Toddler Dinner Ideas
By the time your child has reached toddler age, chances are they have begun to discern between the food they do and don’t like (and they’ll be sure to let you know about it!) Trying to get them to consume their five-a-day is a challenge in itself and the last thing you want is a tantrum at the dinner table after you’ve spent hours preparing their food. These toddler dinner ideas are sure to be a hit with your little one and the best part is, they are just as yummy as they are healthy! Advantages of these toddler dinner ideas for you include; quick prep time, no grumpy faces at dinner, and healthy toddlers! Here are some toddler dinner ideas, complete with recipes and serving sizes so make sure to adjust accordingly! Bon appetit!
Toddler Dinner Ideas: Mini Shepherd’s Pies
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hr and 20 mins
Serves: 8 individual pies for toddlers
Ingredients:
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 stick celery, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
pinch of cumin
250g lean lamb mince (10% fat)
1 courgette, diced
2 tbsp tomato purée
400ml low salt beef stock (we used Kallo for gluten-free pies, see tip below)
100g lentils, thoroughly rinsed
1.2kg Maris Piper potatoes
50g butter
75ml milk
60g grated cheddar
Method:
In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the oil and place the onion until soft and translucent. Mix in the carrots, celery, pepper, garlic and cumin and cook for a further two minutes before adding in the lamb. Once the meat is browned, tip-off any excess fat and add in the courgette and tomato purée, and cook for a few more minutes. Once this is done, pour in the stock and the lentils, and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Heat your oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and boil the potatoes for 10-15 mins until nice and soft. Drain, then mash with the butter and milk.
Next up, you will need to remove the lamb mixture from the heat and use a stick blender to purée. As you do this, make sure to stir so you completely blend down the vegetable pieces.
Spoon into 8 medium to large-sized individual ramekins and top with mash and grated cheese. (These can be stored for up to a month)
Place your pies in the oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. (If you’re cooking from frozen - 160C/fan 140C/gas 3 for about 40 mins, then turn up to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 for 20-30 mins or until golden on top and piping hot in the centre.)
Let them cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Be sure to check that it has fully cooled down in the centre, you don’t want any burned tongues!
Toddler Dinner Ideas: Sweetcorn And Spinach Fritters
Note: If you don’t have a food processor, just chop as finely as possible!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 6 minutes
Serves: 12 fritters (3 toddler portions or 14 small portions)
Ingredients:
1 x small can no-salt sweetcorn, drained
small handful baby spinach leaf
1 small garlic clove, crushed
1 spring onion, chopped
50g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
1 egg
50ml milk
1 tsp rapeseed oil, for frying
Method:
Start by pulsing together all the ingredients except the oil in a food processor until fairly but not completely smooth.
In a medium-sized frying pan, heat some oil and place four spoonfuls of this mixture, making sure to leave adequate space around them. Cook for just under a minute on each side, or until lightly golden. Be sure to flatten the fritter with a spatula when you flip it to ensure it cooks the whole way through. It’s best to cook in three batches. Once the fritters are cooked, place them on a plate covered with kitchen roll. Serve nice and warm!
If they don’t manage to eat all the fritters, feel free to freeze them. To reheat them, turn the oven onto 180C/160fan/gas 4 and cook for about 10 minutes until piping hot. Let them cool before eating.
Toddler Dinner Ideas: Homemade Pizza With Vegetable Faces
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4 pizzas
Ingredients:
For the pizza dough
150g wholemeal spelt flour
350g strong white flour
1 ½ tsp dried fast-action yeast
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
For the tomato sauce
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 small garlic clove
pinch of dried thyme
For the toppings
160g grated cheddar and mozzarella cheese
1 red pepper, cut into strips
1 yellow pepper, cut into strips
1 courgette, cut into rounds or spiralized
1 small pack cherry tomatoes, halved
handful pitted olives
1 can salt-free sweetcorn, drained
Method:
For the dough - mix both flours into a large bowl and stir in the yeast and salt. Pour in 400ml of warm water (it’s best to make a well in the flour first), then add the olive oil and mix until you have a soft, fairly wet dough. Lightly knead then turn onto a floured surface and continue to knead for a further 5 minutes or until smooth. Cover the dough with a tea towel and set it aside. Leave it to rise if you have the time, although this is not essential if you want a thin crust.
For the sauce: blend the tomatoes, garlic and thyme and add some seasoning. Do this in a food processor, hand blender, or by hand.
You then need to heat your oven to 240C/fan 220C/gas 8 and prepare the toppings in bowls so your toddlers can personalise their own pizzas.
Once the dough has sufficiently risen, give it a light knead in the bowl and then divide into four balls. Lightly flour a surface and using a rolling pin, roll two of the balls into wide circles. It is crucial that the dough is thin as it will rise once in the oven. Place these two balls of dough onto two floured baking sheets or pizza trays.
This is the fun part! With a spoon, smooth the sauce over the pizza bases. Scatter with as much cheese as you like and then start making the faces. This is where they can truly let their imagination run wild! Use spiralised courgette for hair, cherry tomatoes for eyes, or sweetcorn for teeth. The key is to just have fun!
Place your creations in the oven for about 10-15 minutes until nice and crispy. It’s best to switch the pizzas to a lower shelf around halfway through cooking.
Repeat for the other two pizzas or freeze the dough in two different freezer bags, with any leftover sauce going in a sealed container.
Toddler Dinner Ideas: Easy Fish Cakes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves: A family of 4-6 / 6-8 toddler meals
Ingredients:
1 x pack fish pie mix (cod, salmon, smoked haddock etc, weight around 320g-400g depending on pack size)
3 spring onions, finely chopped
100ml milk
450g potato, peeled, large ones cut in half
75g frozen sweetcorn, defrosted
a handful of grated cheddar cheese
1 large egg, beaten
flour, for dusting
olive oil, for frying
Method:
Begin by cooking your potatoes in boiling water until nice and soft. Drain and return to the plan on low heat. To remove any excess water, heat for a few more minutes and then mash with a small knob of butter. Let the mash cool.
Place the fish, spring onions, and milk in a shallow dish and cover with cling film. Place for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes in the microwave until almost cooked. If you don’t have a microwave at your disposal, put the ingredients in a saucepan and lightly cook until just opaque.
It’s now time to drain the fish and spring onions through a sieve, the finer the better. Delicately mix through the potatoes, the sweetcorn, and the cheddar, being careful to avoid breaking the fish too much. Season with a generous amount of black pepper. Divide into 6-8 patties (wait until the mash is quite cool to do this as it will be easier.)
Next up, you need to scatter some flour on one plate and pour the egg on another. Coat the patties in the egg and the flour and then arrange on a sheet of baking paper on a tray. Place the patties in the fridge for around 30 minutes or more, until they are nice and firm. You can choose to freeze the patties at this point for future meals. Wrap them individually and make sure they fully defrost before you move onto the next stage.
In a large-sized frying pan, dollop a good amount of olive oil. When this is hot, carefully place the fish cakes into the plan. They will need to be cooked for about 5-7 minutes or until golden brown underneath at which point, you delicately flip them over. Cook for a further 5-7 minutes or until they start to look golden on the bottom and are heated throughout. Enjoy!
