Ratatouille is fun. The kids have probably seen the movie but have no idea what it actually is. Lots of veggies for everyone to chop, and healthy to boot!

In my Home Ec class (I think that was 4th grade or something?) they taught us how to make tuna salad! I would have loved something more involved like a nice soup. But, we didn't have any heating devices, and I don't think we were allowed to use knives... the teacher was working with very limited resources bless her!

If you have an oven, maybe individual quiches? They can make the dough, (or you can whip it up yourself to save time) and choose their fillings, and small quiches cook up in just 15-20 minutes. You can even make them in large muffin tins if you don't want to buy tart pans.

Show them how to make Pita Pizza's using whole wheat (or regular) pita bread, prepared pizza sauce, cheese, and their favorite veggies. They can learn how to use an oven safely, grate cheese (if you start from a block), use a can opener safely, and basic food hygiene. Add to that a green salad that they can make by tearing up lettuce and making homemade croutons using old(er) bread and melted butter or butter substitute spray and sprinkle of garlic powder. Makes for an inexpensive and fun family meal.

I was making my own lunches by 1st grade some some of the comments about "learning to grate cheese" and using a can opener are kind of silly. Don't most 3rd graders know how to do this already?

It would be helpful if you listed the tools/appliances available to you, but assuming you've got standard kitchen equipment I suggest pasta with a variety of sauces. Could even do veggie noodles (spiralized zucchini is awesome and fun!). Sauces could be standard tomato, vibrant pesto, and if you want to go healthy how about a creamy vegan "cheese" sauce made with cashews?

Stone soup! My kids school does a stone soup every year.

I remember we learned cooking in 4th grade. I remember making chocolate chip cookies, tacos, and grilled cheese with tomato soup. Pretty much all traditionally kid friendly foods.

I think the individual (possibly crustless?) quiches @GSEWAKE suggested are a great idea. I'm imagining they could cut up lunch meats, pepperonis, herbs, green onions etc with clean kitchen scissors if knives are not an option. They can be prepared in the tin foil cupcake liners and baked for easier clean up (i make these for breakfasts in foil cupcake liners sometimes). I know the kitchen has a post somewhere about crustless quiche ideas/recipes.

Guacamole
Smoothies
Hummus
Spring Rolls

I am in the same situation, except my kids are younger (first grade) and the food MUST be healthy, since that is the whole point of the class. No nuts at all, too. I've been teaching it for six months now, so I have really exhausted most of my options!

We have a hot plate, microwave and toaster oven, but since the class is only an hour, raw foods tend to go over best. Some of the best recipes so far have been hummus, guacamole, fruit parfaits, and salad with dressing made from scratch. I've had a few hits with cooked foods too, such as whole wheat pretzels, personal pizzas made on sandwich thins, quesadillas, and oatmeal muffins. I've found that the more complex it gets, the less the kids pay attention, but it might be different for you since your kids are older.

I also find it very helpful for the kids to have their own food to work with, instead of taking turns and then watching while another kid has his turn. Sometimes you can't avoid it, but if, for example, you can have each kid make his/her own bowl of guacamole with just half an avocado, they'll be better occupied than if each ingredient goes into one big bowl and is divided at the end.

I find that another issue is keeping the kids engaged while the food is cooking. It's a good idea to bring a children's book related to the food you're preparing, or have a simple song or game on hand. It's also a good time to talk about the health benefits of the food, if you can keep their attention for long enough!

Good luck! If anyone else has other meal suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

Salmon or tuna cakes using canned fish. The kids can chop veggies and crush crackers. Plus....it's fish! Yummy fish.

If there's time for a dessert...I thought these chocolate balloon dishes were adorable. Kids could fill those with fresh berries, nuts, mini-marshmallows, etc.

http://www.thekitchn.com/summer-project-for-kids-make-c-152423

chocolate pudding
burritos
fruit salad
granola
lasagna
pizza
crepes

What about tabbouleh or a couscous?

