Best Valentine's Day Dinners For Kids: 21+ Fun Family Favorite Recipes (2024)

Here's a bunch of my favorite Valentine's Day dinners for kids that are easy to make and so delicious that mom and dad will enjoy them, too! There are fun flavor mashups, kid-favorite casseroles, snack food creations, and much more! Even picky eaters will love these Valentine's Day dinner ideas!

Check out my full Valentine's Day collection, including the best breakfasts, family dinners, and red velvet treats!

It may not be Christmas, but Valentine's Day is still fun to celebrate together as a family! Planning a special dinner with the kids in mind is a great way to get them involved and give them something to look forward to.

This collection of simple and delicious meals focuses on childhood favorites that the whole family will love. Choose one recipe and a Valentine's dessert (or two) for the ultimate kid-friendly dinner spread!

1. Pizza Casserole

All of the components of pepperoni pizza minus the crust, plus pasta! It only requires a handful of inexpensive ingredients, and you can assemble and freeze it ahead of time for a quick meal on Valentine's Day!

2. Crockpot Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta

Chicken bacon ranch pasta is one of my favorite crockpot chicken recipes, and any time my daughter is going to have friends over, this is the dinner she requests! Kids love the classic flavor combination of ranch seasoning mix, crispy bacon, and tender chicken, and I love that I can set it and forget it!

3. Mac and Cheese With Hot Dogs

Kids appreciate the simple things, like adding sliced hot dogs to macaroni and cheese. I recommend using pasta shells for the best sauce-to-pasta ratio because they hold onto all the rich, creamy cheese!

4. Crispy Panko Chicken Tenderloins

You'll be hard-pressed to find a kid who doesn't like chicken tenders, especially when they are this crispy and delicious. These golden Panko and Parmesan breaded tenderloins are hard to resist, plus they taste fabulous in ketchup or any other dip!

See what to serve with chicken for some of my favorite side dish suggestions!

5. Beefaroni

If you fondly remember canned beefaroni from childhood, this homemade version blows it out of the water! Beefy tomato sauce, tender macaroni noodles, and melted cheese is a meal that never goes out of style.

6. Baked Spaghetti & Meatballs

Baked spaghetti is an easy way to upgrade your spaghetti leftovers. Add a heaping helping of cheese, extra sauce, and meatballs, and pop it in the oven!

I have an entire page dedicated to what to serve with baked spaghetti if you want to add a few side dishes. Garlic bread is always a hit!

7. Chili Dog Casserole

With nothing more than hot dogs, chili (homemade chili or canned), crescent rolls, and cheese, this 30-minute casserole is an easy dinner kids love! Bake until the crescent rolls are golden and the cheese has melted, then dig in!

8. Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole

This baked spaghetti casserole features spaghetti noodles, beefy tomato sauce, and three different types of cheese. Add air fryer garlic bread to soak up any extra sauce and cheese!

9. Taco Stuffed Shells

Italian and Mexican cuisine come together in this delectable 30-minute pasta dish! Each jumbo pasta shell is stuffed with taco-seasoned ground beef, salsa, cheese, and corn before being baked to perfection in under 30 minutes.

10. Taco Bell Mexican Pizza

Recreate your fast-food favorites at home for a memorable Valentine's Day Meal. Taco Bell's signature Mexican pizza is easy to recreate at home, and you can customize the toppings!

11. Chicken Bacon Risotto

Treat your kids to a five-star meal with a big bowl of rich and creamy chicken bacon risotto! It has the indulgent, rich, and decadent texture of risotto with the amazing flavor of chicken, cheddar, and bacon that kids love!

12. Fish Stick Sandwiches

Fish stick fanatics will flip over these quirky yet delicious sandwiches. Just pop your favorite fish sticks in the air fryer and whip up my quick tartar sauce, then assemble your sandwiches!

13. Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Baked Chicken Drumsticks

Bacon-wrapped chicken drumsticks are the perfect Valentine's meal for your little carnivore! They cook quickly in the air fryer with juicy dark meat chicken inside and crispy bacon outside.

If you prefer, you can bake your bacon-wrapped drumsticks, too.

14. Burger Bar

A build-your-own-burger station is a great way to let kids participate in the dinner preparations. Just whip up some burger patties on the stovetop, grill, or however you like, set out buns, and all your family's favorite burger toppings!

Check out my full collection of burger recipes for popular topping and condiment ideas!

15. Doritos Chicken Casserole

There are nacho cheese Doritos baked into this casserole. Need I say more? Kids love it, and honestly, with layers of seasoned ground beef, sweet corn, tomatoes, beans, and melted cheese, it's hard not to!

16. Walking Taco Casserole

Walking tacos are a fairground favorite, and this recipe has all of the classic ingredients you know and love baked into a mouthwatering Tex-Mex casserole! There are crunchy Doritos chips, seasoned ground beef, and cheese, plus you can add all your favorite taco toppings.

17. Tortilla Pizza

Quick and easy tortilla pizzas make for a fun build-your-own-pizza night! You don't have to make pizza dough from scratch; tortilla pizzas bake quickly!

18. Baked Macaroni & Cheese with Sausage & Broccoli

Smoked sausage, macaroni, broccoli, and lots of cheese baked into a satisfying one-pan meal. It's pure comfort food that the whole family will enjoy, and you don't even need any side dishes!

19. Tuna Noodle Casserole

Tuna noodle casserole is a nostalgic recipe that I remember fondly from childhood, and I'm happy to say it still holds up today. It's rich, cheesy, and so incredibly simple that it's easy to see why parents loved it so much and still do!

20. Air Fryer Frozen Meatballs

If you don't have time to pull out all the stops, just pop a few frozen meatballs in your air fryer. Serve them with spaghetti, or see what to serve with meatballs for side dish suggestions!

21. English Muffin Pizzas

English muffins, pizza sauce, and shredded mozzarella make the most adorable and delicious mini pizzas! Kids can even make multiple pizzas with different toppings if they want to. They're completely customizable!

💭 Tips On Making Valentine's Day Dinner For Kids

Serve a Valentine's Day dinner with recipes featuring your kid's favorite ingredients or dishes outside your usual weekly meals makes the day special! Here are a few more ways to make this holiday one your family looks forward to:

1. Heart-shaped Everything: Use heart-shaped cookie cutters to create heart-shaped sandwiches, pizzas, or cookies. Kids love fun shapes!
2. Colorful and Vibrant: Find ways to add bright and vibrant colors to the meal. Red and pink are traditional Valentine's Day colors, so cherry or strawberry recipes are usually great. You can also use colorful vegetables like tomatoes or bell peppers!
3. 'Build Your Own' Station: Many kids like being involved in the cooking process. Set up a 'build your own' pizza station with pizza toppings, pizza dough, cheese, and sauce. You could also try a burger bar, taco bar, hot dog bar, or a hot chocolate bar for dessert!
4. Sweet Treats: Include heart-shaped desserts, cupcakes with pink cherry frosting, or chocolate-covered strawberries. I have pink chocolate strawberries, too!
5. Decorate the Table: Set the table with Valentine's Day-themed decorations! Heart-shaped confetti and red or pink placemats set the vibe and take only a second to do. You can usually find both at the dollar store throughout January and February.

📖 Recipe Card