until fully cooked. Using a pair of tongs, remove the chicken from the skillet and add the vegetables. Sauté until tender and charred. Add the chicken back into the cast iron skillet and toss to combine.
- Serve in a bowl with rice, black beans, charred corn, chopped tomatoes, a big spoonful of guacamole and a wedge of lime.
I would add your baked ravioli, blackened salmon with cucumber avocado salsa, and crispy salmon succotash to this list. All easy and all delish!
Love them all!
I shouldn't visit your blog before dinner - now I'm starving! That gnocchi has my heart 🙂
Oh I'm so not ready for Summer to be over either. But I am ready for those quesadillas! And the rest of these dishes, too!
Definitely a fan of easy recipes to follow this time of year! Thanks for the share, great recipes!
Loving all of these recipes! Such a great round-up for back-to-school! I can't get over how amazing everything looks! I am going to need to try that Cheesy Baked Gnocchi this week!!
So many choices on a Monday, gahhhh!!
This is great- I just can't believe that we are already back at this time of year- such good ideas for weeknight dinners!
I'll go back to school for dinners like these. YUM!
Perfect back to school dinner ideas!!
Looks like some fun meals!
Every recipe here looks spot on better than the next, yum yum yum in my tummy tum tum. Those chicken fajitas look like the ones we'll be getting tonight at our favorite Mexican restaurant. And yes, I'm getting my party hat out of the basement because It's time to celebrate the rest of summer. Unlike CA, our summers are much shorter here in Buffalo, so we have to live it up =)
All these meal are so amazing... !
I don't have any one going back to school, but I still love all of these meals!!! They are perfect for anyone, anytime!!