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Terrific kid-friendly recipes, with or without you.
My kids and I love spending time in the kitchen together. We set our Amazon Alexa up with great music, cook, sing and dance. My kids have developed some great skills and can prepare many meals without me now. Most kids start with some baking fun (which is actually harder and more precise than cooking) but hopefully graduate to real food.
Here are some terrific kid-friendly recipes that they can prepare on their own or with you, but that gives them a few basic skills that will launch them into the best kitchen helpers!
Makes 24 mini muffin puffs
These pizza puffs are another great idea for kids and a fun way to do something other than plain old pizza. They make great snacks and are easy to bring on trips. They will not last long so try one out of the oven before your kids grab them.
Preheat oven to 375°. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder; then add in milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella and the soy meat and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon basil. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
Heat the marinara sauce until warmed through, then stir in remaining 1 tablespoon basil. Serve sauce alongside puffs.
Makes about 125 meatballs
I make a big batch of basic meatballs then store them in the freezer until ready to use. When it’s a meatball night, I take them out and prepare one of these sauces to transform them into a whole new meal. This recipe can be halved as well.
To make the meatballs: Line a few baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, soymilk, pareve cream, parsley, mustard, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Mix together well with your hands. Gently roll them into balls with your hands using about 1 - 2 tablespoon per meatball. Do not overwork the meat. Place the meatballs about 1-inch apart on prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 20 – 25 minutes.
Freezer instructions: Put cooked meatballs in a single layer on baking sheets and put into the freezer. When frozen, divide them into freezer bags, 25 per bag, and return them to the freezer.
Asian Sauce for Meatballs
Makes 1 ½ cups
In a saucepan, combine the sake, soy sauce, sugar and 1/4 cup of the mirin; boil until reduced to 1-1/2 cups, 3 minutes. Let cool. Pour over warmed meatballs. Serve warm
BBQ Sauce for Meatballs
Makes about 2 cups of sauce
In a large dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook 5 minutes until translucent and softened. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add barbecue sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, hot sauce and Worcestershire and bring to a boil. Add Basic Meatballs and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook until the meatballs are heated through, 8 to 10 minutes.
Photo by Campbell’s
Serves 10
This is a fun and popular with kids, twist on lasagna. Just as easy and somewhat surprising. Lots of store-bought ingredients make this super easy to prepare. Freezes well too.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large skillet heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and spinach and cook for about 5 minutes, allowing any accumulated water to boil off.
In a small bowl, stir ricotta with egg, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper and set aside.
In a 9 x 13-inch oven-safe baking dish, spoon about ¼ cup marinara sauce on bottom of dish, spreading to evenly coat. Add ravioli on top in a single layer. Using a spatula, gently spread about ¾ cup ricotta over ravioli. Then add ½ of cooked spinach mixture. Sprinkle 1 cup cheese over spinach. Next layer with more sauce, then another layer of ravioli, ricotta, spinach, cheese more sauce and cover the whole top with shredded cheese. Sprinkle with basil or parsley, if using.
Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Makes 4 sandwiches
Need a quick lunch or a simple dinner on the go. These sandwiches are filling and a fantastic fancy bagel and cream cheese alternative.
In a small bowl, whisk cream cheese, cranberry sauce, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper until smooth. Spread cream cheese mixture over four slices of bread; top with a few slices turkey and remaining bread. Spread margarine over outer slices of bread.
Preheat panini press, waffle maker, or griddle pan. Place sandwiches on heated cooktop and close top (if using panini or waffle pan). Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. If using a griddle, flip and brown on opposite side. Serve warm.
Serves 8
Photo by Kelli Foster
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In an oven-safe baking dish, place potatoes. Rub with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Bake for 45 minutes - 1 hour, until softened but still holding shape.
While potatoes are baking, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining tablespoon oil. Add onion, pepper and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring to soften evenly. Add cumin, paprika, sriracha, salt and pepper. Stir in marinara sauce to thoroughly warm and blend flavors.
Remove potatoes from oven. When cool enough to handle but still warm, slice potatoes in half, horizontally. Press and slightly mash potato halves. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt. Spoon about ¼ - ½ cup sauce onto each potato half. Crack an egg into center. Sprinkle with a little more kosher salt. Place potatoes in oven and cook for about 5 minutes, until egg is just set but still loose or to desired consistency. Serve warm.
Photo by Johnny Autry; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross
Serves 4
Everyone loves Mac N’Cheese. This is a protein packed version that is still kid friendly. Can be doubled.
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add imitation beef, garlic powder, coriander, cumin and chili powder. And cook 3 minutes. Add broth, water, tomatoes, and chilies, if using and bring to a boil. Stir in macaroni; cover and cook 10 minutes or until macaroni is al dente.
In a separate saucepan, heat milk and cream cheese over medium heat. Cook 4 minutes or until cheese melts, stirring frequently, until blended and smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in cheddar cheese. Add cheese sauce to macaroni mixture. Mix well and serve warm with additional sprinkled cheese.