What To Eat For Dinner On Halloween & Avoid The Hanger

I make this air fryer chicken from Pinch of Yum at least once a week. It’s so easy and packed full of flavor, but it’s also incredibly tender and perfect to eat on a wrap, in a salad, or just with some sides and dipping sauce. Get all the spices together before you’re ready to eat, and throw them in the air fryer maybe an hour before you want to head out for the night. Kids can eat it with one hand while running around the house, I promise — it’s the best.

I love any good one-pot dish, and this one-pot cheesy taco pasta from Gimme Some Oven is a family favorite. It’s a really great recipe if you need to customize flavors or spices, and you can offer tons of different toppings for kids to try if they want. It’s also nice, hearty, and full of protein for all that running around you’re going to do on Halloween night.

Another easily customizable dinner, these Instant Pot chicken nachos from Damn Delicious are so beyond good. The chicken and salsa takes just 10 minutes of cooking in the Instant Pot, and then you can just bake it all together with the chips and cheese for a bit and set it on the table as-is. Throw some toppings on the side for your kids to make their meals their own, and don’t even worry about plates. Another major bonus? This is a great choice for families who have a crowd to feed on Halloween night.

I’m convinced baked potatoes are the world’s greatest food. You can dress them up however you want, and you can make them as hearty or light of a dinner as you desire. This recipe for slow cooker baked potatoes means you can toss them in the slow cooker in the morning and just set out the toppings — think cheese, bacon bits, even chili from a can — and everyone can make their own dinner exactly like they want.

If you know your kids aren’t going to sit still for a real meal and you really want to save yourself some clean-up time, try whipping up this slow cooker sausage cheese dip from Averie Cooks. Just throw some chips in a bowl and maybe have other friends or neighbors bring over extra appetizers for light-but-hearty bites before you head out trick-or-treating.

Lasagna is always a great win, but this lasagna soup from A Spicy Perspective makes it even easier to enjoy and is so hearty and delicious. Serve it with some crusty bread to dunk, and you’ve got the perfect Halloween meal.

And if the thought of pulling out one pan or cutting board has you in a tailspin, try any of these super simple and easy dinners. You can use lots of shortcuts like frozen meatballs and canned soups to make something delicious, and you don’t have to spend a lot of time or money whipping anything up. The idea is to give them some protein to handle all the running around they’re going to do — don’t you dare worry about their candy intake. It’s one night, and if all they eat before going trick-or-treating is a banana and a bowl of applesauce, that 100% counts.

• Spaghetti
• Canned soup and grilled cheese
• Greek yogurt and fruit
• Peanut butter toast and fruit
• Sandwiches and chips
• Macaroni and cheese
• Frozen meatballs and barbecue sauce
• Quesadillas
• Tacos
• Hot dogs
• Corn dogs
• Chili