Cooking with Kids-Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe

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Cooking with kids is a great activity. Vegetable beef soup is a big hit with the kids! Just use whatever vegetables you have a pound of ground beef to help the kids make a super tasty and healthy meal in the kitchen. For more soup recipe ideas to inspire you, check this out.

It just takes a little planning to learn how to teach kids cooking classes.

Cooking teaches fine motor skills, critical thinking, math, science, and a multitude of other things. Kids are more likely to try new things if they help prepare them and they just love to cook. 

We make lots of soups around Little Sprouts because they are healthy, the kids love them, and many different things can be used to make them. Soup is a “whatever you have on hand” kinda dish. Soup is one of the most popular dishes on my menu. And for more meals you can make with inexpensive pantry staples, check these out.

Beef soup for toddlers

The basics for making up soup recipes starts with your main item. This can be beans, meat or grain. For our daycare menu, we usually start with chicken or ground beef.

Once you have your main item chosen, the soup can be prepared basically the same way every time. You should choose a starch before you begin cooking as well. If I use noodles, I will usually not add potatoes to the soup.

Soup recipes for kids

First, chop an onion. As much as my daughter hates to admit it, most good dishes start with an onion.  

Second, heat up your soup pot with a tablespoon or two of oil. We use olive oil at Little Sprouts most of the time.

Next, cook the onion on low until it’s translucent.

Then, add meat and cook and stir it until browned.

Now, add your longest cooking vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and celery.

Next, add some soup stock or water and bring soup to a boil. Cook until vegetables are fork-tender.

Then, add shorter cooking vegetables such as peas, corn, broccoli, or whatever you have on hand that you want to use.

And, add salt and pepper to taste, a clove of crushed garlic, and a half a teaspoon to a teaspoon of thyme, sage, oregano, or another herb you like.

Finally, cook until all veggies are done.

Making whatever you have on hand soup recipes for kids is soup-er easy using these steps.

For this soup, we used potatoes, corn, carrots, and green beans. The meat was ground beef. It was delicious!

Recipes for kids to cook

We have a ton of recipes kids can make on the blog. Click on cooking with kids on the menu to find more recipes to cook with kids or click on the highlighted link. 

For more ground beef ideas, check these out:

• Check out these super easy 5 ingredient beef enchiladas too!
• Try these loaded burger bowls too!
• BBQ meatloaf
• Make ahead bulk meatballs
• Hamburger cauliflower soup
• One Pan Cheeseburger Pasta
• Mongolian ground beef recipe

More Soup Recipes:

If you are someone who can’t get enough soup like me, you’re going to love these recipes too:

• Sausage Spinach Tortellini Soup
• Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Instant Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
• Easy and Inexpensive Taco Soup
• Vegetable Beef Soup

Food Program for Daycare Provider Helps

• How to Get Kids to Actually Eat Healthy Food
• Complete Guide to Planning Daycare Menus
• CACFP Meal Planning Template with Sample Menu and Shopping List
• Premade Daycare Monthly Menus
• 5 Minute Daycare Lunches
• Lunch Ideas for Picky Eaters
• Toddler Meals for Picky Eaters
• Dirt cheap meals for daycare
• Cheap Breakfast Ideas for Daycare
• Cheap Lunch Ideas for Daycare