Kid-Friendly Aldi Dinners

By Tyler, a home cook in Spring Hill, Florida · Updated October 2026

The cheapest dinner is the one your kids actually eat. A meal that ends up in the trash costs more than a slightly pricier one that gets finished, so these recipes stick to the flavors most kids already like: tacos, cheese, pasta, barbecue sauce and breakfast foods. These are thirteen family dinners from this site, each written for four people with Aldi brand ingredients and the cost per serving worked out for you.

Most of them have a build-your-own element, which is the easiest trick I know for picky eaters. When kids choose their own toppings, they are much more likely to eat what is on the plate.

Taco and tortilla nights

Tortillas are a picky eater's best friend. Walking tacos are served right in a bag of chips, which makes dinner feel like a party. Chicken and cheese quesadillas are crispy, cheesy and easy to cut into triangles for little hands. Crispy fish tacos use oven-baked fish fillets, a good way to get fish on the table without a fight, and chicken enchiladas are a cheesy bake that reheats well for lunch.

Pasta nights

Pasta is the most dependable kid dinner there is, and these three cover the classics. Spaghetti and meatballs is a weekend favorite, and kids can help roll the meatballs. Chicken alfredo hides broccoli right in the creamy sauce, and one-pot taco pasta is basically tacos meets mac and cheese.

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Classic spaghetti with juicy homemade meatballs.

45 min$2.63/serving · $10.54 total

Chicken Alfredo

Creamy alfredo pasta with chicken and broccoli.

30 min$2.42/serving · $9.69 total

One-Pot Taco Pasta

Ground beef, taco seasoning, pasta, and cheddar melted together — weeknight comfort in one pot.

25 min$2.12/serving · $8.47 total

Breakfast for dinner and build-your-own bars

Breakfast for dinner is never a hard sell. Pancakes with turkey sausage and the eggs, hash browns and turkey bacon plate are both fast, cheap and loved by kids of every age. The loaded baked potato bar puts the toppings in bowls on the table so everyone builds their own, which works just as well for the adults.

Chicken they will ask for again

These three use the sauces kids already love. BBQ chicken flatbreads are pizza night without the delivery bill. Teriyaki chicken rice bowls are sweet, savory and served with broccoli and carrots, and BBQ chicken drumsticks are cheap, sticky and meant to be eaten with your hands.

Tips for picky eaters

Serve sauces and toppings on the side. A plain piece of chicken with barbecue sauce for dipping gets eaten far more often than one that arrives already covered.

Let kids help. Even small jobs like stirring, sprinkling cheese or rolling meatballs make them more likely to try what they made.

Repeat the winners. When a dinner is a hit, put it in the rotation every week or two. The planner on our home page lets you swap in any of these favorites when you build your week around this week's Aldi deals.

Prices vary by store and change week to week, so treat the costs on these cards as close estimates and check the shelf price before you check out.

Keep reading

• School Lunches for a Week, Under $15
• 15-Minute Aldi Dinners for Wiped-Out Weeknights
• A Week of Aldi Dinners for Under $50
• Cheap Aldi Chicken Recipes
• All Cheap Aldi Recipes