Inside: Want to bring new parents a meal, but need it to be super easy to make? These easy meals will take no time at all to cook, and new parents will love the break from worrying about what’s for dinner!
Once upon a time when we were new parents, we actually had village (crazy, I know). And that village absolutely ROCKED the meal train and spoiled us rotten.
We loved seeing what yummy new meals showed up each week, and we added so many new recipes to our meal rotation down the road.
Bringing tasty, nourishing meals to new parents is such a gift!
Not needing to worry about making dinner, and having leftovers the next day gives them a much-needed break. They can focus all of their energy on learning how to parent a new tiny human who cries constantly, which is exhausting. (IYKYK)
Even if they stocked their freezer with meals before baby arrived, a freshly cooked meal will still be welcome – trust me.
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21 Easy Meals to Bring to New Parents
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If you’re a meal train newbie, here are a few basic rules to keep in mind…
- Always bring meals in containers you don’t want back. Think soup in multiple mason jars or plastic take-out containers with lids and casseroles in 9×13 aluminum foil disposables.
- Bring a side and dessert if possible. It can be pre-made!
- Text or call before you come.
- Print out the recipe in case they love it – it will save them a call/e-mail.
With those rules out of the way, here are twenty-one easy meals to bring to new parents!
P.S. In all love, if you absolutely cannot cook to save your life, do yourself and the new parents a favor and go with a restaurant gift card.
Related: The Best Gifts for New Moms After Birth (Practical & Sanity-Saving!)
1. 20-Minute Stovetop Chicken Tortilla Soup
This flavor-packed chicken tortilla soup is nearly impossible to screw up! With three easy steps and minimal simmering time, you can have this ready in twenty minutes.
Don’t forget the tortilla chips, shredded cheese and sour cream!
2. Simple & Sweet Rotisserie Chicken Salad
Perfect for bringing to new parents with summer babies, this simple and sweet rotisserie chicken salad is super versatile.
Bring with rolls and a side salad, or with charcuterie board ingredients.
3. Easy Marry Me Chicken Soup
Packed with the rich, creamy flavors of Marry Me Chicken, this soup version is a comforting, hearty dish packed with shredded chicken, orzo, fresh spinach, and a creamy tomato-infused broth.
Bring fresh bread to dip, freshly grated Parmesan and a side salad and/or dessert.
4. Easy Jalapeño Sausage Skillet
This cheesy jalapeño sausage skillet is a family favorite! It cooks quickly in a single skillet and can be transferred to a 9×13 disposable aluminum foil pan.
Again, a side salad and bread are perfect sides.
5. Easy Stovetop Ground Turkey Chili
This sweet and healthy easy stovetop chili recipe is perfect for fall and winter babies. Pair it with cornbread, shredded cheese and sour cream.
This is my favorite healthy dinner because it tastes delicious, and it comes together in no time at all!
6. Instant Pot Turkey Chili
Want to use an Instant Pot to make chili, instead? Try this unique turkey chili recipe, made with pumpkin puree and unsweetened cocoa powder, along with your typical chili powder, cumin and garlic.
Bring with sweet cornbread and sour cream!
7. Grandma’s Baked Mac and Cheese
This baked mac and cheese is made with a simple Béchamel sauce, two kinds of cheese and a crispy panko topping.
They’ll want the recipe for later!
8. Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole
Made with thawed frozen meatballs, this delicious dump and bake meatball casserole doesn’t get any easier!
Pair with garlic bread and a salad, and you’ve got an easy meal that new parents will love.
9. Crockpot Cranberry BBQ Meatballs
These super easy crockpot cranberry BBQ meatballs are thaw, dump and go!
If you want really easy, bring these with Costco’s scalloped potatoes, baguette and a side salad.
10. Easy Layered Enchilada Casserole
This easy enchilada casserole is packed with flavor! Layers of tortillas, seasoned onions and meat, enchilada sauce and cheese all come together for a delicious (and easy to transport) Mexican casserole.
Don’t forget the sour cream, tortilla chips and salsa!
11. Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
If the new parents you’re cooking for are vegetarians, this Mediterranean quinoa salad is a slam dunk!
Yummy feta cheese, veggies and a tasty lemon oregano vinaigrette are tossed with cooked quinoa. Bring bread and dessert to go with it.
12. Hot Honey Garlic Chicken
Use chicken thighs for this hot honey garlic chicken recipe. After sitting in a yummy hot honey marinade, they roast in the oven for just twenty minutes!
Slice and serve with a big garden salad and bread. You can also bring some kind of rice, as long as you are confident that it will reheat well.
13. One Pot Rice with Pork and Veggies
An “Asian-style paella”, this one-pot rice dish is made with pork belly and veggies. After cooking the pork and veggies in a skillet, you can even transfer it to a rice cooker with the rice and water for a super easy finish!
Bring with frozen spring rolls for the new parents to make themselves, plus dessert.
14. Costco Chicken Sausage Stir Fry
This Costco chicken sausage stir fry is super simple and takes only twenty minutes to make! A super healthy meal to bring to new parents.
I’d recommend bringing with fresh bread and dessert.
15. Dutch Oven Carnitas
These Dutch oven carnitas are ridiculously easy! Just dump all the ingredients in a Dutch Oven and simmer on low for hours.
Make sure to bring tortillas, salsa, sour cream, avocados and tortilla chips. Mexican rice would also make a great side dish if you’re up for it.
16. One Pot Vegan Minestrone
Cooking for vegans? This one pot vegan minestrone is super fast and filling.
Bring with bread and a vegan dessert!
17. Three Cheese Baked Gnocchi
This easy and delicious Baked Gnocchi Al Forno combines a tasty tomato sauce, yummy gnocchi, crumbled Italian sausage and three cheeses for the ultimate baked pasta- ready in less than one hour!
Bring garlic bread and salad to go with this filling dish!
18. Easy Cheesy Chicken Taco Spaghetti
Shredded rotisserie chicken breast makes this cheesy chicken taco spaghetti recipe a one pot meal. If you get it from Costco, it makes it both cheap AND easy.
A family favorite that’s creamy and delicious!
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19. The Best Chicken Soup
This noodle-free chicken noodle soup is super nutritious for new moms, especially!
The author writes, “Whether you make your own broth or purchase pre-made, this wintertime staple is perfect for chilly nights, sore throats, good days, and bad days.”
20. 5-Ingredient Breakfast Casserole
Change in up and bring this 5-ingredient breakfast casserole with a frozen hashbrowns!
Bring with fresh fruit, bagels and cream cheese.
21. Cheesy Cauliflower Pasta Bake
This cheesy cauliflower pasta bake is perfect for vegetarian parents.
Make it even easier with steam-in-the-bag cauliflower! Substitute regular pasta for the whole grain pasta if you like.
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Owner of Growing Serendipity, June could talk to you all day about homeschooling, parenting, and minimalism, which she does at This Simple Balance. When she’s not homeschooling, decluttering, or blogging, she loves to enjoy perfect silence while sipping a hot cup of coffee and thinking uninterrupted thoughts—which, of course, with five kids, doesn’t happen very often.