Winter might be the season of soups and stews, but that doesn’t mean those recipes have to be the only things you make as a family.
Try out one of the following recipes to give your kids something fun to do while you tackle the more complicated parts of the recipe.
By making these dinners together as a family, they’re sure to taste even better.
1. Gnocchi With Spinach and Chicken Sausage
Gnocchi is a favorite in the wintertime because of its warmth and comfort.
It adds perfection to just about any dish, and kids will love it.
Most ingredients may be in your pantry and fridge already, so this dish is a great one to make before your next trip to the grocery store.
If you can’t find gnocchi at your local store, this recipe allows you to substitute it with pasta of your choice to gain the same deliciousness.
2. Three-Cheese Skillet Macaroni and Cheese
What kid doesn’t love macaroni and cheese? Take the average boxed recipe up a notch with this homemade version.
The basics of this recipe involve adding cream and your family’s favorite types of cheese, but you can add your own ingredients to suit your family’s tastes.
You may consider incorporating bacon, mushrooms, or even hot sauce!
3. Rainbow Vegetarian Pad Thai
Some families have dietary requirements that many of these dishes won’t meet.
One dish that even vegetarians love is this Pad Thai recipe, but be aware that it does contain eggs, so it isn’t a vegan-friendly recipe.
The most fun part of cooking this recipe may be making your own sauce, which you can instruct even your young children to help you with.
4. Chicken Cornbread Casserole
Mixing comfort foods is essential so close to the holidays.
This lovely combination of cornbread and chicken will leave your family satisfied yet wanting more.
In a small family, this recipe could leave you with leftovers to feed you on a night you don’t want to cook.
This simple recipe requires plenty of stirring, both for the cornbread mixture and the chicken mixture, so there are enough steps for the whole family to be involved.
5. Homemade Ramen Bowls
With everything that goes into a successful ramen dish, this recipe is the perfect one to try with kids.
By adding components like vegetables or red curry paste, your family can truly make this recipe your own and exclude the things you dislike.
Once you make ramen a few times, you’ll know how to perfect the bowl and can even impress guests with your delicious homemade ramen.
6. Split Pea Soup
What could be better than soup on chilly winter evenings?
This hearty soup recipe calls for ham to bring the deliciousness over the top, but if you don’t eat pork, you can easily eliminate it from the list of ingredients.
This recipe takes only ten minutes, making it a perfect meal to make with kids or other family members who are easily distracted.
7. Roasted Leg of Lamb
If you want to spend a little extra time on a dinner you think everyone will enjoy, look no further than this tasty roasted leg of lamb recipe.
While this meal may seem extravagant, the ingredients list is relatively short, and it only takes about 20 minutes to prepare.
What you’ll spend more time on is figuring out which sides to go with your decadent lamb dinner!
Instead of marinating the meat, you’ll spread a mixture over it that it’ll roast in, allowing the sauce to seep into the meat.
It does take a bit to cook, so you’ll have time to talk and bond with your family after you put it in the oven.
8. Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta
If you want something a little cheaper and more accessible for picky eaters, consider enlisting your family to help you with this bacon cheeseburger pasta.
When made correctly, the bacon, cheese, and ground beef make it taste like an actual cheeseburger — appeasing even the pickiest palates.
If you want to make this recipe healthier, substitute the pasta with a whole-wheat version.
9. Grilled Sriracha Chicken
Another healthy option for your growing family is this grilled chicken dish.
It packs a bit of spice due to the delicious garlic Sriracha marinade that coats the chicken, so make sure your family’s okay with that before tackling this recipe.
This yummy chicken pairs well with rice and only has about 300 calories per serving.
10. Chicken Enchiladas
This Tex-Mex dish rocks if you want to have a little power over your food’s ingredients.
Depending on your family’s tastes and dietary requirements, you can choose to add or subtract components of the enchiladas’ filling.
Fill your enchiladas with beans, rice, cheese, onions, and more.
Offer to let your kids help with the process. If you have any leftovers, freeze them — they’ll be perfect for an afterschool snack one day.
Find Your Family’s Comfort Food
Winter calls for plenty of hot foods to keep your family warm from the inside out.
These recipes all bring the heat in one way or another, and they’re full of fun techniques like stirring and mixing that can help even an oven-shy kid want to help cook.
Who knows? You might just find a family favorite out of these recipes.
Before you know it, your family could be begging to make it over the holiday season every year.