15 Vegetarian Recipes for Kids We Make on Repeat

Alexandra F.:  This was the recipe that got me hooked on chili, and shockingly (since I am a meat-lover) it does not use any meat at all, just a delicious variety of beans and vegetables. Though the recipe calls for chicken broth, we substitute vegetable broth to make it vegetarian. Serve with fresh cornbread or corn chips for a tasty, warming vegetarian meal the whole family will enjoy.

Jaclyn Keifer:  This recipe DOES include dairy. We have four kids 20m, 5, 13, and 18 and they all devour this. We all want another serving- it’s one of our staples!

Shila:  These are basically potato skins topped with avocado (as opposed to typical potato skins which are topped with cheese and sour cream). Though both of these options are vegetarian friendly, the avocado version presents the healthier choice.

Kelly R:  My kids like mushrooms and love pesto, and these pizza-inspired portobellos are one of our favorite vegetarian recipes for kids! They have gone over well in our house as a hearty main course. They're so easy to assemble and use only one pan.

Shila:  This meatless lasagna is one of the best vegetarian recipes for kids to try. Instead of meat, it layers a bunch of iron-rich leafy greens and savory vegetables inside a tri-level of pasta, cottage cheese, and tomato sauce. The trick is in the vegetable sauté where the veggies are carefully broken down into tiny caramelized bites.

Alexandra F.:  This hearty soup is one of our family's favorite vegetarian recipes for kids, and a standby during the cold winter months. Though the recipe calls for beef broth, simply replace with vegetable broth to make it vegetarian. Best of all, it's one of the quickest and easiest meals to make so it's perfect for busy weeknights.

Sue Krawitz Tandoc:  My kids love this vegetarian cheesy pasta dish on cold fall and winter evenings. It is the perfect comfort food and super easy to make. If your kids like veggies, you can add some right in, such as spinach, broccoli, peppers, cauliflower or carrots.

Shila:  If your family likes sushi, you can enjoy a whole variety of new vegetarian recipes for kids by learning to prepare your own! It's surprisingly simple, but you'll need to purchase the proper equipment. Avocado and cucumber were the first sushi rolls my kids tried and enjoyed. This recipe for avocado sushi can get you started with the fundamentals of cooking rice, along with assembling and rolling the bamboo mat.

Kelly R:  I like making sheet pan quesadillas with cheese and black beans for an easy weeknight vegetarian dinner. The sheet pan method is faster than cooking each one individually in a pan, and the same technique works for any variety of cheese and filling options you want to use up in your fridge.

Shila:  Beans are a great source of fiber, and a key component of many vegetarian recipes for kids. Check out this recipe for bean burritos that uses canned refried beans if you need vegetarian meals for picky eaters. The texture is much more smooth which some kids tend to appreciate.

Shila:  Ramen offers kids a fantastic vegetarian dinner option. My kids love this recipe for ramen topped with a hard-boiled egg!

Shila:  There are so many good recipes that secretly hide vegetables, and this is another one! The best part of this particular vegetarian recipe for kids is that it breaks down the broccoli into the sauce itself. Instead of orecchiette, I use a rigatoni or penne so the sauce hides better in the nooks.

Sarah Calamita:  This burger is so satisfying and delicious! It has a great ingredient profile. The best homemade burger I have made by far.

Kelly R:  I finally made this vegetarian mushroom lasagna recipe that I had put off trying for years because I thought my kids wouldn't like it, but it ended up being a hit with all of us! It's a bit more labor intensive (as most lasagnas are), but totally worth it, and it's not as cheesy and heavy as many vegetarian lasagnas tend to be. It can be frozen if you want to make it ahead - or make a second one to freeze for later.

Shila:  One of the best vegetarian sources of protein comes from lentils, though you don't find lentils too often as main dinner dishes for kids. I recommend this lentil soup, an easy crock pot recipe which uses tons of delicious flavors! What I love about this 100% vegetarian recipe is how the immersion blender transforms the broth's texture from chunky to smooth. The soup remains hearty, but the creaminess welcomes kids to slurp it down easier.