Keeping little ones well-fed is a task in itself. Sometimes preparing meals can take up the entire day. But a well thought out meal plan can help you during a busy week. Here are some quick and healthy toddler meal ideas that are suited to the family using readily available ingredients.
These are staple family dinners in our weekly menu rotation and foods our preschooler looks forward to eating at mealtime.
But first, make sure to check out my new eBook, The Easy Toddler Snack Book for quick and healthy snack recipes that your toddler will love. These are tried and tested recipes in our home and my go-to’s to fill in any nutritional gaps from the day. Take a look here.
Ok, are you ready for a week’s worth of quick and easy toddler recipes that you can enjoy as a family?
Let’s get started,
Healthy Toddler Meal Ideas (Quick & Easy, Toddler Meals for Picky Eaters)
Masala Noodles
A quick recipe that can be easily paired with a hard-boiled egg, some fruit and vegetables. There are carbs, protein, vitamins, and minerals all packed in one plate.
Masala noodles can also be used as a school lunch box idea. Kids get excited seeing noodles for lunch.
Healthy Toddler Meals – Masala Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat noodles cooked
- ¼ cup peas
- 1 onion
- 2-3 pods garlic
- ¼ tsp coriander powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ¼ tsp garam masala powder/curry powder
- ½ cup water
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- In a vessel add oil and sauté the garlic and onions.
- Once done add the peas and dry masala powder, mix, followed by water.
- Let this cook until the peas are ready and the water reduced to nearly half.
- Now add in cooked noodles, mix until the masala coats the noodles well.
- Serve with a side salad (featured here cucumbers and strawberries) and a boiled egg.
Mujadara Rice
A quick toddler meal made of lentils and rice. The whole lentils (masoor) add an earthy flavor to the meal. A hearty meal that is so quick to prepare. Lentils like masoor dal are a good source of iron and folate both of which are essential for growing children.
Mujadara Rice – Easy Toddler Recipe
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
Ingredients
- ½ cup rice
- ½ cup whole lentils (whole masoor)
- 1 onion
- 2-3 pods garlic
- ½ tsp salt free, non-GMO soup powder
- ¼ tsp cumin powder
- 1 bunch coriander leaves for garnish
- 2 cups water
- Ground pepper to taste
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Soak the rice and lentil mix in water and keep aside for 30 mins.
- In a pressure cooker add some oil and saute the onions and garlic until they are golden brown.
- Add the rice and dal mix followed by 2 cups of water.
- Now add the salt, soup powder, and spices.
- Close the lid of the pressure cooker and take 2 whistles. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
- Serve hot with Israeli cut salad and some Greek yogurt as sides.
Dal Khichdi
A staple in our weekly menu now. Dal khichdi contains protein and iron that are much needed by toddlers. This a simple but healthy toddler meal idea for days when you don’t feel like cooking a lot. I like to pair our khichdi with some added vegetables like steamed or roasted broccoli or pan-fried French beans and a fat-rich dip like tahina.
Dal Khichdi – Realistic Toddler Meal Idea
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
Ingredients
- ½ cup rice
- ½ cup moong dal
- ½ tsp ginger garlic paste
- ¼ turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 3 cups water
- A pinch of hing powder
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Soak the rice and dal mix in water for 30 minutes.
- Heat ghee in a pressure pan, add the ginger-garlic paste and roast in the ghee.
- Add the thoroughly washed dal and rice mix to this and follow this by adding turmeric powder, hing powder salt and water.
- Take three whistles in the pressure pan and serve with a side of broccoli and some tahini dressing.
Pulav Rice
Whenever we are in a rush this is the quickest meal we can whip up. Pulav rice is a great recipe to incorporate veggies and meet the daily vegetable requirement for the child. Even picky eaters usually like to eat pulav rice and when paired with fresh yogurt with some black salt, the combination is irresistible!
