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Cooking for the family can get a little repetitive – we’ve all had those ‘fish fingers on repeat’ weeks – but cooking with the family? Way more fun! Whether it’s a BBQ in the garden or biscuit baking on a rainy day, the kids will love playing chef with these creative recipes.
Broccoli pasta shells
You’ll need
1 head of broccoli, chopped into florets1 garlic clove
2 tsp olive oil
250g pasta shells
Handful parsley
Handful basil
30g pine nuts, toasted
Zest and juice of half a lemon
30g parmesan, plus extra to serve
Get creating
Start by heating the oven to 200c/180c fan/gas mark 6. Get the kids to pour a tbsp. of the olive oil onto a baking tray, then toss the broccoli and garlic in it. Pop in the oven for 10-12 minutes until softened.Add the pasta to a pan of boiling water, cook according to instructions and drain. Kids can whizz up the parsley, basil, pine nuts, lemon juice and parmesan in a blender – remind them to check the lid is on! Set aside some smaller pieces of broccoli. Have fun squeezing the garlic from its skin, then add to the blender with the rest of the broccoli. Show them how to pulse the blender until you’ve got a pesto, then season well.
Time to get mixing! Let the kids get their hands in to mix the pasta with the pesto, then add the remaining broccoli florets and share out into bowls. Top with parmesan and the lemon zest and let them enjoy their hard work!
Rice paper wraps
You’ll need
50g rice vermicelli noodles1 carrot, peeled
1 avocado, peeled and stone removed
Quarter cucumber
8 rice paper wraps
8 king prawns, peeled and cooked
8 mint leaves
Half cooked chicken breast, shredded
Sweet chilli sauce, to serve
Get creating
Put the noodles in a pan of water and cook for 3 minutes, then cool under running water and drain.Help the kids carefully cut the carrot into matchsticks, the avocado into strips and the cucumber into thin sticks. Show them how to soak two of the rice paper wraps in cold water for a few minutes until floppy, then lift one wrap out, shake gently and lay it on a board.
Time to fill your wraps! Let the kids choose how they stack their ingredients – you’ll need two prawns or a bit of shredded chicken (you can alternative between rolls), a mint leave, one piece of avocado, carrot and cucumber and some noodles. Show them how to fold the wrap – the bottom half goes over, the sides fold in and then we roll! Repeat using the second wrap and soak two more wraps to make two more rolls. Make up the rest of the rolls and serve with the sweet chilli sauce – kids will love dipping their creations!
Frozen banana lollies
You’ll need
2 bananas4 large strawberries
100g natural yogurt
200g dark chocolate
1 tbsp sprinkles
4 wooden lolly sticks
Get creating
Kids can start by peeling the bananas and chopping into 4 equal-sized chunks. Then get them to thread a strawberry onto each lolly stick, followed by pieces of banana.When all the lollies are assembled, lay them on a baking tray and pop in the freezer uncovered for an hour.
Pour the yogurt into a jug so the kids can dip each lolly in to coat the banana – remind them to avoid the strawberries! Then put them back in the freezer to set.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave – blast for 30 seconds then stir, and repeat until it’s fully melted. Pour into a mug and get your dippers to coat the lollies in chocolate. Kids will love the final step – pour over the sprinkles before the chocolate sets, then enjoy!
