That's not my kid. Mine is younger and not nearly as tidy with a spoon. But (for now) she loves anything labeled soup, which is great, because soup? It's easy, it makes a lot of leftovers, and it's a great way to shovel in vegetables without tricking her into eating them. Here are two favorites.
Soup can be messy for young children, but it's a one-stop shop. You get protein and vegetables in a single bowl, and it's easy to highlight the good stuff (hey! corn!) if your kid isn't into something else (what green thing?).
Both of these soups have high-octane vegetables in them—kale, cabbage, chard—and they're relatively chunky and thick, which makes them less sloppy. All you need is some good bread for a satisfying adult meal.
• Easy Turkey Chili with Kale
Probably our favorite soup; I can make this with my eyes closed. I've used spinach and collard greens in place of the kale, both with great success. And when my daughter has gone through phases where she picks out "dat green," I offer to help her eat it and just nudge a few beans or corn kernels on top of the kale so she doesn't notice. She's two. It works.
• Minestrone Soup, Full of Leafy Greens
Slightly more time-consuming than the chili but jam-packed with green vegetables. And yet it's not intimidating. I've made it without the escarole (just cabbage and chard) and also thrown in packaged, frozen collard greens. It's a very adaptable recipe. If your child loves pasta, put some in as a vehicle for everything else.
My favorite thing about these soups? They're quick and feed us for days. And here's a tip for babies who are just starting to chew: Spoon some soup onto a cutting board (this is easier if it's the day after and the soup is cold) and just run a knife through it a few times. You'll get all the goodness without the big chunks.
Related: How to Keep Babies Busy While You Cook
(Images: Kachalkina Veronika/Shutterstock; Elizabeth Passarella)
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My kid's current faves are red lentil w/herbes de Provence (that surprised me, but she LOVES it) and butternut squash. Former faves, now mostly shunned, were minestrone and kale-white bean. I have pictures of her toddler face ringed with green where she picked up the bowl to drink the last of the kale-white bean, but her 1st grade self won't touch it. Oh well. Someday she'll be back to it.
My daughter will almost always eat chili (I'm being honest here, she won't TOUCH a bowl covered in delicious wilted greens) and a quick red lentil soup. When I tell her we're having lentil soup for dinner she actually says "YAY!" I chop an onion, a couple carrots, a sweet potato (white sweet potatoes are great in this), a cup of red lentils, some thyme, bay leaves, cumin, stock, a splash of wine, cook for 20 min. DONE. Sometimes I serve it with some sliced turkey sausage, or crumpled bacon on top. I keep the meat separate and I have nice vegetarian leftovers for lunch the next couple of days.
Thanks for this post. You guys are reading my mind. Will try the turkey chili on our resident picky eater(s) soon. I've also been surprised by how much my baby likes lentils! She's doing spoon refusal now but let me feed her some chicken-lentil-coconut stew spiced with Garam masala, and it was my proudest mom moment to date. Anyway. THANKS, keep the healthy one-pot whole-family recipes coming.
To deal with the mess when my son started eating soup, at about 1.5, I would take his out first to cool and toss in some couscous to thicken it to a more toddler friendly consistency. Worked like a charm.
Broccoli soup was one of the first foods that my daughter ate and slurped up with glee. Like the original poster said, its a one stop shop where its not only easy to prepare but is nutritious as well. Another favorite of ours is butternut squash-its sweet and colorful to boot. Kids eat with their eyes just as much with their mouths.
I can't trick my kids into eating vegetables they don't like. Ever. They see them, they taste them, they recognize them by their consistency. What I do: I don't care. They eat lots of fruit and raw veggies, so I just wait until this special non-cooked-vegetable-eating phase is over some day.
The only soup my son will even try is miso soup, which he loves, loves, loves. He used to eat soup, but at age 4, nah. Bummer.
These sound delicious! My friend's children are picky eaters and she asked for some recipes..I found this list of recipes and snacks for picky eaters and I am going to have to either add these soup recipes or send her to this post! Thanks for sharing :)
@Herzsprung, yup, most kids hit the "raw only" phase at some point, and also the "no mixing" phase. Hence the current UNpopularity of formerly loved minestrone. I forgot about miso soup! The only leafy green my child will currently touch in it's cooked state is wakame, and she wants her bowl loaded up with it. This is also liked as a ramen base with corn and broiled tofu tossed in.
Robinbc, I love your tip! we dont serve soup to our 21 month old because it would be way to messy and he would get very little into his mouth, but I will definitely try this. My tip is kitchen shears. Put whatever you are serving into the bowl and plunge in your shears- takes seconds to cut everything into little pieces and it would even work for soup.
Hmm...well, if your kids are willing to eat raw veggies, why worry? They are better for them anyway. That said, the minestrone with a shot of parm and a salad is a perfect busy weeknight meal for my tween!
Lasomnabule: That stew sounds absolutely amazing! You wouldn't happen to have a recipe lying around somewhere, would you? I'd love to make it!
I'm surprised no one mentioned potato soup. It's my go-to soup, and kids love it.