Vegetarian Pulav Rice For Kids
Ingredients
- ½ cup rice
- 1½ cup water
- 1 carrot chopped
- 3-4 stalks of french bean chopped
- ½ potato chopped
- ¼ tomato chopped
- ¼ cup peas
- 1 onion chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 2-4 basil leaves
- 6-7 whole peppercorns
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ¼ tsp garam masala/curry powder
Instructions
- Sauté onion until golden brown.
- Add garlic, basil leaves, and peppercorn and mix well. Let the spices cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the chopped vegetables and mix, followed by the powdered spices. Mix and cook for 5 minutes.
- Now add the rice and water and cook until the rice absorbs all the water and fluffs up. This takes about 10 minutes to cook.
- Serve with yogurt topped with rock salt.
Pasta Potato Soup
This is a super tasty meal any toddler would love. Ours gulps down the entire bowl in seconds. If you have a pasta lover you have got to try this toddler pasta recipe.
Potato Pasta Soup – Picky eater toddler meals
Ingredients
- ½ cup pasta
- 4 potatoes
- 1 carrot chopped
- ⅓ cup peas
- 1 tsp non-GMO, organic soup powder
- 2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp butter
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes and mash them.
- Add the mashed potatoes to a vessel with water.
- Stir well and add all the vegetables, spices, and pasta to the pot.
- Cook until the pasta is cooked through.
- Add some butter give a good mix and serve hot.
Vegetarian Stew
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen me make this vegetarian stew a number of times now. We love the mild flavors and heat coming through from the whole spices. It is the perfect recipe during winter and monsoon seasons.
Vegetarian Stew – Healthy Toddler Meals
Ingredients
- 1 cup mushrooms
- 1 broccoli head
- 1 onion
- ⅓ cup peas
- 100 gms corn kernels
- 7-10 french beans stalks
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cinnamon stalk
- 4-5 whole cloves
- 400 ml coconut milk
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pot. Add the whole spices first, the cloves, cinnamon sticks, and bay leaf. Fry in the oil for 1 minute. Then add ginger garlic paste followed by onions and saute until the onions are translucent in color.
- Once the spices are fried add the vegetables. (You can add any combination of vegetables from what's available in your fridge).
- Now add all the dry spice powders, salt, coconut milk, and stir.
- Let this cook on a medium flame for 30 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through.
- Serve with steamed rice.
Lentil Coconut Curry
Another under-30-minute meal idea I use on busy nights for dinner. My toddler loves lentils cooked in coconut milk.
If your toddler doesn’t enjoy lentils as much and you are looking for ways to introduce lentils without him taking notice, try my lentil recipes for toddlers and picky eaters here. This post includes a lentil patty, lentil bolognese, and a yummy lentil soup specially designed for picky eaters.
Lentil Coconut Curry – Recipes For Toddlers
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- ½ cup lentils (tur dal)
- 1 tomato chopped
- 1 onion chopped
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp garam masala powder
- salt to taste
- chilly flakes to taste
- 1 small bunch coriander leaves finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pressure pan.
- Add chopped onion and ginger garlic paste
- Sauté until onions turn golden brown.
- Add the tomatoes and cook until they are softened.
- Now add the lentils and coconut milk, salt, and spices.
- Take 2-3 whistles in the pressure pan.
- Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves.
- Serve with rice.
I hope you try some of these recipes for toddlers and that your little ones enjoy them as much as we do.
Save these ideas to refer back in the future.
Quick and Healthy Toddler Meal Ideas And Recipes
Ingredients
- Masala Noodles with boiled egg, cucumbers, and strawberries
- Mujadara rice and salad
- Dal Khichdi, steamed broccoli, and tahini dressing
- Pulav rice and yogurt
- Potato Pasta Soup
- Vegetarian Stew
- Lentil Coconut Curry and rice
Instructions
- Follow individual recipe cards for detailed recipe.
Here are some toddler recipes from previous posts;
Easy and Healthy Soup Recipes For Toddlers
What My Toddler Eats In A Week
And, if you are looking for more easy recipes check out my ebook The Easy Toddler Snack Book, which contains many yummy recipes like granola bars, frittata, pancakes, smoothie bowls, smoothies, energy balls, and more. Your toddler will love them.
Until next time,
Ciao!
