How To Get The Pickiest Kid to Eat Vegetables

Our first born had lots of issues with food texture and mouth feel when he was a toddler. He would make us laugh when he was learning to talk because he would tell us couldn't eat a particular food because "it has strips!"

We finally figured out he was talking about the stringy texture some cooked vegetables have. He also decided early on he had an aversion to any food that was green in color or labeled "vegetable." I would still put one or two pieces of whatever we ate on his plate. There were some pretty heated discussions about "just one bite". 

One day I roasted sweet potatoes and as usual placed a few on his plate. I have no idea what prompted him to taste test, but he surprised us when he asked for more. 

Roasting vegetables completely transforms them. Crispy, caramelized exterior with a creamy interior might coax your pickiest eater into asking for seconds. 

If at first you don't succeed, try try again! It may take a few different veggies to find the gateway vegetable for your family. 

In my membership Teach Your Kids to Cook, we explore roasted vegetables many ways. Different combinations to try, ways to use the leftovers (if there are any), three-ingredients sauces to jazz them up for the most stubborn little people with discerning palates and even other foods you can roast! To learn more about the membership click here.

My kids' favorites are potatoes of any kind: sweet potatoes, Yukon Gold, Russet potatoes and carrots.

How To Roast Any Vegetable

Before we get started, let's go over the essentials.

1. Don't skimp on fat. Whether you're using olive oil or bacon drippings, this is not the time to hold back.

2. Don't crowd the pan. You want a little space around your vegetables so they roast instead of steam. The appeal of roasted vegetables is the crisp exterior. You won't get that nice crunchy bite if the vegetables are too close to each other.

3. The smaller the pieces, the shorter the cooking time.

Place your baking sheet in the oven. Preheat to 425 degrees.

Chop your vegetables into bite-sized pieces. You can roast more than one type of vegetable on the same baking sheet. It is important to pair vegetables with similar cooking times. Root vegetables, for example, take longer to cook than softer vegetables like squash and zucchini. 

Toss each cup of chopped vegetables with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil or bacon drippings.

Spread onto hot baking sheet in a single layer. Cook for 15 to 25 minutes depending on the size and type of vegetables you are roasting, flipping halfway through the cooking time.

You can chop veggies ahead of time and store in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook.

Leftover roasted vegetables are a gift for weeknight meals. There are so many ways to use them: toss into grain bowls, salads, frittatas, omelets, paninis, pasta. The options are endless.