To be fair teenagers cop a bad rap.
Ask anyone to describe a teenager and they’re likely to come up with sulky, moody and uncooperative. You literally need a degree in negotiation when dealing with these aliens.
However, there are also plenty of positives that come to mind when I think of teenagers”¦curious, independent and creative to name a few and as parents, teachers and friends tapping into what interests them will get you far.
You may think you have no influence over your teenager and you’re sort of right. But you can help them navigate these tumultuous years with a healthy self-image and a head start in lifelong healthy eating.
How? By teaching them to cook. Motivating your teen to cook might be a bit tricky to start with, especially boys. But once they get going they will rather enjoy it. Try explaining to them that knowing how to cook will make them independent quicker since independence is so appealing to most teens. So put on some music, theirs, not yours and get cooking.
See below for 10 recipes you must teach your teenagers to cook!
1. Traditional Spaghetti Bolognaise
A classic dish which anyone can make including your teenager. Your teen can also make it their own dish by adding whatever they like or they can stick to the traditional method. Click here for ingredients and method.
Why they should know this recipe?
It is traditional, most people love spaghetti – and it is cheap to make. A must-have in every cook’s repertoire.
2. Shepherd’s Pie
It’s true what they say”¦it’s an oldie but a goodie. Great first dish to learn, very simple and packed with healthy vegetables. Click here for ingredients and method.
Why They Should Cook This Recipe:
Shepherd’s Pie has loads of very basic cooking methods rolled into one. How to make a good mashed potato (not too wet, not too dry). Making basic mince taste good, using up vegetables and making use of what you have. All perfect life skills to have!
3. Tuna Melt
I haven’t met a kid, teenager or adult who doesn’t like tuna and lazy teenagers will love this dish. It’s a meal without that much effort. Click here for ingredients and method.
Why Teenagers Should Know This:
Tuna is cheap – and doesn’t go off when it is in a can. Tuna Melts show them that they can make a meal with the very simplest of ingredients!
4. Fasta Pasta
The word ‘fasta’ should ring a bell with your teenager. Fast to make and even quicker to scoff down. It’s also very cheap to buy and could feed a whole gang of their friends too. Click here for ingredients and method.
What it teaches them:
What ingredients go together to taste good, the use of leftovers to make another dish.
5. Macaroni Cheese
This dish is the ultimate in comfort food. Getting your teenager to learn this dish will set them up for life. Not only a scrummy dish, but it says good old fashion family values wrapped up in cheese. Click here for ingredients and method.
Why They Should Know This:
Hey – it is a vegetarian dish that no-one really thinks about it being vegetarian. Plus it is a comfort food, and all teenagers will suffer a heartbreak and need to eat cheese and pasta at some stage!
6. Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
Anything with balls in it will make your teenager laugh so this dish is a good start. It’s a twist on the traditional mince meatballs by adding the chicken mince and a few new ingredients like lemon zest. If this is all too hard for your teen you could cheat and buy the meatballs and make the sauce, but it really is easy. Click here for ingredients and method.
Why They Should Know This:
Meatballs can be surprisingly tricky – and a good meatball goes a long way.
7. Pizza
This pizza is super easy to make, ready in 30 minutes and doesn’t need dough. What? Yes, no dough! No faffing about with flour and kneading. Just eight ingredients and 30 minutes of your teenagers’ time. Click here for ingredients and method.
Why They Should Know This:
Flavour Stacking! What flavours match. Pizza can be very overpowering, or very bland. The perfect pizza is a balance.
8. Bangers and Mash
One of the easiest dishes to make. This is the dish that will get your teenager cooking. It is so simple. Place ingredients in a slow cooker and walk away, it cooks itself. Add potato mash at the end. Click here for ingredients and method.
Why They Should Know This:
Bangers and Mash is super simple, but when done well, can be served to the CEO of a company and be enjoyed! This shows them that it doesn’t have to be fancy and expensive to be good!
9. Sticky Sausages
Teenagers love sausages so here’s another sausage dish for your teenager to get stuck into. A very simple dish with only 6 ingredients. No need to make a special trip to the shop, I bet most of these ingredients will already be in your cupboard. Click here for ingredients and method.
Why They Should Know This:
Sweet and savoury together equals a flavour explosion!
10. Nachos
No teenage recipe list will be complete without a nacho inclusion. They will forward think with this dish…one plate, no cutlery equals no washing up. Very simple dish for your teenager to learn and of course they will love it too. Click here for ingredients and method too.
Why They Should Know This:
I still eat corn chips with tomato sauce on top – or Poor Mans Nacho’s. But it is a great way to make basic mince into something that will feed even the fussiest of eaters.
Bonus: Homemade Burgers
Nothing is as easy as making a homemade burger. Mince, salad and sauce. Getting your teenager into making these at home might steer them away from the processed rubbish at McDonalds. Click here for ingredients and method.
Letting your teenager loose in the kitchen is affording them a sense of autonomy that will set them in very good stead for the future. Sure ovens are hot and knives are sharp and your kitchen will look like a bombsite. But with a bit of guidance they’ll soon have the confidence to cook unaided in the kitchen”¦however don’t hold your breath they will clean up too.
