5 One-Pot Recipes for Children
One-pot recipes are ideal when you’re cooking for children who are beginning to try a variety of new foods.
These simple recipes all contain healthy, nutritious ingredients. Why not add them to your weeknight repertoire and surprise your family with something different?
It’s typical: dinnertime comes around and you have no idea what to cook. For a family with young children, this is even worse.
Little ones need variety and get bored of eating the same dishes over and over again.
If your children are picky eaters and reluctant to try new things, planning meals can become a struggle.
One solution is to have a few one-pot recipes up your sleeve. These are great for parents feeding a family. Why? Let’s find out.
Advantages of one-pot soups and stews
If you’re thinking of trying some of these dishes, here are a few more reasons to do it:
- One-pot recipes are easy to prepare and cut down on cleaning-up time.
- They are healthy.
- They include vegetables (don’t tell your children, though, and they might not notice!)
- Soups and stews are easy to digest.
- You don’t need expensive ingredients.
5 one-pot recipes that children will love
If you’re looking for easy, healthy, tasty dishes, then one-pot recipes like the soups and stews in this article are your best friends.
There are many variations on one-pot recipes, but here we’ll concentrate on warm dishes for cold nights.
1. Lentil soup with vegetables
This recipe is heavy on the greens. Here’s what you need to do: first, cook lentils (9 oz) on a low heat for 20 minutes with 1 large onion, 2 small zucchini, 3 large carrots and 3 potatoes.
Add a handful of cabbage, chard or spinach 5 minutes before the lentils are done. Then take the pan off the heat and blend everything together.
Finish with a sprinkle of chopped parsley, salt and pepper.
2. Gnocchi with squash and greens
For this hearty one-pot recipe, heat a knob of butter in a pan and add 10 oz of squash. Stir in 1 red pepper cut into small pieces, sage, a clove of garlic and a pinch of salt and cook until soft.
Then pour in two cups of chicken stock and 10 oz of chopped collard greens or chard. Simmer on a low heat for four minutes.
Then add a pack of fresh gnocchi. Once this is heated through, add grated cheese. When the cheese is melted and bubbling, you’re ready to serve.
3. Beet and pumpkin seed soup
This colorful soup is packed with vitamins and contains carbohydrates, fiber, folic acid and iron.
First wash, peel and chop 3 whole, raw beets. Cut an onion into slices, and fry in a little oil until golden. Add garlic.
Then add the beets, one spoonful of pumpkin seeds, 1 teaspoon of turmeric, salt and water to cover. Cook for 20 minutes.
Finally, take the pan off the heat and blend. This soup can be served cold, if you prefer!
4. Chicken and vegetable soup
Perfect for cold days, soup is an ideal way to get a variety of vegetables into your children’s diet. Chicken and vegetable soup is a classic.
First slice 1 carrot and 10 oz of green beans. Then cut 3 chicken breast fillets into small pieces, and fry in two tablespoons of oil.
Add 2 sliced leeks and fry until the chicken is beginning to turn golden.
Finally, add the chopped vegetables and 2 pints of vegetable stock, and cook for 20 minutes on a low heat.
5. Potatoes a la Riojana
This dish is traditionally eaten in the fall in La Rioja, Spain. Simple and delicious, it’s a favorite among children and adults alike.
To make it, fry 2 finely sliced onions and 3 cloves of garlic over a low flame. When the onion is beginning to turn golden, add slices of Spanish chorizo with the skin removed.
Next, add washed, peeled and sliced potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and a laurel leaf, mix together and cook for a few minutes.
Finally, cover the potatoes in water and cook for 30 minutes. Once the potatoes are tender, they’re ready to serve.
If you love cooking and like to experiment, these soups and stews are a practical and easy way to try new things.
There are many variations to try – and one of them might become a family favorite for years to come.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
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- Dalwood Ph, Marshall S, et al. Diet quality indices and their associations with health-related outcomes in children and adolescents: an updated systematic review. Nutrition Journal. 2020. 19:118.