4 Quick And Easy Recipes For Teens

Written by MomJunction MomJunction
Last Updated on

Does your teenager always complain about your cooking skills? No matter how proud you are of your culinary skills, the one test you need to pass is your teenager’s approval and interest in what you cook.

Teens want newness and excitement in everything, including their taste buds too. If your teen is constantly making faces at the dinner table, it’s time to re-invent your cooking. Here are our top 4 quick recipes for teens to make and will keep asking for more. The best part is you can also involve your teen in preparing them! From main meals to side dishes and even chips, these will help you make them all.

Quick And Easy Recipes For Teens:

1. Pasta Bake Pizza With Pancetta, Ground Pork And Rosemary:

shutterstock_227560813
Image: Shutterstock

A pasta meal can never go wrong with your teen!

Ingredients:

  • Extra virgin olive oil 6 tablespoons
  • 18 ounces ground pork (you can use any meat of your teen’s preference).
  • 9 ounces pancetta in cubes
  • 1 carrot finely chopped
  • 1 red onion finely chopped
  • Freshly chopped rosemary 2 tablespoons
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • 11 ounces (2 3/4thcup) of penne pasta
  • 4 large eggs
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
  • Salt and pepper as per taste

How To Prepare:

  1. In a large pan, heat the olive oil
  2. Sauté the onion and carrot until soft
  3. Add the pancetta, rosemary and ground pork. Cook by stirring occasionally. The color should turn a nice golden all over.
  4. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook for about 15 minutes over low heat.
  5. Once done, let it cool at room temperature.
  6. In a pan, cook the pasta and add a little salt to it. Once soft, drain the water and add to the meat sauce. Mix well and let it cool.
  7. Preheat your oven to 350degree F.
  8. On the cooled pasta and sauce, break the eggs and add the grated Parmesan cheese. Mix well.
  9. Take a round non-stick baking dish and dust lightly with olive oil. Pour the pasta and sauce mix and spread evenly.
  10. Place this in the oven and cook for about 20 minutes, or till it is crispy and nicely set.
  11. Let this rest for about 5 minutes. Cut out in pizza triangles and serve hot or cold.

[ Read: Eating Disorders In Teenagers ]

2. Crispy Kale Chips:

Crispy Kale Chips
Image: Shutterstock

These are a great way to let your teen eat green leafy vegetables. This is one of the easy recipes for teenagers.

Ingredients:

  • A bunch of kale (you can use any green leafy vegetable)
  • Olive oil 3 tablespoons
  • Salt and pepper as per taste

How To Prepare:

  1. Preheat oven to 350degree F
  2. Tear out the leaves into bite sized pieces
  3. Mix olive oil, salt and pepper and toss well
  4. Place these on a metal rack and keep a pan underneath to catch the excess oil.
  5. Bake these for about 10 minutes till the leaves are crispy

3. Oven Fries:

Oven Fries
Image: Shutterstock

This is a great alternative to the regular French fries that your teen loves.

Ingredients:

  • 8 potatoes medium sized
  • Rosemary
  • Garlic oil (you can use any other flavored oil or even olive oil).
  • Sat as per taste

How To Prepare:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400degree F
  2. Cut off the top and bottom of each potato, making sure you cut only a small bit off.
  3. Slice the potatoes through the middle to create a long cut. Place them on the wide base that they now have and slice into thin strips. You can cut these as strips or wedges.
  4. Place these in a bowl of water and mix around with your fingers. This will help make the fries crispier. Strain and place on a tissue or dish towel to dry.
  5. Take a baking sheet and place the fries. Sprinkle the oil ensuring all the slices are covered.
  6. Cook for about 40 minutes in the oven. Make sure you turn them every 10 minutes to ensure they are cooked from all sides.

[ Read: Exercises For Teenagers ]

4. Prawn And Rice:

Prawn And Rice
Image: Shutterstock

This is a delicious and easy way to ensure your teen eats a good main meal.

Ingredients:

  • Fresh prawns, de-veined
  • ½ tsp butter or margarine
  • ½ tsp lime juice
  • ½ tsp freshly chopped garlic
  • ½ tsp freshly grated ginger
  • 1 tbsp. freshly chopped green onions
  • ½ cup brown rice
  • Water for boiling.

How To Prepare:

  1. Cook the rice in a pressure cooker or as you would boil it in a pan.
  2. In a pan, melt the butter. Add garlic and stir till it starts to turn golden.
  3. Add the ginger, lime juice and green onions. Sauté till tender.
  4. Once the rice is cooked remove it from heat.
  5. In another pan boil water and add the prawns. Let it boil till the prawns turn a soft pinkish or golden. Drain the water.
  6. Add the prawns to the pan with the green onion and mix well, stirring for a little while over medium or low flame.
  7. Serve the rice on a plate and add the prawn mix over the rice.

These easy and tasty recipes for teenagers will be a sure hit with your teen and his or her friends too. Not only will they help during meal times, your teen can also snack on some healthier versions of fried foods!.

Encourage your teen to participate in the cooking process. And once you find out what works best, don’t forget to tell us about which of these your teen absolutely loved.

What recipes do you use as a mother? Please do share new recipes and techniques that work with teenagers by commenting below. We greatly value our reader’s feedback, please do so by commenting. Simultaneously, share these easy recipes for teens among your friends and family.

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