3 Unique Recipes That Your Kids Will Love

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If you’re constantly trying to figure out which dinners to make for your family, you’ve likely considered the foods your kids like and don’t like. When you have a busy schedule and don’t always have time to spend more than an hour in the kitchen, preparing a tasty, healthy meal can be a challenge. If you want to get your little ones to try new foods or eat more vegetables, you may have to get a little creative in the kitchen. It also helps to think about your children’s favorite foods so you can create meals based on this inspiration.

Here are three unique recipes that your kids will love.

Pizza Casserole

If your children look forward to pizza night, you can put a tasty spin on pizza by making a casserole with all the flavors of this dinnertime favorite. Boil pasta according to the package directions and use pizza sauce instead of marinara sauce and add your favorite pizza ingredients like sausage, peppers, pepperoni, olives, mushrooms, and shredded cheese. You can also add ingredients like broccoli or cauliflower into the pasta to make dinner more nutritious. Add all these ingredients to the cooked noodles and top with cheese before placing the casserole in the oven for about 20 minutes. This tasty dish is a great way to get more vegetables into your child’s diet and you may even have leftovers for lunch the next day!

Tater Tot Casserole or Nachos

Tater tots are a kid-friendly side dish on their own, but you can turn them into a delicious part of your dinner entree. To make tater tot casserole, combine mixed vegetables and cream of mushroom or celery soup in a saucepan. If you want to add meat to your dish, you can sautee ground chicken, turkey, or beef in a separate saucepan and combine it with the vegetables once the meat is thoroughly cooked. Add salt and pepper, along with garlic powder and onion powder to taste. Place the meat and vegetable mixture in a greased casserole dish and top with tater tots and shredded cheese. Bake the casserole for about 20 minutes and let cool before serving.

For tater tot nachos, bake, or fry tater tots according to package instructions. Top the tots with queso or shredded cheese, beans, shredded or ground meat, and your favorite taco fixings (i.e. lettuce, tomato, chopped onion). These dishes are filled with vegetables and flavor so you won’t have to worry about preparing a side dish, and your children will likely have fun putting the meal together.

Autumn Vegetable Chili

A chili filled with hearty fall vegetables can motivate your child to eat more healthy foods, especially if they help you prepare the meal. After cooking ground turkey or chicken in a pot with your favorite seasonings, add stewed tomatoes, cubed butternut squash or sweet potatoes, pinto beans, eggplant, bell peppers, and onion to the pot. Cover the meat and vegetables with beef, chicken, or vegetable stock and bring the chili to a simmer for about 30 minutes. You can also put all these ingredients in a crockpot in the morning and cook it on low throughout the day so dinner will be ready by the time your family is ready to eat. You can serve the chili with cornbread or dinner rolls, and top with sour cream, shredded cheese, and scallions.

You can also prepare sweet treats to go with your meal, such as golden milk, which is a combination of milk, turmeric, honey, cinnamon, vanilla, and cloves. This warm, sweet drink is the perfect finishing touch to a hearty dinner. Or, you can make an ice cream sundae bar so your kids can top their ice cream with their favorite candies, fresh fruit, or cookies. This is a fun family activity and doesn’t require any baking.

Making sure that many of the meals you prepare for your children are unique and memorable are important. Preparing and enjoying the meals together create pleasant family memories and motivate your children to start learning how to prepare their own meals. The more new recipes your family enjoys, the more meal ideas you’ll have on hand when you need something nutritious and tasty for dinner.