Recipes That Preteens Can Cook

Source: Veronica Shore

(37 ratings)

Recipe for Mini Meatloaf Sliders (makes 10-12)

You will need:

1 pound of regular ground beef
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
1/3 cup of milk
1/3 cup diced yellow onion
1/4 cup minced green bell pepper
1 tbsp Worchestershire Sauce
1 tbsp Heinz Chili Sauce
1 large egg
1 tsp salt
3 turns of the pepper grinder
Soft mini rolls, sliced in half and buttered

You will also need:

A big bowl to mix everything together
A large non-stick skillet
Non-stick spatula
Measuring cups and spoons
2 extra plates - one for toasted buns, one for burger patties
A cutting board and knife to chop the veggies
An adult to supervise

1. Wash and dry your hands. Prepare the ingredients - get an adult to help you chop the onions and bell pepper.

2. Place the skillet over medium heat on the stovetop. While it heats up, add the bread crumbs and milk to the big bowl and set aside.

3. When the skillet has been sitting over the heat for a minute or two, place the soft rolls butter side down, and toast for another minute. Check to see if they are golden brown. When they are nice and toasty, remove with your spatula and set aside on a plate.

4. In the large bowl containing the bread crumbs and milk, add the ground beef, the chopped onion and peppers, the Worchestershire Sauce, the chili sauce, the egg, and the salt and pepper.

5. Using your hands, squish and squash and mix all the gooey ingredients together with your hands until they are all well combined. Roll a small handful of meat between your palms into a round shape, and then flatten into patties slightly larger than the size of the bun. Set aside on a plate.

6. With an adult's help, cook the burger in the skillet for about 3-4 minutes until brown and crusty, and then flip it with the spatula to let the other side cook for 3-4 minutes. Don't forget to wash your hands frequently when handling raw meat and eggs!

7. Have an adult check to make sure the burger is done and ready to come off the stove. When you get the hang of it, cook all the other patties the same way.

8. Place the finished burgers on the toasted buns, and serve with ketchup, a pickle, and side of Cheesy Texas Potatoes.

Created by Veronica Shore

Recipe for Cheesy Texas Potatoes

You will need:

1 two-pound bag of frozen hash brown (or "Southern Style") potatoes
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1 and ¼ cup of sour cream
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 cup (or 8 oz) of shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp of salt
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 cup of crushed Corn Flakes

You will also need:

A big bowl to mix everything together
A 9" x 12" baking pan (or 9 x 13 works too)
Measuring cups
A heat-safe dish to melt the butter
A plastic Ziplock bag to crush the corn flakes
A cutting board and knife to chop the onion
Oven mitts
An adult to supervise

1. Wash and dry your hands.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pull the potatoes out of the freezer and let them sit out on the countertop for several minutes to thaw a little. They should not be clumpy.

2. Cut the stick of butter in half, and melt one of the halves of the butter in the microwave or the oven.

3. Ask an adult to help you dice the onion.

4. In a large bowl, mix together the hash browns, onions, sour cream, the cream of chicken soup, salt, the ½ stick of melted butter, and ½ of the cheese. Stir to combine, and spread the mixture out evenly in your 9" x 12" baking pan.

5. Melt the remaining ½ stick of butter. Meanwhile, using your hands, crush enough Corn Flakes in a plastic Ziplock bag, so that you end up with 1 cup of crushed Corn Flakes.

6. Pour the melted butter into the bag of Corn Flakes, and squish the bag so the corn flakes get covered in the butter.

7. Spread the remaining ½ cup of cheese out evenly over the top of the potatoes, and then spread the crushed Corn Flakes out over the cheese.

8. Bake 1 hour in the 350 degree oven.

Created by Veronica Shore