Being a parent means sometimes eating meals you aren’t really excited about, but you know your child will eat. And while a big bowl of buttery beige pasta served with a side of buttery beige bread can be delicious in its way, kid-friendly doesn’t always have to mean beige and boring.
These recipes are loaded with ingredients and textures that many children typically love (crispy chicken, gooey cheese, creamy pasta) with flavors that will please adult palates, too.
Maybe you’ll just slide these dishes on to the table, and they’ll happily dig in. If, like the rest of us, you have little ones with strong likes and dislikes (foods can’t touch on the plate, no little bits of parsley, absolutely zero cheese), then meet them where they’re at.
“Honor their choices and their individuality,” said Sarah Ladden, a registered dietitian in Glastonbury, Conn., who works with families to address feeding challenges and to establish positive eating behaviors. “When we plan a meal, we have an idea about what our kid’s plate should look like, and that’s a disservice to kids.”
If you have a discriminating eater, she suggests deconstructing meals as much as possible so they can pick the foods they like.
Can’t imagine your 3-year-old eating pork tenderloin, tomatoes and chickpeas with oregano vinaigrette? Set aside a few pieces with a small bowl of vinaigrette so they can try it as a dip if they’re feeling adventurous. Same goes for the pesto in this gnocchi recipe that your tween thinks looks like galactic slime. Instead of assembling these salmon bowls, serve the components buffet style, and let them make their own.
Ms. Ladden also suggests making sure there’s at least one thing on the dinner table that your children like — a bowl of fruit salad, good bread and butter, a smoothie. That way, they won’t go hungry if the centerpiece is a miss.
And if it is a miss? That’s OK, Ms. Ladden said.
“I always tell parents that they have to let go of the ‘get’,” she said. “It’s not a failure if your kid doesn’t try a new dish the first time. Exposure is the win.”
Credit…Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Ready in: 25 minutes
Carolina Gelen’s gooey delight of a dinner is made with store-bought gnocchi and pesto, and fresh or frozen corn. You could also stir in crumbled and cooked sausage into the mix for a bit more staying power.
Recipe: Cheesy Gnocchi With Corn and Pesto
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Ready in: 40 minutes
How did we feed ourselves before sheet-pan dinners? This clever recipe from Carolina Gelen uses a sweet-tart blend of honey and Dijon as a quick marinade for boneless chicken thighs and broccoli (whose stems are cut into coins for easy cooking and eating).
Recipe: Sheet-Pan Honey Mustard Chicken and Broccoli
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Ready in: 40 minutes
In this blissfully simple recipe from Hetty Lui McKinnon, finely chopped broccoli is added to the top of a simmering pot of rice, then stirred in and topped with a crispy edged fried egg. A little oil is added to the cooking water for richness, but top with slices of avocado for even more.
Recipe: Broccoli Rice With Eggs
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Ready in: 20 minutes
This one-pot cozy dish from Nargisse Benkabbou practically begs to be eaten with a spoon on the couch under a fuzzy blanket. Orzo is simmered in the pot with marinara until tender, then canned tuna and melty Cheddar or mozzarella are stirred in.
Recipe: Cheesy Tuna and Tomato Orzo
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Ready in: 35 minutes
Hetty Lui McKinnon was inspired by the flavors of bibimbap for this super simple, lightning fast meal of soba noodles and quickly blanched zucchini, mushrooms and spinach. (You can use whatever veggies you have on hand.) For spice-loving children, drizzle with a spicy-sweet gochujang dressing. For the spice averse, soy sauce will do just fine.
Recipe: Bibimbap Soba Noodle Salad
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Ready in: 45 minutes
Make it in meatball form, and they will eat it (or at least try it.) Carolina Gelen packages the flavors of chicken piccata — capers, garlic and oregano in a tangy lemon sauce — into tender little spheres that are lovely over buttered noodles, rice or alongside potatoes.
Recipe: Chicken Piccata Meatballs
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Ready in: 40 minutes
When you’ve just about had it with chicken nuggets, try out this nugget-adjacent-but-with-more-pizazz recipe from Yasmin Fahr. Boneless chicken is tossed in a quick marinade of yogurt, tomato sauce and soy sauce, then nestled atop a layer of halved cherry tomatoes, topped with panko, then baked until crunchy on top and saucy on the bottom.
