It's no surprise that pasta recipes are right at the top of the list of kid friendly dinner recipes. Many of these recipes can be made ahead and are also great for parties.
For many pasta recipes, the most time consuming part is waiting for the water to boil and cooking the noodles. If you are in a hurry, place a lid on the pot of water to help it come to a boil faster. Also, pasta noodles can be made in advance. I often cook noodles ahead of time and toss them with a little light olive oil. They can be reheated by either running hot water over them or popping them in the microwave. The quality does suffer a bit but I can tell you, my kids don't notice the difference at all.
Pasta recipes, especially those with red sauce, can be very messy to eat! Taylor from Household Management 101 has some helpful laundry stain removal tips in case the sauce goes on your shirt instead of on your plate!