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“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.
“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
“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
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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
“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
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