Weeknight Winners: Our Most Popular Family-Friendly Dinners to Try in 2020

Recipe: Old-Fashioned Chicken And Dumplings

Chicken and dumplings is one of the most famous and comforting dishes to ever come out of the South.

Recipe: French Onion Soup Casserole

Georgia-grown Vidalia onions are ideal for French onion soup, and this casserole version will be an ultimate family favorite.

Recipe: White Calzones with Marinara Sauce

This easy, homemade calzone recipe will be a weekly request at your house after your kids get a taste.

Recipe: Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Breasts

Don’t pull those frozen chicken nuggets out tonight. This easy dinner is one the kids will love just as much.

Recipe: Kentucky Hot Brown Casserole

Louisville’s classic Hot Brown Sandwich gets big-batch treatment with this hearty casserole recipe.

Recipe: Skillet Enchiladas Suizas

If the kids are craving Mexican, don’t spend money eating out! Make a hearty enchilada dish right in your skillet.

Recipe: Ziti with Mushroom, Fennel, and Tomato Ragu

Stick with us here: Although Ragu is usually a meat sauce, we made a veggie version that’s just as flavorful and indulgent.

Recipe: Skillet Chicken Pot Pie with Leeks and Mushrooms

Chicken pot pie is a Southern classic that will never get old, and one-dish recipe makes it easier than ever.

Recipe: Pork Chops with Tomato-Bacon Gravy

The pan gravy is truly the star of this easy but company-worthy dinner.

Recipe: Beef Stew

A cozy bowl of classic beef stew is the best way to warm up on chilly nights, and it’s always smart to have a batch in the freezer for the busiest weeks.

Recipe: Sweet-and-Spicy Sheet Pan Chicken with Cauliflower and Carrots

Is there anything better than a 30-minute dinner that’s made in your sheet pan? No, there’s really not.

Recipe: Turkey with Shallot-Mustard Sauce and Roasted Potatoes

The turkey cooks in the slow cooker for ultimate hands-off ease for this dinner that would impress company, too.

Recipe: Molasses-Soy Glazed Salmon and Vegetables

Get a healthy meal on the table for the family in no time with this quick, easy dinner.

Recipe: Slow-Cooker Pot Roast

Pot roast is a classic dinner that every family member will agree on, and the slow cooker makes for the easiest prep.

Recipe: Shepherd's Pie

Although Shepherd’s Pie is a traditional recipe from over the pond, it has all the comfort of a classic Southern casserole.

Recipe: Sheet Pan Nachos with Chorizo and Refried Beans

It doesn’t get more kid-friendly than nachos, and you’ll only have to clean up one pan after this fun dinner.

Recipe: Fettuccine Alfredo with Leeks, Peas, and Bacon

You won’t believe how easy it is to make homemade alfredo sauce, and you’ll never go back to jarred once you do.

Recipe: Sheet Pan Pizza with Corn, Tomatoes, and Sausage

Pizza night got a hit of fresh summer veggies with this sheet-pan wonder, but don’t worry—the kids will love it as much as delivery.

Recipe: Brisket-and-Black Bean Chili with Cilantro-Lime Crema

This slow-cooker chili is an easy, comforting dinner that will fill your family up.

Recipe: Teriyaki Salmon Bowls with Crispy Brussels Sprouts

Forget takeout—these teriyaki bowls are an Asian-inspired (and healthy!) meal that the kids will love.

Recipe: Crispy Chicken Cutlets with Blistered Tomatoes

This 25-minute twist on chicken piccata is much more kid-friendly than the original.

Recipe: Steak-and-Potato Kebabs

During the summer months, there’s nothing better than firing up the grill, and no one can say no to a juicy steak kebab.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce  

Serve this traditional meat sauce over whatever pasta variety you have on hand. This recipe serves a crowd, so you might have leftovers for the freezer.

Recipe: Country Captain Chicken

This Lowcountry favorite is packed with flavor from various spices like curry powder, paprika, and nutmeg.

Recipe: Gnocchi Gratin with Ham and Peas

This gnocchi spin on a traditional gratin is extra cheesy and oh-so-comforting.

Recipe: Grilled Pizza with Summer Veggies and Smoked Chicken

Grilling out is a fun way to enjoy family pizza night in the summer, and you can top these pizzas with whichever protein and veggies are in your refrigerator at the time!

Recipe: Pecan-Breaded Pork Chops with Beer Sauce

Southern cooks love pecans and pork, and this dinner recipe combines both. It’s pretty enough for company but easy enough for a weeknight dinner.

Recipe: Beef Stew with Cheddar Biscuits

This hearty stew is made in your skillet for easy one-dish cleanup.

Recipe: Baked Rigatoni with Zucchini and Mozzarella

This baked dish is a fun way to do pasta night that’s much easier than the presentation lets on.

