8 Recipes I Know My Kids Will Love

When it comes to home cooked dinners, kids can be our biggest fans, or our biggest challengers. Here are eight recipes I know my kids will love and eat!

By
Carrie Havranek
Carrie Havranek
Carrie Havranek
Carrie has 10+ years experience as a food writer, editor, and recipe developer. She is the author of Tasting Pennsylvania and a contributor to Simply Recipes since 2017.
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Published February 27, 2018
Carrie Havranek
Meals My Kids Will Love
Elise Bauer and Sheryl Julian

Ah, children. They can be our biggest fans and also our biggest challengers when it comes to cooking. Getting a meal on the table that they will eat sometimes feels like a Herculean task.

I’ve got twin boys. One will eat almost anything and the other is much more unpredictable about what he’ll object to—or embrace.

Still, I’ve figured out what sorts of dishes work best and make a meal that they’ll both enjoy. It typically includes things that lots of kids like: pizza variations, sandwich-oriented foods that can be eaten with one hand, and anything with potatoes, cheese, or bread.

Here are eight recipes that I know my boys will love. Wherever you see fit, feel free to add more vegetables or other interesting ingredients that you know your own kids will respond to positively.

What recipes do you know your kids will always love and eat?

  • Sausage Rolls

    Sausage Rolls Recipe
    Sheryl Julian

    Based on sheer novelty alone—sausage wrapped in dough!—these are any easy sell to any meat-loving kid. Pair with a green salad or maybe some raw veggies and you’re good to go.

  • Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

    Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
    Aaron Hutcherson

    I don’t know a single child who doesn’t like tater tots, and this one combines the best of breakfast into a skillet dish that works for breakfast or breakfast-for-dinner.

  • Best Ever Sloppy Joes

    Sloppy Joe
    Elise Bauer

    Adults and kids alike can enjoy this classic combo of ground beef, onions, carrots and garlic. It gives them permission to be messy!

  • Sesame Chicken Fingers with Spicy Orange Dipping Sauce

    Sesame Chicken Fingers
    Elise Bauer

    Homemade chicken tenders are not tough to make, and the reward is so much greater than their frozen store-bought counterparts. If your kids aren’t into Sriracha, simply omit it from the dipping sauce.

    Continue to 5 of 8 below.

  • Mozzarella and Tomato Skillet Pita Pizzas

    Tomato and Mozzarella Skillet Pita Pizzas
    Sheryl Julian

    Made with pita bread as the base, these easy pizzas come together quickly without turning on the oven—you make them in a skillet on the stovetop. Kids can customize toppings to their liking.

  • Kid-Friendly Wraps

    Kid Friendly Wraps
    Elise Bauer

    Layer a tortilla with peanut butter and jelly, or go for ham, shredded carrots and cream cheese. Roll it up, and you have a fun sandwich substitute.

  • Easy Buttered Noodles

    Easy Buttered Noodles
    Elise Bauer

    Noodles loaded with butter, Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper?! Whether you make this comfort food as a main dish or a side, most kids will never turn down such a dish.

  • Cheese Tacos

    Elise Bauer

    You can keep this simple—just some cheese and maybe some chopped tomatoes—or you can gussy this up and add salsa, sliced radishes, or whatever else you have on hand that goes over well. I like to think of tacos as more of a template than a strict recipe, and this one will definitely get you started.