The Busy Parents' Guide to Cooking with Kids

We’ve rounded up easy recipes and age-appropriate starter tasks to help you cook with little ones.
By: Foodlets
Taco Pockets

Food Network Rachel Ray Taco Pockets Winter Weeknight Dinners in 60,Food Network Rachel Ray Taco Pockets Winter Weeknight Dinners in 60

Photo by: Armando Rafael Moutela ©2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved. 2014, Cooking Channel, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Armando Rafael Moutela, 2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved. 2014, Cooking Channel, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

One of the most-important life skills I’ll ever teach my kids will be about food: how to prepare fresh dishes that nourish their bodies and, with any luck, taste good too! And since cooking with kids (like any task) takes longer than doing it by yourself, we’ve put together these basic recipes complete with starter tasks designated by age. Building confidence in the kitchen can turn into a lifelong habit that will serve everyone well … especially if the kids start making meals themselves! Let’s get started.

Taco Pockets (pictured above)

One part burger, one part taco, Rachael Ray's 5-star recipe delivers a hearty dinner with all the Mexican flavors kids love.

Kids: Fry turkey patties, cook tortillas

Preschoolers and Toddlers: Measure out spices, assemble lettuce, tomatoes and cheese on “pockets”

Kids Can Make: Pizza Skewers

FNK_KidsCanMakePizzaSkewers_H

Chef Name: Food Network Kitchen Full Recipe Name: Kids Can Make: Pizza Skewers Talent Recipe: FNK Recipe: Project: Foodnetwork.com, SUMMER/APPETIZERS/PASTA Show Name: Food Network / Cooking Channel: Food Network

Photo by: Renee Comet ©2013, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved

Renee Comet, 2013, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved

This is basically a deconstructed pizza — and we know kids love pizza.

Kids: Thread the tomatoes, sausage and mozzarella on the skewers
Preschoolers: Stir the seasoned oil and roll the pizza dough
Sweet Potato Fries

Photo by: Picasa

Picasa

Sometimes a side is the perfect place to get the kids in on the action. It’s a low-stakes part of dinner and, in this case, takes only minutes to make.

Kids: Slice sweet potatoes, turn on oven

Preschoolers and Toddlers: Set sliced sweet potatoes on pan, sprinkle with salt and cinnamon

Easy Ham & Egg Quiche

Have you ever noticed how much kids love eggs? Poached, scrambled, green … This simple technique comes together quickly for a surprisingly filling meal everyone enjoys.

Kids: Smooth dough into pan, crack eggs
Preschoolers and Toddlers: Whisk eggs, sprinkle fillings into bowl
Winter Minestrone

Food Network Giada De Laurentiis Winter Minestrone Winter Weeknight Dinners in 60,Food Network Giada De Laurentiis Winter Minestrone Winter Weeknight Dinners in 60

Photo by: Armando Rafael Moutela ©2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved. 2014, Cooking Channel, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Armando Rafael Moutela, 2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved. 2014, Cooking Channel, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

When Giada De Laurentiis makes minestrone, you know it’s going to be rich, satisfying and good to the very last slurp.

Kids: Peel potatoes, trim ends of Swiss chard, add ingredients to pot and stir

Preschoolers and Toddlers: Push buttons on food processor or blender, rinse and divide beans

It’s so nice to have nutritious snacks on hand, which is why I love putting the munchkins to work on dishes like this one.

Kids: Collect ingredients from pantry, cut bars when ready
Preschoolers and Toddlers: Press and flatten mixture into the pan

Not only is this one-pan dinner a nutritious meal our kids swoon over, but it’s also an easy dish for them to help with.

Kids: With supervision, slice the sausages, sweet potatoes and apples

Preschoolers and Toddlers: Use fingers to completely coat all ingredients with olive oil on the sheet pan, then smooth them out into one layer

Charity Curley Mathews is the founder of Foodlets.com: Fresh Recipes Kids Love + Simple Tips for Pulling It Off Without Losing Your Mind, a contributor to eHow, Huffington Post and InStyle, the mother of four small kids and nonstop wiper of the counter.

Next Up

How to Put Your Freezer to Work, Plus Frozen Meals Made Fresh

Learn how to safely freeze food, plus find Food Network Kitchens' easy recipes for kid-friendly dinners that can be made ahead, frozen and baked later.

One Recipe, Two Meals: Pasta with Butter and Peas for the Kids, and a Veggie-Packed Primavera for You

We're having our pasta and eating it too! Here's one simple version for your kiddos, and one giant, glorious version for you.

One Recipe, Two Meals: Summery Pasta Salad

Pasta salad: always a winner, always a fan.

Load Up the Kids' Lunchboxes for Back-to-School

Food Network’s guide to kid-approved lunches and locker-friendly foods makes cafeteria glee an everyday affair.

The Busy Parent's Best Friend: A Slow Cooker (Plus 8 Kid-Friendly Recipes)

The good news is that you don't have to be a kid or a parent to love these slow-cooker standbys.

Cooking with Kids for Connection

Melissa offers tried-and-true tips for meaningful cooking with your little ones.

Cooking with Kids: Adventures in Guacamole Making, Plus a Simple Recipe

Believe it or not, it's possible — and enjoyable — to host young, budding chefs in the kitchen. Heather from Food Network Kitchen tells her story of making guacamole with third-graders.

12 Lunches You Can Pack in a Thermos

At the first sign of frost, it's time to whip out the thermoses and start filling them with as many hearty, warming lunches as possible.