Recipe: Crispy Baked Tomato-Oregano Chicken
Credit…Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Ready in: 30 minutes
Salmon fillets that have been brushed with sesame oil, then bedazzled with sesame seeds are the centerpiece of these happy bowls from Ali Slagle. Serve them over tender noodles and crisp green vegetables, then drizzle with ponzu, a lively store-bought sauce made with citrus, soy sauce and dashi.
Recipe: Sesame Salmon Noodle Bowls With Ponzu
Credit…Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Ready in: 40 minutes
If you need a break from boneless chicken breasts, give pork tenderloin a shot. Like chicken, it’s mild in flavor, which means two things: 1. It’s a great blank canvas for sauces and seasonings and 2. You could probably pass it off as chicken and the little people wouldn’t be any wiser. For this one from Ali Slagle, the tenderloin, chickpeas and cherry tomatoes are roasted, then topped with a tangy oregano vinaigrette.
Recipe: Pork Tenderloin With Chickpeas, Tomatoes and Oregano Vinaigrette
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Ready in: 30 minutes
Hetty Lui McKinnon was inspired by the Chinese comfort food dish of stir-fried eggs and tomatoes for this quick 30-minute vegetarian dinner. Fresh tomatoes take a quick dip in a combination of salt, sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil, to which softly scrambled eggs are added. All of it is piled on top of a bowl of squiggly ramen noodles for a fresh yet comforting weeknight dinner.
Recipe: Tomato and Egg Noodles
Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Ready in: 25 minutes
Another sheet-pan delight from Ali Slagle. This one features creamy feta, corn (frozen or fresh) and snappy shishitos. (The peppers are typically mild, but there can sometimes be a zippy one in the bunch. For the spice averse, sub in mini sweet peppers.) Serve with rice or warmed naan or pita.
Recipe: Sheet-Pan Feta With Corn and Shishito Peppers
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Ready in: 20 minutes
Nargisse Benkabbou’s 20-minute pasta comes together with a touch of heavy cream, earthy turmeric and colorful pops of peas and carrots. Toss in shredded chicken or ham for a bit more staying power.
Recipe: One-Pot Creamy Pasta With Carrots and Peas
Credit…Dane Tashima for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Ready in: 25 minutes
Yasmin Fahr’s tender, cilantro- and scallion-flecked burgers are a big favorite in my house. Her brilliant trick of adding a little smashed avocado (or store-bought guacamole in a pinch) to the ground chicken, keeps the burgers from drying out.
Recipe: Smashed Avocado Chicken Burgers
Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Ready in: 50 minutes
Tteok, or chewy Korean rice cakes, are just the thing to anchor this fun and kid-friendly dish from Yewande Komolafe, that comes together with Italian sausage and ketchup, which offers a “recognizable zing.” Serve with a cool and crunchy cucumber salad.
Recipe: Sticky Rice Cakes With Sausage and Greens
Credit…Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Ready in: 25 minutes
Zaynab Issa’s super smart dinner combines the flavors of two Persian classics: kabab koobideh (grilled kebabs) and mast-o-khiar (cucumber yogurt), but with half the work. Instead of shaping kebabs, she calls for seasoning the meat with grated onion and turmeric, sizzling it in big chunks in a skillet until crisp and brown, then breaking it up and serving with a garlicky cucumber yogurt and pita.
Recipe: Smashed Beef Kebab With Cucumber Yogurt
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Ready in: 35 minutes
In this crowd pleasing recipe from Ali Slagle, beans and rice that are cooked together in the same pot are piled into a bowl, then topped with whatever jumble of ingredients the tiny diner chooses.
Recipe: Burrito Bowls
Credit…Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Sue Li.
Ready in: 45 minutes
This weeknight one-pot recipe from Ali Slagle is like the younger, cooler cousin of broccoli and cheese casserole. It has all of the flavors, but it’s a bit lighter, and takes far less time to put together. Simmer the rice with onion and broccoli stems, top with broccoli florets and steam until bright green, then sprinkle with cheese and broil until crispy and bubbly.
Recipe: Skillet Broccoli Cheddar Rice
Credit…Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Brett Regot.
Ready in: 55 minutes
This Lidey Heuck recipe is a variation on the soup my husband’s Italian grandmother used to make for him when he was sick. Made with a short list of ingredients: chicken broth, onions, carrots, celery, Parmesan and “stelline” — or “tiny stars” — pasta. Everything cooks down into an almost porridgelike consistency that’s comforting and filling any night of the week.
Recipe: Pastina Soup
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