Recipe: Harry Young’s Burgoo

This Kentucky-born stew is perfect for feeding a crowd and freezing leftovers for later.

Recipe: Martina McBride's Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Readers could not stop raving about this easy Tex-Mex soup from Martina McBride’s cookbook, and your family is going to fall in love.

Recipe: Homestyle Ground Beef Casserole

Without a doubt, this reader-favorite casserole recipe became an instant classic this year, and there’s never been a ground beef recipe our families haven’t loved.

Recipe: Heirloom Tomato Pie

This is hands-down our most popular tomato pie recipe of all time, not to mention how beautiful a variety of heirloom tomatoes looks on your table.

Recipe: Chicken-Mushroom Skillet

This pretty dinner recipe is healthy but filling, and you have to make it if you’re a mushroom lover.

Recipe: Baked Ziti with Sausage

Easy, cheesy, and impossible to mess up, this baked pasta is a shoo-in for your weeknight repertoire.

Recipe: Slow-Cooker Corn Chowder

We love using fresh summer corn when it’s abundant, and this hearty soup is a way to get it on the table with minimal work on your part.

Recipe: Easy Boarding House Meatloaf

Since meatloaf has been a prized recipe in every Southern cook’s recipe box for decades, it came as no surprise that this old-school iteration became popular with readers. The star of this recipe? The meatloaf sauce—trust us.

Recipe: Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

This chicken spaghetti is literally the definition of a crowd-pleasing dinner recipe.

Recipe: Smothered Enchiladas

Mix up your casserole routine with cheesy, melty enchiladas. The kids will ask for seconds, and you can enjoy a margarita on the side.

Recipe: Shrimp and Grits Casserole

Readers loved this dish for its versatility and how easy it is to serve. Rather than have two separate dishes for shrimp and grits, we combined them into one easy casserole that you can serve at brunch, lunch, or dinner.

Recipe: Roasted Tomato Soup with Cheddar Cheese

When in doubt, creamy tomato soup is always going to hit the spot. Serve this easy dinner with a classic grilled cheese, and even the pickiest eaters at the table will be happy.

Recipe: King Ranch Chicken Casserole

For any Southerners who’ve had a King Ranch Chicken recipe for years, this comes as no surprise. A trusty standby for dinnertime, this Tex-Mex casserole has never met an opposer.

Recipe: Oven-Fried Pork Chops with Sweet Potatoes and Green Beans

There’s nothing better than a meal that cooks in one pan, especially when budget-friendly, kid-approved pork chops are the star.

Recipe: Easy Taco Casserole

Cleanup following Taco Tuesday has never been easier than with this hearty casserole.

Recipe: Macaroni Pie

Sliceable yet creamy macaroni and cheese? We made it possible.

Recipe: Julie Yoste's Mississippi Roast

The Mississippi Roast is one of the most popular recipes on Pinterest, so if you haven’t tried it, this is the year.

Recipe: Rosemary Chicken Thighs and Vegetables

This healthy skillet dinner is pretty enough for guests but quick enough for weeknights, and that’s what we call a winner.

Recipe: Cheesy Potato Soup with Bacon

This rich, creamy soup comes together in your Dutch oven from start to finish, so you have less to clean up after dinnertime.

Recipe: Pizza Casserole

From the name of this recipe alone, you know your kids are going to be huge fans of it. This hearty supper tops delivery every time.

Recipe: Chicken Tamale Pie

A corn muffin crust and your trusty skillet will make this your new favorite weeknight dinner.

Recipe: Pasta with Shrimp and Tomato Cream Sauce

Although this pasta is paired with a dreamy cream sauce, it remains a light and airy feel.

Recipe: One-Pan Hot Honey Chicken and Rice

This one-dish chicken and rice dinner packs more flavor than your family will believe.

Recipe: Healthy Turkey Lasagna

The kids will have no idea that you took your old-school beefy lasagna and lightened it up a bit.

Recipe: Ground Beef Vegetable Soup with Gnocchi

If one kid is craving the comfort of a warm bowl of soup and the other pasta, this hearty soup will be on the table in 30 minutes to satisfy everyone.

Recipe: Cowboy Casserole

We know this dinner isn’t necessarily diet-proof, but with a tater-tot crust, it’s definitely kid-proof, which is enough to hope for one some nights.

Recipe: Skillet Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry

You might not have the time or patience to make old-school chicken pot pie with homemade crust, but this skillet recipe brings you all the flavor you love in half the time.

Recipe: Cheesy Beef-and-Spinach Ravioli

We love any recipe that’s done in less than an hour and uses our favorite skillet (and that has pasta and cheese, of course).

Recipe: Sheet Pan Greek Chicken with Roasted Potatoes

This herby, healthy sheet pan dinner has so much depth of flavor.