Muffins
Tuna cakes
Potato salad
Pancakes
Savory Oatmeal

4th grade was the first time we got to cook at school. It was a pioneer unit and we made apple fritters. some kids made the batter, other peeled the apples, others chopped, and a few got to sprinkle them with powdered sugar after they came out of the oil. Mmmmm.

soft pretzels

I do an aftercare program at a montessori preschool and every week I cook with my kids (aged 3-6) and once I taught them all how to properly measure we can do nearly any beginner recipe. Each of them gets a step of measuring or stirring or whatever else the recipe calls for and it always comes out amazing. Granted I don't do crazy intense recipes, but before the holidays we made a delicious cranberry upside down cake. Your biggest issue is going to be time frame, and something for them to do while it is cooking/baking. We read stories or make butter or something similar during our waiting time. Some ideas (ones I got off of this website actually) are the mini apple tarts or the homemade applesauce. Also if you check a lot of the children's channel websites they have a cooking section and you can even separate by age. PBS kids has a blog just for their kitchen explorers.

Also any time you have to mix dry ingredients just measure them all into a gallon sized ziploc and let the kids shake it. They love it, and, if you save and reuse the same bag throughout the class, it isn't wasteful and saves you a bowl for dishes!

My third grader just made fried rice at home (with peas, mushrooms, sprouts). She's also planning on making pasta marinara/bolognaise soon.

Do you have access to an oven?

One of the most useful things I was ever taught in home ec (in grade 7) was how to make muffins. Not because I make muffins a lot, but because it taught me how to measure dry ingredients properly and how to work batters (i.e., not to overwork them!). That is HUGE and applies to just about everything else you bake. And with my own kids, I've learned that they ALWAYS want to bake! It is their favourite thing to do!

So, here is a tutorial on how to measure properly (I just love this home economist!):

http://www.citytv.com/cityline/food/article/196268--home-ec-101-with-mairlyn-smith

And here is a healthy muffin recipe suggestion:

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/muffin-makeover/index.html

(substitute regular flour for the ground almond flour)
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/recipes/blueberry-muffins/index.html

Good luck!!

Oh! And how about teaching them how to make a healthy home-made version of mac & cheese?

Learning how to make a white sauce is also one of the key things to learn in learning how to be at home in the kitchen.

I'd also add that my 8 year old daughter has several children's cookbooks that she works out of. The one I'd recommend most highly is the Silver Spoon Cookbook for kids. Annabel Karmel also tries to teach kids healthy recipes, although frankly, I prefer the Italian book (it has our go-to recipe for pizza dough).

http://www.amazon.com/The-Silver-Spoon-Children-Favorite/dp/0714857564/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334321489&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/You-Can-Cook-Annabel-Karmel/dp/0756658632/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334321547&sr=1-1

Crepes!

Kids love making and filling crepes!

I teach a lot of kids cooking classes and my go-tos are:
-spring rolls
-potstickers
-tamales
-mini pies
-real mac and cheese
-pizza
-jam
-pickles
-granola bars
-handmade pasta and ravioli

Good luck!

Rachele, no, most kids do not know how to use a can opener or grate cheese (without cutting themselves). I'm a 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Family & Consumer Science (aka Home Ec.) teacher, and my first 6th grade recipe actually is Pita Pizzas. We actually call them Super! Pita Pizzas, because instead of focusing on the Food Pyramid/Plate, we focus on Super Foods. We use whole grain pitas, sauce, mozzarella that we shred by hand, and broccoli. Like BrandGKing said, it teaches them how to safely use a can opener (I'd say 3/4 don't know how to use it and end up tearing up the side of the can), how to safely grate the cheese (tuck your fingers!), how to safely use the stove (oven mitts on both hands!), and most importantly, how to work well in groups (everyone gets their own job).

I think it would be a great recipe to do with 3rd-4th graders, but remember, things that take you 10 minutes, will take them at least 30, if not more.

I remember making Manhattan Clam Chowder (canned clams, of course) using an electric griddle in the third grade. I remember it being fun and Manhattan style chowder is still my favourite!

You've gotta try these Blueberry Vanilla Ice Cream Muffins! We've done them with my oldest's 3rd grade class and at my youngest's day care. You wouldn't think they would work, but this recipe makes a pretty good muffin and the batter is safe to eat.