Soups are an ideal food for children, because they often offer well balanced nutrition (with vegetables and protein in each spoonful) and soup is fun for children to eat. There are many kinds of soups that kids will enjoy making—and then eating!
Soups may take longer to make, but it’s simple and the reward is well worth the wait. Not only are homemade soups generally more nutritious than the store-bought variety, but children will enjoy helping to make (and sample!) the soup.
Chicken noodle soup
Not only soup extremely economical (it is one of the cheapest meals to make), it is also a great way to be sure your family is getting the vegetables and heart-healthy herbs they need. Soup is also good for dieting, because it is low in fat and is a very satisfying meal.
Large batches of soup can be made over the weekend, and then stored for use in lunch boxes and dinners during the week. In this way, homemade soup can be enjoyed any time—as a healthy snack or as part of a well balanced meal.
Chicken noodle soup is a kid favorite, but there are many other varieties of soups to try. Even if the soup is new to the children, they are usually willing samplers (especially when they helped to make the soup!)
Most soups call for stock in their recipes. Stock can easily be replaced with water, or can be made quickly by using stock cubes or powder.
- Chicken Stock. Next time you roast a chicken, you can save the carcass to make chicken stock. You can also use raw bones. Break up the carcass or bones and place them in a large pot with peeled and roughly chopped carrots, a stick of celery, an onion, a few peppercorns, a little salt and a sprinkle of thyme and parsley. Add enough cold water to cover the ingredients, then bring to a boil. Skim off the foam, then simmer for 3 hours. Freezes well for future use in soups.
- Vegetable Stock. Place vegetable trimmings and peelings—potato, carrot, broccoli, tomato, onion, leek, or anything you have—plus a little salt, a few peppercorns, a bay leaf and a sprinkle of dried herbs into a pot. Add enough cold water to cover the ingredients. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 45 minutes. Allow to cool, then strain.
Here are a couple healthy soup recipes to try with your children:
Vegetable Soup with Orzo
* 2 large onions, cut into chunks
* ½ cup olive oil
* 2 or 3 minced garlic cloves
* 1 pound (about 7 or 
carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
* 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
* 2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
* 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
* 3 to 4 ounces of green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
* 3 or 4 medium zucchini, sliced into ¼-inch cubes
* 2 cups orzo pasta
* Coarse salt and ground black pepper to taste
* ½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Allow children to place the onions and oil into a heavy, 6-quart stockpot. An adult should sauté the onions until soft, then add the garlic and carrots to the hot oil. Allow the ingredients to cook for 5 minutes.
With adult supervision, children can carefully add the potatoes and stock, 1 cup at a time, to the pot. Simmer until the potatoes are almost tender. Add the green beans and zucchini and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the orzo pasta and cook until the orzo is al dente. With adult supervision, children can season the soup with salt and pepper. Once in individual serving bowls, children can garnish each bowl with a sprinkling of parsley. Serve hot.
Split Pea Soup
* 1 small onion, diced
* 1 carrot, peeled and diced
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 cup rinsed split peas
* 3 cups water
* 3/4 pound ham hock (optional)
In a medium saucepan over low to medium heat, warm the oil. Saute the onions and carrot until the onions are translucent (about 4 minutes). Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 45 minutes.
Remove the ham hock and let it cool. Puree the soup with a handheld blender until smooth. Cut the meat off the ham hock and into tiny pieces, discarding the fat. Serve the soup with ham mixed in or sprinkled on top.