24 Kid-Friendly Recipes
By Margaux Laskey
“What’s for dinner?” Depending how I respond to that question, I’m sure to be met with toddlerlike squeals of delight (chili, nachos) or preteen groans of disgust (almost anything green). While my kids aren’t the pickiest eaters I’ve ever encountered, they both have long, evolving lists of likes and dislikes. My husband and I refuse to be short-order cooks, but we’re not interested in enforcing the clear-your-plate, you-get-what-you-get mentality we grew up with either. And so we are, forever and always, in search of those almost miraculous, unquestionably delicious dishes that please everyone at the table.
In that spirit, I asked readers of our Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter to tell us about the New York Times Cooking recipes their kids request on repeat, the meals that make them do a little happy dance when they hear they’re on the menu. More than 150 parents wrote in, with the dishes their children love — and the things they had to say about them. The 24 recipes that follow are the highlights: Some fall into the typical “kid food” category, others happily don’t. But there’s something for everyone (and, if you’re dealing with especially fickle tastebuds, most are customizable).
There are, of course, no guarantees when it comes to kids. What’s beloved one day might be detested the next, and one kid’s favorite dish could make another gag. But these dishes have gotten at least one kid’s hard-earned stamp of approval, and we think that’s a good place to start. (Get dinner ideas sent straight to your inbox weekly: Subscribe to the Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter.)
See these and more kid-friendly recipes at New York Times Cooking
B o l d
Sheet-Pan Cajun Salmon
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
“Yum. Pink fish is the only good fish.”
— Adam, now 16, at age 13
Ginger-Lime Chicken
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.
“Yum. Pink fish is the only good fish.”
— Adam, now 16, at age 13
Korean Barbecue-Style Meatballs
Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
“ m m m M M M m m m ”
— Connor, 2
Sesame Salmon Bowls
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
“The oldest child recently caught his first salmon, a Coho on the Siletz River, near our family’s house. It was 23 pounds of excellent eating and joyful storytelling. You should hear middle-school kids telling fish stories. They are worse than old men when it comes to blatant lying.”
— Amanda, mom to Lincoln, 12, Eddie, 9
“My son, Ted, 12, and his pickier cousins all love Ali Slagle’s turmeric chicken with asparagus, which we call Golden Chicken. We make it with snap peas or broccoli when asparagus isn’t in season.”
— Jennifer
Turmeric-Black Pepper Chicken
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
“My son, Ted, 12, and his pickier cousins all love Ali Slagle’s turmeric chicken with asparagus, which we call Golden Chicken. We make it with snap peas or broccoli when asparagus isn’t in season.”
— Jennifer
Sheet-Pan Kielbasa With Cabbage and Beans
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Chili
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.
Listen “It makes me feel like I’m about to go to sleep.”
— Olympia, 8
C h e e s y
Cheesy White Bean-Tomato Bake
John Kernick for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
“Voila, dinner is served! Pizza beans!”
— Rachel, mom of Elliott, 3
Listen “Just the way the cheese melts into your mouth, it’s so yummy.”
— Amar, 11
Cheesy Baked Pasta With Sausage and Ricotta
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
“We make this with veggie tofu sausage; if we don't have ricotta, we stick with mozzarella.”
— Bakirathi, Amar's mom
Listen “Just the way the cheese melts into your mouth, it’s so yummy.”
— Amar, 11
“We make this with veggie tofu sausage; if we don't have ricotta, we stick with mozzarella.”
— Bakirathi, Amar's mom
Bean and Cheese Burritos
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgepeth.
“ Y e s s s s s s s s s ! ”
— Frank, 8, every single time he hears these are on the menu
“I skip the white wine and use a cornstarch slurry instead of heavy cream to thicken the liquid. We don't keep American cheese so I just stick with Cheddar. Also no chives.”
— Amy, mom of Dorothea, 11
Homemade Hamburger Helper
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
“I skip the white wine and use a cornstarch slurry instead of heavy cream to thicken the liquid. We don't keep American cheese so I just stick with Cheddar. Also no chives.”
— Amy, mom of Dorothea, 11
Mattar Paneer
Linda Pugliese for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Listen “Just the flavors are just like dancing... like they’re dancing on your tongue and... really just like delicious.”
— Emerson, 6
C r i s p y
Crisp Gnocchi With Brussels Sprouts
Andrew Purcell for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Listen “It makes me feel happy.”
— Clara, 5
Crispy Baked Fish With Tartar Sauce
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
“We make one (teeny, weeny!) adjustment: We skip the panko entirely and substitute crushed Doritos. (Pandemic Parenting: Whatever it takes, you know what I'm saying?)”
— Jessicarobyn
Crispy Sheet-Pan Noodles With Glazed Tofu
Kate Sears for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
“Sweet, crunchy, delicious, yummy! The crunchy noodles are super delicious, and I never not like them.”
— Juniper, 6
Crispy Sour Cream and Onion Chicken
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
“Sweet, crunchy, delicious, yummy! The crunchy noodles are super delicious, and I never not like them.”
— Juniper, 6
“Makes the whole family swoon with happiness.”
— Amanda, mom to Lincoln, 12, and Eddie, 9
C o z y
Dumpling Noodle Soup
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth..
“This is soooo good.”
— Adam, now 16, at age 14
Oven-Roasted Chicken Shawarma
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth..
“This is soooo good.”
— Adam, now 16, at age 14
“I serve it with basmati that I've added turmeric and cumin seed to. And lots of Frank's hot sauce.”
— Amy
Creamy One-Pot Pasta With Chicken and Mushrooms
Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Michelle Gatton.
Sheet-Pan Bibimbap
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Judy Kim.
“My daughter Katie, 11, loves the sheet-pan bibimbap recipe by Eric Kim. She would describe it as 'OP,' which means overpowered in gaming lingo. She once was going to turn down a sleepover invitation because she knew it was on the menu that night from dinner. (We switched it to a different night.)”
— Jenny
“Mom, can we have the shrimp with the lemon and little rice noodles?”
— Gavin, 5
Shrimp Scampi With Orzo
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
“Mom, can we have the shrimp with the lemon and little rice noodles?”
— Gavin, 5
“Excellent with skirt steak.”
— Tiffany, mom to Dash, 12
BLT Pasta
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Ali Slagle.
Listen “I like the pasta in the BLT.”
— Sadie, 7
Dutch Baby
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth..
“Excellent with skirt steak.”
— Tiffany, mom to Dash, 12
Listen “I like the pasta in the BLT.”
— Sadie, 7
One-Pot Japanese Curry Chicken and Rice
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
“Remember, Mommy, I’m having the curry rice for breakfast. Do you still have scallions?”
— Ava, 7
Illustrations by Andy Rementer
Produced by Krysten Chambrot, Kim Gougenheim, Margaux Laskey, Rebecca Lieberman and Shannon Lin
Audio produced by Tina Antolini and engineered by Sophia Lanman
