Anyone else have trouble getting your DC to try soups? Any good recipes?

[Anonymous]

Kind of a strange question, but my DD is 2 and will not try soups that have any sort of chunks, which is most (chicken noodle, chili, etc.). I love making soups for dinner in the fall/winter and am racking my brain for some recipes that will appeal to my 2-year-old. Btw, she's a great eater and not pickier than most 2-year-olds I know, she just doesn't seem to like when the different ingredients are mixed together vs. broccoli here, chicken there, etc. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Broccoli-cheddar, where the broccoli is in very small pieces, or pretty much pureed? (I have no recipe, of course, it's just an idea)

Black bean soup? I'm thinking of the kind from progresso, where it's really just black beans and nothing else, so no mystery.

My kids LOVE Campbell's double noodle soup, it's just noodles and broth. That's my go-to.

I'm not sure if any of that is what you're looking for, but I can offer sympathy - I love soup and I have one kid who just turned 2 who will probably end up liking it and one who's 5 who won't eat anything that is "hot" or even "pretty warm."

[Anonymous]

That's a tough age because of the whole mixing of different foods issue. Here are some things I did:

-- get or make alphabet soup and have her try to find the letters

-- take her to the store and tell her that you are having soup tonight and can she pick the bread to go with it (olive, rosemary, Italian, French baguette, pumpernickel, etc) and even if she takes only a few bites of soup and eats mostly bread, it will start a tradition

-- serve it in an unusual dish like a coffee mug that she can sip it out of then take chunks with a spoon

-- take her to a paint your own pottery place and have her make herself a soup bowl so special that she only gets to use it on Soup Night (in our house, we have *salad plates*)

-- have her help you make the soup explaining that it is her grandmother's or her aunt's or your recipe and that someday it will be hers (my kids love throwing things into the pot)

HTH and Good Luck

[Anonymous]

Try making some soups that are basically a very nutritious broth. For example, make a chicken broth, and cook just one or two things in it, like some winter squash -- then use an immersion blender and puree that soup until it is all one consistency. Serve any noodles etc on the side for your child, add them in for you. If the soup is still too lumpy you can even pass it through a seive or strainer before serving it to your child. Although, I would always add a few chunks of whatever it is so the child can get used to the idea of lumpy soup -- she can just take it out with a spoon if it bothers her.

I haven't tried this particular recipe but it looks similar to one I tried once!

http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/winter-squash-soup-676373

[Anonymous]

As a kid I loved (and still do) tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. The soup can be served in a coffee mug (as a PP suggested).

[Anonymous]

My son loves Buffalo Chicken Soup - he dips tortilla chips in it and eats it on the chips.

He also likes taco soup which I puree, it's yummy!

[Anonymous]

The alphabet soup is a good one I'l have to try. My 2.5 yo will not TOUCH soups.

[Anonymous]

This one can be veggie or not (if you sub chicken broth) but very easy and full of good stuff- you can puree it up as much as you need to w/ immersion blender http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pinto-Bean-Tomato-and-Butternut-Squash-Soup-103870

There are a number of pumpkin bisque soup recipes out there that would be smooth and pretty healthy/tasty too.

[Anonymous]

Wow-- some great ideas already! Thanks everyone!

[Anonymous]

Our 2 yr. old DS loves Trader Joe's soups. They have all kinds of veggies in there, and they are in bisque (pureed) form. So he can just swallow.

I think it's hard for little toddlers to eat a mix of liquid and solid - they get confused. I find that our DS will just swallow a soup with chunks in it (but he'll chew regular solid food just fine). So until he gets older, we're sticking of smooth soups.

[Anonymous]

I throw some golfish in the soup and as she tries to scoop up the cracker, she gets some soup.

[Anonymous]

My kids love pureed soups. Now that they are older, I add chunks of veggies and meat, but when they were younger, they loved these, which are filling and hearty (plus nutritious, and they freeze great):

Split pea: Chop two carrots and an onion and a bunch of garlic cloves. Sautee in olive oil until tender. Add a pound of yellow or green split peas, water and chicken broth (to about 3 inches above peas). Add seasoning salt, cumin, dashes of Italian seasoning, and a little curry powder. Cook until peas are VERY soft (about an hour). If you like, add some coconut milk (about half a cup) for extra richness.
Puree in batches in a blender. Yummy.

Pumpkin: Do the same thing with carrots, onions, etc. Add a can of pumpkin or about a pound or so of roasted pumpkin or squash (I like to add a beef shank, but you don't have to). Add water, chicken or beef broth, and the same seasonings, plus a couple potatoes, and again, a little coconut mik if you like. After about an hour, puree everything (except the beef shank -- you can add the shredded meat back to the soup if your kids will eat it).

[Anonymous]

I started making them thicker and calling them stew. Still do that at 9, because he "hates soup" but will eat "stew."

[Anonymous]

Butternut squash soup: Saute an onion in olive oil. Peel a butternut squash and cut into chunks. Add squash and chicken broth to onion and cook until squash is soft. Puree in a blender, adding dried sage, salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

My 4 year old would get frustrated eating soup with a little child's spoon, so DH bought a couple of those spoons served with soup in Japanese restaurants. DS loves being able to get a decent mouthful of soup with it.

[Anonymous]

11:53 PP -- buffalo chicken soup sounds great. Can you share the recipe?