If I have learned one thing from teaching kids to cook, it’s that they are more willing to eat dishes they helped make. I think it comes in part from pride in their creation and in part from curiosity.
As a parent, I take complete advantage of this and have my kids help me make recipes I am not quite sure will go over well. I was skeptical at first of this fall/winter soup, featuring tortellini, kielbasa, white beans, and kale, but after we made it together, it was a big hit! My kids enjoyed chopping the ingredients, learning about each one (we used dinosaur kale – which they thought was very cool), and then adding everything to the big pot on the stove. Surprisingly, they liked everything in the soup (including the kale) and each ate two bowls.
Cheese Tortellini Soup with White Beans, Kielbasa, and Kale
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces fully cooked smoked kielbasa, thinly sliced (turkey kielbasa has far less fat than regular kielbasa)
1 onion, chopped
1-3 cups other hearty vegetables, like green beans, carrots, and zucchini (optional)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
10 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
4 cups chopped kale (1/2 bunch) washed
1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed, drained (Great Northern Beans work fine)
1 9-ounce package cheese tortellini
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add kielbasa, onion, vegetables (if using), garlic, and thyme and saut/ until vegetables are soft and kielbasa is brown (about 12 minutes). Add broth and bring to boil. Stir in the kale and white beans. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the kale is wilted (about 4 minutes). This can be made one day ahead; cool slightly, cover, and refrigerate; bring to a simmer before continuing.
Add tortellini to soup. Simmer until pasta is just tender but still firm to bite (about 5 minutes).
Ladle soup into bowls. Serve, passing cheese separately. Serve with French bread.
Makes 6 servings.
Cooking with kids
Let your little chefs wash the vegetables. Put the vegetables in a strainer and let the kids run cold water over them. Tell them to make sure they get all the dirt off so the vegetables will be clean for the soup. After you have checked the vegetables for dirt, let the kids chop the kale and green beans (with a butter knife and cutting board), or they can tear the kale apart and break the beans into pieces. Don’t worry if all the pieces are different sizes. It’s more important that the kids enjoy working with the vegetables than that they try to be precise.
When you are ready to assemble the soup, let them watch as you add the ingredients. Explain how the flavor builds with every additional ingredient. Keep tasting spoons and mini bowls handy, so they can taste it during the process. The soup gets hot, so put the tasting sample in a bowl to cool it down before each taste.
When the soup is ready to eat, let the kids add a little Parmesan cheese to each bowl. Kids always like to add the garnish! While you eat the soup, be sure to ask them questions about the cooking process and the ingredients. Hopefully, they will be proud of their creation and curious enough to eat it!
Bridget O’Boyle is a parent of two lively kids, owns a really fun kids’ store in South Minneapolis called It’s Play Time! (ItsPlayTime.com), and teaches kids and grown-ups to cook at Cooks of Crocus Hill.
