The Toddler Ground Beef Recipe When You Don’t Know What Else To Make
Let’s call them the ground beef blues: you don’t necessarily want to serve it all the time–how about a steak, kid? Amirite?--but you may find yourself needing to serve it all the time. Man cannot live on hamburgers, tacos, and chili alone–but your kid sure can.
But you’re not alone in at least one sense: the world–and this site–provides lots of different ways to make ground meat of any kind interesting and fun again–for your child and you alike. Korean. Turkish. Persian. That basil and chicken dish you ordered from your local Thai restaurant a thousand times during the first months of your kid’s life? Ground meat. Lots you can do with it, starting with this simplified take on donburi–that is, meat simmered in a sauce of stock and soy–that emphasizes the lighter and sweeter side of Japanese cooking. Even better? It takes less than ten minutes to get to the table.
- Rice
- 1/2 lb Ground meat of your choosing (see instructions for beef vs. poultry prep differences)
- 1/8 cup Teriyaki Sauce
- 1/4 cup Broth (beef or chicken is fine; low-sodium is recommended)
- Rice Vinegar
- Sugar (optional)
- minced Ginger
- 1/2 package frozen peas (roughly 3-4oz)
- Prepare your rice per package instructions.
- If using poultry: heat a small pool of oil in a saucepan or Dutch pan to Medium, then pour in your chicken, mixing and mashing so that the meat is coated in oil; allow to cook for two 1-2 minutes before pouring in teriyaki, broth, two splashes of rice vinegar.
- If using beef: In a saucepan or Dutch oven set to Medium High, mix meat, teriyaki, broth, two splashes of rice vinegar, and a small sprinkle of sugar (if using).
- Cook for 3 minutes if using poultry or five if using beef, stirring and chopping to break up chunks throughout. Add in peas and a small spoonful of minced ginger, then cook until most of the liquid in the pot is gone, roughly three more minutes.
Put a spoonful of rice down on your child’s plate and mat it down; top or side with the meat and peas mixture and any additional condiment that may help (optional). Encourage your child to try and pick up both rice and meat with his/her spoon or fork.
Brad (the Dad) is the founder and Chief Recipe Officer of New Dad's Kitchen. His own cooking/feeding journey started humbly during his son's infancy, preparing and managing his son's bottle intake in order to support his wife; it has since blossomed into a full-on passion to feed his child and family delicious and healthy meals that can satisfy both a toddler and his very tired parents.
