Easy Side Dishes that Kids Will Love to Make & Eat!
The best part of the holidays for me… without a doubt, is the big, fabulous meals that are decadent and delicious. But creating those big meals involves; the main course, holidays sides, and TONS of prep. Before kids, cooking holiday sides was challenging enough, with kids… that’s a next-level challenge.
See, as a mother of a VERY busy twin two-year-old, the thought of shopping with them at a crazed mall gives me hives, and racing to every light show in town just messes with their bedtime (twin moms have an unspoken golden rule- don’t screw with the schedule!) Hanging with my boys in the kitchen with Christmas music blasting and the oven roasting is more my speed during December. The boys love to help and are intrigued as we taste everything as we go along. I’ve found letting them explore ingredients while I cook the main dish or even the holiday sides has made them more willing to taste flavors beyond what we expect a 24-month-old to dig. Such a perk and worth the few extra minutes of cleanup having them in our kitchen.
Let’s Cook!
Today I’m lucky (and maybe just a little bit crazy) to have my nephews, who are 10, 7, and 3, along with my two boys in the kitchen as we have fun making two ultra-simple side dishes that can grace any holiday meal you have planned!
The beauty? I try to cook with ratios vs. recipes. I learned in culinary school and something that makes cooking with kids SO much more enjoyable! Both side dishes don’t need to be exact, so don’t panic about being perfect in measuring. Let your little one help you “measure” with their hands as you toss basil in a blender and pinch salt along the way.
Roasted Colorful Carrots with Power Pesto
Equipment
- 400′ oven preheated
Ingredients
- 4-5 whole small carrots per person (Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and most markets carry these in plastic bags, already peeled and washed. They usually that the small green stem still attached.)
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Have your kids lay carrots onto a sheet pan and let them drizzle carrots with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Roast carrots for about 20 minutes and remove from oven.
- Prep Power Pesto while carrots roast.
- Drizzle Power Pesto on-top and serve.
Power Pesto
Equipment
- measurement cups
Ingredients
- Two large handfuls of basil without their long stems
- Large handful of spinach
- A handful of pinenuts (use almonds if you don’t have pinenuts on hand, no one will notice)
- One garlic clove
- Parmesan or Romano grated cheese
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Let your little ones help you prep the pesto by letting them clean the basil and spinach. The secret to this pesto is that the greens are wet when they go into the blender to help emulsify the sauce!
- Have a bowl of fresh water and let the kids pick off the long stems.
- Dunk the greens into the water to rinse. Don’t bother drying!
- Add all the ingredients and into the blender and blend till smooth. (If you need more liquid to get the machine humming, add a few more drops of water.)
- Taste for salt and pepper and adjust.
- The bonus besides bumping up the dish’s nutrition is that the spinach helps keep the sauce super green and vibrant for days! I end up using about 1/3 of this sauce on my veggies, and the rest goes in the fridge for a pesto pasta dish for tomorrow’s dinner. It also freezes beautifully!
Simple Potato Gratin
Equipment
- 400′ oven preheated
- Buttered baking dish (I use a 9×12 for a large group, smaller for a more minor dinner party)
Ingredients
- 1/2 russet potato per person (so if we have 8 guests coming, I buy 4 potatoes)
- Cream (a pint is usually good to buy; you might not use it all)
- 1 large Shallot
- 8 garlic cloves, minced
- Couple handfuls of shredded white cheese (I like to use a Gruyere or sharp white cheddar)
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Pepper
Instructions
- Peel your potatoes, and using a mandolin or your food processor, very thinly slice your potatoes. We want them to be thin enough you can almost read thru them.
- Have your older kids help with the prepping of the potatoes- no way my toddlers are getting their hands on the mandolin! However, the little ones love to watch!
- Place a layer of potatoes down on your buttered dish, a sprinkle of your shallot and garlic mixes, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Have your child repeat that pattern until you’ve used all your slices of potatoes.
- Pour your cream on top of your dish and cover your layers about 3/4 of the way up with cream. Again, eyeball it. You can’t mess it up!
- Top with cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake for about 45 minutes.
Great tips Lauren! Love seeing you with all the boys in the kitchen! Xo
Such great tips!