Recipes Everyday Cooking Family-Friendly Recipes Kid-Friendly 13 Kid-Friendly Lenten Recipes to Fill Up the Whole Family By Mary Claire Lagroue Mary Claire Lagroue Mary Claire Lagroue is the Commerce Editor at Food & Wine. A former associate editor at Allrecipes, she joined Dotdash Meredith in 2019. She has written about food since 2017, covering everything from product reviews to recipes to restaurants. Her work can be found in Cooking Light, Southern Living, and more. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Published on February 16, 2021 Close Photo: DIZ Try feeding a finicky kid during Lent, and suddenly your own fast seems like child's play. Whether you're looking for a meal fit for everyone at the table or your child has begun to fast, too, our kid-approved recipes will result in easier Fridays for you and them. 01 of 13 Cheesy Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole View Recipe Culinary Envy How's baking cheesy enchiladas as a casserole for a Lenten dinner hack? This vegetarian recipe preps in 10 minutes and bakes in just 25 minutes, perfect for busy Fridays. 02 of 13 Japanese-Style Deep-Fried Shrimp View Recipe Soup Loving Nicole Crunchy panko crumbs and garlic powder coat deep-fried shrimp for a restaurant-worthy meal. "My husband will only eat seafood from nice seafood restaurants. He was shocked I could make the same quality delicious fried shrimp at home," home cook Sherry says. 03 of 13 Homemade Black Bean Veggie Burgers View Recipe Gord Linder Home cooks say you can bulk up these meatless burgers with brown rice or corn kernels for a heartier texture. Add whatever toppings entice your kids. 04 of 13 Simple Ranchy Breaded Fish Fillets View Recipe Paula Chicken finger fiends will appreciate our Simple Ranchy Breaded Fish Fillets, and this main dish takes just 25 minutes to prepare. 05 of 13 Lentil Bolognese View Recipe Lentil Bolognese. Buckwheat Queen Beat your family's bolognese cravings with this vegetarian recipe that uses meaty lentils in place of ground beef. "At first, the kids didn't even notice there were lentils instead of meat," Allstar Buckwheat Queen says. 06 of 13 Easy Tuna Pasta Bake View Recipe dustysun A generous sprinkle of Parmesan makes this pasta so creamy that even the pickiest eater won't scoff at the tuna. And you can sneak in vegetables while you're at it: "I added in mushrooms and peas, and I feel that's what this dish was missing — a few veggies," Allrecipes Allstar Kim says. "I could see also adding in carrots, celery, garlic, or bell peppers too." 07 of 13 Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas View Recipe Cat Lady Cyndi "I was surprised at how much flavor these had since there aren't very many ingredients. My whole family loved it, including my two year old, which was a shock since there wasn't any meat in it," home cook Kristen B. says. "The only thing I might change for next time is to add more mushrooms." 08 of 13 Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie II View Recipe Beth Replace ground meat with lentils and barley for a shepherd's pie that rival's the original in heartiness. And with the familiar mashed potato topping, no one will mind that it's vegetarian. 09 of 13 Shrimp Mac and Cheese View Recipe thedailygourmet Allstar and recipe creator thedailygourmet decided on cooked salad shrimp because their size resembles macaroni. That is, kids will dig in before they realize they're eating seafood — and will keep eating it. More Meatless Pasta Recipes for Lent 10 of 13 Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas View Recipe LazyFoodieGirl Fajitas make a quick and easy meal, but bake them in a sheet pan covered with parchment paper for quick and easy cleanup, too. 11 of 13 Shrimp and Peanut Butter Noodles View Recipe Dave Thompson Peanut butter makes everything taste better — at least kids seem to think so. You can tweak this shrimp stir fry's basic sauce to fit your family's preferences. Home cooks have used chunky peanut butter for crunch, added ginger for zing, fired it up with red pepper flakes, and even subbed another nut butter to accommodate allergies. 12 of 13 Veggie Chili Cornbread Casserole View Recipe Chef Mo "This recipe is worth all the steps and all the time! I made it exactly as written and it is now in one of my TOP favorites," Allstar Chef Mo says. This 10-serving casserole makes enough for leftovers, and everyone will be glad for it — especially the cook. 13 of 13 Simple Spinach Lasagna View Recipe DIZ Devote 30 minutes of hands-on time to assembling this family favorite lasagna, then leave it to bake in the oven. "This was a hit with my husband AND three-year-old daughter," home cook BISHWMN says. 15 Quick Recipes for Easy Lenten Dinners Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit